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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bring_v	good_a	let_v	1,459	5	4.0417	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26150	The Christian religion increas'd by miracle a sermon before the Queen at White-Hall, October 21, 1694 / by Francis Atterbury ...	Atterbury, Francis, 1662-1732.	1694 (1694)	Wing A4147; ESTC R700	11,551	28

Evidently assure us that the Preaching of the Apostles was in the Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power as if we had heard them speaking with Strange Tongues seen them Healing the Blind and Lame and Reviving the Dead Which Truth that we may be yet Further confirm'd in let us consider as I propos'd in the Third Place what Shifts the Enemies of the Gospel make use of to evade the force of This Argument This then is the utmost that Any of them pretend to say 'T is true they will own Christianity multiply'd very fast and This Increase of it was in some sense Miraculous That is it was wonderful as every Unusual Thing is to those who do not know or consider the Causes of it But to a man they say that will dare to go out of the Common road and to think for himself it will appear that there were at That Time natural Causes a foot sufficient to produce this Effect without needing a Recourse to something Divine and Supernatural The Apostles indeed were Twelve plain Illiterate Men that had not in Themselves force or skill enough to bring about Such an Event but Their Natural Inability was supply'd by a Lucky Confluence of Other Causes and by several Accidental Advantages that mightily help'd on the Work As for Example The Sufferings of those poor bigotted Creatures the Martyrs made mighty impressions upon Men especially upon Those of the same Rank with the Sufferers the Common people who never fail to take the side of the Oppress'd and to think that Cause good let it be what it will for the Profession of which Men are us'dill Then the Purity of the Christian Morals was a mighty Argument to bring in the Men of Probity and Vertue into the Interests of the Gospel And so Also was the Analogy of some of its Mystical Truths to the Doctrines of Plato then in great esteem and vogue a very good Bait to the Men of Philosophy and Learning The Distribution of Goods which the first Christians made and their Living together in Common was a good Reason for many mens embracing That Truth which they were sure would maintain them The Casual Cessation of Oracles was immediately turn'd to the advantage of the Christian Religiou as if That had procur'd it And the destruction of the Jewish State contributed greatly to the encrease of the Christian Numbers because it seem'd to have been foretold by Christ and therefore luckily coming to pass about that time rais'd an high Opinion in Men of his Person and Doctrine and made them willing to think that the Christian Estabishment now newly set up was design'd by God to come into the Room of the Jewish one which then hapned to be pull'd down And thus say they several Extraordinary and Accidental Advantages conspiring to advance the Growth of Christianity it grew indeed mightily and prevail'd as a little River will swell high and spread itself wide and run far if a great many other Streams should at once happen to empty themselves into it and These second Causes they think had of themselves force enough without our having recourse to a first to solve the appearance But now in opposition to this that These Causes assign'd were utterly insufficient to produce the Event for which they are assign'd a short Review of them I think and the time will allow of but a short one will easily satisfie us The Blood of the Martyrs was indeed according to that well known saying the Seed of the Church But how Not surely by alluring Men to the Profession of Christianity at the Time when those Martyrs suffer'd for certainly nothing was more apt to frighten and discourage men from professing the Gospel then to find they should be persecuted for it But the meaning of that saying is that the Sufferings and Torments which the first Christians underwent so willingly and so bravely were a strong Evidence of the Truth of that Doctrine which could inspire its followers with so much Courage Constancy and Resolution and dispos'd men mightily to embrace the Religion of Christ afterwards in better and more quiet Times But before This Motive could have any great force and influence the Gospel had allready spread and settled itself every where and therefore nothing can well be accounted for on This Head but the Accession that was made to Christianity after it was sufficiently establish'd and This had confessedly nothing extraordinary in it and is not the Thing which we are at present Enquiring after The same Answer serves to that Other pretended account of this Increase from the Destruction of the Jewish State It did indeed add to the Numbers of Christian Converts when it hapned but it hapned not till near forty Years after the Death of Christ and by That time Christianity was strong enough of itself and needed no Aids And then even at that time thô Several Jews promoted the Interests of the Gospel by owning the Faith yet the Obstinate Part of them that stood out did it abundantly more harm then the Complying Ones did it good For They were not satisfy'd in rejecting Christianity themselves but made it their business to render it odious suspected and contemptible to the Heathens also in all the Corners of the Earth to which they were driven The Purity of the Christian Morals and the answerable Lives of Christian Converts was indeed what would be apt to make men admire and value the Doctrine of Christ but by no means to come under the Yoke of it For thô most Men have an Esteem for strict Rules and strict Livers yet few care to practise the one or to Imitate the other And nothing I think could be contriv'd so effectual next to the former wise Motive from the Sufferings of the Martyrs to deterr men from Christianity as to tell them that when they took it upon them they must renounce their dearest Appetites and Passions and deny their very Selves And I desire the Men who raise these Objections against the Divinity of the Gospel to tell us fairly whether if They had liv'd at that time they think They should have come in upon This Principle I am sure they would not because it is This Principle alone that they must part with their Satisfactions and Pleasures if they do that keeps them out of it now Therefore neither can This be any Sufficient reason for the sudden and wide Growth of Christianity The Analogy of some mystical Truths of Christianity to the Doctrine of Plato is a yet a weaker plea. For This Motive is Calculated to touch but very few onely the Philosophers of the Academic School And with Those it could have no Great weight surely or at least not enough to over ballance that Scorn and Contempt which upon other accounts they had of the Christian Religion and its Promulgers of That for its short Unphilosophical way of proposing its Truths without Demonstration and Reasoning and of Those for their Ignorance and the Meanness of their

