Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A26983
|
A petition for peace with the reformation of the liturgy, as it was presented to the right reverend bishops, by the divines appointed by His Majesties commission to treat with them about the alteration of it.
|
Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.
|
1661
(1661)
|
Wing B1343; ESTC R39870
|
94,803
|
106
|
worship It is easier to agree upon few things than upon many upon great and certain and necessary things than upon small uncertain and unnecessary things and upon things that God himself hath revealed or appointed than upon things that proceed from no surer an Original than the wit or will of man The strict prohibition of adding to or diminishing from the things commanded by the Law-giver of the Church Deut. 12. 3â— doth put such a fear in the minds of multitudes of the loyal subjects of Christ lest by such additions or diminutions in the matters of his worship they should provoke him to displeasure as will bee a certain perpetual hindrance to any common unity or Concord in such humane impositions of which many of the servants of the jealous God will have a continual jealousie With grieved hearts wee now renew the lamentable divisions occasioned already by these Impositions ever since the Reformation in the daies of King Edward 6th and the grievous fruits of those Divisions How they destroyed Charity the character of Christs Disciples and exasperated mens minds against each other How they corrupted mens prayers and other exercises of devotions and made them pray and preach against one another How their tongues were emboldned to the censuring of each other one party calling the other Factious Schismatical Singular and Disobedient and the other calling them Antichristian Proud Tirannical Superstitious Persecutors and Formalists And such language still increasing the uncharitableness and divisions till the increase of imposing rigour on the one side and of impatience under Sufferings on the other side was too great a preparation to those greater calamities which are yet bitter to the remembrance of all whose interests or passions have not Conquered their humanity And the continuance of so much of the causes and effects doth infallibly prove that if the same impositions bee setled upon us the same Heart-divisions will bee still continued Brethren will disdain the name and love of Brethren to each other which yet Christ himself by condiscending and reproving love vouchsafeth to them all Instead of loving one another with a pure heart fervently there will bee if not hating yet grudging at one another censuring and despising one another Which effects will still increase their cause and make one side think that they are necessitated to bee more rigorous in their Coercions and the other think that they are allowed to bee more censorious against those by whom they suffer And how many thousands on both sides by such a stream of temptations will undoubtedly bee carried on in a course of Sin from day to day and by heart sin and tongue sin by Pulpit sins or sins in other parts of Worship will dishonour God and provoke him to indignation against them and the Land wee may not without astonishment and grief of heart foresee or foretell And its easie to foresee how the innocent will bee numbred with the faulty and those that do but feel their sufferings and the sufferings of the Church on these occasions and do but groan and sigh to God and pray for succour and deliverance will bee thought to bee guilty of discontent and faction and bringing the Government of the Church and consequently of the Kingdome into hatred or dislike and so their sufferings will be increased And hee that is commanded by the Laws of humanity to be compassionately sensible of the Calamities of others shall bee thought an offender for being sensible of his own It s easie to fore-see how those expressions in mens Sermons or Prayers or familiar Conference which seem to any mis-understanding or suspicious or masicious hearers to intimate any sense of sufferings will be carried to the ears of Rulers and represented as a crime And nature having planted in all men an unwillingness to suffer and denied to all men a love of calamity and necessitated men to feel when they are hurt and made the tongue and countenance the Index of our sense these Effects will be unavoidable while such Impositions are continued and while a fear of sinning will not suffer men to swallow and digest them and what wrong such divisions about Religion will be to the Kingdome and to His Majesty wee shall not mention because our Governours themselves may better understand it On the other side what universal ease and peace and joy would be the fruits of that happy unity and concord which the reasonable forbearances which wee humbly petition for would certainly produce how comfortable would our Ministerial labours bee when wee had no such temptations burdens or disquietments When wee lay not under the Reproofs of Conscience nor the suspicions or displeasure of our Superiours but might serve the Lord without distraction and bee among his servants without such fears Phil. 1. 14. 1 Cor. 16. 10. How much would the hands of the Builders be strengthened for the work of God when they speak the same things and there are no divisions among them but they are perfectly joyned together in the same minde and judgement 1 Cor. 1. 10. when they are like-minded having the same love being of one accord of one minde doing nothing through strife or vain glory which will never be while the one calls the other factious and schismatical and the other calleth him superstitious and tyrannical but when Christ hath taught us in lowliness of minde to esteem others better than our selves and not to look every man on his own things his own gifts and virtues and worth and interest but every man also on the things of others and till the same mind bee in us that was in Christ Jesus that humbled himself and took upon him the form of a servant and made himself of no Reputation Phil. 1. 2 to 9. How much should wee honour the Body the Spirit the Hope the Lord the Faith the Baptism the God and Father of all Beleevers which are one if wee were one among our selves which will never be till with lowliness and meekness and long-suffering wee forbear one another in love instead of hating reviling and persecuting one another and till wee endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit though given in various degrees rather than an unity in unnecessary things in the bond of peace Ephes 4. 2 3 4 5 6 7. and till the well-joynted and compacted body do edifie it self in love by a due contribution of mutual supply and grow in Christ the proper head instead of contending with it self and dis-joynting and tearing it self into peeces because of our different measure of understanding and our unavoidable differences about some small unnecessary things vers 13 14 15 16. How beautiful would our holy Assemblies be and how delightful the worship of God there celebrated if wee had all laid by the unchristian spirit of hatred envy emulation murmuring wrath variance strife heresies seditions and all uncharitableness and with one minde and one mouth did glorifie God Gal. 5. 19 20 21. Rom. 15. 16. which will never
