Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	life_n	see_v	3,300	5	3.3210	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29388	Religio bibliopolæ in imitation of Dr. Browns Religio medici, with a supplement to it / by Benj. iBrgwater [sic], Gent.	Dunton, John, 1659-1733.; Bridgewater, Benjamin.; Browne, Thomas, Sir, 1605-1682. Religio medici.	1691 (1691)	Wing B4486; ESTC R19049	55,380	118

Religio Bibliopolae In Imitation of Dr. Browns RELIGIO MEDICI WITH A SUPPLEMENT to it By Benj. iBrgwater Gent. LONDON Printed for P. Smart and are to be sold at the Raven in the Poultry 1691. TO THE READER THE Author of this Treatise not having leisure to finish this Piece as he intended being call'd aside upon unavoidable Reasons we have been compell'd to supply that Defect by another Hand yet with all the care possibly to reach the Air and Stile of the Author which is of that neatness and facility as must needs recommend it were there nothing else considerable to the taste of such an Age as this The Method being obvious and easy the Notions bold and intelligible aad the Whole throughout acted with such a Spirit of Life and Vigour as certainly can never fail of acceptation with the truly Learned and Ingenious Vnder such Prejudices do we labour and our conceptions of Things are for the most part so irregular and monstrous that but to attempt our Delivery and set us free from the slavish Power of Custom and Education wherewith we are so miserably involv'd merits no small Commendation tho the Success be unanswerable to the Vndertaking But to clear our dim sight to take the Film from our Eyes and place us in the open Sun-shine of Reason and true Judgment to acquaint us with the prerogative of our own Vnderstandings and the due liberty and freedom of using them is an Atchievement that exacts the highest Applause and Gratitude from the better and nobler part of Mankind H●reby we are enabled to make a true Estimate of things to divest them from all those foraign and spacious Accoutrements with which Error and Mistake have cloathed them We shall then see things in their own native and naked Forms and be able to reduce them to their true and intrinsick Worth and Value The greatest and most universal mischief Mankind suffers under is the Delusion of a false and unrectifyed Imagination This is an Error in the first Concoction and gives a Tincture to all our Judgments and a Biass to all the Actions of our Lives The very Ground and Cause of all our Miscarriages We derive false Conceptions from our Cradles and suck it in with our Mothers Milk Our Nurses c. destroy us in our very Infancy with their Tattle and Impertinence which root themselves so deeply in our Fancies that we can hardly if ever disengage our selves from them all our Life after Hence we contract a habit of Laziness and become fitly disposed to take things upon Trust and Reputation to save the Charge of a little Examination and Study The Spring and Rise of all our late Repentance and Vexation Now the Business of this Author is to Instruct us how to become our own Masters and to make use of those Faculties our Creator hath endued us with to those Ends and Purposes for which they were intended The Reader upon the first View will find this Treatise to be an imitation of that exquisite Piece of Dr. Brown call'd Religio Medici however without the least Presumption of reaching so brave an Original tho not without the hopes of very nearly Resembling him in some of his Noblest Flights and Excellencies The Principal Subject of the whole is purely disputable as being for the most part matter of Opinion wherein it has ever been lawful to take which side we please And tho he sometimes ventures upon Mysteries of an higher nature yet he hopes 't is done with that Reverence and Tenderness as may render him at least excusable in that behalf For notwithstanding the Expression may appear Dogmatical the Design is wholly an Essay and Experiment and not to be taken for an Arbitrary and Decisive Sentence of those Matters I shall forestall the Readers impatience with no longer Harangue not in the least doubting but upon th● first reading his consent to and Approbation of this Treatise will be a sufficient Justification of the Author and his Attempt RELIGIO Bibliopolae THOUGH Trades as well as Nations have Scandals fastn'd upon them in the Lump yet there are some in all Professions to whom the abusive Character is not due Booksellers in the Gross are taken for no better than a 〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 tho' thanks to our few Kindred among the Stars 't is only by prejudic'd men yet among them there is a Re●ail of men who are no Strangers to Religion and Honesty I that am one of that Calling ●m bold to challenge the Title of a Christian neither am I asham'd to expose my Morals I have no reason to tax my Education or blame those who had the Care of my Juvenile Years My Tutors were Learned and Orthodox and made it their Business to form my Mind and square my Soul by the best Precepts and purest Examples Yet when I arrived at Years of maturer Judgment I found occasion to prune my self and lop off many Excrescencies to wipe out the early Impressions of my Infant years and unlearn the N●tions I suck'd in with my Mothers Milk Tho' there were no Legends in the Nursery nor Heresies in the Schools where I was brought up Yet my blooming Phancy was fertile in Errors and sprouted forth in many Luxuriant Thoughts It was the Task of my Riper Judgment to correct These and reduce my self to the Standard of Reason and Faith Having therefore got the Weather-gage of Youthful Mistakes by diligent Scrutinies and proper Remarks Having put in the Balance and weigh'd my Native Religion with all others that are extant I now make that the Object of my Choice which before was only the Effect of Prepossession and as I was listed a Soldier of Christ in my Baptism so now I decl●re my sel● a Volunteer in his Service What was then done without my Knowledge I now ratifie by my free Consent And I resolve not to change my Banner as long as I live 'T is no Solecism in Divinity to say That the Prince of Peace is the Lord of Hosts The Church Militant is his Army composed of many Bartalions in different Posts and under various Orders So long as they all serve the great Captain of our Salvation and practise well the Discipline of their Arms I refuse not to give the word of Peace to any let him be of what Company or Troop soever The variety which we behold in the Universe is not its deformity but its beauty As the Eye is more ravisht with a Landskip which invites it with the grateful interpositions of Hills and Vallies Woods and champian Grounds than if it were let out to lose it self in the Vniformity of a waste Horizon or empty Prospect So is the truly pious Soul more surpriz'd with the Glory of the Christian Religion when various apprehensions agree in the same substantial Holiness one Star differing from anoth●r in Glory yet all shining with a light borrow'd from the same Fountain And doubtless he is the Man who is most likely to be a Member of the

