Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	faith_n	justify_v	righteousness_n	6,227	5	8.2608	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43698	A sermon preached before the Right Honourable George Earl of Berkeley, Governour, and the Company of Merchants of England trading into the Levant Seas at St. Peters Church in Broadstreet, January, 25, 1680 / by Charles Hickman ...	Hickman, Charles, 1648-1713.; Berkeley, George Berkeley, Earl of, 1628-1698.	1681 (1681)	Wing H1896; ESTC R11269	15,523	36

as those which are backed with Religion and when men fight just as they pray for they know not what the contention grows warm according to the Zeal of the Combatants and the war will end they know not when For Empire may more easily be confined like the Ocean within its banks and Interest knows its own bounds only Opinion is a boundless thing like the overflowing of a River it spreads itself far and wide and our thoughts which are ungovernable in themselves cannot be overruled by any power No prescription can be pleaded in the things of God and no length of time can reconcile the difference of belief The Sword it self which decides all other Controversies has no control over the Minds and Consciences of men and though the Iron enters into their very souls yet it cannot subdue or change one thought therein What shall we say then is it the happiness or misfortune of our Natures that our Spirits are thus invincible and no Authority is so great as that which governs in our own breast 'T is a happiness in this that neither tribulation nor anguish persecution nor death principalities nor powers can separate us from the love of Christ and the Faith in his Name but 't is a misfortune likewise that neither height nor depth nor Angels nor Men nor things present nor things to come can reclaim us from a false Religion or bring us into the paths of peace 'T is a happiness to those that have embraced the Truth but a curse to them that live in Error And since every Party and Faction how erroneous soever does yet conclude it self to be in the right from hence we may learn that the True Religion must not because it cannot be propagated by violence and blood but amidst all the several pretences whereby so many and so different Parties lay claim to the only true Church if we would know to whom this infant Primitive Truth belongs we must direct our judgment as the wise Solomon did and give up the Cause to them that first lay down the Sword Righteousness and Peace can never be divided and the Gospel of Truth is also the Gospel of Love With what pretence then of Piety or Christianity can the enemies of our Faith justifie their reproachful and despightful usage of us That they should endeavour thus by Fire and Sword to extirpate our Lives together with our Religion and lay both our Church and Nation in the dust That they who are our Brethren bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh should rise up against us and forget their Bowels of compassion and their Fathers house That they should deny us the ordinary Civilities of mankind and like Jews unto the Samaritans allow no dealings with us That they should Excommunicate us from their Society with the out-cast of the people and brand a whole Church with the hateful title of wicked and prophane That they should refuse to admit us to their houses because we come not into their Temples and reject us because our faces are as though we would go to Jerusalem Have they found such dealings from us Has not our Church been still inviting them to her Communion and ready to embrace her greatest adversaries with the Arms of kindness Is not Peace and Submission her Glory and Charity the very Character whereby she stands distinguished from all other Churches Has it not been her constant Practice as well as Profession to promote a reconciliation of all differences where it may be had and only lament the want of it where it cannot be obtained to be industrious for the union and consent of her Children and favourably charitable to all peaceful Dissenters Nay is she not upbraided for being so Is not this her Charity and Kindness become her reproach and an occasion to her adversaries to slander her for Heretical on the one hand and Popish on the other And as such she has been used she has suffered Martyrdom under both these shapes and as the Romans dealt with the Primitive Christians so they also put us under the hateful disguises of Lions and Bears and then worry us as if we were such indeed But certainly we are not more Idolatrous or more Heretical than the Samaritans nor are they more Righteous than our Saviour And yet he dealt not so with those that were enemies both to him and the Truth When his Disciples would have called down fire from Heaven to punish their unkindness he reproved their unwarranted Zeal saying Ye Know not what Spirit ye are of though their worship was Idolatrous yet he would give even Idolaters their due and allow them human affections as well as human frailties proving that a Samaritan may be a good Neighbour when neither Priest nor Levite would give two pence to deserve that name Though he was the wisdom of God from the beginning yet he condescended to the weakness of a woman which was an enemy both to his Church and Nation he gently reproves her vice and friendly corrects her errors and though his Disciples marveled at the sight yet he thought it no disparagement to his Divinity for he came to call sinners to Repentance and Preach the Gospel to the Poor And no wonder that he should do so for what man is not both poor and sinful in the sight of God How blind is the Knowledg and how weak the Vertue of the best of us when compared with those infinite unmeasurable powers which are in the Fountain and Foundation of all our good And then how small will the distance appear between us men 'T is like the dividing of a tittle the whole is so small that nothing but a Magnifying-Glass can discover the difference of the parts One Star differeth from another Star in Glory and though the Moon makes some discovery thereof obscuring one and leaving an imperfect lustre upon the other yet the Sun Eclipseth all alike all their glories disappear before him and so the great contention ceaseth Even so are our good deeds before God they are so few and so imperfect that it is not our merit but his mercy alone that creates the difference he can forgive much as well as little the Samaritan by him may be termed good and the Publican admitted to his presence when the obstinate conceited Pharisee shall be for ever excluded Therefore why boastest thou thy self O vain man as if all the treasures of vertue and knowledg were centered in thy own breast Who is ignorant and thou art not ignorant who is sinful and thou art not so Despise not then the weakness of thy Brother lest thou also be despised judg not his infirmities lest thereby thou bring a just judgment upon thy own head lest thou also be severely judged by the Righteous God But rather study peace with all men be just to their merits favourable to their frailties and only severe upon thy own self So will God accept of thy humility and thy humility will recommend thy Faith as