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	place_n	see_v	2,893	5	3.1798	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33963	The happiness of brethrens dwelling together in unity discoursed upon Psalm 133, vers. 1, on occasion of the late thanksgiving, Feb. 14, 1688/9 / by John Collinges.	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1689 (1689)	Wing C5318; ESTC R26035	25,331	41

have described little or nothing of this is done at least with any good success and effect he that apprehends himself hated by his Brother will not be very patiently reproved or admonished or instructed by him but he who findeth his Brother loves him yields an obedient Ear to a wise reproof and saith with David Psal 141. 5. Let the righteous smite me it shall be a Kindness and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent Oil which shall not break my Head. 4. Lastly It gives the great advantage of mutual Prayers one for another Those Prophane Persons that drink to the Damnation Confusion Destruction of others let you know how they pray for one another that do not dwell together in Vnity Now as little as the irreligious part of the World judge to be of advantage from the Prayers of others it appeareth Paul was not of their Mind by his so often begging the Christians Prayers who were many degrees his Inferiours The Apostle presseth the Duty of Husbands to their Wives upon this 1 Pet. 3. 7. Argument That your Prayers be not hindred It is a great Evil to any Society of Christians that hindreth their Prayers one for another and by a Parity of Reason whatever promoveth and advantageth such Prayers must be a great good and of a great advantage But I shall dwell no longer upon the Doctrinal part of my Discourse Vse 1. This Notion in the first place may serve to convince you how great a cause you have this day to meet and give Thanks to the God of Heaven It is true there are two ways either of which if you look you will see reason to Rejoice with trembling 1. If you look upon the Enemies which we have abroad There is no doubt but that Nimrod that mighty hunter before the Lord who hath driven all Protestants out of his Dominions hath as good a mind to drive them all out of the World and there is as little doubt but that there are abundance of Priests and Jesuits who make it their design in all places where they lurk 2. And it is as melancholick a Prospect if we look upon the Sins of the Nation and the Numbers of such all whose Protestant Religion lyes in their Protesting against any Reformation I say if we look at this we may see some cause to say Can a pure and Holy God spare so prophane so vile and sinful a People as this Shall not our Earth disclose her Blood Shall it cover her slain Innocents Our Fears are not over nor is our state secure There is yet room for Fasting and Prayer and bitter mourning before the Lord if the bitter Cup may possibly pass over But we have this Day at least three eminent and undeniable Causes of Thanksgiving 1. That so great a Revolution of Divine Providence is thus far passed over with so small a shower of Blood. Very few Weeks have passed since every of our Hands were upon our Loins and we stood in a trembling Expectation of what would be the issue of that great Commotion which we saw The Effusion of much Protestants Blood was the least of our Expectations the dreadful consequent of a Victory by Blood with reference to the Protestant Interest over all the World was a much more terrifying Speculation Now that God should do what is done with the shedding of so little Blood certainly deserveth their Thanksgivings who have any Kindness for the Protestant Interest 2. The Deliverance of the Nation from so great degree of fear as the most were under as to their best and highest Concern is another thing I know Popery had not over-ran us nor was it the topping Religion of the Nation nor like to have been in a short tract of Time. But we know that there is in us all a desire to Propagate our own Sentiments in Religion and we cannot but judge that Princes who have more Power have greater Temptations tho not advised by such as are restless in such a design God indeed hath so far blessed the Preaching of the Gospel that the most Peoples Palats are spoiled for such Lamp Oil as their Doctrines of Transubstantiation Purgatory and many other absurd tenets of that Religion nor was England to be hewed into a Conformity to them by such wooden Tools as came to do it they must have been Persons of more Learning and Piety too that could have promised themselves any sudden Success Nor were their Numbers any way proportionable for any such work as their Conversion of three Nations in their usual Methods of Conversion by Fire and Sword But we must have lived in fear of such a dismal change and died in a greater for our Posterity From these blessed be God we are in a great measure delivered and the Bondage of Fear is no inconsiderable Bondage This also giveth us an apparent Cause of Thanksgiving That we may now serve the Lord without fear 3. But there is yet a third and possibly that not the least cause of rejoycing before the Lord this day viz. That we have now the fairest opportunity offered us for the Vnion of Protestants in these Nations amongst themselves and with our Brethren of other reformed Churches that ever our Eyes saw and beyond whatever our Forefathers could could tell us of I mean by the Exclusion of the Romish Party from any influence upon our Courts and Councels whoso readeth the History of our Ecclesiastical Affairs for 130 years last past may see just reason to admire that instead of making further steps forward we have rather seemed to have gone backward In Doctrine indeed we had a very considerable Reformation and so in Worship in Discipline very little and that directed by some particular Statutes tho' that was by our first Reformers as truly intended as the other and at least 4 Acts of Parliament made to Authorize the Kings of England to appoint Commissioners for it and something was done of that Nature but that blessed Prince Edw. 6. died before he had given it his Royal Sanction since whose time nothing hath been done in it this we are told hath been by the mighty influence upon our Court which the Romish Party had who possibly might labour to keep up their old Forms of Discipline so far as our Statute Laws and King's Prerogative would allow them if peradventure they might ever gain an opportunity to use them to serve their ●urns This hath been one great Cause of our Divisions of Protestants amongst themselves Another bitter root hath been in Matters of Worship In the beginning of our Reformation so much of the ancient Forms Rites and Ceremonies were retained as was pretended to gain the Papists into our Communion This did something for the 〈◊〉 first years of Queen Elizabeth but when their Holy Father commanded the contrary it would do no longer Then Laws must be made to force them into it and these so penned that they might equally serve to force in all Protestants and as