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	good_a	great_a	3,182	5	2.6384	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38686	The usefulness of church-musick a sermon preach'd at Christ-Church, Novemb. 27, 1696, upon occasion of the anniversary-meeting of the lovers of musick, on St. Cæcilia's Day / by S. Estwick ...	Estwick, Sampson, d. 1739.	1696 (1696)	Wing E3363; ESTC R13553	10,099	30

Mercy to the Children of Men. And that more especially when we sing the Songs of Angels or Inspir'd Men or those Holy Raptures of Good Men wherein God's Power Wisdom and Goodness are set forth by the Works of Creation and Redemption When in particular we adore his excellent Majesty in our Te Deums make his Praise glorious for the Works of Creation in our Benêdicite When we Joy and Triumph in our Faith by singing the Nicene Creed and at the same time that we confess our Faith shew that we are pleas'd with it When in the rest of our Psalms and well chosen Hymns we ascribe the Honour due unto his Name and thus offer him the best Sacrifice in the best manner If the bare Matter of our Praises when attentively read are so very apt to raise our Affections and fill our Hearts with Joy how much is that Joy encreas'd when melodious Sounds agreeable to the Matter treated of give each Word their due force and emphasis especially when the Composer has an Eye upon the Sense lays wait upon what is most material does not clog his Parts with needless Repetitions but orders his business so that the Hearer shall be little interrupted but shall follow him with Ease and Pleasure whilst he raises your Idea's by a just representation of the Subject that lies before him If his Matter is Great and Majestick his Harmony rises proportionably with it if it is more Grave and Solemn he lengthens his Measure and gives you time to pause upon it If it is more Chearful and Gay you 'll the more easily pardon him if he keeps pace with it in a quick measure If sometimes he repeats the more emphatical words of our Psalms and Hymns you 'll excuse him because the Holy Pen-men have done the same before him and where they have not done it he does not want an excuse if by the variety of the Descant he gives you a fresh occasion to circumstantiate the Praises of God and to dwell upon 'em with greater Complacency There are some Expressions that are hardly parted with and more especially deferve to be insisted on The Consideration of God's Mercy ought to create an Holy emulation among the Performers and when the Composer has well acquitted himself each of 'em seems to be desirous to raise it to the highest Perfection The last follows the Steps of the former and that with a design to improve and raise as well as to make the Harmony more compleat and to conclude when the Composer and Performers have exactly done their Parts how much must our Hearts be lifted up how much have they now been lifted up with these Heavenly Acclamations How much must our Joys be enlarg'd how much have they been enlarg'd whilst we have all joyn'd together either in Heart or Voice to praise and magnifie our Glorious God and tell out His Works with Gladness From what I have hitherto said give me leave to make a few short Inferences and so I shall conclude Seeing what I have hitherto laid down relates chiefly to the external part of our Duty and has a regard to the Modes and Circumstances of performing it This gives us a good account of the Nature of those Constitutions that belong to these and also suggests to us that we ought to mind more the Substance of what is perform'd in the House of God than the manner of its performance This is very requisite in every Duty and more especially in our Praises and Thanksgivings and if we want that inward frame of Spirit and that Attention that is the Life and Soul of 'em we are only pleasing our selves And if so it is easie to determine what sort of Worship this it to be accounted Our Apostle requires the Melody of Heart and that we should sing with Grace unto the Lord we ought therefore to attend to what is doing that we may not incurt the Hypocrites Doom who draw near to God with their Lips when their Heart is far from him Secondly If it be true that Divine Musick in Gods Worship may contribute to our Spiritual Improvement This gives us just occasion to blame the Practice of the Church of Rome which has fram'd and contriv'd her Praises more to the Honour of Men than of God and not only so but she has lock'd up the few sound Pieces of Devotion remaining in their Breviary in a Language not understood by the generality of their People Possibly they may please the Ears of the People more than we do ours but their Hearts can never be affected and if so they are doing but one half of their Duty they 're doing nothing that concerns the more substantial part of God's Worship who being a Spirit is to be Worship'd in Spirit and Truth Thirdly If the Use and Practice of Church-Musick is of such long standing in the House of God and Voices and Instruments were appointed by God himself to promote the Edification of his People this shews us the unjust Exceptions the Dissenters takes against our Way of Worship making it to be Popish and Superstitious and what not not considering in the mean time that those excellent Offices of Praise I mean our Hymns were practiced long before Popery was in being and as to the manner of adorning 'em with good Musick this I presume is no fault however I could wish for the good of their Souls that they would come to our Churches and try whether it is a fault or not and then it might be hop'd we might keep them there at least give 'em no just cause to forsake our Assemblies Fourthly And to conclude seeing these usages of our Church have a great tendency to farther our Spiritual Improvement this shews what great reason we have to stick firm to the Practices of our Church and to adhere to the Model of our first Reformers who have discover'd their Wisdom and Piety in nothing more than in the happy Choice of those Offices that were design'd to set forth the Praises of God And because our frail state is such that we can never hope in this Life to do it so perfectly as we ought let our Constitutions be never so compleat However let us accustom our selves to this Divine Work here to the utmost extent of our Faculties that we may with the Blessed Saints and Angels Praise God in the Life to come and sing Hallelujahs to the Honour of his Great Majesty who liveth and reigneth Three Persons and One God both now and for evermore Amen FINIS Books Printed for Tho. Bennet at the Half-Moon in St. Paul's Church-Yard MOnsieur Bossu's Treatise of the Epick Poem containing Reflections useful and necessary for the right understanding and judging of the Excellencies of Homer and Virgil. Done into English from the French Together with some Reflections upon Prince Arthur By W. Jones To which are added an Essay upon Satyr By Monsieur D' Acier And a Treatise upon Pastoral Poetry By Monsieur Fontanelle 80. A Comparison between Pindar and Horace Written in French by Mr. Blondel Master to the Dauphin Englished by Sir Edward Sherburn 80. The Art of Speaking Written in French by Messeiurs Du Port-Royal in pursuance of a former Treatise Entitled The Art of Thinking Made English Remarks on the late Writings of the English Socinians By Mr. Lurancy 80. The Lives of all the Princes of Orange from William the Great Founder of the Common-wealth of the Vnited Provinces To which is added The Life of His present Majesty King William III. from His Birth to His Landing in England By Mr. Tho. Brown Together with all the Princes Heads taken from Original Draughts By Mr. Robert White 80. Ten Sermons Preach'd upon several Publick Occasions By R. Meggot D. D. and late Dean of Winchester 80. The Foolish Abuse and Wise Use of Riches A Sermon Preach'd May the 1st 1695. By W. Talbot D. D. Dean of Worcester Mr. Blackburn's Sermon of Anger Preach'd before the Queen Mr. Adams's Sermon before the Lords Justices at Whitehall upon the Thanksgiving for the Taking of Namur His Sermon before the Honourable House of Commons at St. Margaret's Westminster Nov. 5. 1696.