Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	king_n	people_n	power_n	4,914	5	5.4287	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12472	The doctrine of praier in generall for all men, that is, vniuersally for all mankind: Proued 1. By the true sence of the words if the Apostle 1. Tim 2. 2. By the reasons, why all men in that since should be praid for. 3. By the doctrine establishing such praier. 4. By the practises of churches, concerning that kind of praier. 5. By the obiections, ansuered. Against the position of those that say and preach, that all men are not to be praid for. By I. Smith, minister of Gods word at Reading.	Smith, John, minister at Reading.; Smith, John, 1563-1616.	1595 (1595)	STC 22797; ESTC S102599	80,671	127

it were so many tyrants oppressors and euen sworne enemies of Christ and of the professors of his holie name The Apostle therefore euen meeteth with this scruple bidding them also to pray for them For surely the wickednesse of men can not cause or worke any thing but that neuerthelesse the ordinance of the Lord is to bee loued and praied for And kings and magistrates are ordained of God For euerie power is of God yea euen the wicked Rulers and gouernors are giuen for the sinnes of the people and his iudgements hanging ouer their heades Now in that he saith For kings and for al that are in authoritie might be good matter found and arguments drawne for the defence of the cause and Praier as wee haue set downe For I doe not thinke that verier Reprobates haue liued since the ascention of the Lord then haue beene some contained in this clause where it is said Kings and all that are in authoritie whome the Church from time to time hath praied for And yet as most wicked rebels and apostataes haue fallen away or haue quite renounced or neuer receiued or more cruelly persecuted or more feare●ully beene blinded from the waies of the truth and the light of the Lord which liueth and lasteth for euer But because the matter hereof is comprehended in this That praier is to be made for All mankind vniuersally and that such like arguments are comprehended therein Therefore I surcease vpon such occasions and goe forward to my prefixed article and point which is to shew the Reasons why praier should bee made for all men in generall beginning with the Apostle Saint Paule in the third verse aboue who giueth this reason For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour who will that All men shall be saued and come to the acknowledging of the truth This reason conteineth two thinges The one that this kind of praier for mankind and for all men is pleasing to God the other thing is a consequent thereof shewing that it is his will that all men should be saued and come to the knowledge of the truth And therefore such a praier is pleasing vnto God and agreeable vnto his will The first part For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour A good God is not pleased but with good things he is pleased with this praier this praier therfore is a good worke a good thing Early in the morning will I direct my praier vnto thee and will looke vp for thou art the God that hast no pleasure in wickednes neither shall any euill dwell with thee truely hee is kind and louing vnto Israell euen vnto such as are of a cleane heart Bee thankfull vnto him therefore and speake good of his name for the Lord is gracious his mercie is euerlasting and his truth indureth from generation to generation It is also acceptable that is wel pleasing yea it pleaseth him better then a bullocke that hath hornes and hoofes Thinkest thou that I wil eat buls flesh and drink the blood of goates Offer vnto God thankesgiuing Who so offereth me thanks and praise he honoreth me Thou delightest not in burnt offerings the sacrifice to God is a troubled spirit The Lord said vnto Salomon ask what thou wilt that I may giue it thee Salomon said giue thy seruant an vnderstanding heart c. And this pleased the Lord well That he had desired this thing For it was to discerne righteously between brother and brother for the setting vp of iustice and iudgement and for the preseruation of his people So intreat God for his people yea and for all mankind count it not a charitie in praier more then God requireth say not it is a superfluous and foolish charitie to doe it For it is the Lords commandment and such kind of praier is good pleasing and acceptable in his sight and he shall heare it and it shall returne into my owne bosome And this much for the first clause or part The consequent of the reason is a describing of the will of God to be applied vnto thy praier wherby thou shalt know that thou seruest him For hee that calleth vpon him according to his will serueth him And the words be these Who will that All men shall be saued and come to the acknowledging of his truth Some take these words and make them absolute of themselues and apply vnto them sundrie significations according as they may bee taken in diuinitie or according as in some sence and in some respect this way or that way they may