Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	see_v	2,875	5	3.5208	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61897	Bishop Sanderson's judgment concerning submission to usurpers	Sanderson, Robert, 1587-1663.	1678 (1678)	Wing S607; ESTC R8226	14,341	48

of Nebat which made Israel to sin Here the Rule is Do nothing good or evil with an intention to give Scandal 3. The third way is when a man doth something before another which in it self is not evil but indifferent and so according to the Rule of Christian Liberty lawful for him to do or not to do as he shall see cause yea and perhaps otherwise commodious and convenient for him to do yet whereas he probably foreseeth that others will take Scandal and be occasioned thereby to do evil In such a case if the thing to be done be not in some degree prudentially necessary for him to do but that he might without very great inconvenience or prejudice to himself or any third person leave it undone He is bound in Charity to his Brother's Soul for whom Christ died and for the avoiding of Scandal to abridge himself in the exercise of his Christian Liberty for that time so far as rather to suffer some inconvenience himself by the not doing of it than by the doing of it to cause his Brother to offend The very Case which is so often so largely and so earnestly insisted upon by St. Paul See Rom. 14. 13 21. Rom. 15. 1 3. 1 Cor. 8. 7 13. 1 Cor. 9. 12 15 19 22. 1 Cor. 10. 23. 33. Here the Rule is Do nothing that may be reasonably forborn whereat Scandal will be taken 4. The last way is when a man doth somthing before another which is not only lawful but according to the exigencies of present Circumstances pro hic nunc very behoofful and even prudentially necessary for him to do but foreseeth that the other will be like to make an ill use of it and take encouragement thereby to commit sin if he be not withal careful as much as possibly in him lieth to prevent the Scandal that may be taken thereat For Qui non prohibet peccare cum potest jubet In such case the bare neglect of his Brother and not using his utmost endeavour to prevent the evil that might ensue maketh him guilty Upon which consideration standeth the Equity of the Judicial Law given to the Jews which ordered That in case a man dig a Pit for the use of his Family and looking no farther than his own convenience put no cover upon it and leave it open whereby it hapneth his Neighbours Beast to fall thereinto and perish the owner of the Pit is to make it good inasmuch as he was the occasioner of that loss to his Neighbour which he might and ought to have prevented Here the Rule is Order the doing of that which may not be well left undone in such sort that no Scandal so far as you can help it may be taken thereat To apply this The thing under debate viz. the Action propos'd to present enquiry is The laying aside the Common Prayer being enjoyn'd by Law and using instead thereof some other Form of Church Service of our own devising And the Enquiry concerning it is Whether it may be done with a good Conscience in regard of the Scandal that is given or at least may be taken thereat Yea or No Now forasmuch as in this Enquiry we take it for granted That the thing to be done is not in its own nature simply evil but rather in this state of affairs prudentially necessary and that they who make scruple at it upon the point of Scandal have not the least intention of drawing other of the Laws into contempt or their Brethren into sin by their Example It is manifest that three of the now mention'd Cases with the Rules to each of them appending are not pertinent to the present Enquiry But since the last of the four only proveth to be our Case we have therefore no more to do for the setling of our Judgments and quieting of our Consciences and the regulating of our Practice in this Affair than to consider well what the Rule in this Case given obligeth us unto which is not to leave the Action undone for the danger of Scandal which besides the Inconveniencies formerly mention'd would but start new Questions and those beget more to the multiplying unnecessary Scruples in infinitum But to order the doing of it so that if it were possible no Scandal at all might ensue thereupon or at least wise not by our default through our careless or undiscreet managery thereof Even as the Jew that stood in need to sink a Pit for the service of his House or Ground was not for fear his Neighbours Beast should fall into it and be drown'd bound by the Law to forbear the making of it but only to provide a sufficient cover for it where he had made it The thing then in this Case is not to be left undone when it so much behoveth us to do it but the Action to be carried on for the manner of doing and in all respects and circumstances thereunto belonging with so much chariness and tenderness moderation and wisdom to our best understanding that the necessity of our so doing with the true cause thereof may appear to the World to the satisfaction of those that are willing to take notice of it and that such persons as would be willing to make use of our Ensample to do the same thing where there is not the same necessity may do it upon their own score and not be able to vouch our practice for their excuse which how it may be best done for particular directions every charitable and conscientious man must ask his own discretion Some general helps thereunto I shall lay down in answering the next Objection where they would fall in again not improperly and so stop two Gaps with one Bush. Object 3. Schism The last Objection is that of Shism The Objectors hold all such persons as have oppos'd either Liturgy or Church Government as they were by Law establish'd within this Realm for no better than Schismaticks and truly I shall not much gain-say it But then they argue That for them to do the same thing in the publick worship of God that Schismaticks do and for doing whereof especially it is that they avow them Schismaticks would as they conceive involve them in the Schism also as partakers thereof in some degree with the other And their Consciences also would from Rom. 14. 22. condemn them either of hypocrisie in allowing that in themselves and in their own practice which they condemn in others or of uncharitableness in judging others as Schismaticks for doing but the same thing which they can allow themselves to practise For all that such persons as they call Schismaticks do in this matter of the Church Service is but to leave out the Churches Prayers and to put in their own Or say this should not make them really guilty of the Schism they so much detest yet would such their symbolizing with them seem at least a kind of unworthy compliance with them more than could well become the simplicity of a