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	show_v	2,413	5	4.5551	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43548	The rebells catechism composed in an easy and familiar way to let them see the heinousness of their offence, the weakness of their strongest subterfuges, and to recal them to their duties both to God and man.	Heylyn, Peter, 1600-1662.	1643 (1643)	Wing H1731A; ESTC R23968	23,896	33

were which he cast abroad the better to seduce the people I shall not stick to tell you if you put me to it 11. Quest I shall not trouble you with that at this present time But being you say that levying of War against the King is properly and truly to be called Rebellion I would fain ask whether you mean it only in such cases where the Subjects take up Arms out of pride and wantonness or in such also when they are necessitated and inforced unto it in their own defence Answ. I mean it equally in both cases tho of the two the former be more odious in the sight both of God and man For even defensive Arms as your Party calls them are absolutely unlawful in the Subject against his Sovereign in regard that no defensive War can be undertaken but it carrieth a resistance in it y to those higher powers to which every soul is to be subject Which powers being obtained by Almighty God it followeth by the Apostle's Logick who was a very able Disputant that they who do resist the powers resist the Ordinance of God z and consequently shall receive to themselves demnation A rule which took such deep impression in the Primitive Christians that though for personal valour numbers of men and leaders able to conduct them they were superiour to the adverse party in the Roman Empire yet they chose rather to expose their lives unto the merciless fury of the Persecutors than take up Arms against their Princes or disturb the peace of their Dominions under pretence of standing in their own defence being so tyrannically and unjustly handled For proof whereof we may alledg Tertullian a Cyprian b Lactantius c and some other d Antients whose words we will produce at large if you think it necessary 12. Quest You need not put your self to that trouble For we deny not that the Antient Christians did rather choose to suffer than to take up Arms e but when we say that tho they were exceeding numerous yet they were not formed into States and Kingdoms and that when they were once estated in laws and liberties as in France Holland Scotland Germany they made no question then to defend themselves What can you answer unto that Answ. I trow the Roman Empire was a setled State as strongly cemented with all the ligaments of power and policy as any one of these you mention and that the Subjects of that Empire had their laws and liberties which as their Ancestors had received from the indulgence of their Emperors and the Roman Senate so they transmitted them to their posterity And yet when all the Empire had received the faith in the time of Constantine and that no Religion but the Christian had publick countenance from the Laws during the most part of his reign and the whole reign of his three Sons which was for fifty five years no fewer the Subjects kept themselves to their former Principles Insomuch that when the Emperour Iulian began to intrench upon their liberties and infringe those laws which had been granted them by the grace and goodness of those Princes they knew no other way nor weapons by which to make resistance to such lawless violence but their prayers and tears {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} f and this was all the Medicine which they had to cure that Malady as we find in Nazianzen The like I could produce from St. Ambrose also g were not this sufficient And for your instances of France Holland Scotland Germany which you have mustered up to make good your cause I am sorry for the Protestant Religions sake that you have furnished me with so many examples of Rebellions since the Reformation some of which ended in the death and others in the deposition of their natural Princes Which was a point you seemed to doubt of in your tenth Question 13. Quest But tell me seriously do you conceive that all resistance of this kind made by force of Arms may be called Rebellion and that there are no cases which may make it lawful and warrantable by the Laws of God or man Answ. Your question hath two several parts and must receive two several answers And to the first I answer seriously it being now no time to trifle that all resistance of the kind you speak of nor only may be called Rebellion but is Rebellion in the true and natural sense of the word For if as the Civilians say Rebellis dicitur inobediens Principi circa concernentia prosperitatem Imperii h that every one may be said to be a Rebel who yieldeth not obedience to his Prince in all such particulars as do concern the flourishing estate of his Dominions assuredly he is a Rebel in the highest degree who takes up Arms against his Sovereign whatever his pretences be and by so doing doth embroil his Kingdoms in all these miseries which most inseparably are annexed to a Civil War Now frame the second part of the present Quere into a distinct question of it self and I will give such answer to it as I hope shall satisfie 14. Quest My question is whether the condition of the persons which are ingaged in such resistance the grounds on which they go and the end they aim at make not an alteration in the case so that Resistance qualified by these several circumstances become not warrantable by the Laws both of God and Man Answ. The answer unto this is already made in the book of Homilies where it is said that though not only great multitude of the rude and rascal Commons but sometimes also mention of great Wit Nobility and Authority have moved Rebellion against their lawful Princes though they should pretend sundry causes as the redress of the Commonwealth or Reformation of Religion tho they have made a great shew of holy meaning by beginning their Rebellion with a counterfeit service of God and by displaying and bearing about divers Ensigns and Banners which are acceptable unto the rude ignorant common people great multitudes of whom by such false pretences and shews they do deceive and draw unto them yet were the multitudes of the Rebels never so huge and great the Captains never so noble politick and witty the pretences feigned to be never so good and holy yet the speedly overthrow of all Rebels of what number state or condition soever they were or what colour or cause soever they pretended is and ever hath been such that God doth thereby shew that he alloweth neither the dignity of any person nor the multitude of any people nor the weight of any cause as sufficient for which the Subjects may move Rebellion against their Princes So far the very words of the Book of Homilies 15. Quest Why do you tell us thus of the Book of Homilies composed by a company of ignorant Bookmen men utterly unskilful in the Laws of the Land Think you that we ascribe to them so much