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	sin_n	7,176	5	5.3331	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27068	Whether parish congregations be true Christian churches and the capable consenting incumbents, be truly their pastors, or bishops over their flocks ... : written by Richard Baxter as an explication of some passages in his former writings, especially his Treatise of episcopacy, misunderstood and misapplied by some, and answering the strongest objections of some of them, especially a book called, Mr. Baxters judgment and reasons against communicating with the parish assemblies, as by law required, and another called, A theological dialogue, or, Catholick communion once more defended, upon mens necessitating importunity / by Richard Baxter.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1684 (1684)	Wing B1452; ESTC R16512	73,103	142

my duty to God besides faults long ago pardoned and common humane infirmities And it is not mens calling duty by the name of the most odious sins that depriveth Martyrs of their reward with God The false imputation of sin by men was not the least part of the sufferings of Christ and his Apostles and the Martyrs in all ages XVII And because others as well as I have need of such admonition I will tell my Brethren that our chief work is the same with J●bs to frustrate the Tempter and see that in all this we sin not nor charge God foolishly And he that only triumpheth in suffering in conscience of his innocency and doth not know that suffering hath its proper temptations and studyeth not wisely how to escape them will suffer more by himself than by all his enemies I will therefore tell you what are the temptations here which I fear and watch against 1. Lest the injuries of men should destroy my due charity to them Tho its true that the setled Study and labour of some for factious or carnal ends be to destroy Christian Love and serious Godliness and the Souls Bodies and estates of the most innocent who they think stand in their way and falsehood hatred and destruction are the Devils work and image and no man must extenuate such crimes John 8.41 42. Yet Diabolisme is not to be imputed to all that men suffer by much less to our Govornours whom we must honour Paul himself persecuted in ignorance and Christ said they know not what they do Much less must we blame others if truly the cause be only in our selves 2. Much more must we watch against desires of revenge or call for fire from Heaven or imitate any that injure us by requiring evil with evil but see that we forgive as we would be forgiven If they be impenitent and God forgive them not their suffering will be heavy enough 3. We must watch against blinding passions that it carry us not into contrary extremes that we may be far enough from sin and so lest we fall into sin on the other side Too few can keep to the line of truth most reel like drunkards from side to side 4. We are much in danger of biassed study never studying impartially what may be said against us and for our opposers but only all that may be said for us against them 5. Men that have a good cause are too apt to betray and spoil it by an ill manner of defending it by mixt errors ill arguments or passions to the hardening of the adversaries and afflictors 6. We must take heed that we fear not suffering wrong more than doing wrong He that doth the wro●g is a far greater sufferer or loser than he that is wronged Our study must be that we neither think wish speak or do any wrong to our adversaries and afflictors 7. We must watch lest the great wickedness of any adversaries should be so much in our eye as to tempt us to make light of our own sin because it is not so great as theirs 8. And we must watch lest the conscience of our good cause or innocency to man should make us foget our many sins against God for which he may permit men by injury to afflict us 9. We must watch lest we judge of the Cause by the Person and should take truth to be falshood and good to be evil because bad men or adversaries own it or lest we take falshood to be truth and evil to be good because good men hold it and lest in Love or Pity we justifie the s●n of any sufferers 10 But we must specially take heed lest fleshly interest and love of r●ches liberty or life should bias and blind our judgments to take any thing to be Lawful which we think is necessary to our quietness and safety and to use sinful means to avoid danger and sufferings These are my Studies and I think them necessary to all And the rather when it grieveth my heart to see so many carryed by suffering so far from unity charity and moderation that they even joyn with those whom they sharpliest accuse tho by other reasons to do their very work and to destroy that which they think they are promoting For instance 1. They blame the Papists and such conformists for saying that the Ministers of the Reformed Churches are no true Ministers And they say the same 2. They blame them for saying their Churches are no true Churches And they say the same 3. They blame them for recusancy and saying it is unlawful to communicate with them and they say the same 4. They blame them that silence Ministers and forbid and hinder them from worshipping God And they themselves disswade all the land from all publick Church-worship where none but with those that use the Liturgy can be had 5. They justly blame Love-killing reproachful Sermons And they write Love-killing reproachful Books 6. They justly blame false accusers of particular persons and they ●●lsely accuse almost all the Churches on Earth as no true Churches 7. They are justly for mutual forbearance and against cruelty and they unjustly aggravate the faults of almost all Church-worshippers on earth as so odious that it must be separated from and in a sort excommunicate them 8. They fear Popery is ready to take possession of the Land and Church and they exhort all Protestants to forsake all the publick churches which are the Garison of the Protestant cause that so the gates may be set open and the Adversaries may find the houses ready swept and garnished or the Garison emptied for their coming 9. They are against the ejecting of the Ministers 1662. and yet crying down a Comprehension they would not have them restored unless it were on terms that will take in them also and who knoweth whom 10. Yea the very top of Popery is to appropriate all power of church-government and worship to the Clergy and to make Magistrates therein but the Clergies Executioners saying they are only for civil government for the body but the Pope and Clergy only for Religious government of the church and for the souls And some called by dividing names among us say That Christ only and his Ministers have power in such matter● and that Princes sin if they command but a Translation a reverent gesture a church-ornament and such circumstances and that it 's a sin to obey them When I see that exasperation by afflicters hath cast some sufferers into such self-contradicting ways I will set on my heart and judgment a double watch in sufferings and abuse And now Reader I again say That tho I was dragg'd to this sort of work as against my will I thank God and my sober sort of Opponents for calling me to it that before I dye I might explain my Writings and not by writing only against one extreme leave them behind me as snares to tempt men to the other extreme And I here leave my testimony again

