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	think_v	4,338	5	3.9369	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31113	A sermon preached at St. Mary-le-Bow, to the societies for reformation of manners, Octob. 2, 1699 by Samuel Barton ; published at the request of the said societies.	Barton, Samuel, 1647 or 8-1715.	1700 (1700)	Wing B994; ESTC R32551	15,537	49

to pretend to make Conscience of practising ' em Some there are that have Scrupled the taking an Oath in any Case but I never heard of any that thought it a Duty to Swear idsely in common Discourse Nor can Drunkenness or Tipling or Profaning the Lord's-Day or Filthiness or Fornication or Scoffing at Religion and Ridiculing the most Sacred Mysteries thereof be pleaded for as Duties If therefore Men will not be Zealous against such things as these how can we hope to find any good Zeal in ' em If they are grown indifferent as to such Practices and care not how much such Vices spread how can they be thought to have any Religion at all in ' em If neither the Love of God nor of their Neigbour will excite 'em to set themselves against such notorious and open Wickedness what pretence can they have to Christian Charity But after all tho' a Magistrate have a Sense of these things and be Zealous for Reformation yet 't is but little that he can do without the help of others Profane and Irreligious People if once they find him bent against 'em will take care to keep out of his way and hide their Works of Darkness from his Sight And there must therefore be Informations given and Proofs made by others before he can do much towards putting Laws in Execution against Vice and Profaneness Now this is the Work which some here present and many more both in this City and in other parts of the Kingdom have very laudably and worthily engag'd themselves in The Work I am sure is good and highly necessary at this time when we are call'd upon by Publick Authority to do all we can towards the Suppression of Vice Immorality and Profaneness which are own'd in his Majesty's Proclamation to have encreas'd and prevail'd much of late Years to the great Dishonour of God the Scandal of our Profession and the endangering heavy Judgments to fall on us And as the Work is so highly seasonable so I cannot see any good Objection that is or can be made against it or any just cause of suspicion that you engage in it through any other Motives but a just sense of the great need of it and an Holy Indignation against those Works of Darkness which every good Christian must and ought to abhor Shall any think it Pragmaticalness to meddle when that which ought to be dearest to us the Cause of God and Religion is so nearly concern'd When such notorious Scandals are brought upon our Profession and there is such imminent danger of God's Judgments overtaking us by reason of our Impieties As well we may think it Pragmaticalness to endeavour to quench a raging Fire or to put a stop to the Infection of a Contagious Disease And 't is nothing but the want of a due sense of the great Evil and Danger of such gross and heinous Sins that makes any put a difference in these Cases and content themselves with a Laodicean Lukewarmness in matters of such Concernment But the Name of an Informer is by many held in great Detestation and they cannot bear the Reproach of being reckon'd in that number Now 't is true if the business were to inform against People otherwise innocent in their Lives but Worshipping God according to their Conscience in a way not allow'd and perhaps erroneous I shou'd not blame a Man for being somewhat shy in such a Case Or if 't were to be an Informer upon any Penal Statues about indifferent Matters however all such may not be to be condemn'd yet I wou'd be no very zealous Advocate for ' em But here the Case is quite otherwise For here that which you are desired to Inform against is a known and confess'd Evil and 't is only in such Cases when there appears no better way of reclaiming the Offender And the End and Design of it is not the getting any Gain to yourselves but the promoting a most needful Reformation and the preventing thereby God's heavy Judgments from falling upon us all 'T is great Charity therefore to the Publick Yea and Charity also to the Persons Inform'd against since gentler Methods will not do to endeavour to have 'em Punish'd according to the Law And if the Laws were well made and but in pursuance of the Laws of God it cannot but be a laudable thing in any one to endeavour what in him lies to have 'em put in Execution But still some will be ready to Object That there 's little hope of doing any great good this way We may make a great stir and disturbance among our Neighbours but the World is not like to be much mended by any of these Methods And this now is spoken like one whose Principle it is to let the World go as it will but not like a Christian who knows 't is his Duty to be as the Light of the World and the Salt of the Earth We know not how great Effects God may sometimes bring about by Means that to us appear very unlikely and improbable But when He shall be pleas'd to stir up the Spirits of any Number of Persons to go about so Great and Good a Work as this is I wou'd be loth to be found in the number of those that shou'd slight and discourage it and not rather do all they can to promote those good Ends that Providence seems to have in it Let us have a care we be not found Fighters against God But I am sure all they who set themselves to beat down Vice and Wickedness and Prophaneness are Fighters for him and if they do it but in such a way as is agreeable to the Laws of God and Man they Fight Lawfully And 't is our Duty to help 'em and pray for their Success There has already been tho' not all the Success that is to be wish'd for of so Pious an Undertaking yet more perhaps than cou'd well have been expected in so Corrupt an Age. And if God has any Mercy in store for these Nations and does not intend to give us up to Destruction we have reason to hope That this is the Way his Providence has found out to fit us for Mercy And that He will accordingly more and more Excite a Spirit of Reformation and stir up the Minds of all Religious and well-dispos'd Persons of what different Persuasions soever to join Unanimously in it Which wou'd be an happy presage of Good to these Kingdoms Yea to all the Churches of the Reformation In which the too great Unreformedness of Men's Lives after such a Restitution and Reviving of Pure and Primitive Christian Doctrine has doubtless been the thing that has provok'd God to suffer the Reformation to lose so much Ground as it has done of late Years and to have such a terrible Havock and Devastation made of it and such a Dreadful Persecution of it's Professors as there is in our Neighbour Nation and in other Places The Consideration of these things ought I am sure to awaken us and cause us to Amend in time and to do all that in us lies to promote a general Reformation before Judgments overtake us And may Almighty God in his great Mercy encrease the Number and strengthen the Hands of those Faithful Magistrates that out of a true Zeal for his Honour and the good of Men do set themselves with Heart and Hand to so Excellent a Work and of those also who are assistant and helpful to 'em therein May He bless their Endeavours and give 'em such Success that his Anger may be turned away from us that we may become a Reform'd People in our Lives as well as in our Doctrine and He may delight to dwell in the midst of us This is a Prayer in which The Children of Light I am sure will heartily join with me And this God of his infinite Mercy Grant through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS Books Printed for Matt. Wotton at the Three Daggers in Fleet-street A Demonstration of the Messias in which the Truth of the Christian Religion is Defended especially against the Jews containing all that was Preach'd at the Lecture of the Honourable Robert Boyle Esq By the Right Reverend Father in God Richard Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells The 3d. and Last part now in the Press His Sermons Preached on several Occasions Oct. A Guide to the Devout Christian in Three Parts containing Prayers for particular Persons for Families and a Discourse of the Sacrament By John Inet Chanter of the Cathedral Church of Lincoln The Christian's Pattern in Four Books written Originally in Latin by Thomas à Kempis To which are added Prayers and Meditations for Sick Persons By George Stanhope D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majesty In Octavo with Cuts sold for 5 s. The same Book Printed in a smaller Letter Price 2 s. The Occasional Papers N o 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. The Heinousness of Injustice A Sermon Preached before Mr. Justice Turton at the Assizes held at Lincoln 1698. By Laurence Echard Chaplain to the Lord Bishop of Lincoln Remarks upon an Essay concerning Humane Understanding In a Letter Address'd to the Author No. 1 2 3.