Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	england_n	king_n	3,792	5	4.0738	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36148	The Dissenter unmask'd being some reflections upon the behavior of the dissenters towards the Church of England in the last reign to this present time.		1691 (1691)	Wing D1682; ESTC R30981	4,538	10

THE Dissenter Vnmask'd BEING SOME REFLECTIONS UPON THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE DISSENTERS TOWARDS THE Church of England IN THE Last Reign to this Present Time LONDON Printed for the Author MDCXCI The Dissenter Unmask'd being some Reflections upon the Behaviour of our Dissenters towards the Church of England c. I HAD forborn Publishing such a Paper as this at a time when People ought to expect something that might rather lessen and not make our unhappy Breaches wider had not the consideration of the scandalous Carriage which our Dissenters has lately shew'd towards the Church of England rouz'd my Pen and by giving me a sufficient insight into the meaning of these Persons let me see that they are so far from desiring a Vnion whatsoever pretences they may feign that I really believe they dread nothing more except a compulsion of Tender Consciences and an apprehension of never getting the Reins into their own hands But to proceed to my Title let us look back upon their Behaviour in the late King's Reign One of the first Acts we all know which King James put out was that which gave toleration to the Dissenters in matters of Religion and which took off those Fines that the former Law had laid upon them for their Riotous and Seditious Meetings This was so great a Favour to that discontented Party that they were at a loss how to demonstrate their Joy and Gratitude Bonfires are ordered to be made in every Street and the Elders largely contribute for so Pious a Thanksgiving Sunday is very slow in coming or else their Impatience for the opportunity of Blessing God for their their restored Liberty makes 'em think it so At last it came and Hugh Peters's Successor at Covent-Garden thanks God that he had liv'd to see that glorious Day and perhaps would have repeated the Nunc Dimittis had not the Papishes us'd it in the Common-Prayer a Day of Joy and Thanksgiving a Day of Jubilee and a Day of Humiliation for their deliverance out of Captivity a Day which brought them out of the Land of Aegypt out of the House of Bondage a Day when Soul-saving Heart-comforting Grace might be again graciously Taught and Delivered to the before-trampled-under-foot Saints of the living God Nor were his Brethren less fervent in their long-winded Thanksgivings for their safe Deliverance from the Long-Nails of the Whore of Babylon Since then they are arriv'd to that happiness which their Preachers call'd the greatest upon Earth let us take a view of their Behaviour in it Will they be so Elevated with this Freedom and so ungrateful to their Benefactor not to return due acknowledgments to him to a Man who had given them the greatest happiness they could be possess'd of No this wou'd argue an unchristian Temper and therefore those who were never True to any King resolve now to turn Loyal and Faithful Subjects And now from all Counties in England flock Addresses so long and fast that we cou'd scarce enjoy the benefit of any Forreign News unless the Printer had us'd Short-hand Characters so little difference was there between their Prayers in the Pulpit and their Addresses in the Gazette The Church of England was very much surpriz'd at this act and began by judiciously sifting the whole Matter to perceive the Mask which covered the Designs of that King And though several hinted their Sentiments of it to some of the Dissenters yet they slighted it and like grateful People reply'd they would stand and fall with him for that the Lord had now gave them a King who lov'd and favour'd the Godly And when one said That the end of this Toleration was but to introduce Popery being spoke in a Coffee-House my self being by a Dissenter reply'd That it was equal to him if the Romish-Hydra came in so the English-Dragon were put down How Is this the Voice of a Presbyterian The Voice of a Reformer of the Ancient True and most pure Religion a Miracle and seems as fabulous as Hugh Peters's Stories They told some of the Members of the Church of England That the Lord now had taken the Sword out of the hands of Saul and put it into the hands of David They behav'd themselves at last with that insupportable Pride and Sauciness that in the Out-Countries they fear'd not to tell the Clergy they would pay them no Tythes And in Leicester-shire a Minister going to a Dissenter's House to number his Pigs in order for the receiving his Tyth as in such cases the Farmer seeing him pointing him out to the Servants See there said he there goes an authoriz'd Thief to Steal one of my Pigs And by his Instigation his Men from behind Carts and Dunghils privately sent such a shower of Clods that the Minister was glad to fly out of the Yard to avoid a worse consequence After this the Jesuits broach their Principles and the most Learned of them Challenge the Protestant Divines to a Pen-Battle Who must be these Protestants 'T is a contradiction for the Church of England to Write against the Papists because you know they were always Branded with the Title of Papists Well there remains nothing then to do but for the Presbyterians to show their Learning and aversion for Popery which they always so much exclaim'd against What! not a hand move Not one Dissenter boldly vindicate the Protestant Cause What! must Papists Write against Papists Must the Babylonish Church of England engage against the Babylonish Church of Rome Sure a House divided against it self falleth Yes the Church of England must stand and bear the shock or else the Protestant Cause must go hang And yet these Men will have Vs to be Papishes At last King James's Designs began to be visible the Universities the source from whence the chiefest Pillars of our Religion flow are the first that must suffer that the Head being taken away the Members may be less capable to Resist Well how do our Dissenters behave themselves now If they will not lend a helping hand to save a sinking Reform'd Church a Church that just before had bore up with so much Bravery against the Enemy of all Protestants sure they 'll pity it No they said openly That the Angels had pour'd out their Viols of Wrath upon the Dragon and his Followers That the Adulterers Whoremongers and Tythe-gatherers were to be punish'd for afflicting the beloved of God At length the Seven Bishops are sent to the Tower for not complying with a thing which they could not reconcile to their Consciences Sure the Dissenters will take their Parts in This because they themselves are such great Sticklers in point of Conscience No they have a Clue to disintangle themselves from this Labyrinth They said this proceeded not from any part of a Religious Conscience but that they refus'd to read the Declaration in order to the taking off the Penal Laws and Tests meerly because it would deprive them of the Power of Persecuting the Lambs of God But now the