Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	death_n	sin_n	world_n	5,072	5	5.7392	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25560	An Answer to Mr. Langhorn's speech wherein he asserts his loyalty and innocence contrary to plain evidence against him in open court, the verdict of an impartial jury, and the declared sense of the late Parliament in relation to the late, horrible and bloody plot.		1679 (1679)	Wing A3368; ESTC R16400	3,361	4

AN ANSWER TO Mr. LANGHORN'S SPEECH Wherein he asserts his Loyalty and Innocence contrary to plain Evidence against him in open Court the Verdict of an Impartial Jury and the declared Sense of the late PARLIAMENT in relation to the late horrible and Bloody PLOT THough the falsity of those Principles which move these infatuated men by so solemnly denying of Truth to renounce the God of Truth is already clearly and sufficiently demonstrated to the World by late Authors of most unspotted Integrity and profound Learning that they would neither abuse us by imposing or mis-quoting such Roman Catholick Authors from whence those Principles are apparently deriv'd nor could they from want of judgement commit any Errors yet such is the force and power of the last words of dying men and such the great charity of living Protestants that we are more apt to credit and favour them in their last Speeches than by a severe Sentence supposing their words evasive and delusory condemn 'em to eternal torments That the great charity of such modest and conscientious Protestants may not be abus'd by any Tricks and Impostures which are constantly made use of by the Papists I shall endeavour by this present Answer to Mr. Langhorn's Speech as it is call'd to convince the World and all good People that as in their Lives they were guilty of most hainous Treason so at their Deaths of most notorious Prevarication I shall begin at the latter end of his Speech where he has these words 1. I take it to be clear That my Religion is the sole cause which moved my Accusers to charge me with the Crime for which upon their Evidence I am adjudged to die and that my being of that Religion which I here profefs was the only ground which could give them any hope to be believ'd or which could move my Jury to believe the Evidence of such men 2. I have had not only a Pardon but also great Advantages as to Preferments and Estates offer'd unto me since this Judgement was against me in case I would have forsaken my Religion and owned my self guilty of the Crime charged against me and charged the same Crimes upon others But blessed be my God who by his grace hath preserved me from yielding to those Temptations and strengthned me rather to choose this Death than to stain my Soul with sin and to charge others against truth with Crimes of which I do not know that any person is guilty As to the first Though Mr. Langhorn has said it no person will believe him though in the Speech of a dying man That he was only charg'd with Crimes though they were most evidently prov'd against him which had no other ground or foundation but from the venom and malice of his Accusers and they no other Reason for this so great malice than that he was a professor of the Roman Catholick Religion First It cannot appear rational that their malice as he pleases to miscal it should be levell'd particularly against him either as to his Person or Religion being a Roman Catholick since those of that Religion have all along been most tenderly and mercifully dealt withal by the superiour Magistrates so long as they liv'd peaceably and quietly under Government and did not design and act Treason against the Prince or Destruction to the People and Subversion of the Government Nor was there after the Gunpowder-Treason any Roman Catholick prosecuted purely for his Religion nay those who did incur the Penal Statutes as they were Priests were yet more favourably us'd than perhaps they merited in themselves So that to offer such a criminal Charge and prosecution either against Mr. Langhorn or any person else and at the same time really false from a difference in Religion only is no practice amongst Protestants nor ever was but is notoriously known to be allowed encouraged and commanded in the Principles and Practices of the Papists against all and with the extreamest severities who are of a different opinion from the Roman Church Of this in Queen Maries Reign we have voluminous Instances of their bloody Cruelties against Protestants not for Treason against the Prince nor for endeavouring the Subversion of Government but only for being Protestants and not Papists Secondly It is no wonder if he charges his Accusers with malice and that with so much confidence and untruth for now he proceeds to as high Reflections against his Governours That he was offer'd by them not only a Pardon to his Life but Promotions and all worldly Advantages would he have deserted his Religion and acknowledged those