be interpreted but that is not much pertinent to this matter For the words are respectiue and are the cheife clause and weight of the reason giuen by the holy ghost establishing that praier For the exhortation concerning this rule of praier consisteth of three parts A proposition the end and effect and a reason The proposition Let praier be made for all men The end and effect That we may lead a quiet life in all godlines c. The reason Thou wilt say Why so and wherfore the holy ghost informeth thee For that is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour And he confirmeth that by his will who will haue all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the truth as if he should say Therefore is it good and acceptable in his sight because he would haue no man cast away but be saued because he would haue no man ignorant of him but all to come to the knowledge of his truth he will not the death of a sinner but rather that he should conuert and liue We need not be afraid to vnderstand the Apostles words I doubt not but the Apostle knew what he wrote for he had a good teacher Let vs therefore take them according to the mind of the teacher And since his mercie stretcheth vnto All men let vs hope and pray that we may be of that number that may receiue and enioy such his mercies laid vp in store for them that loue him But least I may seeme to speake some vnnecessarie thing let me shew by other places of scripture my further meaning and whether the reason of any doctrine or scripture be so necessarie or no or whether I haue spoken cleane from the purpose First then we read in S. Mathew While thoughts did arise in the heart of Ioseph it was said vnto him of the Angell Feare not to take to thee Mary thy wife the reason wherewithal he is confirmed is for that which is conceiued in her is of the holie ghost Againe thou shalt call his name Iesus The reason For he shal saue his people from their sins againe He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit The reason For without me can ye doe nothing Againe the true worshippers shal worship the father in spirit and truth The reason For the father requireth euen

segregari quibus cōmunis erat vocatio That they were both alike companions of outward calling I meane Esau and Iacob whereby it is plaine That they were separate by the secret counsell of God vnto whom yet the calling was common But after manie his wicked fruites Let vs yet see againe the iudgement of the Church and how Iacob and his people intertained him Iacob saith to his messengers Thus shall you speake to my Lord Esau c. Thy seruant Iacob saith thus And in his praier Deliuer me from the hand of my brother Esau. And againe For I haue seene thy face as though I haue seene the face of God c. And oft he calleth him My Lord. Now then we see he was not reiected of his parents the children had one calling outward alike Iacob knowing the fruits of his life disdaineth him not calleth him not Reprobate reiecteth him not Hee tearmeth him Lord Brother as the Face of God intertaineth him as one would intertaine a brother in the Lord sheweth the kindnesse of Christian to Christian Yea and I doubt not praied oft that God would turne his heart For why should not hee shew that kinknesse towardes his brother towards whom he gaue such gracious wordes And why should not he in charitie doe that towards his brother which Abraham his grandfather had done towards the Edomites and was accepted of God To conclude In all his discourse concerning Esau I see no cause suppose he were a Reprobate why the Church should deale otherwise in these dayes then these Fathers did or should reiect him for a Reprobate till the Lord had reuealed him and reiected him as wee shall see of Saul Seconly concerning Saul as if he were aliue Was he not intertained by Samuel after this sort Did he not feast him set him in the highest place Said he not vnto him Whose shall the beautifull things of Israel be belong they not to thee and to all thy fathers house powred hee not oyle vpon him signifying the gifts of the holy Ghost Did he not kisse him and said Hath not the Lord appointed thee to bee the captaine ouer his inheritance Did not Saul prophesie with the Prophets and was he not changed into an other man Said not Samuel to him Doe what thou hast to doe for God is with thee and I will come to thee to Gilgal to sacrifice whole burnt offerings a●d peace offerings and did not God giue him another heart Did not also Samuel say to the people See ye not him whom the Lord hath chosen and how there is none like him amōgst al the people and did not al the people shoute pray for him and say God saue the king and did not a band of men follow him whose hearts God had touched And were they not the children of Beliall that despised him Adde herevnto all the kindnesses of Dauid It were too long to set downe all c. Now looke here what prince of Israel could be better receiued and that which ●as done was done according to the mind of God and that which was perfourmed towardes him was of the Prophet of God was of