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	lord_n	word_n	3,120	5	3.8733	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79754	A remonstrance and declaration of the Generall Assembly of the Church of Scotland, concerning present and imminent dangers, and concerning duties relating thereto.	Church of Scotland. General Assembly.	1649 (1649)	Wing C4252; Thomason E569_6; ESTC R206279	12,468	16

upon these and other important considerations It shall bee the wisedom of every one who dwells in the Land to take heed of such a temptation and snare that they be not accessary to any such designs or endeavours as they would not bring upon themselves and upon their families the guilt of all the detriment that will undoubtedly follow thereupon to Religion and the Covenant and of all the miseries and calamities that it will bring upon his Majesties Person and throne and upon these Kingdoms such a thing would in all appearance be the undermining and shaking if not the overthrowing and destroying of the work of Reformation and therefore whosoever attempt the same oppose themselves to the cause of God and will at last dash against the Rock of the Lords power which hath broken in pieces many high and lofty ones since the beginning of this Work in these Kingdoms and it is unto us a sure Word of promise That whosoever shall associate themselves or toke counsell together or gird themselves against God and his Work shall be broken in pieces It is not only joyning in Arms with the Malignant partie that all these who would keep their integrity has need to beware of but also subtill devices and designes that are promoted by fair pretexts and perswasions to draw men to dispence at least with some part of these necessary desires that are propounded to his Majestie for securing of Religion after many turnings and devises the foundation of the Unlawfull Engagement was at last laid by his Majesties Concessions of the date the yeer 1648. wherein though many things seemed to be granted yet that was denied without which Religion and the Union betwixt the Kingdoms could not have been secured and it is probable that such a way may be assayed again and prosecuted with very much cunning and skill to deceive and insnare the simple It doth therefore concern all ranks and conditions of persons to be the more warie and circumspect especially in that which concerns the Nationall Covenant and the solemn League and Covenant that before his Majestie be admitted to the exercise of his Royall Power that by and after the Oath of Coronation he shall assure and declare by his Solemn Oath under his hand and seal his allowance of the Nationall Covenant and of the Solemn League and Covenant and obligation to prosecute the ends thereof in his Station and Calling and that he shall for himself and successors consent and agree to Acts of Parliament injoyning the solemn League and Covenant and fully establishing Presbyteriall Government the Dire●tory of Worship the Confession of Faith and Catechisme as they are approvea by the Generall Assembly of this Kirk and Parliament of this Kingdom in all his Majesties Dominions and that he shall observe these in his own practise and familie and that he shall never made opposition to any of these nor endeavour any change thereof Albeit the League and Covenant be despised by that prevailing party in England and the work of Uniformity thorow the retardments and obstructions that have come in the way be almost forgotten by these Kingdome yet the obligation of that Covenant is perpetuall and all the duties contained therein are constantly to be minded and prosecuted by every one of us and our posterity according to their place and stations and therefore we are no lesse zealously to endeavour that his Majestie may Establish and swear and subscribe the same then if it were unanimously regarded and stuck unto by all the Kingdom of England his Majeste swearing and subscribing the league and Covenant will much contribute for the Security of Religion his Majesties happiness and the Peace of his Kingdoms As it is incumbent to all who live in this Kirk and Kingdom to bee watchfull and circumspect so it concernes these of the High and Honorable Court of Parliament and their Committees in a special way to see to their dutie and to be straight and resolute in the performance of the same Their former proceedings is unto us a sufficient evidence and ground of hope that they will not be wanting in any necessary testimonie of duty and Loyaltie that they owe to the King by using all just and seasonable established upon his Thrones And we trust that upon the other hand the sense of their Obligation to God and his Oath that is upon them will make them constantly to adhere to their former principles and resolutions and desires concerning Religion and the Covenant that reall satisfaction may be had there anent before the King be put in exercise of his power and that they wil carefully provide for the safety of the Kingdom both in regard of intestine dangers and in regard of invasion from without It is not long since they together with the rest of the Land made solemn publike Confession of Compliance with Malignants carnall confidence following of it self interests and hearkning to the Counsels of flesh and blood and did in a special way engage themselves to comply and seek themselves and their own things no more to abandon the counsels of their own hearts and not to rely upon the Arm of flesh and to purge Judicatories and Armies from prophane and scandalous Persons And God forbid that they should so soon forget or neglect so necessary duties and fall again unto so great and grievous transgressions We trust that they will seek the things of Christ and not their own things that they will hearken to his Word and not walk in the imaginations of their own hearts that they will relie upon the Arm of the Lord and not upon the arm of flesh that they will be warie and circumspect in discerning the dispositions and affections of those whom they put in trust and that seeing this Kindom hath so much smarted and been so often deceived by compliance with Malignants that they will carefully avoid this snare of those who were upon the former Unlawful Engagement and be tender in bringing in of such And we cannot but exhort them in the Name of the Lord to take notice of the Oppression of the People and Commons in the Land by the lawlesse exactions of Land-Lords Collectors and Souldiers We doe not justifie the murmurings and grudgings of those who preferring the things of the world to the Gospel and things of Jesus Christ repine at necessarie burthens without which it is not possible that the Land can be secured from invasion without and insurrection within or the Cause and People of God defended from enemies It is the duty of every one who hath taken the Covenant willingly and with a cheerful minde to bestow their meanes and their pains as they shall be called thereunto in an orderly way yet should these to whom God hath committed the Government take care that they be not nedlesly burthened and that none grind their faces by oppression not only by making of Laws against the same but by searching out of the cause of the poor and by executing

