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	see_v	think_v	3,978	5	3.8757	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57551	Letters between Mr. Robert Rogers, of Wakefield, and Mr. Thomas Walker, the present vicar there touching baptism.	Rogers, Robert, of Wakefield.; Walker, Thomas, fl. 1656. aut	1656 (1656)	Wing R1826A; ESTC R219734	7,229	10

by any sober Christian so that your letter in effect is in my thoughts no more then a begging of the question or shooting at Rovers without ever coming neere the mark Sir I shall no further take notice of your uncharitablenesse in censuring and the recrimination wherewith you have stuffed your paper then to tell you how sorry I am to see in a Preacher of the Kingdome of Christ so little of the Spirit of love and meeknesse when you shall satisfie me in the generality of the opinions of pious and learned men in the true point in question it is probable I may be convinced in the mean time you cannot blame me if I dare not rely upon your own judgment and by I know not what kind of implicite faith pin my conscience upon your or any other mans sleeve I have but two things to speak to in your letter and I shall doe it without any bitternesse the one relates to your self the other to me first in one place you say you are not bound to act against your Judgement in another that you looke upon the Common prayer though not as scripture yet to be agreeable to Scripture in my thoughts here is either a flat contradiction or some thing worse if in your judgement the Common-prayer be agreeable to Scripture you act against your judgement and conscience in denying my child private Baptisme which is a part of it if it be not agreeable to Scripture you act against your judgement and conscience in quoting it and affirming it to be so if this be not either to contradict or condemn your selfe in that which you allow having done that to others you denied to me I referre it to every judicious and sober-minded Christian The other relating to my self it the doubt you make of my Christianity in the close of your letter and you seem to keep this as your great engine to batter the fabrick what cause you have in a setled Church for many hundred yeares to raise such a doubt I know not the rather where you have no cause to suspect and where you see a constant frequenting of the Ordinances my earnest desire to you for the Baptizing of my child was I think a sufficient Argument of my faith to any moderate Christian Spirit where if you had doubted you might have examined me though even in that of Examination I am dubious whether it be in your power I believe there are still many good Christians in Wakefield who never were under your examination and I doe think it to be very hard and uncharitable to judge or sensure any man for want of it Other things thets are in your letter of lesse moment which I am unwilling to take notice of Sir my prayers shall be for your self and for all that serve at the Altar that you may rather study to be ensamples to your flocks then to Lord it over Gods heritage If you please to give me an account or the Question wherein not only my self but the Parish is concerned I shall not make use of any other Ministers for my satisfaction in the point in the means time I rest Yours ROBERT ROGERS SIR I am very glad that you are satisfied about the practise and convenience of publ●que Baptism this had been enough had you duely weighed it to have engaged you to bring your child to publique Baptism it was the rule which the Apostle observed not to use his liberty in all things that were lawfull but onely those things which were convenient And it is an approved rule among Divines that he that would keep a good conscience in such cases wherein there appeares any doubt will make choice of the surer part that is that part wherein he may be sure not to offend against the Lord now I think you will not deny but you bad been on the surer part had you brought it into the publique Congregation Whereas you urge necessity I answer that it did not appeare to me to be a case of necessity nor does yet appeare that it was so if I should grant to you that private Baptism were lawfull in case of necessity yet I suppose you will not say that every one must be judge of the necessity and if the Minister doe not so judge I see not that being duly considered above-written how he can in conscience proceed to Administer it privately you may accuse me as farre as you please of want of love and meeknesse and have as low thoughts of me as you please in other respects I blesse God he hath so farre given me a sight of my self that none that know me think worse of me then I doe of my self All your tart expressions and harsh censures together with your charging me with self-contradiction or to use your own words somewhat worse shall not I hope make me out of charity with you neither you nor any other shall find me backward to expresse my self in any thing wherein I may lawfully as becomes a Minister of the Gospell that private Baptism is against the judgement of the Generality of Protestant Divines is cleare to me and also may be to you if you will but consult Dr. Vshers body of Divinity the judgement of the last Assembly of Divines sitting at Westminster as also the Common-prayer book for that the compilers thereof were in their judgements against private Baptism appeares cleare to me in that there is an expresse Injunction in case any had been baptized privately to make it afterwards publique This you will find if you read the private Baptism The contradiction with which you charge me is easily reconciled if you doe but look upon my words upon which you ground the aspersion you shall find that they relate not to all the Common prayer in the whole Systeme of it but onely to the Rubrick before private Baptism which I look upon as agreeable to Scripture let any unprejudicated understanding person read that passage of my letter and if they doe not agree with me herein I shall willingly be accounted a self-contradicter though I look upon that Rubrick as agreeable to Scripture yet I am not obliged thereby to Administer baptism privately especially when I am not satisfied that it is a case of necessity Whereas you charge me with deniall of that to you which I did to others I answer that the case was very different And I find the Apostle did the like as you may see Acts 16.3 compared with Gal. 2.3 he Circumcised Timothy yet would not Circumcise Titus nor suffer it you constant attendance upon Ordinances I commend but this together with a desire of having your child Baptized does not necessarily speak you to be a Christian though for my own part I never denied your Christianity but onely affirmed which I still think that your carriage in this businesse had not been Christian I have known many that have done both these and yet have been guilty of such grosse ignorance as was inconsistent with Christianity taken