the people of God and that not in policie but in Religion He was anointed kissed feasted he prophesied was with the Prophets was at the seruice of burnt offerings and peace offerings the people showted they praied for him the good ones followed him the sonnes of Belial despised him hee is cherished and reuerenced for the Lords anointed And what more would they haue done to Dauid himselfe So Saule is receiued and intertained as is before as the instrument of God the man that shall reigne ouer my people hee is now changed into another man the people shew their cause to him and the tidings of the men of Iabes And the spirit of God came vpon Saule When he heard these tidings he heweth the oxen in peeces numbreth his people came vpon the enemies in the morning watch slue the Amonites til the heat of the day The enemies are scattered the people greatly reioice and are knit to their king Samuell and the people goe vp to Gilgall made Saule king there before the Lord offered peace offerings before the Lord and there Saule and all the men of Israell reioiced exceedinglie And thus far we see the acceptation of Saule his commendation from the mouth of God the prophet of God approuing him God hims●lfe assisting him with his spirit by the hand of God he and his people obtein a noble victorie Lastly wee find Samuel and the king and the people seruing the Lord together and offering peace offerings before the Lord and all Israel and they reioicing and triumphing exceedingly Samuel also declaring his integritie and innocencie speaketh before the Lord and his annointed Thus here is Gods hand and assistance the prophets approbation and counsell the king discharging his function the people gladly obeying Saul is the king and Saul the Lords annointed All reioice in God No reiection No contempt of the king No name of Reprobate And therefore no cause but that he was fauoured and taken as the good instrument of God for their defence for a good man for a captaine and companion in Gods busines and so reputed amongst them And thus Saul had now beene king one yeare and he raigned two yeares ouer I●raell that is as some interprete he reigned this long lawfully Not reiected of the Lord nor forsaken of his spi●it and as other some say hee reigned in his goodnes and innocencie this long though in his corrupt and malicious mind he reigned moe yeares and this much of his estimation and proceedings in his kingdome and herein not reuealed as a castaway or reprobate But now of his fall and reiection Saule had great experience of the goodnes of the Lord who chose him when he was little in his owne eies and adorned him with his gifts knit the people vnto him blessed his handiwork gaue him victorie Now then he must be tried whether in aduersitie in the falling away of the people whom before he saw stand to him In this streit the people being scattered whether hee will trust to the Lord stand to him or depend on flesh on the helpe of man on the strength of his host of the people or no. And for that Saul had destroied a garison of the Philistims Israell was an abhomination vnto them the Philistims come vp against them as the sand of the sea Israel is in distresse and hide themselues in rockes and holes c. Some went ouer Iordan all that followed Saul were dismaied and afraid he tarried the seuen daies the time appointed by Samuell and without Samuell which hee should not haue done calleth for the burnt sacrifice and peace offeringes and offered a whole burnt sacrifice For this worke what reasons soeuer he alledged Samuel said vnto him Thou art become a foole thou hast not kept the commandement of the

bee proposed indifferently and plainly Let obiections or exceptions be answered as they may Lastly the verie Pharisies propounded the question more truly in respect of the nature of the question vnto Christ than this is when they said Is it lawfull to giue tribute vnto Caesar or no And therefore as Ramus noteth out of Aristotle Amputanda quae supersunt The things that abound must be abridged And this is the question and the onely question Wheher it bee lawfull to pray for All men or no. For other things contained in the question they shall bee answered in their place Now then wee come vnto the answer The answer is That in that sense they are not to be praied for And there is a reason added because all shall not be saued But these things are matters disputable And the question not rightly propounded the answere can not bee much auailable And as for the reason it shal stand forth in his place and come to the sifting In the meane season we will see if the foresaid treatise will yet affoord vs either another or a better state than this is In the same treatise thus it followeth God calleth some at one time and some at another therefore it is lawfull to pray for them thus That in Spaine Portugall Rom● Turkie Iewrie and in al other pla●es of the world yea of those which do now pe●secute Gods Church as sometime Paul did So manie of them as doe belong to Gods etern●ll election it would p●ease his ●a●estie to conue●t