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
A60805	Some modest reflections upon Mr. Stephens's late book, entituled, A plain relation of the late action at sea, between the English, Dutch, and French fleets, from June 22 to July 5 last with reflections thereupon, and upon the present state of the nation, &c. : with a vindication of the Church of England from what he has therein advanc'd against her / by a hearty lover of King William and Queen Mary.	Hearty lover of King William and Queen Mary.	1691 (1691)	Wing S4523; ESTC R17992	20,922	32

'd fain know who had deserved best of Jerusalem when besieged by the Romans He who shou'd have been of any particular Party chuse which he wou'd and rail at all the rest as Cause enough there was all round there as well as here or he that shou'd have endeavour'd a lasting peace among 'em obliterating the very Memory of all those odious distinctions which had such fatal effects In the same Nature one wou'd think a Man that loved his Country shou'd at this time endeavour to make them all Friends not Enemies to dress every Party as fairly not as frightfully as possible and by uniting their Affections melt down the inveterate Enmity Which if 't were this Gentleman's design he has certainly taken a very unlucky way to accomplish it I am much of the same Mind with my Author concerning admitting Persons into publick Employments which he treats of Page 23. but perhaps for different Reasons from what he ever thought upon One is That the Number of those who dissent from the publick Establishment supposing they were admitted into Employment is not so great as if they design'd any such thing to effect any considerable Alterations Another Reason is That Interest being the great quarrel quiet but that and all will be friends But the mischief is this Hypothesis of his as well as other fine ones is impracticable and does not any good at all laying open to the grand Objection of those Men whom he 'd ease by it He wou'd have none admitted to publick employ but such as take the Sacrament though the limit's larger than before in some solemn Assembly of Protestant Dissenters or others But here still lyes the Objection we are not fit fo● t Why shou'd such a holy thing be made a State-Engine 'T is against our Consciences cry they to take it at all and you throw us on a dreadfull hazard either to lose all our employs or to eat and drink our own Damnation and I appeal to any Man whether the business is not thus fairly stated so that after all our whipping and heaving you see we are but just where we were or but very little advanced Page 24. He seems to teach all the Princes in the World a new Scheme of Politicks and wou'd perswade 'em not to oblige Enemies calling that Noble part of Divine as well as Humane Prudence little Arts and pieces of vulgar Craft and Page 25. pronounces very awfully I have always lookt upon a certain Condescention to and compliance with some of that Party to be one of the first steps which have been made since the Revolution and a Daubing into which we were betray'd by the pedantick Policy of some c. as inconsistent with true Divinity you may see which way he squints as with true Policy This is indeed a tender Subject but we may venture to say on 't That surely he is one of the first good Men who ever blam'd a Prince for those truly Royal Virtues of Clemency and Goodness The truth is all sides have play'd the fool and been mad in their turns Blood enough has been shed Mischief enough happen'd and Quarrels long enough fomented All this the present Government takes no notice of but makes use of whoever are capable of serving it this at the bottom displeases some who perhaps thought to have shared all between ' em Show us a Prince that ever came into a distracted Kingdom without obliging those who may else possibly not be very easie And shew me he that can a parallel of any Revolution in the World of this nature made so suddenly with less confusion and blood attending it not so much as one Insurrection or Rebellion from the very beginning A sufficient proof that no little Arts or vulgar Tricks but true Politicks and a right Spirit of Government have had the Management of Affairs ever since Which has consider'd the Nature of Mankind and acted accordingly and the Event has abundantly made good the firmness and validity of those Principles on which the Government has all along proceeded At the close of this Page he breaks out into a very pathetick Ejaculation Poor Prince speaking of His Majesty how did my Heart ake for him about this time tho' I knew not what was the matter A perfect Impulse Poor Man and just in the same condition he has been ever since But he goes on Princes are Men ay and so are Authors and at least as liable to mistakes as they He comes to yet worse news than all this Page 27. How dangerous a condition the King and Queen are in of being deliver'd up an expiatory Sacrifice to their Enemies and these Nations of being involved in Blood and Confusion One half of this the truth is wou'd be enough to make any honest Man's heart ake as well as the Author's all the hopes is it mayn't be true and tho' he calls what he has heap't together Demonstrations there need more to perswade an unprejudic'd person to believe it He comes to enquire into the Means to prevent all these fatal mischiefs and throws 'em upon our Debauchery as one great Cause of all 'T is confess'd Sin is the cause of all the miseries of Mankind but 't is an impossible thing so to see every circumstance as to affirm any thing of certainty in these matters How often is a good Cause and good Men unsuccessfull Are the French the most virtuous People in the World or must not most of these matters necessarily be left to a day of Judgment to declare the Equity of Providence which seldom seems so exact in these outward distributions as this good Man supposes it He seems to desire that none but virtuous persons might have publick Employment And 't is no more than every good Man wishes practicable But as was said in another case if we 'll converse with no ill Men we must go out of the World so if we 'd make use of none else we must e'en go the same way God himself makes use of ill Men both for good and evil to the rest of the World whereas he needs 'em not in either of those cases Princes must do the same especially when newly settled and perhaps sometimes all their Reigns after We know all David's Souldiers were not of the most extraordinary Character who tho' he himself were a Man after God s own heart many under him were far otherwise And tho' he says he who leads a Godly life shall be his Servant yet politick Reasons the safety of his Country and security of his Throne made him make use of a bloody Joab because a brave General all his life-time And did he not receive and kindly treat a treacherous Abner while the true undoubted Heir of his Soveraign was alive and who left him meerly out of Revenge and rage being gently accus'd of incontinency by his timorous Master To come a little nearer Were all those Saints with the then Prince his present Majesty or had he done well to have

