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	lord_n	see_v	2,258	5	3.3314	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30538	A returne to the ministers of London by way of answer to their seasonable exhortations, (so called) directed to their congregations : with sober reproof sent unto them, because of their secret smitings against the despised people called Quakers, whom they have secretly reproached in their said exhortation ... / by E.B.	Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1660 (1660)	Wing B6021; ESTC R22000	22,747	32

A RETURNE TO THE Ministers OF LONDON By way of Answer to their SEASONABLE EXHORTATIONS so called directed to their Congregations With sober reproof sent unto them because of their secret Smitings against the despised People called QUAKERS whom they have secretly reproached in their said EXHORTATION And this is written for the better information of them and their particular Congregations and that truth may be exalted and deceipt and iniquity may bow and tremble By E. B. LONDON Printed for Robert Wilson at the Black-Spread-Eagle and Windmill in Martins near Aldersgate 1660. A Return to the Ministers of London by way of Answer to their Seasonable Exhortation so called c. 1 FOrasmuch as you the Ministers in and about London have sent forth a Seasonable Exhortation as you call it to the people of your Congregations which I have seen read and considered and do find something therein worthy of Answer for the end that people may be satisfied concerning things doubtful which are in controversie this day among many for it is well known the controversie hath been long and is grown very high between us and you concerning Church Ministry and Religion And divers things in your Exhortation are doubtful unto many and that all doubts may be removed if possible therefore I do return what follows as an answer unto you Whereas you say you are not ignorant of the prejudices and prepositions wherewith the carnal world is leavened concerning your Calling Office and Doctrines and what clamours and fiery contentions abound for them every where that pleads Christs Cause in the gates c. Answ. As for your Calling Office and Doctrine there is much to be said against them in and by the Spirit of the Lord for your Calling and Office is not according to the example of Scriptures though the Calling and Office of Ministers of the Gospel hath example in the Scriptures yet as you are called into your Office that is not according but rather contrary to the Scriptures And as for your Doctrine it is in some things unsound also Now as for Seasonable Exhortations of Ministers to people I do acknowledge that is a duty which ought to be done but how seasonable and sound your Exhortations are that remains to betryed and it is not only the carnal world as you speak that are doubtful concerning your Calling and Office but it is the best of the people whose eyes the Lord is opening to see and behold the false imitations of the Calling and Office of Ministers as you have stood for many Generations And it is true them that pleads Christs Cause they all cryed out upon and contended with but this fully belong not to you though you apply it to your selves but it pertains more to others for the World speaks well of you as it use to do of false Prophets And you say We the Ministers of the Gospel in the City of London do with earnestness exhort the people of this City to awaken as out of sleep and to lay to heart the great dangers that threatens you which you represent under a threefold consideration 1 The fear of the return of Popery 2 The distracted estate of Religion amongst us 3 Other symptomes of Gods wrath hanging over your heads Answ. That you are Ministers of the Gospel this is doubtful unto many and many more testimonies might be given to the contrary than can be given for it But this is not the present debate and therefore no more of it And what is the people of your Congregations yet asleep Have not you awakened them in so many years time Have you been preaching over them and taking their money so long and are they yet to awaken as out of sleep Will not the blame of this and the condemnation of it fall upon you their Watchmen who hath not yet awakened them And may not they say that you have dealt unjustly by them who are left as asleep under all your preaching and are yet unsensible of the danger that threatens them Oh friends will you consider and your people with you what you have been preaching and what they have been hearing for so long a time seeing you now acknowledge they are yet asleep and unawakened Now as to the first of your considerations The fear of the return of Popery for which you lay down divers things to make the people believe it First The union of forreign Popish Powers Secondly The vast numbers say you of Popish Emissaries and Iesuites that swarms amongst you Thirdly The vending and printing of so many Popish Books every year c. Answ. As for Popery I know it is idolatry and their Church and Worship and every part thereof abomination to the Lord and the spirit that leads them is not the spirit of Jesus and as for Popery it was never yet truly cleanse out of the Nation but there hath been and are great remainders yet standing which may indeed easily prove its former strength For is not the most part of the worship of the Church of England made up of such things as was first instituted and practised amongst the Papists witness the making Ministers by natural learning at Schools and Colledges and their maintenance by tythes and yearly stipends and their way of Parochial settlements are not all these things Papistical and witness sprinkling infants calling it the Baptisme into the Visible Church and witness the singing of Davids Psalms as now they are sung among you these things for the most part are of Popish institution and many other things also pertaining to your Church Religion and Ministry so that Popery was never clean cast out of the Nation though the Lord hath wounded it yet there is the remainder of it yet standing in great force so that while tythes are pleaded for by you and those things practised by you it may indeed be feared the return of Popery seeing you stick so fast in those practises which were of Popish institution and the cause of fear lies at your door and upon your selves principally and if there be vast numbers of Popish Priests and Iesuites swarming amongst you if you be Ministers of Christ why do you not discover Wolves in Sheeps cloathing and fright then away Why do you not lift up your Spiritual Weapons if you have them as the Apostles did whose weapons were powerful and mighty through God and who shall bear the blame but you if Wolves in sheeps cloathing tear your Flocks that is a sign you are lazy idle Shepherds and that you want the Power and Authority of God and when the powers of the earth fails you and your carnal weapons are all broken then you are like to be overcome with the swarming of Popish Priests and Iesuites if there be any such among you look you to it for I know not any and if you know any by name and where they are you ought by your Law to discover them Now you say they are acting under the disguise of Sectaries and subtilly

