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	love_n	love_v	4,041	5	6.5654	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91881	John the Baptist, forerunner of Christ Iesvs: or, A necessity for liberty of conscience, as the only meanes under heaven to strengthen children weake in faith; to convince hereticks mis-led in faith; to discover the gospel to all such as yet never heard thereof; and establish peace betweene all states and people throughout the world; according unto which, were both our Saviours commission, and the apostles practice for the propagation of it peaceably: as appeares most evidently by sundry Scriptures digested into chapters, with some observations at the end of every one; most humbly devoted to the use and benefit of all such as are zealously inquisitive after truth; piously disposed to imbrace it, and constantly resolved to practice it in their lives and conversations; to the honour of God, the edifying of their brethren, and their owne salvation unto eternity. The contents of the chapters follow in the next leaf. This is licenced, but not permitted to be entred according to order.	Robinson, Henry, 1605?-1664?	1644 (1644)	Wing R1673; Thomason E9_13; ESTC R15393	119,971	135

is a King and a persecuting Bishop a Bishop or any Clergie disciples that passes the pale of spirituall censure and jurisdiction are incompatible one State is too narrow for them they must contract till one hath got the victory of the other And for Presbyteries which pretend to ascribe so much unto the Civill Magistrate making him Lord Keeper of both Tables is it not that they may engage him to imploy this power they give him when they require it and may it not be suspected or prove an imploying of the Civill Magistrate in punishing their delinquents the better to keepe the peoples odium and disrellishing from off themselves obliging the whole State to persecute one another at their request this is very much suspected as cleerly evident to those that seriously consider the nature of this controversie wherein I beseech God to instruct all such as may any wayes conduce to the better managing and illustrating thereof hereafter unto his further glory CHAP. VIII Christs Commands against the Apostles lordlinesse and dominion with their submission thereunto and practise JOh. 13.12.13,14.15,17 After Jesus had washed his feet and had taken his garments and was set downe againe he said unto them know ye not what I have done unto you ye call me Master and Lord and ye say well for so I am If I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet ye ought also to wash one anothers feet for I have given you an example that ye should doe as I have done unto you If ye know these things happy are ye if ye doe them Matth. 20.25,26 The Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority over them but it shall not be so among you C. 23.11 He that is greatest amongst you shall be your servant 2 Cor. 1.24 We have not dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy C. 10.4 The weapons of our warfare are not carnall though we walke in the flesh we doe not war after the flesh V. 8. Our authority the Lord hath given us for edification and not for destruction C. 13.10 I write these things being absent le●t being present I should use sharpnesse according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification and not destruction 1. Pet. 5.2,3 Take the oversight of Gods flocke not as being Lords over Gods heritage but as ensamples to the flocke 1 Cor. 3.9 We are labourers together with God y● are Gods husbandry ye are Gods building 2 Cor. 5.20 We are Ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be you reconciled to God C. 10.1.3 I Paul my selfe beseech you by the meeknesse and gentlenesse of Christ ●al 6.1 If a man be over taken in a fault you which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meeknesse considering thy selfe lest thou also be tempted Observations upon CHAP. VIII SInce the Apostle Paul thinks it no disparagement to bring in the Great God even Christ Jesus himselfe beseeching his people 2 Cor. 5.20 surely such as are his true Disciples should not be weary of their Masters example or arrogate to themselves what Christ never practised If Peter tells us that in Pauls Epistles there are some things hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3.16 and if Paul ravished with admiration cries out so pathetically Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding ou● ● Rom. 11 33. who are we that we should pretend beyond these eye-witnesses unto our Blessed Saviour or expect that our selfe acknowledged weaknesses and comming short should be obtruded as oracles upon the consciences of others were it through bad translation onely or what other respect soever that the Scriptures prove obscu●e and yeeld occasion of so different interpretations as that man cannot possibly even at best