SOME Modest Reflections UPON Mr. STEPHENS's late BOOK ENTITULED A Plain Relation of the late Action at SEA between the English Dutch and French FLEETS from June 22. to July 5. last With Reflections thereupon and upon the Present State of the NATION c. WITH A VINDICATION OF THE CHURCH of ENGLAND FROM What He has therein Advanc'd against Her By a Hearty Lover of King William and Queen Mary LONDON Printed and Sold by Randall Taylor near Stationers-Hall And by most Booksellers 1691. To the Reader HAving accidentally some time since met with a Book Entituled A plain Relation of the late Action at Sea c. I read it with some greediness being tempted with a lawfull curiosity to satisfie my self in matter of Fact relating to so great an Action In the perusing of which Account as I must acknowledge I found satisfaction in some things so others seem'd very disagreeable both to those Notions which I had entertain'd and indeed to Experience and Common Reason especially in what he writes relating to the Church of England whereof he seems to imply he is and I profess my self to be a Member I acknowledge as I proceeded I cou'd hardly without some Indignation pass by many things which I there met with and after I had gone through the same have ever since in vain expected an Answer especially to 〈◊〉 part which contains I hope many groundless Reflections on the Establish'd Protestant Church of this Nation On this at last I took Pen in hand and bestow'd a few Hours in Examining and Confuting such things as I thought deserv'd it which having communicated to a Friend at his desire I now publish tho' upon the Character he gives me of the Author and my Observations on his Writings believing him to be really an honest Man and one who means well to the Publick and may in some Instances do it service I have review'd what was written and given several things a less severe turn than I at first intended Which is all I have to let you know before you come to the Book Some Modest REFLECTIONS c. THE Reason why this so much talk'd-of Book ought to be Answer'd is palpable and obvious because 't is full of Reflections on the present State of Affairs or rather a kind of a Compendium of what is objected by mistaken Friends or bitter Enemies The reason why that Person who has now undertaken to Answer it thought not fit to do it before was that he expected some better Hands would attempt it especially when it contain'd Reflections sharp enough on such as were well able to hold the Cudgels against him that made ' em But those from whom it was expected neglecting to take him to task lest what he advances should have deeper or larger Influence because unanswer'd should be thought unanswerable these few Sheets are at last sent abroad into the World on purpose to disabuse it and place some things in a better Light which he and others have render'd more dark and obscure by pretending to explain ' em Nor can I expect but to be rank'd by the Zealous Author for this undertaking among those whom he styles a Faction perhaps too he 'll say I 'm of the Court-party and consequently that I am guided by Guilt or Interest in this attempt But the best is one who shoots his Bolt so nimbly as he is in no great probability of hitting what he aims at and if he should bestow the Character of a Favourer of Debauchery upon me as he 's very liberal that way I have yet the Comfort of very good Company as he has order'd it all the Bishops in England being if you 'll believe him in little better Circumstances This all that reade him or know him will grant He tells the Reader he 's a Hearty Friend to King William and Queen Mary but after all he is certainly Notion-struck and believes he has an extraordinary Call to the great Work of Reforming Kingdoms A Privy-Counsellor at once to the Kings of Earth and Heaven and knows as well why Providence did not give us leave to beat the French as how to make King William the most Glorious Prince in Christendom if he would but follow his advice that is Gargil his Council Fleets and Armies turn out every Man that would Swear Drink and Whore Encounter the King of France with the remainder and obtain a miraculous Victory by the virtue of Venner's promise that One should chase a Thousand And this indeed if look'd into is the summ drift and upshot of all his Writings He concludes his Epistle with a Politick Complement to his Reader a Cause placed there 's in terrorem I have seen something like it hang up in a Corn-field to scare any one from disliking or answering him Know therefore also says he with a huge deal of Grandeur and Authority if thou canst be offended with him who wishes so well to his Country and no Ill to thy self thou canst be no good Man Very well your Argument is He that can be offended with any one who wishes well to their Country and to those who are offended can be no good Man This is the sense of this Complaint or it has none at all And if 't is fair Arguing you also ought to have a care how you are offended with your Answer who protest as deeply as you can that he wishes well to his Country and no Ill to you Nay as you do that you may be better and wiser a very Charitable wish for otherwise you have given away that Character you have so deservedly prov'd of a good Man according to your own Arguing To leave the Preface and fall upon the Book it self In considering of which we 'd willingly observe some Method though 't is very difficult to keep any in treating of what has none However the best way will be to throw the Contents thereof into these following different heaps in one or other of which 't will go hard but we shall meet with and clear all the seeming Arguments there laid together The unfortunate business of the Fleet the general Mismanagement of Affairs the Debauchery of the Nation and those in publick Employments the Behaviour of Church-men towards Dissenters and others his own Bill at the end For the first of these The Affair of the Fleet. Here the Author of the Reflections needed not to have hedged in his Bett so carefully and to fright any one from Answering what he writes on that Head Enter his Protestation as he does Page 10. That it requires a Person of rare Invention of equal Impudence and void of all Sense of Honour and Love to his Country to compose a Vindication of that Transaction and People of no less stupidity and easiness to be impos'd upon by such pretences and lower such a Miscarriage as none will offer to excuse who are not either Partners in the Crime or no good Friends to the Cause I say he 's safe enough in that Lock