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
A43460	A sermon preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London at the Church of St. Mary le Bow, on September the 9th being the day of thanksgiving for the discovery of the late treasonable conspiracy against His Majesties person and government / by H. Hesketh ...	Hesketh, Henry, 1637?-1710.	1684 (1684)	Wing H1619; ESTC R12083	19,863	38

as well as Popish and those that have as exactly Transcribed these Doctrines as if they had Learned them at the Feet of Mariana But the Saints you know may Borrow of the Aegytians and perhaps you may never hear of any Suit Commenced against them if they Restore not again I have not time to Instance in those Systematical Doctors that are as Text to our Dissenters and as concluding with them as the Man of Geneva there is one among our selves that supercedes all need of looking further The unhappy Author of the Life of Julian with his Borish Sayings do plainly Assert this Monstrous Truth I wish Men were mistaken in thinking that this Book was prepared as an Encouragement and Prologue to the tended Tragedy against the very time of which it seems a Vindication was prepared but that Providence and the Defeat have taught the Author a little more Prudence then to Publish it But I must return to my purpose by this short Account you may see upon what reasons St. Peter recommends this way of Silencing this Aspersion upon Christian Religion before any other viz. Because it is the most plain palpable Conviction that this is unjustly Objected against it I only add That the good Christians of Old took care to use this Method and could not by any Severity and ill Usage be ever Tempted to the contrary they were Peaceable and Submissive they readily Obeyed and heartily Prayed for their Governours even when most Barbarously and Unjustly provoked to the contrary so that not one Christian Died as a Rebel or a Traytor in all the Early Persecutions of Christianity nor for several Centuries and you may challenge any of these Factours for Treason to Instance in one Nay it is well known that Julian himself Acquits them from this Aspersion and Upbraids his Heathen Subjects with the Obedience and Loyalty of the Galileans as he Scornfully calls them which is the more remarkable Testimony for coming from the Mouth of the bitterest Enemy that Christianity ever had I cannot think this passage unknown to the Writer of his Life and had he had the Grace or Honesty not to conceal it it might have been Antidote against the Infection of his Pamphlet Thirdly And now how much it concerns us to Imitate these Brave Men in this is the Third thing Observed out of the Text This is the Will of God i. e. This is the plain Command and Law of God by which His Will is made known to us and we are directed what to do in this Case I stay not to Improve this Argument and shew how Cogent it ought to be with all Men. We have a greater Sense I hope of God's Power and Soveraignty over us His Right to Command and Govern us Our own great Obligations to Him and the Infinite Danger of Offending Him then to need a further pressing of this upon us These things are the very Reasons and Foundations of our Religion and therefore are not now to be Learned by such Grave Professors of it What I purpose therefore further upon this shall be to venture at giving some Account of this Will and Command of God and Intimate some of those great Reasons that it relies upon I shall only name Three and very little more then name them First This is His Will because He knows this to be so very much for the Good and Happiness of the World It is most certain next to Mens Being their Orderly and Peaceable Living in the World is the greatest and most valuable Blessing of this Life A State of War and Confusion of Jealousie and Danger is scarce Preferable unto Death it self And he that contends this was the State of Nature yet makes it so Calamitous and Dismal that Men would rather part with their Dear Liberties and intrust the Conduct of themselves and all their Interests to one only Person then to Live in such an uneasie Condition wherein themselves and all they had were Expos'd to the Violence and Pleasure of every one The Reasoning of this Man is True and Good though the Foundation of it be utterly False for there cannot be a greater Unhappiness then to Live without Government in continual Jealousie and Fear Exposed to the Will of every Man whose ill Nature and Interest should prompt him to Anoy us This makes Government so absolutely necessary for the Happiness of the World and God out of His Immense Wisdom and Goodness and Care for the good of Mankind lays this Command upon Men to be careful in this Instance of Well-doing to be Obedient and Subject to Government without which it could not be preserv'd but Confusion and Disorder and that Shoal of Mischiefs that always follow them would break in upon Men. Secondly And that Hints to us the Second Reason upon which I found this Will and Command of God I mean the supporting and maintaining His own Appointment and Institution I cannot stay now to reflect upon those unworthy Atheistical Accounts that have been given of Government in this unhappy Age the Great and Prime Author hath long before this given Account of them to his God though I cannot but drop a Tear as I pass to consider with what Eagerness they have been Imbib'd by the Men of this Unruly Generation and what Mischievous Consequences they have been Impron'd into The great Principle is what I hinted before That Men by Nature were in a State of War against each other that to remedy the Inconvenience of that State they chose to cast themselves into Government The Consequences deduced hence are such as these that therefore all Government is Founded upon mutual Compact and a consent of the People That all Government is Originally in them That Kings c. are only their Trustees and Creatures of their making That upon Male-Administration they may call them to Account Depose them if they see cause Resume their Power into their own Hands or Intrust it to any other whom they please These are the Blessed Principles that the Godly and the Sober the Saints and True Protestants have Barter'd with an Atheist for and he doubtless with the Devil It is pity we have not time to reflect upon them with the sharpness that they justly deserve but I take the want of this somewhat the better because I speak to them who know and believe the Scriptures and by them are sufficiently Antidoted against such Hellish Infections which are enough to undoe the World and bring Confusion and all manner of Mischief upon it The Holy Scriptures give us quite contrary accounts they let us know how Mankind enter'd into the World and that Men did not spring up out of the Earth like Mushrooms altogether they let us see how Men were Born into Government and found themselves under the Anticipations of it they call God the King of Kings and Him by whom Kings Reign they tell us that Government is His immediate Ordinance and that the Powers that be are set over us by God It