work out his salvation without fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 may we not be certaine that in regard of such obscurity God will the rather bear with so many different and erroneous opinions which destroy not the foundation Christ Jesus Nay what if we should conceive that God out of an especiall providence should have permitted the Scriptures to be conveyed unto us in a capacity of being thus controver●ed in many places to make us more diligent and inquisitive in the search of truth that we might not be over confident and presumptuous of our owne opinions but have greater cause and triall of exercising our love and charity in bearing with our brethren that differ from us and in this respect above all others wee ought to make appeare that we love our neighbour as our selves on which hangs our state of the whole Law and Prophets Mat. 7.12 doing unto them as we would be done to Luke 6.31 Nay the whole Law is fulfilled in this one word To love thy neighbour as thy selfe Gal. 5.14 not abridging others the liberty of conscience or using the eyes of their owne reason and understanding since we would not be contented that any body should take from us the use of ours I know there are very many men even of the Episcopall party who approve exceedingly of selfe-deniall and meeke spirits in all Christians especially in Ministers of the Gospel conceiving they ought not to seeke or imbrace any Church preferment out of carnall expectation to be called Rabbi have the uppermost places in all assemblies and rule over their brethren but meerly deem such superiority to be necessary as if withcut it there could be no government but all must necessarily runne headlong to Independencie which they account very Anarchie and confusion it selfe disposing Gods Church of its owne accord to fall a peeces into infinite heresies and schismes for satisfaction therefore of such in this particular I shall need only entreat them to consider whether a superiority of power with a coercive execution of it in the Church for matters meerly of Religion doe not render Christians lyable to be compelled into heresies and by this means every particular congregation becomes not only subject unto such heresies as shall arise within it selfe but unto all such as any other Church or Congregation which has attained a sharper sword then their owne and though the warrantablenesse which the Independent Government of particular Congregation has from evidence of Scripture were set apart let any godly and understanding Christian judge which of the two hazards and inconveniences be the greatest and whether the Papacie hath more advanced the propagation of the Gospel by persecuting all true Professours with their compulsive weapons and Inquisition torments or the States of the united Provinces by tolerating of them Can it possibly be imagined that whole Nations all the Inhabitants of Italy and Spaine amongst which are many as wise learned conscientious and zealous too I am sorry to say so much but the truth compells me as most Reformed Protestants should all live and

that whereas they speake against us as evill doers they may by our good works which they shall behold glorifie God in the day of visitation 1 Pet. 2.12 Thus are all Christians call'd upon to be courteous gentle meeke long suffering ready to give a reason to every one that asks and all other good works which may make their conversation acceptable and winning But how it should be possible for the conversation of Persecuters to become pleasing or lesse than hatefull and driving men from God will oppose that arch enemy of mankind to make appeare for justifying of his instruments at the dreadfull day of judgement when amongst other hideous stories shall be ripped up full many not unlike to that which is reported of certaine Americans who amongst millions being condemned to death by persecuting Spaniards and pressed upon by the silly Popish Priests that they would suddenly bethinke themselves now they were in the midst of slames ready to expire the last and leave this world asked where the Spaniards went after death that they might desire to goe rather any where else then thither Now as this is no good way of preaching much lesse of winning all Nations so it is granted by all Christians that the Jewes in their posterity shall infallibly be converted unto the acknowledgement of the Gospel but if all the world else had been Christian and all Christians held for persecuting of them the whole Nation must have been long since cut off by the Magistrates sword for blaspheming of Christ Jesus and thereby have falsified so many cleere Prophecies throughout the Law and Gospel for their conversion This is so evident that the Pope himselfe the Grand Inquisitor throughout his Civill Dominions both in Italie and France permits the Jewes to live and enjoy exact proprie●ie of goods freedome of persons and as great