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	time_n	5,928	5	3.4202	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79761	A solemn acknowledgment of publick sins, and breaches of the Covenant, and a solemn engagement to all the duties contained therein, namely those, which do in a more speciall way relate unto the dangers of these times. With two acts of the Commission of the General Assembly of the sixth of October, for renewing the Solemn League and Covenant. And debarring of persons accessory to the late unlawfull engagement, from renewing the Covenant, receiving the communion, and from exercise of ecclesiastick office, with their advice to Presbyteries for celebrating the communion. Together also with, an Act of the Committee of Estates of the fourteenth of October for renewing the League and Covenant	Church of Scotland. General Assembly. Commission.; Scotland. Parliament.	1648 (1648)	Wing C4259F; Thomason E473_10; ESTC R205251	9,418	19

tendering to the prejudice of Religion and of the Covenant and of the Peace and saftie of these Kingdoms Which is so farre from the right way of preserving his Majesties Person and Authority that if cannot but provoke the Lord against him unto the hazard of both nay under a pretence of relieving and doing for the King whilst he refuses to do what was necessary for the house of God some have ranversed and violated most of all the Articles of the Covenant Our owne consciences within and Gods judgements upon us without do convince us of the manifold wilfull renewed breaches of that Article which concerneth the discovery and punishment of Malignants whose crimes have not onely been connived at but dispensed with and pardoned and themselves received into intimate fellowship with our selves and intrusted with our Counsels admitted unto our Parliaments and put in places of power and Authority for managing the publicke affaires of the Kingdome Whereby in Gods justice they got at last into their hands the whole power and strength of the Kingdome both in judicatories and Armies And did imploy the same unto the enacting and prosecuting an unlawfull engagement in warre against the Kingdome of England Notwithstanding of the dissent of many considerate members of Parliament who have given constant proofe of their integritie in the cause from the beginning of many faithfull testimonies and free warnings of the servants of God of the Supplycations of many Synods Presbyteries and Shyres and of the Declarations of the Generall Assembly and their Commissioners to the contrary Which ingagement as it hath been the cause of much sinne so also of much misery and calamity unto this Land and holds forth to us the griveousnesse of our sinne of complying with Malignants in the greatnesse of our judgment that we may be taught never to split againe upon the same rock upon which the Lord hath set so remarkable a Beacon And after all that is come to passe unto us because of this our trespasse and after that grace hath been shewed unto us from the Lord our God by breaking these mens yoke from of our necks and putting us againe into a capacitie to act for the good of Religion our owne safety and the Peace and safety of this Kingdome should we againe breake his Commandment and Covenant by joyning once more with the people of these abominations and taking into our bosome those Serpents which had formerly stung us almost unto death This as it should argue great madnesse and folly upon our part So no doubt if it be not avoided will provoke the Lord against us to consume us untill there be no remnant nor escaping in the Land And albeit the Peace and Union betwixt the Kingdomes be a great blessing of God unto both and a Bond which we are obliged to preserve unviolated and to endevour that justice may be done upon the opposers thereof Yet some in this Land who have come under the bond of this Covenant have made it their great studdy how to dissolve this union and few or no endevours have been used by any of us for punishing of such We have suffered many of our Brethren in severall parts of the Land to be oppressed of the common enemy without compassion or relief There hath been great murmuring and repining because of expence of means and pains in doing of our duty Many by perswasion or terror have suffered themselves to be divided and withdrawn to make defection to the contrary part Many have turned off to a detestable indifferency and neutrality in this cause which so much concerneth the glory of God and the good of these Kingdoms Nay many have made it their study to walk so as they might comply with all times and all the revolutions thereof It hath not been our care to countenance encourage intrust and employ such onely as from their hearts did affect and minde Gods work But the hearts of such many times have been discouraged and their hands weakened their sufferings neglected and themselves slighted and many who were once open enemies and alwayes secret underminers countenanced and employed Nay even those who had been looked upon as Incendiaries and upon whom the Lord had set marks of desperare Malignancy falshood and deceit were brought in as fit to manage publick affairs Many have been the lets and Impediments that have been cast in the way to retard and obstruct the Lords work and some have keeped secret what of themselves they were not able to suppresse and overcome Besides these and many other breaches of the Articles of the Covenant in the matter thereof which it concerneth every one of us to search out and acknowledge before the Lord as we would wish his wrath to be turned away from us So have many of us failed exceedingly in the manner of our following and pursuing the duties contained therein not onely seeking great things for our selves and mixing of private interests and ends concerning our selves and friends and followers with those things which concern the publick good but many times preferring such to the Honour of God and good of his cause and retarding Gods work untill we might carry along with us our own interests and designes It hath been our way to trust in the means and to relie upon the arm of flesh for successe Albeit the Lord hath many times made us meet with disapointment therein and stained the pride of all our Glory by blasting every carnall confidence unto us We have followed for the most part the counsels of flesh and blood and walked more by the rules of policie then Piety and have hearkened more unto men then unto God Albeit we made solemn publick profession before the World of our unfained desires to be humbled before the Lord for our own sins and the sins of these Kingdoms especially for our undervaluing of the inestimable benefit of the Gospel and that we have not laboured for the power thereof and received Christ into our hearts and walked worthy of him in our lives and of our true and unfained purpose desire and endeavour for our selves and all others under our power and charge both in publick and private in all duties which we owe to God and man to amend our lives and each one to go before another in the example of a reall Reformation that the Lord might turn away his wrath and heavy indignation and establish these Kirks and Kingdoms in truth and peace Yet we have refused to be reformed and have walked proudly and obstinately against the Lord not valuing his Gospel nor submitting our selves unto the obedience thereof not seeking after Christ nor studying to honour him in the excellency of his person nor employ him in the vertue of his offices not making conscience of publick Ordinances nor private nor secret duties nor studying to edifie one another in love The ignorance of God and of his Son prevails exceedingly in the Land The greatest part of Masters of families amongst Noblemen Barons

