Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A47758
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Remarks on some late sermons, and in particular on Dr. Sherlock's sermon at the Temple, Decemb. 30, 1694 in a letter to a friend.
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Leslie, Charles, 1650-1722.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing L1148; ESTC R2124
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59,686
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64
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Company of Foul-mouth'd Theologues of prostitute Consciences to recreate him once a Week with all the nauseous Scum and Filth they are able to rake together and then puts his own Stamp upon it and publishes it to the Kingdom by SPECIAL COMMAND which is the same Thing as if he had said it himself For though the Sermon or Words are not his the Publication is and he becomes a Party to all the opprobrious Expressions by whose particular and immediate Authority they are Printed and made Publick That is These Gentlemen say all these vile Things to him and he speaks them to all the Kingdom Now Sir what Resentment do you think this Preachment would meet at the hands of the French King I shall not undertake to answer that Question but this I can tell you That if he have no more Generosity nor Princely Vertues than other People the Preacher would certainly be made a Bishop or at least a Dean Thus much for the Character they give of a Great Prince but there are other People of an inferior Rank that they have an aking Tooth at some call them Jacobites and others Non Jurors But here they are as hard put to it as ever Men were they would be glad with all their Hearts that the People should have an ill Opinion of them but then they do not know how to bring it to pass They have the same good Will but there is some difference in the Subject The French King is a great way off and they think the People will rather believe them than trouble themselves to take a long Journey to disprove them But these Men live among us and their Principles and Practices are well known and therefore they cannot be so copious on this Subject However you shall hear what they do say and besides some few canting Expressions as Some amongst us and Kind Friends to the Liberties of Europe as Dr. Sherlock hath it which perhaps may pass for Jibes oâ— Jests but sure they do not expect that the very lowest of the People should take them for Aâ—guments oâ— Proofs All the rest is comprehended in what follows The First is The paucity of their Numbers This is the common Topick and runs through them all and yet there is not one of them but knows full well that this means nothing at all That Truth was never tryed by Polâ—ing and telling of Noses that Numbers were never any Evidence of a Good Cause As if the Doctrines of Religion and Points of Câ—nscience were to be measur'd like Armies by the Strength of their Numbers At this rate the Alcoran will vye with the Gospel and Turcism will be not only better than Popery as Father T. hath it but even than Christianity it self This therefore is nothing else but Cheating and Deluding the People instead of Informing and Instructing them And they are hard put to it sure when to save their own Credit and to blast others they are forced so frequently to inculcate such an Argument which they themselves in their own Consciences if they have any know to be none at all The next is That as they are few so those few are blind and cannot see Providence as Dr. Tilâ—â—â—on hath it * Sermon before the King and Queen Octob 27. 1692. God has of late visibly made bare his Arm in our behalf though some are still so blind and obstinate that they will not see it And here we have got another Turkish Argument Since these Gentlemen can find no Reasons for their purpose in the Bible but however if Mahomet has any they will never want For if Providence be an Argument the Great Turk will be better able to plead it from the Foundation of that Religion than any or all the Christians in the World For I am very sure Christianity never got Footing in any Kingdom by Dispossessing or Rebelling against the Lawful Governors let them be of what Religion they would but by the contrary Methods of Patience and Suffering And therefore we honestly confess That we cannot See that the long Sword is a Christian Argument nor fit to be made use of by any but Infidels Our Author himself but eight Lines before says That meer Success is certainly one of the worst Arguments in the World of a Good Cause So it seems we are so very Blind that we cannot See the worst Argument in the World to be the very best And if that be our Fault I doubt we shall never mend it till we get not only their Spectacles but their Consciences too But if Successes be an Argument so very bad What is it that these Gentlemen would have us to See We are not so very Blind but we See the Successes they talk on We See Usurpation in the place of Right and we See God's Hand in this too in sending Afflictions and Punishments upon a Protestant People for their Rebellion and Apostacy We See further that they have a very bad Argument to manage and they affront the Divine Providence as well as abuse the People by perpetually infusing into the illiterate Multitude such Arguments which themselves acknowledg to be the worst in the World Our Author indeed tells us ib. p 32. That the Cause must first be manifestly Just before Success can be an Argument of God's Favour to it and Approbation of it Now 't is certain that every Cause that is manifestly Just hath Godâ—s Favour and Approbation whether that Cause hath external Success or no or whether the Persons engaged in it be prospered by Divine Providence which makes it as clear as the Light that the Distinction is to be made not from Providence and outward Successes but from the Justice of the Cause And the Oppressed notwithstanding all the Harangues these Men make of visible Providences may be far more Righteous than their Oppressors And I am very certain that this Man who thus accuses us of Blindness for not seeing of Providences hath not said one single Word to convince us or any rational Man of the Justice of his Cause and much less of the manifest Justice of it And all that he does say you have in those two Hypothetical Propositions as it immediately follows If the Cause of true Religion and the necessary Defence of it against a false and idolatrous Worship be a good Cause ours is so Again If the Vindication of the common Liberties of Mankind against Tyranny and Oppression be a goood Cause ours is so This is what our Author offers to make his Cause appear manifestly Just and in truth all that he offers on that Head And yet both his Propositions are notoriously and scandalously False For you must know that by the necessary Defence of Religion he does not mean a Defence by the Words of Truth and Soberness by Meekness Patience and Suffering which were the Defences of the fiâ—st Christians but a Defence of Swords and Guns a Defence by Arms which is pure and perfect Alcoran and the Doctâ—in of the
