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	lord_n	see_v	5,118	5	3.3465	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65875	No remission without repentance nor will a bare confession withovt a real forsaking of sin avail to the averting God's heavy visitation and judgments from this nation of England, the cause whereof being somewhat more fully declared herein then is confessed in the fast which was appointed for the averting of the same heavy visitation and this concerns both the rulers, clergy, and people of London and Westminster and all parts of this realm to look into and lay to heart who are concerned in the observation of the said fast to consider what fruits they bring forth and whether the end of the true fast be answered by them yea or nea, according to Isa. 58.	Whitehead, George, 1636?-1723.	1665 (1665)	Wing W1943; ESTC R27068	10,104	16

free their bonds and burthens are made stronger and heavier when as you should have removed their heavy burdens and released them out of prisons which you have not so as the Cry of their sad sufferings remains against you when as the Lord said by his Prophet Isa. 58. Is not this the Fast I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoak Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry and to bring the poor that are cast out to thy house and to cover the naked c. But where is this Fast observed among you and how do you manifest any forsaking of these great evils which you are guilty of which your bare Confessions without a real forsaking of them will never obtain Remission to you at the hand of the righteous God And Oh the the hardness of heart and want of pity and Christianity that is in this Nation amongst men one to another in these times of distress and calamity and how far they are from observing the true Fast wherein there should be a fasting from strife cruelty oppression which causeth the Land to mourn and greatly incurs the displeasu●e of God against this City and Nation whilst as is confessed in the order of the said appointed Fast concerning the misery and distress of a number of hungry souls in many places either almost starving for lack of food being sick with eating unwholsom meats as it 's said so that even hardness of heart is greatly apparent in the members of Englands Church one against another who are not willing either to harbour or entertain one another in their houses in times of distress the Egyptian fear having so universally seized upon the spirits of men in this day and even the dread and horrors of death pursues the guilty on every hand Oh! that men would be awakened to see what poverty miseries and calamities appr●ach this City and Nation which if the Lord prevent not will greatly m●ke for its undoing which are occasioned through their great provocations against God which though they neither repent nor reform yet are made to confess them in part as the cause of Gods anger now appearing against them As also in that Exhortation fit for the time as is said annexed to the Prayers in the said Book in these words viz. In these evil dayes of ours our transgressions in number more and in degrée more hainous then those of Israel have filled full the measure of iniquity and caused God to fill full the cup of his wrath and given us the deadly wine to drink The people of Israel required meats for their lusts and the people of England nourish their lusts for their meats giving over themselves to surfeiting and drunkennesse and as those that make their belly their God and their glor●●●●ir shame are become a by-word to neighbour Nations for 〈◊〉 and belly-chear c. Which Confession is very true upon 〈◊〉 of this Nation but especially of the Priests who many of them are leading Examples to the people both in Gluttony and Drunkenness c. making their belly their God insomuch that many of them are become the common and Table talk therein of the vulgar sort who are their own followers so that we are not to be blamed nor ought to be persecuted as we are for not joyning with them in worship or not conforming with them they being thus filthy and abominable in their lives and conversations so as men cannot in truth nor reason look upon that to be a true Church that 's either made up of such Members or hath such for its Leaders And now if after the Bishops and Priests have laid down these gross evils mentioned which are in their own Church as the cause of Gods displeasures in sending forth this Pestilence they would lay the cause elsewhere upon all the dissenters from them and so put it from themselves or any of them and say it 's because they have not rid the Nation of or banished the Quakers and other Sectaries that strive with their Princes and Priests as is said c. This will neither clear nor yet cover them whilst both their own Confessions here mentioned and the great fear of death by this Calamity that hath surprized many of both the Priests and their followers divers of the great Priests of London being fled upon it and left their Flocks and left poor Curates or such like Hirelings behind them this doth manifest how deeply they are concerned in the cause of the present Calamity As also it s apparently unrighteous and false judgement to impute the cause to their not sending the Quakers out of the Land when as this Pestilence did not appear in this City nor was this Nation troubled with it for several years before till there was a going about to banish Us called Quakers and for the accomplishing whereof