a liberty of Conscience in worshipping God after their own way as they themselves desire Severall other free Princes in Italie Germanie as also the Vnited Provinces vouchsafe them so large protection that we may well agree with Peter Martyr loc com class 2. c. 4. how God hath set a kind of mark upon the Jewes as he did on Cain that though they had been never so obstinate and rebellious yet he would not have them put to death but rather live that Christians cut out of the wild Olive tree by nature and grafted into the good by this hard-heartednes of theirs might take example and be so much more watchfull of continuing in Gods goodnes lest He also cut them off againe Rom. 11.22.24 so that as Paul saith Rom. 11.12 if the fulnesse of the Jewes be the riches of the world and the diminishing of them the rickes of the Gentiles how much more the permitting them still to live a continuall warning-piece and remembrancer whilst they persist in obstinacie and how most of all will their fulnes at conversion be a greater cause of joy unto the Gentiles and as it were another life from death ver 15. If these and such other reasons as are alleadged will not prevaile to suffer them and other tares untill the harvest we had need seeke out some other warrant than any extant in our Bibles or find some better glosse to excuse us at the day of tryall than any which hither to have been produced And since Paul foretold us that the conversion of the Jewes will be such joy and riches unto the Gentiles Rom. 11.12.15 I humbly crave leave to propound it as a Querie which may justly inject no little scruple into the mindes of Christian States Whether all the Gentiles shall fare well alike in the Jewes returning or such only and they proportionably to what they have contributed thereunto by permitting them to live amongst them and furthering their conversion by a godly conversation with all other meanes prescribed by our Saviour and his Apostles for alluring them unto the Gospel In the Acts 2.41 we find it said That they which gladly received the Word were baptized and according unto that example it will follow that such as doe not gladly receive it should not be baptized much lesse enjoyned to come and participate in the Communion of the body and blood of Christ according to certain orders in that behalfe whether they be fit or willing this is to offer violence unto the soules of such and no better than forcing doggs and swine to eat the childrens bread against their stomacks rather than they will be beaten for refusing But with what appearance of reason can it be imagined that since our Saviour gave unto his Church a liberty to use miraculous power he did not also order them upon just occasion to use the Civill power if such had been his pleasure as meere men they might likelier prevaile with men in whose hands the Civill Power was for their assistance and God was able to give them power over both alike had it been Gods will the means for executing Civill Power must have been as subject to them as was that of miracles But since he was totally silent concerning their imploying of the Civill power it is an undeniable argument that God never meant they should usurpe it Since then Christ is the God of Peace Rom. 16.20 nay he is our Peace it selfe Ephes 2.14 He came not to send sword or war otherwise then heresies and the like woe betides them that bring whether heresies or wars Christ brought us Peace Luc. 2.14 and his Word is the Gospel of Peace Rom. 10.15 God hath called us unto Peace 1 Cor. 7.15 We are commanded to follow after the things which make for peace Rom. 14.19 and that if it be possible we should live peaceably with all men Rom. 12.18 Having seen and heard of the firings of so many famous Cities the devastation of so many spacious and fruitfull Countries the ravishing of so many Virgins and the inundation of so much Christian blood let us at last in the feare of God endeavour to be the sonnes of Peace beati pacifici the blessed peace-makers in full assurance that it doth no where appeare that God ever sanctified the Sword to cut out a passage for the Gospel nor that it was ever propagated by War otherwise then in judgement to them that disturbed the proceedings thereof in Peace We find our Saviour and his Apostles did first instruct the Jewes in the duties and mysteries of the Gospel before they declared voyd the duties of the Law or exhorted them to suspend observance thereunto nay we see expresly that they permitted them to conforme unto many Ceremonies of the Law even after the Gospel had been tendred to them some yeares together Act. 21. v. 22. 27. for Paul was above 3 yeares after his conversion before he went to Jerusalem Gal. 1.18 at which time the Apostle James and the Elders of Jerusalem advised Paul and he accordingly conformed himselfe to certaine Jewish Ceremonies to take away offence from the weaker brethren of the Jewes as in