Gentlemen Burgesses and Commons neglect to seek God in their families and to endeavour the Reformation thereof And albeit it hath been much pressed yet few of our Nobles and great ones ever to this day could be perswaded to perform family duties themselves and in their own persons which makes so necessary and usefull a duty to be misregarded by others of inferior rank Nay many of the Nobility Gentry and Burrows who should have been examples of godlinesse and sober walking unto others have been ring-leaders of excesse and rioting Albeit we be the Lords people ingaged to him in a solemn way yet to this day we have not made it our study that judicatories and Armies should consist of and places of power and trust be filled with men of a blamelesse and Christian conversation and of known integrity and approven fidelitie affection and zeal unto the cause of God but not onely those who have been neutrall and indifferent but disaffected and Malignant and others who have been prophane and scandalous have been intrusted By which it hath come to passe that judicatories have been the seats of injustice and iniquity and many in our Armies by their miscarriages have become our plague unto the great prejudice of the cause of God the great scandall of the Gospel and the great increase of loosenesse and prophanity throughout all the Land It were impossible to reckon up all the abominations that are in the Land but the Blaspheming of the name of God swearing by the Creatures prophanation of the Lords Day uncleannesse drunkennesse excesse and rioting vanity of apparel lying and deceit railing and cursing arbitrary and uncontrolled oppression and grinding of the faces of the poor by Landlords and others in place and power are become ordinary and common sins And besides all these things there be many other transgressions whereof the Land wherein we live are guilty All which we desire to acknowledge and to be humbled for that the world may bear witnesse with us that Righteousnesse belongeth unto God and shame and confusion of face unto us as appears this day And because it is needfull for these who finde mercy not onely to confesse but also to forsake their sin Therefore that the reality and sincerity of our repentance may appear We do resolve and solemnly ingage our selves before the Lord carefully to avoid for the time to come all these offences whereof we have now made solemn publick acknowledgement and all the snares and tentations which tend thereunto And to testifie the integrity of our resolution herein and that we may be the better enabled in the power of the Lords strength to perform the same We do again renue our Solemn League and Covenant Promising hereafter to make conscience of all the duties whereunto we are obliged in all the heads and Articles there of particularly of these which follow 1. Because Religion is of all things the most excellent and pretious The advancing and promoving the power thereof against all ungodlinesse and profanity The securing and preserving the purity thereof against all error heresie and schism and namely Independency Anabaptism Antinomianism Arminianism Socinianism Familism Libertinism Scepticism and Erastianism and the carrying on the work of uniformity shall be studied and endeavoured by us before all worldly interests whether concerning the King or our selves or any other whatsoever 2. Because many have of late laboured to supplant the liberties of the Kirk we shall maintaine and defend the Kirk of Scotland in all her liberties and privileges against all who shall oppose or undermine the same or encroach thereupon under any pretext whatsoever 3. We shall vindicate and maintaine the liberties of the Subjects in all these things which concern their consciences persons and Estates 4. We shall carefully maintain and defend the Union betwixt the Kingdomes and avoid every thing that may weaken the same or involve us in any measure of accession unto the guilt of those who have invaded the Kingdome of England 5. As we have been always Loyall to our King so we shall still endeavour to give unto God that which is Gods and to Cesar the things which are Cesars 6. We shall be so farre from conniving at complying with or countenancing of Malignancy injustice iniquity prophanity and impiety that we shall not onely avoid and discountenance those things and cherish and encourage these persons who are zealous for the Cause of God and walk according to the Gospel But also shall take a more effectuall course then heretofore in our respective Places and Callings for punishing and suppressing these evils and faithfully endeavour that the best and fittest remedies may be applyed for taking away the causes thereof and advancing the knowledge of God and Holinesse and Righteousnesse in the Land And therfore in the last place as we shall earnestly pray unto God that he would give us able men fearing God men of truth and hating covetousnesse to judge and bear charge among his people so we shall according to our Places and Callings Endeavour that Judicatories and all places of power and trust both in Kirk and State may consist of and be filled with such men as are of known good affection to the cause of God and of a blamelesse and Christian conversation And because there be many who heretofore have not made conscience of the oath of God but some through fear others by perswasion and upon base ends and humane interests have entered thereunto who have afterwards discovered themselves to have dealt deceitfully with the Lord in swearing falsly by his name Therefore we who do now renew our Covenant in reference to these duties and all other duties contained therein Do in the sight of him who is the searcher of hearts solemnly Professe that it is not upon any politique advantage or private interest or by-end or because of any terrour or perswasion from men or hypocritically and deceitfully that we do again take upon us the oath of God But honestly and sincerely and from the sence of our duty And that therefore denying our selves and our own things and laying aside all selfe interest and ends We shall above all things seek the honour of God the good of his Cause and the wealth of his people and that forsaking the counsels of flesh and blood and not leaning upon carnall confidences we shall depend upon the Lord walk by the rule of his word and hearken to the voice of his servants In all which professing our own weaknesse We do earnestly pray to God who is the father of mercies through his Son Jesus Christ to be mercifull unto us and to enable as by the power of his might that we may do our duty unto the praise of his Grace in the Churches Amen Edinburgh 6. Octob. 1648. post meridiem Act for renewing of the Solemn League and Covenant THe Commission of the Generall Assembly considering that a great part of this Land have involved themselves in many and grosse breaches of the