Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	call_v	effect_n	nature_n	1,689	5	5.4122	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B04702	An antidote against a careless indifferency in matters of religion. Being a treatise in opposition to those that believe, that all religions are indifferent, and that it imports not what men profess. / Done out of French. With an introduction by Anthony Horneck, D.D. Chaplain in ordinary to their Majesties.; Traité contre l'indifférence des religions. English	Pictet, Benedict, 1655-1724.; Horneck, Anthony, 1641-1697.	1694 (1694)	Wing P2153; ESTC R181787	77,076	145

infer that it was Chance that so well order'd all things as to prescribe to every thing the particular Use that is assign'd it or that so well joyn'd and plac'd together all things as to be useful the one to the other the Heavens to the Earth the Earth to the Plants the Plants to the Creatures Thô Chance might frame an Eye how is it possible for us to conceive that Chance also made the Light without which the Eyes would signifie nothing Seeing then that matter is not Eternal and that the World was not made of it self either by Chance or the concurrence of Atoms according to Epicurus of necessity we must conclude that there is an Almighty Being that made it since nothing but an infinite Power could draw the first Matter out of Nothing or give it so lovely a Form And this All Powerful Being is that which we call God It may be objected perhaps that Nature is the cause of all those Great Effects 't is she say they that causes the Plants to sprout and shoot forth that gives Life to Men c. But all this while what do they mean by Nature Is it an Intelligent Cause or a Blind and Stupid Cause If it be a Stupid Cause how comes it to act with so much Wisdom If it be an Intelligent Cause endu'd with infinite Wisdom is not this the calling of Nature that which we call God Or if they mean by Nature that Order which appears in the Production Generation and Preservation of every Creature then who establish'd that Order but that sovereign Being which we all adore 'T is then most certain that there is a God and we have no design to enlarge any farther upon the proof of it All Sciences lead us to this Truth and all Nations in all Ages have acknowledg'd it except some certain barbarous People among whom Reason was almost extinguish'd and in some Travellers have not observ'd any sentiments of a Deity because they have not been so strictly nice to inform themselves But Man who is naturally proud and high-minded has rather chosen to worship Wood and Stones Beasts and Plants Crocodils and Trees Rats and Onions then to be without a God and adore nothing at all However we must confess that there were formerly and still are now-a-days some People who making an ill use of their Reason attacque this Principle and drawing off their Wit from every thing that might be able to prove a Deity meerly to apply themselves to whatever may increase and harden 'em in their Doubts persuade themselves at length that there is no God But besides that they who arrive to this degree of Impiety are not very numerous and that there is great reason to question whither there be any real Atheists I speak of Atheists in Wit if I may presume so to express my self and not of Atheists in Heart there are very few who carry their incredulity to their Grave The greatest part confess in despite of their own Teeth the Deity whose Enemy they declare themselves to be nor can they forbear imploring his Aid in their most pressing occasions and upon unexpected Accidents necessity and their Conscience forcing 'em to acknowledge what before out of malice and disdain of Heav'n they deny'd Therefore the Impiety of some Libertines who endeavour to prove there is no God because they could wish there were not ought not be any inducement for us to question a Verity so universally acknowledg'd But if it behoves our Reason as Haughty as it is to confess a Deity and that Man has a Master under whose Empire it becomes him to humble himself it becomes him also to acknowledge that this Sovereign Power possesses all Perfections and those in such a degree as that there can be none conceiv'd to be greater or more accomplish'd This is the Idea which we naturally have of God nor can we have any other if we follow the Illuminations of Right Reason Nothing is to be conceiv'd to be better or more perfect then the Deity and this is agreed on by all the World For if he wanted some Perfection or if he did not possess it in a Supream degree then would something be conceiv'd more perfect then He. Therefore it must be own'd that whoever speaks of a God speaks of the most perfect of all Beings that exist or can exist I will not undertake to describe all these Perfections they are Infinite nor can the Angels themselves those Blessed Existencies who are always before this Sovereign Being but very imperfectly instruct us who he is 'T is sufficient that we observe that no Man can have an Idea of a most perfect Being without conceiving at the same time that he subsists of himself and necessarily exists that he is an Eternal Being and without any Beginning that he is an Independent Being but upon whom all things depend an All-seeing All-knowing All-foreseeing and Omnipotent Existence A Being Sovereignly good most Just most Wise and most Happy Thus it behoves us to conceive all these Perfections in the Being which we adore and who is our God This is a Truth beyond all Contest But it is also no less certain that this most perfect Being who created the Matter the World and whatever we behold contain'd within it is the Author of all the Good which is in the Creatures All the Creatures can expect no Good but from him who gave 'em their Being and by whom they subsist There is none but He who perfectly knows what is convenient for 'em because he knows all things and He alone can only bestow it upon 'em by reason of his Omnipotency The Pagans have acknowledg'd this in the midst of their Ignorance as it would be easie for me to prove out of the Works of their most celebrated Authors They all agreed that their Lives and their good Fortune for that was their manner of speaking depended upon God This is the Opinion of all Men said Cicero for I mind not what Ajaz says in Sophocles and another no less impious in Eschylus who upheld that none but Fools and faint-hearted People implor'd the Omnipotency of the Gods But there have been others who have added that Wisdom and Virtue depended upon this Supream Being that the Beginning and End or the success of all Things depended upon him And the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus has those sentiments upon this Subject as put to shame several false Christians For he says that there is an Effectual Virtue in God which acts in us and operates all our good Actions and all our good desires and which removes from us all Opportunities and Occasions of falling into Sin From all these Truths I draw this Consequence which naturally flows from these Principles That it is absolutely our Duty to Honour this Infinite Being to endeavour from day to day to understand him more perfectly continually to admire his Virtues to love and fear him to make it our whole imployment to please him and so to bear