estéem other better than himself and let all men know that wée are Christs Disciples by our fervent love to one another Let us be heartily and entirely thy Subjects beléeving that thou art just and the Rewarder of them that diligently séek thée kéep us from Atheism Idolatry and Disobedience from Infidelity Ungodliness and Sensuality from Security Presumption and Despair Let us study to please thée in all things Let thy Law bée written in our hearts and let us delight to do thy Will Let our Faith and Lives be ruled by thy Word which is able to make us wise unto Salvation let us love it search it and understand it and meditate in it day and night Let us not please our selves or other men against thee nor be led by the wisdome or desires of the World and Flesh nor regard lying vanities nor through carelesness rashness or presumption offend thée As all Nations must be judged by thée let them be ruled by thy Laws and not make them void by mens traditions nor worship thée in vain teaching for Doctrine the Commandments of men But what ever thou commandest let them take héed to do it Let them add nothing thereto nor take ought therefrom Let us not take thy holy Name in vain but use it in truth and reverence Kéep us from all Blasphemy Perjury Prophane swearing from lying before the God of Truth and from contempt and forgetfulness of thy presence from false unworthy unreverent thoughts or spéeches of God and holy things and from neglecting or abusing thy holy Word and Worship Help us to kéep holy thy Day in remembrance of the blessed work of our Redemption and reverently to attend thée in Publick Worship and obediently to receive thy Word and fervently to call upon thy Name and to delight our selves in Thanksgiving and joyful Praises to thy Holiness in the Communion of thy Saints and let us carefully sée that our housholds and all within our gates do serve thée and not abuse thy holy Day Have mercy on the Kings and Rulers of the Earth that they may escape the Temptations of Worldly Greatness Honours and Prosperity which would captivate them to the flesh and draw their hearts from thée thy Laws and Waies and would engage them against thée and thy Servants And as they are thy Ministers and Magistracy is thine Ordinance sanctifie and dispose them to be Nursing Fathers to thy Church to own thy Interest and Rule for thée Especially have mercy on thy Servant Charls our King illuminate and sanctifie him by thy holy Spirit that above all things hée may séek thy Glory the increase of Faith and Obedience to thy Laws and may rule us as being thy Minister for good not to be a terrour to good Works but to Evil that under him wée may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty Have mercy upon all the Royal Family the Lords of the Counsel and all the Nobility the Judges and Magistrates of these Lands Cause them to fear thee and to be Eminent in Sobriety Righteousness and Godliness to protect the Innocent and be a terrour to the Wicked hating Injustice Covetousness and Pride Let every soul be subject to the Higher Powers and not resist Let them obey the King and all that are in Authority under him not onely for wrath but for conscience sake as knowing that they rule by thée and for thée Give all the Churches able holy faithful Pastors and cause them laboriously to preach and rightly to divide the Word of truth to féed thy People with Knowledge and lead them in the way of Faith and Love of Holiness and Peace and to watch for their souls as those that must give account over-seeing and ruling them not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind not as being Lords over thy Heritage but as the Servants of all and Ensamples to the Flock That when the chief Pastor shall appear they may receive a Crown of Glory Let the Congregations know those that have the ruling of them and are over them in the Lord that labour among them preaching to them the Word of God Let them submissively and obediently hear and esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and account them worthy of double honour Let Parents bring up their Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord diligently teaching them thy Word talking of it when they are in their house and when they walk by the way when they lye down and when they rise up that they may know their Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier in the daies of their youth And cause Children to hear love honour and obey their Parents that they may have the blessing of thine especial Promise unto such Let Husbands love their Wives and prudently guide them in knowledge and holiness And let Wives love honour and obey their Husbands as méet helpers to them Let Masters rule their Servants in Holiness and mercy remembring they have a Master in Heaven and let Servants reverently singly and willingly bée obedient and do service to their Masters as to the Lord from him expecting their reward Kéep us from Murder Uiolence and all injury to our neighbours life or health from malice cursing reviling and unadvised Anger Let us not resist evil with evil but forbear one another and not give place to wrath Kéep us from Adultery Fornication and all uncleanness and the occasions and appearances thereof Let us take care as becometh saints that they bée not immodestly named among us and that no Corrupt Communication procéed out of our Mouths Kéep us from Chambering and wantonness from lustfull thoughts and all immodest attire behaviour looks and actions Kéep us from Theft and Oppression and any way wronging our Nieghbour in his Propriety and Estate Kéep us from False witness-bearing lying and deceiving from slandering backbiting unjust uncharitable censuring or reproaching from all perverting of justice and wronging the reputation of our Neighbour and from all consent or desire of such wrongs Kéep us from Envy and from coveting any thing that is our Neighbours to his wrong and from séeking our own or drawing to our selves to the Injury of his welfare but let us love our Neighbours as our selves and do to others as wée would they should do to us Teach us to love Christ and his holy Image in his Members with a dear and special love and to love our Enemies and pray for them that hate and persecute us and to do good to all as wée are able but Especially to them of the Houshold of faith Cause us with patience to submit to all the Disposals of thy Will and wait thy End and to love the demonstrations of thy Holiness and iustice though grievous to the Flesh and kéep us from Impatient Murmurings and discontent and Arrogant reasoning against thy Will Give us