our Persecutors have not been wanting in their endeavours howbeit as they have encreased their cruelty against us the Plague hath encreased and the Lord hath apparently many times crossed obstructed and confounded them in their undertakings when they have gone about to send some of us away though hardness of heart pride and violence hath so much taken place that they will not see but pursue and persecute the Innocent till their Plagues and Calamities be increased upon them to their ruine if they stop not in these harsh and cruel proceedings against us who are innocent and clear from any sedition or evil deportment either against Prince or Nation though very unjustly we have been often accused in this particular and almost upon every flyi●● report of any sedition or Plot we have been the people liable to suffer and unjustly to be imprisoned without any ground reason or absolute colour thereof against us but herein we partake of the Son of God his sufferings who was proceeded against even to death by his persecutors not only as a Blasphemer but as a seditious Person as making himself a King and so for being an enemy to Caesar when as his Kingdom was not of this world so the Priests and Rulers joyned together in Enmity against him and he was hated by them without a cause as we are And although it has been customary to the Priests in our age to exalt themselves over others by the help of the Magistrates and to mix their own interests with the Princes accusing people with striving with their Princes and with their Priests and so to accuse others with sedition as if they were clear themselves yet who have been more forward to preach up War and louder Trumpets to stir the people up to fight then many of them have been When they have been jealous that that side would not serve their turn that they have preached against and cursed as also upon every change of Government how have they turned their tale and changed their form of Worship and endeavoured to

ingratiate themselves into favour with them that were or like to be the uppermost and all for their own ends let the Nation herein testifie against them Again it s thus confessed viz. In sum the holy Word of God and the Ministry thereof is not justly reverenced but despised his holy Sacraments either totally neglected or abused in many places neither rightly administred nor ●eceived c. The holy Service and publick worship of God in the beauty of holiness not frequented as it ought c. To which I say indeed it 's very true the holy Word of God and the true Ministry which is not of man nor by man but appointed and sent of God has been very much despised and the true Ministers persecuted and imprisoned by the means or cause of such as are made Ministers by the will of man and their upholders who are like Priests and like people many of them given to surfeiting drunkenness making their belly their God and to idleness haunting of Taverns and Alehouses lacivious wantonness c. as is confessed whom we cannot look upon to be in the beauty of Holiness nor in the holy service or worship of God therein for who can b●●●g a clean thing out of an unclean And as for the word Sacr●●●nt it was reckoned by some of the Learned to belong to Divine things who put Sacrament for Mystery which is not outward or carnal things but if your Sacraments so called in many places be neither rightly administred nor received it is a very sad and unreasonable thing to compel people to receive them where they are not rightly administred or else to make them suffer imprisonment or spoyling of their Goods for not frequenting your Parish-Churches so called when in many of them there are no right administrators of those things you would force men to but such as are in hypocrisie and superstition as is afterward confessed again it s added viz. The Portion of God is invaded his Altars robbed of Tythes and Offerings and holy things of all sorts profanely and sacriledgiously devoured c. To which I answer many such things have the Priests brought forth pretended for their own ends as if their concernment herein were Gods concernment for them but they were Robbers of God in the time of the Law who with-held the Tythes from the Storehouse where the Fatherless Widows and Strangers were also to be relieved out of them Deut. 14. and so whilst the Law for Tythes upon a Divine account is owned by the Priests to be still in force though many of them have laid down that Plea are not they guilty herein of this Robbery and Sacriledge as they count it and so condemned out of their own mouths whilst they claim Tythes by Gods Law but will not suffer them to be disposed of according to the end for which they were first given for in the time of the Law it was said Ye have robbed God in Tythes and Offerings bring ye all the Tythes to the Store-house c. Mal. 3. And What havock and spoyle have they made of many poor men both in their persons and Estates by imprisoning many and spoyling their Goods far beyond the value of the Tythes demanded for that they for conscience sake could not put into their mouths nor pay them Tythes to satisfie their greedy insatiable desires they judging that they have no right to them by the Law of God for many reasons and that they proceeded from the Pope in their being imposed for the use of the Priests for before were they not deemed pure Alms whilst they were a free gift to the Church that was then and for the relief of the poor in it from whence was that saying in some