those Laws timously upon these that oppresse them that they may find real redresse of their just grievances and complaints and be encouraged to bear those burthens which cannot be avoided As the Parliament have begun so we hope they will continue to purge out all these from trust that are not of known integrity and affection to the cause of God and of a blameless and Christian conversation and that they and the Officers of the Army in their respective places will seriously minde and speedily and resolutely goe about the removing from the Army all malignant and scandalous persons and also the removing of Sectaries when any shall be found therein that they may give reall evidence that they did not deal deceitfully with God in the day that they engaged themselves thereto Albeit we hope and pray that those who bear charge in our Army will from the remembrance of the Lords goodness to them and the honour that he hath put upon them endevour to carry themselves faithfully and straightly yet it cannot be unseasonable to warm them to ●●ke heed of tentations and to beware of snares that they be not drawn to indifferency or neutrality in the cause of God much lesse into connivance at or compliance with the courses and designes of malignants or Sectaries but to stick closely by the same and to be zealous against all the enemies and adversaries thereof and it concerns Souldiers to be content with their wages and to doe violence to no man but as they are called unto the defence of the cause and people of God so to behave themselves in such a blameless and Christian a way that their carriage may be a testimony to his cause and a comfort to his people so shall our Armies prosper and the Lord shall goe out with them But most of all it concerns the Ministers of the Gospel whom God hath called to give warning to his people to look to their duty It is undeniably true that may of the evils wherewith this Kirk and Kingdom hath been afflicted in our age have come to passe because of the negligence of some and corruptions of others of the Ministry whilst some fell asleep and were careless and others were covetous and ambitious the evil man brought in Prelacy and the Ceremonies and hah facre promoted the Service Book and the Book of Cannon and the course of backsliding and revolting was carried on untill it pleased God to stirre up the spirits of these few who had stood in the gap to oppose and resist the same and to begin the work of Reformation in the Land since which time the silence of some Ministers and complyance of others hath had great influence up on the backsliding of many amongst the people who upon the discovery of the evill of their way complain that they got not warning or that if they were warned by some others held their peace or did justifie them in the course of their back-sliding We can look upon such Ministers no otherwise then upon those that are guilty of the blood of the Lords people and with whom the Lord will reckon for all the breach of Covenant and defection that hath been in the Land The Priests lips should preserve knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts but such have departed out of the way and have caused many to stumble at the Law therefore hath the Lord made them contemptible and base before all the people according as they have not kept his wayes but have been partial in his Law because they have lost their savour he hath cast out many of them as unsavoury salt but such as have been faithfull as he hath preserved them from the violence and fury of men so hath he verified his word in their mouths both against his enemies and concerning his people and his work and makes them see though not all their desires concerning the Gospel and the work of God in the Land yet very much of the fruit of their labour by preserving the doctrine and all the Ordinances of Jesus Christ in their parity and adding in some measure thereto the power and life thereof We do therefore charge all the Ministers of the Land before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom as in every thing to be ensamples of a good conversation and to walk without offence that the Ministry be not blamed so to take heed unto the Flock over which the holy Ghost hath 〈◊〉 them ever-seers to declare unto them all the counsell of God and to give them timous warning concerning every danger and duty and to hold forth unto them the solid grounds of reall comforlation by which they may be encouraged and comforted in all their tryals and afflictions that they may be free of the blood of all men and have this as a ground of rejoycing even the testimony of their consciences that in simplicity and godly pureness not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God they have had their conversation in the world and have exhorted and comforted and charged every one committed unto them as a Father doth his children especially Ministers ought to be carefull to be much in discovering the temptations and pressing the duties of the times that those who are under their charge may know what to avoyd and what to imbrace and pursue If all the Watchmen in the Land shall give warning and blow the Trumpet at once it shall not be easie for enemies to prey upon the people of God We know no cause why any whom God hath called to preach the Gospel should be affraid to speak boldly in the Name of the Lord since God hath given so manifest a testimony of hi● care and protection in preserving them these yeers past who have striven to be faithfull to him who hath called them from all the fury and malice of the haters of the work of God and of the Kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ who hath promised to be with his servants unto the end of the world Albeit the Land be involved in many difficulties and compassed about with great and imminent dangers yet there is hope and ground of consolation concerning this thing the Lord is in the midst of us and we are called by his name our ears hear the joyfull sound of the Gospel and our eyes see our Teachers We behold the arm of the Lord stretched out daily in working salvation for his people and answering their desires upon their enemies by terrible things in righteousness although we be but few in number yet the Lord of Hosts is with us and 〈◊〉 the power of his strength we shall be able to prevail although our Land be filled with sin yet we have not been forsaken of the Lord our God but he hath always had compassion upon us and delivered us in all our distresse although some of understanding fall it is but to try and to purge and to make white even to the end because it is yet for a time appointed although many cleave to us by flatteries yet there be a remnant who keep their integrity and the Lord shall do good to these that be good but such as turn aside to crooked ways shall be led forth with the workers of iniquity The Lords people in England and Ireland who adhere to the Cause and Covenant may be perplexed but shall not despair they may be persecuted but shall not be forsaken they may be cast down but shall not be destroyed and although uniformity and the work of Reformation in these lands seem not only to be retarded but almost pluckt up by the roots and the foundations thereof razed yet the seed which the Lord hath sown there shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward The zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall perform this A. Ker. FINIS