Wise and Skilful Agent When our Expectations are baulk'd and our Aims frustrated we cry 't was done by chance and think that 's all Whereas we ought to consider that God oftentimes delights to make our Wisdom Foolishness and thereby gives us caution not to trust our own Foresight since the Events of all things are in his Power and at his Disposal He will be Ey'd in his Providence and make Men know that the Success of all their Undertakings is at his Discretion That he is the Sole Governor of the World That he will be sought unto for his Blessing and that we must wait his Pleasure and ascribe the Glory of all to Him But this ought not to Encourage us in a Supine and Slothful Negligence That because God does all things according to the Good Pleasure of his Will we have nothing to do but expect he shou'd bring things about for Advantage and Satisfaction For tho' Grace loves to magnifie it self in the Weak and exerts its Efficacy in mean and contemptible Subjects yet that 's no Ground for us to stand Idle or sit whining and bewailing our Misfortunes and think God shou'd bear our burden himself No these Remarkable Efforts of the Divine Power are to Encourage our Stedfastness and confirm us in the belief of its undoubted Presence when our Designs and Endeavours are conformable It is Impertinent and Ridiculous to expect Relief from others when we are wholly unactive to procure it our selves We ought to make use of the best Means he affords us and then Resigning our selves up to him attend the Success If it be according to our Desires we must gratefully acknowledge and thank him for it If contrary we must in all Humility submit confessing his Wisdom infinitely to exceed ours and that he knows what is better for us than we our selves This is what Divinity teaches us and cou'd we be instructed by it might greatly advance our Peace and Tranquillity in this World This is a strain of Prudence I know Mankind can hardly be Skrew'd up to The Infirmity of Humane Nature is such that every Shock of unexpected Adversity makes it stagger VVe are ready to turn Recreants and yield the day to every puny Evil that unlook'd for attacks us 'T is well if we can support our Spirits and preserve our Courage against a fore-seen Danger but to be surpriz'd by a Misfortune is to be Overcome I am of Opinion the Combat would not be Difficult nor the Victory Uncertain were we but better acquainted with our selves and knew our own strength and how to apply our selves to the Work Some torment themselves with Distracting Apprehensions aforehand and doubly possess their Misery in Reality and Fancy Others immediately sink under the Weight as soon as they feel it on their Shoulders Others fly out into Despair as if the World were at an End and they were never to see a good Day again For my part as I cannot altogether boast of Insensibility under my afflictions at present so neither can I complain of being too Apprehensive of them at distance I can see the Cloud gathering without much Consternation and comfort my self with this that perhaps some Wind or other may blow it away or I am not Infallibly sure it shall break on my Head I shall have enough of it whenever it comes and do not so much provide to avoid it as consider of what Importance it may be whether I escape it or no. Perhaps 't is my Fault but I am willing to indulge it I have no other Means I can consider it without too much concern I approach it without Horror I bring it home to my self and treat with it as Present when perhaps it may never come to pass I Inure my self to it and harden my self in it by which means it becomes familiar to me That when it overtakes me I claim acquaintance with it This dulls the Edge and blunts the Sting of an Affliction which otherwise it may be I should never be able to sustain But let us Examine Reason and see what Arms she can furnish us with for our Defence against these Violent Assaults She would in a great measure do our Business for us could we take her advice and were there not private Enemies within that compel us to Surrender before we try our Strength If our Passions were Disarmed and Subdued and brought into Obedience to Reason we might maintain our Ground with less Difficulty and bid Defiance to Fortune This ought to be the Subject of our Courage In this we shall appear more than Conquerors Let us stop these beginnings and our Business is soon done Nothing in Nature can be more Tumultuous and Irregular than our own Passions And with what Face can any Man pretend to withstand the sudden and violent attempts of Fortune that has no Guard against the inward and unruly motions of his own Soul Whither do we see some People hurried by the precipituous Streams of Anger Love Hatred c. even upon a bare Apprehension and Jealousie without the least Discovery of Cause or Motive I have seen the Accidental breaking of a Glass the loss of a Groat transport some to such a Degree that they could hardly Compose and Recover themselves for six hours after They fall foul upon all without Distinction all Company must be Disturb'd where-ever they come 't is impossible to give a calm uninterrupted answer to any thing that is ask'd them They Stamp Stare Burn Rave Fret Roar as if the Day of Judgment was at hand and they were a going Quick to Pluto Wherefore do you wring your Hands Why are those Tears Why look you so Discontented You have lost your best Friend A dear Relation You are afraid you shall be Poor The Wheel is come upon you You cannot see how your Estate will hold out and know not how to Live when that is gone Poor Wretch The plain truth is you have lost your Reason What is become of your Religion your Faith your Confidence Is this the upshot of all your talk of relying on Providence of trusting God Do you not Belye your selves Is he not Able Is he not Willing Why are you not Calm Why are you not Quiet They may talk as long as they please but it must be somewhat more than a few fine Words and patherical Expressions that must convince me of the sincerity of their Profession who Distrust Providence upon every slender occasion Are not these brave men think you Grace delights to Accompany a Vigorous and Active Soul and carries it out to perform Atchievements beyond its own strength and above its hopes but unless our Endeavours comport with our Words Providence disdains us as unworthy of his Care What does that Souldier deserve that brags of singly Conquering whole Armies and turns his Back at the first Charge nay runs away perhaps before the Enemy is in view thro' a slavish despair of his own ability to resist Our whole Life is a Warfare