Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	great_a	people_n	3,792	5	4.4298	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28590	A plea for moderation towards dissenters occasioned by the grand-juries presenting the Sermon against persecution at the last assizes holden at Sherburn in Dorset-shire : to which is added An answer to the objections commonly made aganst that sermon / by Samuel Bolde ...	Bold, S. (Samuel), 1649-1737.	1682 (1682)	Wing B3484; ESTC R6070	34,266	46

Communication with Pious Honest Sober Peaceable Protestant Dissenters I offer these things to peoples consideration not to except against the Lawfulness of any thing the Church of England doth injoyn and practise but only to mind some who do unnecessarily ingage in the prosecuting of their Honest Peaceable Neighbours that there are several things which have some weight in them to oblige us to forbear all unnecessary severity towards people who are not yet in every thing of our Judgments But some will be ready to say What do you plead for all sorts of Dissenters or only some particular Sects And if so Why do you not name the Sects you plead for I answer I am against all Sects Parties and Divisions in the Church and I look on all the Factious Reproachful Names people professing themselves Christians are listed under as pernicious Devices of the Devil to help forward Division and to molest and injure that Common Christianity we do all pretend to I am sorry any who profess themselves Christians do lay so much stress on any thing in which Christianity is not immediately concerned as to give occasion for people to coin any other Name by which they may be distinguished from others than that by which the Disciples and Believers were first called at Antioch I do not consider people by the Names of Reproach Atheists and Prophane men do set on them but by what I do really find them in their open profession and general practice But that you may know more distinctly who they be I plead for I will now say something to the second point I proposed Which is 2ly To give both a general and particular account of the people for whom I plead And in general I plead for all who deserve the Character I gave in the Preface to my Sermon against Pesecution of many Dissenters with whom I had particular acquaintance I believe there are many of the same Stamp and Merit amongst them with whom I never had any acquaintance Let people come under what Denomination soever if I can discern no just ground to doubt but God will accept them I think I owe them a very great Respect and Deference and therefore I do profess I rejoyce in the conversation of all whom I apprehend I have good cause to believe do Fear God and work Righteousness and I mourn to consider how Differences are kept alive and heightened betwixt them and other Good men We all ought to have a great tenderness for and regard to all those who are vigorous Protestants that is who profess and own all the Doctrines of Christianity the Church of England doth and do oppose and reject all those Tenets which are truly Popish For it is not mens owning or renouncing some Indifferent Ceremonies which makes them Protestants or of the Reformed Religion who are exemplarily pious and virtuous in their Conversations and who live peaceably and soberly and do not indeavour any unlawful Alteration in the Government I plead for Moderation towards such as were known some time since to the Kings Majesty and all who answer that Character he was pleased to give of them who had attended on him in Holland His words are these When we were in Holland we were attended by many Grave and Learned Ministers from hence who were looked on as the most able and principal Assertors of the Presbyterian Opinions with whom we had as much conference as the multitude of Affairs which were then upon us would permit us to have and to our great satisfaction and comfort found them persons full of Affection to us of Zeal for the Peace of the Church and State and neither Enemies as they have been given out to be to Episcopacy or Liturgy but modestly to desire such Alterations in either as without shaking Foundations might best allay the present Distempers which the Indisposition of the Time and tenderness of some mens Consciences had contracted Those Nonconformists do deserve a peculiar respect and kindness from our Church who really scrupeling some things do comply with us as far as possibly they can under their present apprehensions and do publickly declare themselves against erecting Altare contra Altare nay who are particularly cautious of pressing others not to Conform Indeed if all who do at present Dissent and are capable of examining the matters in difference betwixt us would carefully lay aside all Partiality and Prejudice and not dare to indulge themselves in making Parties or in suggesting unnecessary Doubts to any but would rather comply themselves to the utmost they are able and perswade others to joyn with us in Divine Ordinances by removing and answering those Objections and Scruples which are sometimes alledged and which they themselves are satisfied are of no force I am perswaded they would do themselves great Right the Church of God much Service and be greatly instrumental towards the composing those Differences which have long weakened the Protestant Interest and given too great Advantage to the Common Enemy And such as these there are undoubtedly amongst them we call Dissenters Nay I am perswaded the Reverend Mr. Baxter tho' by some Reproachfully and very Desingenuously called the Provincial of the Protestant Schismaticks hath by his Writings Practice and Advice prevailed with as many to be in Communion with our Church as any one man whosoever in the Kingdom And the very Learned Mr. Hickman has not only often declared in private his aversion to disswade any against Conformity but has also published in Print his dislike of Nonconformists being over zealous in pressing others not to Conform More particularly I plead for Moderation towards 1st Men of such Learning as Mr. Baxter Mr. Hickman c. These and many more have given the world undeniable and very signal Evidences of their being men of extraordinary Reading and Judgment They are great Ornaments in their Generation and very shining Lights in the Church of God The Christian world will no doubt have a great veneration for them as long as it shall endure Future Ages will honour their Memories with all the respect and intimations of high Affection found Christianity will allow when their inveterate malicious Enemies shall have their Names continued only to be used as a Proverbial Obloqui and Reproach 2ly Men of such Loyalty as Mr. Cooke Mr. Harrison and Mr. Kerby c. These have adventured further and suffered more for the King than most nay it may be any of those who under these present favourable circumstances do talk so much of Loyalty and Obedience It is easie talking of these things when this is the way to Preferment But these I have named did talk and preach for them when they were in danger of losing their Lives for doing so It seems very strange to me that those who could keep their Places in the Late Times of Usurpation and on the Turn of affairs could swallow down and dispence with more than some of their Neighbours could should now be thought more