Let us rise upward till we come to the Apostles days None of all these churches named dare profess all their agreements and confession to be without fault that ever I heard of except the English who bind Ministers to assent and consent to all things commanded and prescribed in three Books and excommunicate those that say their Books or Ceremonies and Government hath any thing contrary to the Word of God but no Lay-man is bound to believe them Wickliffe and John H●s the Waldenses and the Bohemians Confessions are not faultless Of the Papist and the S●cinians we will make no question the forenamed churches of Greeks Russians Armenians Abassines Nestorians Jacobites c. are alas past question faulty the general councils upward from that of Trent Basil Constance c. to the six first yea the four first which some equal to the four Gospels are far from being faultless in the Judgment of these Objectors and of my self the Arrian and other heretical councils are past question even that of Nice the first and best I suppose he and I think did not well in setling church-power as they did and forbidding all kneeling on the Lords days in Adoration and other the like The Donatists and the Novatians called the Puritans of those times had faulty agreements were it but for Bps. and Arch-Bps ●e will think them so this Writer can name no one church on the face of the Earth Orthodox or heretical tho Aerius called Presbyters equal with Bps. that was not for Bishops over Presbyters from the year 100 after Christ t●ll the Reformation that ever I could read of Yea consider whether they were not in the Apostles days when Jerome who most depresseth this degree saith That there were such at Alexandria chosen by the Presbyters from the days of Mark and Mark died long before John the Apostle But Episcopacy is not all Not only Epiphanius but all Church History that speaketh of such matters agreeth that besides the croud of latter Ceremonies there were certain ceremonies called the customes of the Universal Church which all the known Churches agreed in even those that differ'd about Easter-day and other such that is 1. Cloathing the Baptized in white Garments 2. Giving them milk and hony to tast 3. Anointing them with Oyl 4. Not kneeling in adoration on any Lords day or any other day between Easter and Whitsunday There is no notice when these began so ancient were they nor of any one Church or Christian that refused them but they were commonly called the Traditions Apostolical or customes of the Universal Church Now I agree with this Author that these things were indeed a deviation from the Apostles practice and ought not to have been thus used But the question is whether every Christian was guilty of the fault that had communion with any of these churches and whether had he then lived he should have separated from all the Churches on earth By this you see that this opinion must needs make men seekers who say that the church was in the wilderness and lost all true Ministry and say they particular churches and Scripture after the first or at most the second century and so that for fourteen hundred years Christ had no visible Kingdom on earth And consequently that we have no wiser answer to the Papist where was your church before Luther than to say that it was Invisible that is that we cannot prove that there was any such thing on Earth and consequently that we cannot prove that Christ had any Kingdom on earth and was its King that is whether there was any Christ in actual church-administration And doth separating from the whole visible church-communion agree with the prophecies and precepts of union Was this church like a grain of Mustard seed in its growth Was all the wonderful works of redemption wrought for no visible society after one or two hundred years in which a few persecuted ones were visible Is not this the next step and a temptation to utter infidelity If Christ have now no visible church on earth but the people called Brownists or Separatists doth it answer the Scripture description of him and his church And is it not exposing christianity to the scorn of infidels so to say Would not almost all rather turn Papists than believe this And be rather of their church than of none 2. But let us next speak of the persons I may speak my thoughts without imposing on you I think that the Major vote is no rule to the Minor nor always is in the right If a hundred men that understand not Greek or Hebrew Translate a Text one way and a good Linguist another way I will more suspect their judgment than his And so in the like case But if I hear a few odd persons condemn the judgment of the generality that are far better acquainted with matters of the same nature as if School-boys that are but in their Accidence should oppose all the upper Forms in expounding Horace or Hesiod or Homer which think you should I most suspect I say again to you compare the writings of Bucer Peter Martyr Calvin Beza Melancthon Chami●r Blondel Dailee and a bundance such and also Greenhams Perkins Dr. J●●n R●ignolds Cartwrights Dods Hildershams Hieroms Amesius's Payne● R●l●e●ks and many such yea with such conformists as Jewels Bp. Downames John Downames Davenants Bp. Halls Arch-Bp Ushers Bp. Rob. Abbots Dr Field● Dr. Challoners Dr. Airys c. I say compare these with the Theological writings of Mr. Penry Mr. Can and all other called separat●sts or Brownists in their times and tell me whether these later did manifest more Holy Wisdom in Heavenly things more skill in all other points of Divinity than the former If their writings giving Mr. Ainsworth his due honour in Hebrew and Piety were as far below the other as the lower forms of School-boys are beneath the highest which should we most suspect to have had the greater or the lesser light specially when the lower condemn and cut off themselves from communion with all Christs known Churches on earth for thirteen hundread years When Mr. Smith and lately a very good man here thought none fit to Baptize him again but Baptized himself was not that singularity a just cause of suspicion Yet I make not the old Nonconformists your rule VIII I argued also from the common frailties of us all that it will be unlawful to communicate with any Church on earth even with those of the objectors mind if we are guilty of the sins in Doctrine worship and discipline of all Churches that we communicate with I will aggravate none nor render that odious which God accepteth My work is to confute those that do so But I say that 1. we have all many errors And men use to put their errors into their prayers and preaching 2. Do not men use to deliberate more and study what to write than what to preach And have men reason to be confident that our preaching