c. And a● for the rest wh●ch doe not belong to his ete●nall election and couenant of grace we are to pray that his will may be done vpon th●m and he may bee glorified in h●s iudgements vpon them as he was ●lorified in the ouerth●o● of Pharao and his host Neither yet doth this state like me For herein is the people of the world diuided into Elect and Reprobate into beleeuers and infidels and herein is no charitable praier for the infidell if hee bee reiected and where infidels are shut out of our praiers we cannot well bee said to praie for all men And therefore we will seeke further gain● in the same treatise intreating vpon the●e words of Paul God will that all m●n shall be ●aued that is of all sorts and degrees of men to s●ue some of Iewes some of Gentiles ●o●e of Ki●gs s●me c. It followeth And the cause of the Apostl●s ●●iting thus to Timothie was for that the church of God liued then v●der N●r● A w●cked prince and c●u●●l Ty●ant and an enemi● to ●he gospell of Christ Ins●much as some doubted whe●her he were to be praied for or n● Therefore the Apostle pu●s them out of doubt for tha● ma●t●r and sheweth ●hat praie●s n●● be made fo● kings pri●ces and All men And therefore for their prince though ●ee were a wicked enemie For that of all m●n and of all sorts of m●n God hath his n●mber And what could they tell whether he were one of that number or ●o Therefore they were to pray for him Now at the last here is somewhat the church liuing vnder Nero and Nero himselfe a cruell enemie the church praieth for Nero. And the reason for they knew not whether he were of the number of the elect or no. Yea and praiers must be made for all men For that of all men and of all states of men God hath his number So that the state here aduouched is that praier must bee made for all men for kings and princes yea though hee were Nero. The reasons are For that of all men and of all sorts of men God hath his number And we know not whether Nero be elect or reprobate And therefore to pray for Nero himselfe let him be what he will Now at the last we are come to the Apostles All men and the words be these 1. Tim. 2. I exhort therefore that first of all Praiers Supplications Intercessions and Giuing of thanks be made for all men For kings and for all that are in authoritie c. The question is Whether al men be to be praied for or no. S. Paul answereth Let praiers supplications intercessions and giuing of thanks be made for all men But that I may proceed herein for the edifying of the simple I will first shew the occasion of this rule and the circumstance of this place secondly I will grow on to the interpretation of the same S. Paul the Apostle of the Lord that Timothie might the better be furnished for the ordering of the Church of Ephesius first biddeth him take heed that he warne ●ome that they teach no other doctrine for he would haue the doctrine as we read in the Actes Apostolicall not mens deuises That done he setteth vp publike praier in the church of Ephesus and that questioning should not bee made Whether this man or that man this king or that ruler were to be praied for he t●lleth them for whom praier should be made For all men For kings and for all that are in authoritie And this is the occasion of this rule and the schoolemen thus set it out Supra docuit Timothaeum quomòdo r●ducat populum ad formā verae fidei Hicagit de pertinentibus ad cultum fidei scilicet orati●nibus obsequijs primò ponit doctrinam orationis in cōmuni In the chapter before the Apostle taught Timothie here to bring the people to the forme of true and sound faith here he entreateth of things belonging to the seruice of faith That is of praie●s and supplications And first he setteth down the doctrine of praier in common And this is the occasion of this rule The circumstances are sundrie and the first is concerning the Apostles person the author and giuer of this rule of praier I saith S. Paul that haue ben set apart to preach the Gospell whom God hath counted faithfull and put in his se●uice yea I the Apostle of the Gentiles a chiefe masterbuilder hauing receiued autho●itie from the Lord Exhort that first of all and before all things when the church is gathered to heare the word teach them and exhort them That streight in the beginning in this sort and for this purpose they pray vnto and call vpon the Lord. And he ioineth herevnto the foure kinds of praier Deprecationes deprecations or praiers intreating the Lord to deliuer vs from all euill from the daunger of sin from punishments and plagues ●anging ouer our heads Obsecrationes Obsecrations supplications when we desire at the hand of God happier successe in the estate of the church the plentifull increase of blessings both spirituall and temporall to be poured vpon vs the summe of which good things are comprehended in the Lords praier Postulationes interpellationes Intreatings or praiers when we poure foorth our iniuries before the Lord pray for the conuersion of them that afflict vs and when we intreat the Lord one for another for sauing health and deliuerance Gratiarum