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	heart_n	see_v	2,559	5	3.3012	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26314	Actes of the General Assembly of the clergy of France, Anno Domini 1682, concerning religion translated into English for the satisfaction of curious inquisitors into the present French persecution of Protestants.; Actes de l'Assemblée générale du clergé de France de 1682, concernant la religion, retorquez contre ceux qui les ont faits. English	Catholic Church. Assemblée générale du clergé de France.	1682 (1682)	Wing A457; ESTC R6538	20,579	46

ACTES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CLERGY OF FRANCE Anno Domini 1682. CONCERNING RELIGION Translated into English for the satisfaction of Curious Inquisitors into the present French Persecution of Protestants LONDON Printed By J. R. An. Dom. 1682. To the Reader THere have been of late strange Clamors and Out cries of horrid bloody and almost inexpressible Cruelties practised by the Papists in France against the Protestants that is to say the Calvinists there The chief Incendiaries to which Cruelties they say are the Roman Clergy The Bishops Priests and Jesuits if we will believe our own weekly Mercuries incessantly press that Popish Prince to redouble his already outragious Fury and Tyranny against the Lord's People Racks and Tortures are their daily Exercise deep and hideous Dungeons their constant Habitation and happy is he that can escape into England with burning Match between his Fingers or red hot Iron Plates fixed to the Soals of his Feet There is none per adventure more scrupulous of obstructing Acts of Charity or more compassionate to Persons in misery especially on the score of Religion then my self we can hardly do too much for those who suffer for God and Heaven yet withal I confess I am loath our Nation should be imposed upon by Shams and Cheats on Religious pretexts I am loath I say the Town and Country should be incumbred our own Poor deprived of Alms the Bread eaten out of honest Tradesmens mouths and we made as it were the Sink of France by countenancing and entertaining from thence swarms of Vagabonds amongst whom some are Papists in Masquerade and others at best such Protestants as hate Episcopacy worse than Popery and come hither upon no other Persecution then what Idleness beggery or some misdemeanor hath laid upon them I would not here be misunderstood it is most certain that the french Clergy have made several late Efforts and desired herein the Concurrence of their King to bring back the Hugonets so as the taking away the publick use of some Churches above what were granted by former Edicts The disenabling of Ministers front promotions in one or two Vniversities the taking inspection that the said Ministers being apt to it should not in their Sermons affront or asperse the Church and Government The discharging some of Publick Trusts the encouraging of others that turn to Popery The forbidding Parents to hinder their Children from becoming Papists when they have a mind to it The allowing of Priests and Divines to visit the sick without leave of their Friends Being Aggrievances odious and burdensome to tender Consciences made several doubtless Godly People come with their Families into England where the Zeal and Piety of our gratious Soveraign and other worthy Magistrates both assisted them and recommended them to common Benevolence Notwithstanding all this I hope I may without offence take the Liberty at least to enquire whether the Persecution of Dissenters in France be so really dreadful and the motive of the flocking over of such vast Numbers of them hither be so purely spiritual as is pretended Indeed they arrived here in a nick of time favourable for their purpose and found us so actuated against Popery as that we easily believed all whatever either they themselves avouched or true Protestant News-mungers invented for them We were then in an hott pursuit of a Popish conspiracy and it was not to be thought that the Papists who as it was said and sworn had both the Conscience and boldness to raise Armies To pistol poyson and stabb the King To cutt the Protestants throats To fire Cities burn Navies c. And all this in the midst of a well peopled Protestant Countrey would ever stick to commit the like or worse Barbarisms in a place where the King the People the Law and the Government were wholy on their side In a word our Domestick Plots much advanced the credit of foreign Fables and our Irish Witnesses proved no small friends to French beggars Nor is it a wonder diverse well-meaning persons should peradventure be a little transported beyond the due measures of impartiality in passing their censure upon Popish Guilt both at home and abroad The very Name of Popery is so obnoxious to prejudice that many without throughly examining that is bad enough of it and nothing probable that is said in its Defence Yet verily I am apt to believe the Protestant interest may often suffer Damage by this precipitant way of proceeding Men though in some things evil may nevertheless in others be falsly accused and methinks we should be cautions not to give the Papists an occasion to say that the reformed Religion hath its chief support from Imposture and Calumny and that by frightful Storys and Fictions of Popish cruelties we only seek to incite the Mobile to outrage to encourage bloody Perjuries to foment sedition to abet violence and drive on the Destruction of Innocent Persons For my part as I was always perswaded a good cause needed not any sinister Machine or Artifice to promote its Interest so was I resolv'd to give even the Devil his due And seeing I could neither search into the Hearts of the Papists nor dive into the secret Thoughts of Dr. Oats Mr. Dugdale Mr. Prance c. Where alone the bottom of the English Plott can certainly be found I determined to make inquirie into the French pretended Cruelties which consisting of overt publique Acts the certainty as to the Truth or Falshood of them might easily be known And herein I promised my self a kind of satisfaction that the right Knowledge of these Cruelties might bring me as it were indirectly to a right Knowledge also of the Plot and that a circumstantial Conjecture might rationally be made of the one by the other For if the Malice and Impudence of many seemingly honest Men could possibly be such as to concur in devising telling printing and publishing downright Lies and Fables of Racks Tortures and Outrages supposed to be openly acted and by consequence not to be denyed by French Papists in the Face of the whole World It might well be that the strange and monstrous Stories alledged against English Papists of vast Armies huge Magazines the Lord knows where or from whence numberless Patents Letters Bulls Briefs bloody Massacres execrable Treasons recommended as secrets yet daily imparted to thousands of both Sexes of all sorts and conditions for divers years together not any the least appearance or footsteps of all which ever came to light attested only by a few and those profligate Wretches of lost Consciences and desperate Fortunes allured by Gain and encouraged by Indempnities contradicting themselves and perjuring each others in their Evidence are nothing else then groundless though fatal Forgeries For this Reason I made a most sedulous and exact Scrutiny into the French Persecution I sent Letters to several Friends in France who I knew both could and would give me true Information I discoursed with several Persons of unquestionable credit who had