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	know_v	reason_n	2,948	5	4.7939	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57569	A true Protestant bridle, or, Some cursory remarks upon a sermon preached before the Lord Mayor, at St. Mary-Le-Bow, Jan. 30th, 1693/4 in a letter to Sir P.D. Bar.	T. R. (Thomas Rogers), 1660-1694.	1694 (1694)	Wing R1843; ESTC R5980	9,682	25

approve of because it is your own and because it is so as well as for other Reasons I have paid a particular Honour to your Person ever since my first happy admission to your Friendship and in you I am sure I do at once honour a Resignation becoming a Primitive Hero and a Learning that adorns the Stile and Character you bear I am c. A SUPPLEMENT TO THE Preceding Letter HAving hitherto endeavour'd to perswade our Wandring Pilgrim that he is got into By-paths and out of his way to Jerusalem I think 't is my Duty as I am a Christian and Englishman to Direct and Conduct him into the Right Road before I take my leave of him This I shall Attempt by informing him how he might have spent some part of his Canonical Hour of Preaching with more Justice and Decorum Therefore considering the Villanous occasion of the Solemnity I humbly conceive he might justly have Entertain'd his Audience after this manner Christian Friends and Brethren We have seen a Perverse Generation of Men risen up among us that by the strength of Faith without Understanding will be Holier than Apostles Wiser than Philosophers and by the meer Pow'r of Imagination will pretend to dictate to the Holy Ghost They talk much of Christ yet despise his Ordinances Nothing but Meekness and Humility is in their Mouths and yet they will not suffer even God himself to govern the Church and the World in his own way and they Esteem it a more Infallible Sign of Grace to rail against Non-Resistance and other Gospel Injunctions than to love the Brotherhood or to Honour the King Whatsoever is Essentially good or Praise-worthy they run down into Heathen Notion and Chimera and whatsoever is Ridiculous and Bruitish in our Natures they Conseorate into Zeal They will be Testy and Malitious Malapert and Censorious for the Glory of the Lord they will Backbite and whine for Jesus Christ's sake and warp their Countenances into Artificial Deformity for the Edification of the Brethren They will justifie Contradictions and Self-evident Nonsense by the Assistance of the Spirit they will be passionately fond and enamour'd of the Lord Christ while they violate his Laws and maintain an intimate and close Communion with God while they Rob Churches Defile Altars and Assassinate Kings Such pretious and Dapper Saints were those that Reform'd our Church and Nation heretofore into Prophanation and Ruine that distinguish't the best of Kings out of his Titles thrust him out of his Throne Expos'd his Royal Children to Dangers and Temptations nay Religiously sent them a begging into the World They deceiv'd the Simple with abundance of Holy Phrase with Chapter Tone and Verse with Bibles in their hands with Hymns and Spiritual Songs in their Mouths and by saying a Long Grace before their Canibal Riots Nay so Zealous and Demure so Sanctified were they amidst their Heathen Barbarities that in their own Conceits they were little less than Gods They saw the Wickedness of Man was very great and that every Thought and Imagination of his Heart was evil And though they could not in that Age of Miracles command the Elements or cause the Waters to overflow yet they were resolv'd to punish Mankind another way and overwhelm Three Kidgdoms with an Inundation of Blood Hereupon Saint Cromwell like the Destroying Angel was Commission'd to punish the Inhabitants of the Land and obtain'd that High Seat from whence Lucifer fell by imitating his Apostacy and his Pride Lying and Murder were Refin'd into the Nicer Arts of Equivocation and Cutting of Throats in the Spirit of Meekness Blind Zeal was dubb'd with the Name of Vision and Inspiration and whole Armies appear'd in Mahomet's Colours for the Defence of Christ Bind their Kings in Chains and their Nobles in Fetters of Iron was the Text. A Solemn League and Covenant was the Comment Rebellion and Bloodshed Plunder and Sacriledge Prophanation and Atheisme were the Application and Uses And what could be the Import and Tendency of these things but to repeat the Scorn and Crusifixion of our Saviour and to play with that Sacred and Awful Name at which the Devils tremble If such Practices as these be the Christian way to Heaven if a Blind Zeal be the best Light to our Feet and a Lanthorn to our Paths if by being Christians we must cease to be Men if Sedition Slaughter and causing Divisions be the way to that Peace which passeth all Understanding in the Kingdom of Heaven may it be my good Fate to pass an Eternity among the Heathen Philosophers 'T will certainly be more tolerable for Plato and Cicero and the rest of the Gallant Morallists at the last day than for any such Fal'n and Degenerate Christians And if that be true which is said of Aristotle that he breath'd out his Soul in this Pious Invocation O Being of Beings have Mercy upon me I had rather have my Portion with that Heathen Publican than with such Christian Pharisees When I consider the Infinite Pow'r of Almighty God and how Terrible he is in his Judgments together with that Infinite distance betwixt God and Man and observe again with how much Hypocrisie Men can creep into his Presence or else run away from the Temple where he dwells I cannot but conclude in the Words of Job When I consider I am afraid of him Every Prevaricator is a Conspirator against a Church and every Scismatical Affectation of Singularity is a Plot against the Constitution of a Government 'T is in vain to pretend to stile our selves Sons of the Best Church while our Principles are the same with those of other Men or to boast of being Members of a Church Reform'd without an equal Reformation of our Lives Would you know my Brethren why I am so severely Zealous in a good Cause I will give you this Reason for it When Persons and Things Sacred are again Despis'd Heav'n it self is concern'd and can any Faithful Minister of Gods Word hover and fluctuate in a Blind Neutrality when Omnipotence bears a part of the Calumny No silence at such a time becomes an unjustifiable Stupidity and a Lazy Acquiescence is little less than a Rebellion against Heav'n And though Self-preservation should Chide me for it and Danger seem to beccon me to a forbearance Though Jesuites and Kirk-men Anabaptists and Quakers Sweet-Singers and Muggletonians nay though the Prince of Darkness himself and the King of Terrors should oppose and stand in my way yet Honesty shall ever be my Security and Orthodoxy my Protection As for my part I can no more Digest the Fulsom and Crude Tenets of Milton and Ludloe together with the Black and Dirty Divinity of our New Mechanick Apostles than I can the Dreams of a Bridget or Juliana or the whole Council of Trent Whatsoever our Churches Fate may prove I am absolutely bound to it and if Suffering must be her Lot and Portion I had rather choose to bear a part in the black Solemnity than to be Dignified by her Fall Which the God of Infinite Mercy prevent c. FINIS ERRATA PAge 14 line 12 for Apothesis read Apotheosis page 19 line 5 for with Lives read with their Lives