old Laws derived viz. of their being due to God and holy Church till the Clergy robbed the Poo●●y procuring them into their own hands by the force of Law made in the times of Apostacy wherein the professed Christians became estranged from the Life and example of the true Christians and Ministers And while they force both the Tythes from people and from many take more by manifold then the Tythe amounts to why do they blame others for robbery when they have so robbed spoyled and oppressed them and have even burthened and caused the whole Nation to groan under their covetous practices and Antichristian yoaks they being against Christ and repugnant to his Law and the innocent Example of his Ministers so that the earth is grown so sick of them that its ready to vomit them out as it hath done with many that went in their steps before them and will do with all the workers of iniquity and Oppressors who are partakers with them against whom let the great cry of oppression testifie in most Country Goals in this Nation wherein many of the Innocent servants of Christ deeply suffered either because they cannot joyn with them in their worship or maintain them And against these Oppressors and Persecutors who have acted more like ravening Wolves then either like God's People or Sheep of his Pasture we must confess Christ in principle and example as he hath changed the Priesthood of Levi and disanulled the Law and Commandement which upheld the Tythes Offerings and Altars See Heb. 7 8 9 10th Chapters And in the Light and Spirit of our God we know an Altar one Offering and a Tabernacle Sanctuary or House that 's Heavenly which is the substance or Antitype and end of the outward or worldly Sanctuary Temple Tythes Offerings carnal Ordinances c. And moreaver it 's added viz. Our hypocrisie and superstition open profaneness and irreligion against God himself and generally for our dissolute and licentious and most unchristian conversation of all sorts most directly contrary to the righteous Laws and great Example of the most holy Iesus our Lord the Name of God is polluted and his blessed Gospel evil spoken of amongst the adversaries of Truth through us so that we néed séek no further the cause is apparent why the Plague is broken out amongst us God having threatned us in his Word as the people of Israel that because we will not obey the voice of the Lord to do all his Commandements and his Ordinances which he commands 〈◊〉 he will smite us with a Consumption and with a Fever and with a burning Ague and cause the Pestilence to cleave unto us until he hath consumed us from the Land and thus much of the cause of the Pestilence Now you that have such a large Confession and who are herein guilty both of hypocrisie and superstition open profaneness and most unchristian conversation of all sorts c. which is the apparent cause why the Plague is broken forth your own Confession will stand against you in the Judgement if you go on in that sinful state and persist in your unchristian conversation which greatly appears in your unchristian proceeding against such as are of tender consciences to imprisonment and banishment who dissent from you

which they have ground enough for against you whilst you act thus directly contrary to Christs example who came not to destroy men lives but to save them and if you do not reform from these great iniquities and abominations to remove your sins out of the sight of God which you confess to be the remedy that remains but still go in your unchristian conversation of all sorts in which is included your persecuting and oppressing the Innocent and the Widows and Fatherless for which God threatned Israel with his wrath and indignation it will fall heavy upon you when you you do not only so but also make many Widows and Fatherless and strangers from their own Land so far as you are permitted by going about to Banish innocent men from their Wives and Fathers from their children does not this cry in the ears of the Lord and may you not dread and tremble before the Lord God and be afraid of his heavy Judgements and displeasure which you incur by these your iniquities and if the Lord should give you a little respite by abating the present calamity and you thereupon harden your hearts the more against us and think to persecute us afresh know that assuredly the Lord can fall upon you afresh with his Judgements which you cannot escape if you persist without repentance and reforming and though that many that are innocent as infants and others who have not contributed to those gross evils and great provocations mentioned may be taken away in the time of this Calamity and Pestilence do not you who are our Persecutors thereupon think to put the cause of it from your selves you being so deeply guilty according to your own Confessions for all upon whom outwardly this may or does come though occasioning their death are not guilty of the cause of it as mentioned for the Lords going about thus to thin thus to depopulate this City or Nation both of many old and young was first occasioned by the great inquities and crying sins of Persecution Oppression and unchristian conversation of all sorts but those that are innocent and the righteous who are taken away from the evil to come which their enemies do not consider they are taken away in mercy as to them and their fear is not like to their enemies fear who are surprized with an Egyptian fear and ready to be consumed with terrors who though the Lord hath