contrary to the Establish'd Rites and Religions of all Countrys and in all Ages of the World They set out from Jerusalem with This Design they disperse themselves through all the quarters of the Earth they succeed every where and in a very short time prevail with great Multitudes in every Nation and Kingdom to submit to the Laws and to own the Religion of Jesus Now I say here was no manner of proportion between the Cause and its Effect between the Work that was wrought and the Instruments that wrought it and therefore it must needs have been that a Divine Invisible Power went along with 'em in every step and miraculously bless'd their Endeavors Which Truth that we may be fully convinc'd of I shall consider more particularly What naturally speaking are the best Advantages for a New Opinion to set up with and under what Circumstances it is most likely to prevail and I shall shew that the Christian Religion was utterly destitute of Every One of these Advantages and yet nevertheless did prevail Now there are Four Things that chiefly conduce to the spreading of any New Doctrine and do most remarkably make way for its reception in the World As First If the Principles of it be suited to the Lusts the Interests and Wishes of Those among whom it is to be propagated Secondly If it be supported and countenanced by Men of Power and Authority of great Name and Note if it be either forcibly obtruded upon men by those who have Dominion over 'em or more indirectly advanc'd by Art and Management and the Methods of worldly Prudence Thirdly If it be first brought into the World in dark and barbarous Ages when Men are either too Rude and Illiterate to be Able to weigh And to dispute the Truth of it or too much sunk in Sloth and Vice to be Willing to do it Or Fourthly If it be not proposed to men all At Once but be insinuated into 'em by Degrees Secretly and Insensibly As to the First of these it is certain that nothing recommends a new Doctrine so much or bids so fair for its Universal Reception as its falling in with the corrupt Desires and Inclinations the Passions and Prejudices of Men. For Men are without difficulty brought to believe an Opinion true which they wish true beforehand And This was the way in which that cunning Impostor Mahomet set up for a new Prophet He made his Doctrine as relishing and palatable as he could contriv'd it on purpose so as it might gratifie Men's Lusts and Appetites and especially that it might comply with the loose and wanton Manners of the East where he first erected his Standard And Thus also ever since has Libertinism of all kinds promoted its Interest and increased its Party Heterodox Opinions have grown up and thriven in prejudice to true Religion and sound Morality because there was Something in 'em that flattered either our Vanity our Lust or our Pride and fell in with a darling Inclination And This was that single Art to which Mr. Hobbs ow'd all his Reputation and his Followers it was not his Philosophy and his boasted Reason that drew Men in but the skill he had in fitting his Principles to Men's Constitutions and Tempers He knew what would take and be lik'd and he express'd it after a taking manner and no wonder then if it were greedily entertain'd To talk against receiv'd Opinions and in behalf of some belov'd Vices and Frailties to dress up his Discourse in all the natural Beauties of Language and to give it beside the air of Demonstration This he knew to be a sure way of making the Men of Wit and Pleasure of his side and This therefore he followed with application and success like one of the Children of This Generation thar are wiser in Their way than the Children of Light But now when Christianity first appear'd did it take This way of spreading its interests No! but quite contrary it proposed naked and simple Truths without any regard to what was Agreeable and Pleasing It held forth High and Unconceivable mysteries which the Pride of Man would make him apt to Suspect because he could not Comprehend and it preach'd up Harsh and Ungrateful Doctrines which did Violence to Mens Natures and which it was Death to them to think of entertaining And yet I say under This great Disadvantage it made its way and prosper'd But Secondly It is another great Advantage to a rising Opinion if it be espous'd by Men of Authority Repute and Parts that may either force its reception by Dint of Power or bring it about by Arts of Management and Contrivance And Thus the Prophet of the East also hew'd out his way by the power of the Sword took advantage from the divisions and weakness of Christendom to arm a Savage Multitude and make large inroads into it and then having brought into subjection the Bodies of Men first had no hard task afterwards to inslave their Souls And Thus was it that the Papal Usurpations often prevail'd the Bishops of Rome got Zealous Princes into their Interests and made them blindly obedient to the Holy See and then by Their help forc'd their Decrees upon whole unwilling Provinces and Kingdoms And as Some of their Encroachments Thus got footing so many Others we know were brought in at first and have been supported ever since by the highest and most refind Arts of Policy That See has never wanted from the very moment that it first set up its pretences a number of skilful Managers that have continually pleaded its Cause and carried on its Interests with all the Dexterity and Address that Human Wit is capable of It has ever had the warmest I had almost said the wisest heads and most willing hands ready to engage in its Service and no wonder therefore if its Delusions have spread so far and wide and infected such Numbers It was much the Same Case with the Broachers of Heresie in the Antient Church They were generally Leading Men of some Figure and Repute in the World of great Wit and Subtlety and by the help of These they were able to raise a Dust and to make a Noise and to create a Party to themselves But now when Christianity set out how weak and defenceless was it how Artless and undesigning How utterly unsupported either by the Secular Arm or Secular Wisdom I send you said our Saviour to his Apostles like Sheep among Wolves And accordingly they went forth in the Spirit of Simplicity of Humility and Meekness Arm'd only with Truth and Innocence a good Cause and an equal Resolution The Weapons of their Warfare were not Carnal but Spiritual The Messengers of these Glad Tydings were so far from having a Name in the World that They were Contemtible Were scorn'd as Jews by the Rest of Mankind and as the meanest and lowest of Jews by the Jews themselves They left their Nets and their Hooks which probably were the Onely things they understood