those parts And the Eminent and Reverend Dr. Tillotson in his Preface to the Reader before that Bishops Sermons lately published has this most remarkable Passage concerning his Moderation And I purposely mention his Moderation and likewise adventure to commend him for it notwithstanding that this virtue so much esteemed and magnified by wise men in all Ages hath of late been declaimed against with so much Zeal and Fierceness and yet with that good Grace and Confidence as if it were not only no Virtue but even the Sum and Abridgement of all Vices I say notwithstanding all this I am still of the old Opinion that Moderation is a Virtue and one of the peculiar Ornaments and Advantages of the Excellent Constitution of our Church and must at last be the Temper of her Members especially the Clergy if ever we seriously intend the firm establishment of this Church and do not industriously design by cherishing Heats and Division among our selves to let in Popery at these Breaches 4ly They are generally the worst men especially if they be Clergy-men who are most for violence in relation to those who differ about some little Indifferences Nay what is more if you consider all Perswasions you shall find they are the most Illiterate Unsteady Prophane and Debauched Pretenders to any Perswasion who are most for severity towards Modest Dissenters Even amongst the Papists who were so hot and furious as Gardiner and Bonner Men who were not only flagitious in their Lives but had no more than an empty supersficial Learning But Tonstall who was truly a Scholar abhorred that severity towards mens persons the others were fond of practising It is observable saith Dr. Burnet that the best Clergy-men have been always the most gentle to those who differed from them for they confiding in the goodness of their Cause and in that true merit of which every one that has it must be conscious to himself and yet without Pride or Vanity are persuaded that by the methods of love and meekness they shall with the help of some time and the use of all due prudence and caution overcome Errors and Schisms But the unworthy who know that a good Cause may be spoiled but is not likely to prevail in their hands and who will not trouble themselves with the slow and laborious Methods of conquering Errors are always apt to fly to extream and cruel courses since they know they must either prevail by these or by none at all The second Objection saith It is very unbecoming one who receives Profits of the Church to plead for them who dissent from the Church I Answer first of all That there is no unseemliness at all in any ones countenancing and pleading for that which all Religion Equity and Reason do justifie and prompt men to 2ly They are extreamly stupid and dull who cannot distinguish betwixt pleading for Peoples Dissent and pleading that they may be treated with more mildness than some are inclin'd to use I do not plead for their Dissent to justifie that but do only endeavour to shew that much may be said for Moderation towards some who do Dissent against the fierce debauched People who are their greatest opposers 3ly They discover no good Opinion of the Church who would perswade the World she maintains her Ministers for no other end but either to Preach up severity against all who scruple some Indifferences or to keep them silent that they do not decry the violent courses some lewd prophane Pretenders to her do put in practice Would not this be to make our Ministers like that old Register I have heard of in one of the Ecclesiastical Courts who would not suffer a certain Church-Warden to be at rest till he would Present his Neighbours who came not to the Sacrament The Church-Warden being at last overcome by his importunities did get a Presentment drawn out and amongst those Names which were set down there was one which had Mr. before it The Register spying this thought it would be very convenient to begin with this Man And accordingly had him Summoned to the Court and began to mannage the business very briskly But another who had a great veneration for the Court being present and hearing that Man called applied himself immediately to the Register and ask'd him what he meaned to do Why said the Register I will make this Man go to the Sacrament before I have done with him for all his Mastership Nay then said the other you 'll spoil all for this Gentleman is ONE OF VS he will Swear and be Drunk as well as the BEST of us Say you so quoth the Register then the case is altered And immediately he called the Church-Warden and child him very sharply telling him he was a most impudent and villanous Rakehell in that he durst adventure to Present so worthy a Gentleman as that was Why said the Church-warden he did not come to the Sacrament Why Sirrah answered the Register you are not to Present all who do not come to the Sacrament but only those who scruple to receive the Sacrament on their Knees Some do lay a great stress on this That several who are in eminent Places in the Church are against both my Sermon and my self But for my own part I do not much concern my self for that With me it is a small thing to be judged of Mans judgment I am willing to pay every Man the respect his particular Place Character Office and Quality can require But I hope it is no fault for a Man to wish and pray that the Church of England may never Sink Perish no nor Suffer by the False and Insiduous Tricks of some who pretend to her 'T is not the opposition of Enemies on all hands that can do us so much hurt as the Scandal and Folly of Pretending Friends Some are apt to believe that evil designing Men have insinuated themselves into places of Trust and Power and that a degenerate kind of Pretenders to the Protestant Religion do make a great Figure at present amongst us Whether they have ground or no for that surmise is no business of mine to determine Yet if any Man do think he hath too much ground for such suspition when he does deliberately read a late Book set forth by Mr. Tho. Jones I do declare if he will be delivered from those thoughts he must not come to me but go to some Body else who understands those things better If Phaeton drive the Chariot of the Sun the World will be soon on Fire I mean such in the Church whose Brains like the Vnicorns run out in the length of the Horn such who have more Fury than Zeal and yet more Zeal than Knowledge or Moderation The overdoing of Conformity that is making more necessary to Conformity than the Laws of the Land have made necessary is as great a fault as Nonconformity And whoever will not be content with a Man's doing as much as true Conformity