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	life_n	work_n	7,030	5	6.3476	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55307	The Samaritan shewing that many and unnecessary impositions are not the oyl that must heal the church together with the way or means to do it / by a country gentleman who goes to common-prayer and not to meetings.	Polhill, Edward, 1622-1694?	1682 (1682)	Wing P2756; ESTC R3092	63,931	131

against it as those that please may Read in the Life of Socrates and Sozomen prefixed to this Edition of their Works by Valesius So long as Christian Religion was a simple Profession of the Articles of Belief and a hearty prosecution of the Rules of good Life the fewness of the Articles and the clearness of the Rule was the cause of the seldom prevarication Dr. Taylor in his Liberty of Prophecying SECT XI BEfore I proceed to the remaining Proposals I must take leave by the way to speak with an Objection or two of some folks who are like to be troublesome That Conceived Prayers in Publick Assemblies are unlawful I never yet saw proved and I believe never shall Neither do I think it any such Novelty as some men imagine There are several Passages in the Fathers that make it seem very probable that they made use of Extemporate Conceptions I will mention a few of them Illuc suspicientes Christiani manibus expansis quia innocuis capite nudo quia non erubescimus denique sine monitore quia de pectoreoramus precantes sumus omnes Tertullian in Apologetico cap. 30. What Tertullian means by praying without a Monitor or Teacher and by praying out of the heart unless it be by a habit by present Conceptions I understand not Nor do I know how he that prays by a Form can be said to pray without a Teacher We worship with Supplications according to our ability 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the One God c. Origen contra Celsum l. 8. And in the same Book 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to present given in Ability which latter words expound the former 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and makes it appear that their Prayers were Extemporate To this same sense some understand those words of Justin Martyr The President as his Ability serves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sends up Prayers and Thanksgivings the People joyfully saying Amen Apol. 2. cap. 39. But 't is objected that those that use that way of Praying do many times speak Nonsense and blaspheme in their Addresses and Supplications to God Almighty to which I have these few things to say 1. I believe those that make this report of mens Extemporate Conceptions do not speak upon their own knowledge they having little or no Communion with such as make use of them and those that are their Informers peradventure may be none of the most upright just and impartial men but may put an ill sense upon words that are very innocent and of sound and safe signification 2. Let this Objection be acknowledged true what can reasonably be inferred from it Is it unlawful to be used because some men have not skill enough to perform it Will not the same Argument hold against Preaching And may it not with as much reason be said some men Preach Nonsense False Doctrine Slanders others Preach foolishly and pedantickly not to the Edification but to the Amazement of their Congregations and therefore Preaching is unlawful If this Method of Argumentation be good in one case 't is good in both but I am of Opinion 't is good in neither and that the better way of Arguing from those miscarriages is thus Some men are neither able to Pray extemporately in a decorous manner nor to Preach soundly and to the Edification of their hearers therefore they must let it alone till they be better instructed in the one and in the other Or in Prayer let them use a Form which I do not doubt is lawful and in their Sermons let them take assistance from Books whose Authors were better skill'd in the Art of Preaching than themselves but in the mean time let them not condemn those that need not these Helps and Assistances but can Pray and Preach in comely grave and profitable manner out of the abundance of their own hearts Another Objection as wise as the former is this In Extemporate Prayers men set their hands to a blank and say Amen to they know not what they give the same blind Assent to the Prayers of every Priest or Extemporizer that the Papists do in things doctrinal to the Authority of the Church This very silly Objection hath been insisted on urged against Extemporate Prayers by some very great men To which I reply 1. If men said Amen to Petitions before they heard them or before He that Prayes had expressed himself in words concerning them there might be something of sense and truth in it but Assenting to Petitions before they are made and uttered is a thing that I understand not nor those I believe that have Communion in those kind of Prayers and if Persons do not give their Assent till the Petition be formed or expressed by words I hope they may deny their Assent if they judge the matter of it unlawful 2. According to this Doctrine no man can joyn with another in Prayer safely unless he know aforehand what is the Matter and Contents of it and thus we must have Forms of Prayer for all occasions and emergencies if it were possible to hit of them as well as for ordinary Cases or else persons may set their hands to a blank and say Amen to they know not what We must have an Universal Form of Blessing before Meat and of Thanksgiving after it or Form of Prayer for all Masters of Families Tutors c. which must be alwaies used and no other Form a Notion that some of those that are in Bedlam may possibly believe but it would be strange that any that are out of that place should believe it unless some few that ought to be sent thither 3. The experience of multitudes of good and pious People doth confute this Objection every day They are sure they do joyn heartily in Extemporate Prayers and that they do not set their hands to a blank or say Amen to they know not what They know that they Assent not to Petitions before they be expressed and that they do Dissent where they do not approve them though 't is very seldom that they have occasion for it For who are those persons that express themselves in words sinful blasphemous and without sense they do not know But enough of this and peradventure some may think I have said too much to take notice only of such a brainless Objection This is sufficient to my purpose that Dissent from a Publick Lyturgy and the Use of Conceived Prayers are no Reasons for making Churches or Persons Schismatical If any things of this nature are enough to denominate single Persons or Societies of Men Schismatical 't is in the Power of those that are uppermost to make whom they please Schismaticks Persons and Churches may walk in all the Statutes and Commandments of the Lord blameless and yet be cut off from the Church of God as Schismatical and consequently be excluded Life Eternal for 't is affirmed of late that whoever is cut off from a particular True Church is cut off from the Church Universal out