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	matter_n	see_v	3,060	5	3.1155	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25519	An Answer to a late pamphlet intituled, The judgement and doctrine of the clergy of the Church of England concerning one special branch of the King's prerogative, viz, in dispensing with the penal-laws shewing that this is not affected by the Most Reverend Fathers in God, the Lords Arch-Bishops, Bancroft, Laud and Usher ... the Lord Bishop Sanderson ... the Reverend Doctors, Dr. Hevlin, Dr. Barrow, Dr. Sherlock ... Dr. Hicks, Dr. Nalson, Dr. Puller, so far as appears from their words cited in this pamphlet : in a letter to a friend.		1687 (1687)	Wing A3309; ESTC R15256	30,429	41

AN ANSWER to a late PAMPHLET INTITULED The Iudgment and Doctrine of the Clergy OF THE CHURCH of ENGLAND Concerning one Special Branch of the KING's PREROGATIVE VIZ. In dispensing with the Penal-Laws SHEWING That this is not asserted by The Most Reverend Fathers in God the Lords Arch-Bishops Bancroft Laud and Vsher The Right Reverend Father in God the Lord Bishop Sanderson The Reverend Doctors Dr. Heylin Dr. Barrow Dr. Sherlock Master of the Temple Dr. Hicks Dr. Nalson Dr. Puller So far as appears from their words cited in THIS PAMPHLET In a LETTER to a Friend LONDON Printed for Ric. Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard MDCLXXXVII Imprimatur May 13. 1687. GVIL. NEEDHAM An Answer to a late Pamphlet c. SIR I Have received the Book you sent me Intituled The Judgment and Doctrine of the Clergy of the Church of England concerning one special branch of the King's Prerogative viz. Dispensing with the Penal Laws Had I not now learnt to wonder at nothing it would a little have surprized me but now I shall only tell you that I have read it and do not like it And reserving one little reason for by and by viz. That it is not true I shall at present give you some other reasons of my dislike to prevent mistakes And first negatively Not because it is for the King 's dispensing Power For I never envy my King any Prerogative that belongs to his Crown And tho it may be this Branch of the Prerogative was not so well understood in former days yet it is certainly now the right of the Crown as much as the Opinion of the Judges can make it so and I never dispute against such an Authority And I think it is a disparagement to the judgment of the Reverend Judges to call in Clergy-men to help them out when he himself tells us p. 34. Vnto the Judges the people are bound lastly and finally to submit themselves for matter of Law Why then does he make any further dispute about the matter As if he distrusted the Judgment of the Judges or thought that people would rather believe Divines than Judges in matter of Law which would be a great scandal to that Reverend and Learned Bench. And therefore I confess I am very much offended with that priority he gives to the Judgment of Churchmen in this point before the Judgment of the Judges He says We could not resolve our selves in this great point of the Supreme Power inherent in and inseparably annexed to the Crown to dispense with Penal Laws but by these two ways 1. To see how far the Judgment of our Church-men appearing in their Doctrines which are for our edification doth warrant this Prerogative to be in the King 2. To see how far the Judges Resolutions in declaring their sence of the Law of the Land in this doubtful question do agree in such their Judgments and Doctrines Fie for shame First make the Clergy Judges of Law and Preach edifyingly about the Prerogative and then set them before the Judges themselves as a Rule and Pattern for them to follow and then as it naturally follows judg over the Judges judgment by its agreement with the judgment of Divines about Law and Prerogative If the Writer of this Letter was a Divine it argues a good Opinion of his own Profession but if he were a Lawyer or but a Justice of Peace I know what he deserves Secondly This brings me to the positive Reasons of my dislike of this way and they are comprehended in two 1. That I do not think fit to lay such stress upon the Judgment of Church-men in matters of Law and such sure this unlimited dispensing Power is a meer point of Law and that such an abstruse point too as not all Lawyers nay not all Judges have formerly been agreed about Now what does a Churchman's Judgment signify in matters of Law No man's Opinion is of any value but in such things wherein he is skilled now a Churchman does not signifie one who is skilled in Law but in Divinity And tho a Church-man should be a good Lawyer if he gives his Opinion in any point of Law his Opinion is not valuable as the Opinion of a Church-man but of a Lawyer for suppose a Church-man were skilled in Physick too would you value his Judgment in Physick ever the more because he is a Church-man Or think your self more safe in his hands than in a professed Physicians There are Interlopers indeed in all Professions but that any man's Judgment should be valued because being of one Profession himself he gives judgment in another is a Mystery to me And therefore this Writer should first have proved all those great Divines Arch-bishops Bishops Deans Doctors with whose names he hath so pompously filled his Title Page and to whose judgment he appeals about the King's Prerogative to haxe been great Lawyers as well as great Divines or else the Cause is Coram non judice and yet he makes no offer at this unless by the Title he gives Dr. Sherlock of Master of the Temple he would intimate his great skill in Law too but this will not do for his Book of Non-resistance was written before he liv'd within the infection of the Law-air So that it seems a very great injury to the Cause to appeal to such Judges as have no skill in the matter For what credit can the Opinion of Divines do it when it is not a point of Divinity but of Law that is in question For it is generally seen that those are very apt to mistake who guess at things out of their Ken and people are apt to suspect that such contemplative men who keep their Studies and seldom look abroad into the World may form fine Romantick Idea's of Government which will not suit the publick Constitutions of Kingdoms and Nations Secondly I think it is a very dangerous thing to put the Question upon such an issue as this The design of it I suppose is to recommend it to the Layety of the Church of England by such venerable Names but he should have considered that the Layety of the Church of England are not so Priest-ridden as they are at Rome and Geneva they have not an implicite Faith in their spiritual Guides and their Guides do not desire they should and therefore it is not their Names but their Arguments must prevail but if people are taught to rely on the opinion of their Ministers in such Prerogative Disputes the Popish Priests and Phanatick Ministers are great Politicians too but if they may be Judges Sovereign Princes will get nothing by it The Church of England indeed has always been addicted to the Service of the Crown but there are other Maxims of Government among other men Bellarmin and Suarez and Mr. Baxter's Common-wealth and the Dissenters Sayings not to take notice now of Julian the Apostate are not very favourable to the Prerogatives of Princes and I fear people are more