insinuating many of their Doctrines as teaching Justification by Inherent Righteousness perfection unlawfulness in joyning in your Ordinances and nullity of your Ministry c. Answ. Now these that you call Sectaries may truly plead against you against your Church Worship Ministry and practises upon good grounds and as for Iustification by Inherent Righteousness it is a Doctrine of the Church of Christ that the Saints witnessed Christ and his Righteousness within them and that none are justified by any righteousness without them but who witness Christ revealed in them for all are reprobates that do not witness Christ in them 2 Cor. 13. 5. And as for perfection that is the doctrine of the Gospel and of Christ for the Apostles spake wisdome to them that were perfect 1 Cor. 2 6. and Christ commanded them to be perfect Mat. 5. who never commanded impossibilities You might better have charged these doctrines upon the Apostles than upon the Papists and as for joyning to your Ordinances there is many that fears God who are not Papists that for good conscience sake cannot joyn to your Ordinances nor own your Ministry neither in its Call Practise nor Maintenance and if these things were in dispute I should shew you according to Scripture that it is not lawful for the Saints of God to joyn themselves to your Ordinances nor own your Ministry but it is lawful for them both to deny your Ordinances and Ministry in their present standing and as for printing and vending so many Popish books as you say oh it had been your wisdome to have mentioned the books by name that all might have known which were Popish books but because your Charge is general I cannot answer particularly either to clear or to condemn except you had mentioned in particular which you ought to have done rather then to have slandered in the dark Your fourth reason whereby you would make your people believe that there is fear of the return of Popery is That the whole body almost of Popery is published by Sectaries especially Quakers and you say you cannot but observe a ready co-incidency with Papists in their Opinions c. Answ. As for the Quakers which you have long opposed by Prisons Goals and Persecutions and your carnal weapons and now also charge great things upon them to make them odious to the people Alas do you not know that they are blessed of the Lord Is there never a man among you sixty one Priests so wise as Balaam was he saw there was no Inchantment against Israel nor durst he curse whom God had blessed but however they have borne with patience and they do therein continue all that you have caused to be acted and all that you have spoken against them and your words and works against them shall be your own burthen in the day of the Lord and shall sink you into misery who hath made the innocent people the people of your malice and fury but God is with them I need say nothing and why have you not particularly instanced what particular part of Popery they do publish Why will you charge in secret and prove nothing in particular therefore I do charge you to mention what particular things they do publish which is Popery and not the truths of the Gospel and then you shall have a further answer Your fifth reason is Jesuitical designs and you mention the Protestant Universities and the impoverishing and disgracing and overthrowing a godly learned Ministry c. Answ. As for the Vniversities thousands are satisfied concerning them that they are of Popish institution and are not the Fountains of Divinity as they have been falsly called for its possible I could give large testimonies of the wickedness of the educations which is these in those places and how little good they learn and how much evil But you have stated the cause wrong for the plucking down the Vniversities would rather seem to be the removing part of Popery than to be the way to let in Popery and as for a godly Ministry that is truly godly and truly learned alas there is no fear of impoverishing disgracing and overthrowing of that for that is alwayes poor and low and contemptible to the world and so it must be and it is Antichrists Ministers that feares to be made poor and that their tythes and stipends should be made less and it is they that fear to be overthrown and not the Ministers of Christ for the Ministers of Christ are out of all such fears because their standing and falling depends not upon earthly powers but are builded upon the Rock of Ages and cannot be overthrown Your sixth ground is Toleration for Popery is publikely pleaded for in print c. Answ. That Popery is idolatry and the Church of Rome 2 false Church that I have said and I hope shall never renounce it but shall alwayes give testimony until death against the Church of Rome but I must tell you plainly it is not my judgement that the Papists ought to be burned for their Religion or if a Iesuite be taken in England I would have him so tolerated that he should not have his life taken away by inhumano cruelty not for Religions sake except something can be charged upon him besides matters of his Religion or Conscience This is my judgement that both the Papists and you are Antichristian in this in that you kill each other when they take one of your Ministers and you theirs to destroy each other this is not of God but of the Dragons power in both and there ought to be more toleration in both that lives may be spared and you ought to conquer with Spiritual Weapons if that you have them and not to kill and murther persons but to judge spirits That is contrary to Scripture and the Apostles example to destroy mens lives for Religion sake And why may not the Papists have toleration in matters concerning God as well as others So those that plead for their toleration upon this account that they may be converted from sin and not destroyed in their sin this is no error that their lives may be spared but to plead for their toleration as the right Religion this is sin And thus your sixth ground wherefore you fear the return of Popery is answered Now I come to the second consideration which is The present distracted estate of Religion which you say is evidenced in divers particulars First your division in civil and spiritual things so that the wonted love and communion in holy duties is interrupted strangenesse and distances fomented censures and hard opinions of each others entertained c. Answ. Here is your error for true Religion is not distracted nor divided in it self but it is one in unity and peace and so are all they that are in it their hearts being united by the Spirit of the Lord in their Faith Practise and Worship and in all things pertaining to their Religion It s true there is distraction amongst all