Crimes to be true he stood charg'd withal and charge them upon others who by his inference must be supposed innocent That Mr. Langhorn from the unbounded Clemency of his Prince to all his Subjects might presume upon the same mercy others have received I do believe but then upon those terms on which God Almighty pardons a sincere Confession and humble Contrition Or if ever such a mercy was offer'd to him never was it more abus'd never more betray'd when what was offer'd was in no other sence and for no other reason than that he would discover the naked truth of what he knew what he acted that those Mischiefs which impend over King and Country might be prevented and they who were those devilish Engines either by inventing or promoting of them and yet lay undiscover'd might be known and brought to publick Justice I could not have believed that so great mercy could have met with so base ingratitude that after so noble and generous Offers which he says were tendred to him he should make returns of so high injustice and place the reason of those merciful Offers to no other account than that by preserving of him and his charging of others who were innocent they might have a fair opportunity and colour of Justice to massacre the whole Flock of Roman Catholick Professors As no moderate person or who is Master of common sense but can easily discern the malicious Interpretation he has made of these merciful Tenders so will he at the same time confess he has most deservedly suffer'd for those notorious Treasons he was found guilty of and condemned for As to the other parts and members of his Speech he says no more in sence than what was said before by the five Jesuits his Predecessors in punishment only as theirs savour'd more of Oratory his answerable to his profession is penn'd with that complication and repetition of words to the same sence in Lawyers phrase that had it been as his last Speech his last Will and Testament it could not have been with more care and regard to his true sence and meaning transfer'd to Posterity This may seem a very prevalent and tempting Argument to believe that as he particularly studied by his expressions to be rightly understood so he did at the same time speak the naked truth from the bottom of his Soul without any fallacy or collusion whatsoever That he did not so the proof in Court so evident against him is a most convincing Argument The next Quere to be answered is How he or any person or persons can expect to be saved when at the instant of death they do so obstinately deny the truth of what in their Consciences they are convinced is so and not only this but to imprecate eternal punishment upon their departing Souls if they have not faithfully and sincerely discharged themselves of the truth to their utmost knowledge The Reasons why they do so peremptorily deny all Treasons Murders or whatever may be or is positively and directly prov'd against them is in that they receive their Absolution upon such terms that they are obliged to die not only concealing them but utterly denying otherwise they not only forfeit the whole benefit of their Absolution but are ipso facto excluded the Pale of the Church and as Renegadoes all future hopes of Salvation It has been publickly reported by a person concerned in the Murder of Sir Edmondbury Godfrey that could he in Prison have procured an opportunity for a Priest to come to him and to have absolv'd him he would never have acknowledg'd what he has since publickly confest before Authority though he had been courted and offer'd a greater temptation than Mr. Langhorn had an earthly Crown for his Reward so great power and awe hath the Absolution of the Priest over the Sense and Consciences of their Votaries and strictest Professors Secondly From the Doctrine of their Church to Equivocate is no sin no not at the hour of Death if it is to an Heretick or for the Service of the Catholick Cause This sufficient proofs from their own Authors have avowed to the World Causabon pag. 202. speaking of Garnet's Opinion of the lawfulness of Equivocation at the hour of Death in his Papers communicated to King James says Since it is lawful and he concludes it so to use this in the course of his Life why may it not be us'd also by a dying man Nor do they only Equivocate but by compleating the sence in their own thoughts by a mental Reservation paralogize upon their Auditors Equivocate upon their own Equivocation of so doubtful sence are their best expressions in the extreamest Agonies of Death To conclude Though I cannot heartily believe this to have been the genuine product of Mr. Langhorn's thoughts at the hour of Death but rather penn'd by the Wily Priest to cajoll the World and conciliate a Reputation to that Cause which has of late suffer'd so much yet admit it to be so I must agree though a profound Lawyer I am not of his sence but think his last the worst Conveyance that e're was drawn FINIS