Mufti and roots up the Foundation of Christianity For if Religion may be defended by Arms it may also be propagated by them and for Men to talk of defending their Religion and securing their Consciences by Arms is a fit Doctrin only for such Hypocritical Consciences who can hold their Principles no longer than they are backt with Secular Power And this is yet Ten times worse when 't is applied to justify Usurpation and the Rebellion of Subjects under a Prince of another Religion which is plainly the Case our Author drives at For then he might know That it is not only a Good Cause but sufficient Authority 't is not only a Good End but Lawful Means also that will warrant the entering into Arms all these must concur to justify a War and yet there is neither of these in this Case For though true Religion be the best Cause in the World yet it never was nor ever will be a sufficient Cause to take Arms upon and God never gave Authority to a Foreigner especially one who is not a Sovereign Prince to call another Prince to Account for his Religion much less to make War on him on that Account and God nor our Laws ever gave Subjects the Power ef the Sword to defend themselves and much less their Religion by Arms and downright Rebellion And therefore the Conclusion is the direct contrary to that of our Author That if the Cause the Authority the Means be all and every one of them Unjust then their Cause is so and the Case is the very same with respect to the other Proposition But to make short work of it The Impiety and Falshood of both these Propositions is plainly and irrefragably demonstrated from these following Questions Was not the Religion of our Saviour and his Apostles the true Religion And were not their Supreme Governors at that time Idolaters and the Religion of Heathen Rome Idolatry In like manner was not the whole Nation of Judea and all the Roman Empire at that time under great Tyranny and Oppression as Tyranny means the Exercise of illegal and arbitrary Power Let these Questions be but fairly and honestly answered and it will put an end to all Rebellious Hypotheses and in particular directly answer all and every one of the Assertions and Arguments of these Gentlemen And for the Two first Questions they answer themselves and for the Third let Dr. Burnet answer who in plain terms in his Pastoral Letter p. 9. 11 12. asserts That the very shew of Freedom that was left the Jews was extinct after the Death of Herod That Julius Cesar and Augustus became the Usurpers of the Liberties of their Country That the Design Tiberius pursued was to overthrow all that was â—â—â—t of their Freedom and to rob the People of such of their Liberties as yet remained which was yet more barefac'd and black under Caligula This is the direct Case of both the Doctor 's Propositions and perhaps in as severe Circumstances as the World ever saw Here was true Religion in opposition to Idolatry and under the Power of it Here was Liberty Opposed to and under the Oppression of Tyranny And I hope these Gentlemen will grant that our Saviour and his Apostles had as much Care of Religion as much Zeal against Idolatry and were as Tender of the Liberties of Mankind as any of them all And yet they determine the Case in plain Opposition and Contradiction to these Men For instead of True Religion fighting against False and Idolatrous Worship instead of vindicating Liberty against Tyranny we have the clean contrary and both Doctrine Precept Example teaching us to obey submit to not to resist Idolatrous and Tyrannical Powers And 't is very remarkable That 't is in his Epistle to the Romans that is to those very People and in these very Circumstances that St. Paul does so expresly and particularly injoyn these Duties This Gentleman is very pleasant with us and rallies us for being Blind and cannot see bare fac'd Providences And to give him a Cast of his Metaphor We are indeed so Blind that we do not See any Reason to prefer the Assertions and Determinations of any Usurping and Apostate Bishop before those of our Saviour and his Apostles but then we are not so Blind but we can See what all the World both Sees and talks on We See as well as other People their Shame their Infamy their Apostacy and intolerable Confidence not only to obtrude these scandalous Doctrines upon us but to contradict in express Terms their own Doctrines and Assertions For this very Man hath delivered a Doctrine as directly contrary to this as Words can express and that upon a very solemn and serious Occasion when he was to direct and settle the Conscience of a Dying Lord. And he had in his Life-time been often and earnestly called upon to reconcile it to his present Opinion and Practices but he could never be prevailed upon to undertake it And this is the Case of them all they have Confidence enough to talk over and repeat their new Doctrines but will neither answer our Arguments nor their own And neither the Clamour of the Jacobites nor their own Consciences nor the Satisfaction of the People nor to clear their own Reputation from so foul a Scandal could ever yet perswade Dr. Patrick to answer his Paraphrases Dr. Stillingfleet his Preface to the Jesuits Loyalty Dr. Burnet his Dialogues Dr. Sherlock his Case of Resistance his Sermons c. They have indeed advanc'd themselves to Posts of Preferment by clean contrary Doctrines which they Preach and Preach over and over but the other old Doctrines stand still Uncancelled and have not been Delivered away by any direct Act and Deed. They own and preach up other Doctrines but they will neither formally renounce these nor yet reconcile them to their new Opinions and Practices And there is good Reason for both to reconcile them is impossible and to renounce them inconvenient For there may a Time come when such Doctrines may be in Fashion again even as heretofore The last Thing that is taken Notice of concerning these Non-Jurors is their Ingratitude their horrible Ingratitude For thus Dr. Tillotson acquaints his Auditory * Serm. before the Queen Sep. 16. 1691. To whom by too many among us the most unworthy and unthankful Returns have been made that ever was made to so great and generous a Benefactor Now the Doctor does not tell us who he means by this same too many among us but sure he cannot mean those who have given him so many Millions For one would think they have been sufficiently Thankful except the Doctor thought they could not express their Gratitude unless they had given him their Bodies and their Souls too And therefore most certainly he means the poor Jacobites as they call them Well I perceive that a Few of these are too Many for the Fewness of their Number is one Argument but it seems they cannot be contented