Government and Persecution Lived in those Ages they would have known better what these things mean then to Asperse the Mildest Government and the most Gracious Prince and the greatest Favour that ever was shewed to Obstinate Ungovernable Men under the same Names now Were it Christian or Lawful to Wish Punishment to any Men I would only Wish this to these that they were but to Live abroad a while under the Kings and Government of any of our Neighbour-Nations I do not doubt but they would soon Learn as Heartily to Wish they were under their own again as now they have Cause would they Consider duly to Rejoyce and Bless God that they are so But I Urge no other Consideration now but the Reason of the Text which is the Honour and Credit of our Religion which so much depends upon this as hath been hinted the Reformation hath many sore Enemies and so have we too that watch greedily for any little thing to Asperse us with and Triumph at the appearance of any and know full well how to Magnifie Improve the least thing to our Dishonour It Concerns us therefore to be so much the more Careful to Defeat their Expectations to Adorn our Holy Profession by this Instance of Well-doing to such a Pitch that Envy may Burst it self for Rage at its Disappointment Let me beg Men to consider what a Religion they Profess one that is truly Christian in this Point What a Church they call themselves Members of a Church that hath always been Famous for Loyalty and once we know Martyr'd for it what a Shame then must it be for any of us to be Ungovernable and Disloyal Quarrelling with our Superiors and perking up against Government upon every little trifling Reason How certainly shall we hereby forfeit all the Blessings we can expect from our Religion and incur that Damnation that it Threatens to all that are Trayterous and High Minded Factious and Unruly and Movers of Sedition either in Church or State How much better were it to be Loyal and Faithful to our Prince Obedient and Subject to our Laws how much better were it for him how much more acacceptable unto God what a Service to our Religion and consequently to our Selves both at present and in the great Day when the Accounts of all Men must be made up and their Great and Eternal Fates Setled and Adjusted To this purpose there are Three or Four things which I would Recommend unto Men had I time First To Rid themselves of all those ill Opinions that are so naturally productive of Rebellion and Undutifulness to our Governours there are many of these Adopted even into the Creeds of most of those to whom these Discourses are most needful By these Men are fit and ready prepared for Rebellion whenever a Temptation is offer'd to them and I will never wonder if they imbrace it better is not to be expected from ' em It is possible a Man may believe very ill and yet live tolerably well and we see some Mens Hearts are better than their Heads but certainly such Men act upon mighty Disadvantages and in this truly upon such as are next to insuperable False Principles will influence Men's Practices especially in this Instance and they always may do so such Men are always under a Temptation but when Oppertunity and Interest Unite with Principle then the Temptation is Invincible We see that Interest alone is able to Debauch most Men's Consciences and doubtless hath made many Rebels who were otherwise well perswaded and inclined too but when a Man's Conscience I mean his Perswasion Joyns with Interest and warrants the Lawfulness of Rebellion as well as the other doth suggest the Expediency and Advantage of it there is nothing of good to be expected from such a Man if he do not actually Rebel it is only for want of Oppertunity or Strength to do so Secondly To take heed of all those things that lead to Rebellion and which I will call Practical Dispositions to it It is rarely seen that Men Jump into Treason and Rebellion on a sudden It is in this as it is in most great Instances of Vice the Mind starts and boggles at them at first but they are Trayned in by little steps and degrees and pass such Stages before they arrive to the confidence of ventring upon them It is certainly thus almost always in Cases of Rebellion and perhaps this may be one of the Reasons upon which it is compared to Witchcraft by the Prophet none commence Witches on a sudden but are Trayned into it by Art and intermedial Vices first the Feces of Envy and Malice and next the gratifying these in some defin'd Instances and then the using some strange and Antick Rites from which some extraordinary effects either do or are fancied to proceed from whence a belief of being able to doe any thing insinuates it self and at last the fatal Contract is Sealed and the poor Soul Commenceth Devil before its time Thus it is in the Methods of Rebellion first Men entertain Fears and Jealousies and their Minds are amused with Feigned Portents and lying Wonders which ill Men Interpret as they please then they keep Company with Turbulent and Discontented Persons and form themselves into Clubs and Cabals and hear their Governors Aspersed and Lessen'd and all the Stories that can be rallyed up of their Weakness or ill Conduct aggravated Then things appear amiss both in Church and State and Consults are held for the Redress of them Means are proposed and Debates are had and Men begin to think themselves Wise and great States-Men Fancy presently how bravely they could Govern and much better then those that do And then the bewitching thoughts of Honour and Grandure of Wealth and Greatness that would accrue to them were the present Governours removed Insinuate themselves and perhaps the way to this appears easie too And then the Man begins to appear in Publick and is seen in Riotous Tumults and Heads Factions against the Government and by that means is harden'd into more daring Actions and then finding himself cryed up for a Noble Patriot and Defendor of the Peoples Liberties Jumps into downright Treason and having drawn the Sword against his Prince throws away the Scabberd and resolves to finish his Traytorous Purpose or Die in it And doubtless many Men have arrived at this at last who little Thought of any such thing at their setting first out it is good therefore to take heed of the beginnings of Evil and to Fear Imbarking on that Sea from whence it is so very difficult to Return Thirdly To beware of entertaining Differences about Religion especially of entring our selves into any Society of Dissenters and those that Separate from the Established Religion among us How naturally Differences about Religion are productive of Disorders in the State and how strongly Faction in the Church disposeth Men to Rebellion against the Government hath been sadly Experienced by this poor Nation and