smitten and doth smite as in the dayes of old yet they return not to him See Amos 4. And furthermore this following Confession of your own I leave with you touching these great and gross abominations that are found among you who persecute us who are innocent herein for our Conscience and Religion because we cannot conform nor joyn with you in worship among whom such pollutions are found as is here confessed viz. The people of Israel committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab and are there not many of the daughters of England too like to those of Moab and too many Zimiries amongst us whose fornication are notorious and scandalous in the sight of the world who care not to conceal their abominations blush not at their crimes but impudently boast and glory in their shame and therefore no marvel if God himself stand forth to plague the Land for them Add to these that we have perhaps with David lifted up our hearts because of the multitude of our people magnified our selves that we are a mighty and populous Nation placing our confidence in the arm of flesh and ascribing to our selves and to our own strength or skill our valour or conduct that honour and victory over our enemies which God hath purchased unto himfelf for his own glory Take notice of these your ample and large Confessions and consider your latter end you that are herein guilty both high and low and how you have rejected the Lord God and his counsel in confiding in the arm of flesh by which you and your Priests have gone about to set up and establish your Religion Church and Worship by persecuting imprisoning and banishing such as are innocent and conscientious towards God in his Light and Spirit though you confess that in preparing your selves to leave this world what one thing is more necessary then a charitable heart towards all let God's witness in you all judge and testifie against you herein whose cruel practices and unchristian-like proceedings against the innocent manifests both your want of charity love and moderation and natural affection And as to the large Apology that 's made for mens avoiding of the Contagion as for not mingling the sound with the sick but to shun and avoid the persons and places that are infected and that we should be careful to avoid it c. But why do you then keep so many innocent persons both men and women thronged in prisons for their consciences both in London and many other places in these you reckon dangerous and contagious times And whether doth it not appear to be rather out of a design to destroy them then any charitableness to imprison such persons in or about this City in such a place of Mortality as Newgate wherein men are liable to be infected or stifled till death for meeting innocently together to serve and worship God in Spirit What will be the end of such both uncharitable and inhumane proceedings against innocent persons to confine them in such places of slaughter and cruelty Let the righteous God judge in this case who though he either can preserve or take away mens lives as he pleaseth and hath wonderfully preserved many of his servants in that place yet it 's quite contrary to the charity pretended by you either to imprison or confine harmless persons in such places to murder and destroy them And now we see that that custom of the Priests accompanying of the bodies of the dead unto the grave which is accounted Christian and laudible and their commending them in decent manner to their Rest as is said and their reading and praying over the dead This they are fain to lay aside in divers places for fear of the Contagion which their superstition will not bear them up above and so now they can plead for no more to accompany the dead then is needful for their Interring Herein they may see how they are put to it and confounded and how the Judgement of God has appeared against them and their inventions by which they have vexed him till the Plague is broken forth as of old Psal. 106.29 but how have many of their Church exclaimed against the people called Quakers for not burying their dead according to the Popish way or their superstition and invention which is counted decency and how in many places have the bodies of the dead been forced from them upon this occasion and not only so but some of our friends at Amersham had both the corps rudely forced from them and were lately imprisoned in Buckingham-shire for accompanying the dead towards the burying ground with unparalleld and unreasonable proceeding against the Innocent did cry through the Countreys Many and innumerable are the injuries which we have undergone since we were a people but we commit our cause to the Lord God and desire him to judge and make decision in righteousness between us and our Oppressors and where yet a place of repentance remains for any of them they may haste to find it that remission of sins may be received which we have sought and desired for our enemies by often warning and informing them as not desiring the death of sinners but rather that they should return and live but how many have slighted their visitation and stopped their ears and made their hearts as an Adament as those that are hastning on their own destruction and perpetual misery I leave it to the All-seeing and only wise God and his just witness in all to determine who will rebuke Princes and Nations for his own Name and suffering Seeds sake with which I am a sufferer G. W. London the 14 th day 6 th Month 1665. THE END·