Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	law_n	nature_n	reason_n	3,046	5	5.4661	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63871	A sermon preached before the right honourable the Lord Mayor, and Aldermen of London at the Guild-Hall Chappel, Octob. the 28th 1677 / by Bryan Turner ...	Turner, Bryan, 1634 or 5-1698.	1678 (1678)	Wing T3270; ESTC R1722	13,679	40

best prop of Government and Cement of Societies as Plutarch calls it And therefore amongst intelligent Creatures Religion is the first Law of Nature for that sure must consist in the first Obligation to a Rule that being as I take it the proper notion of a Law And if so Wherein should the first Obligation consist but in respects to that thing wherein Supreme Dominion and all other Original perfections are seated i. e. in God Self-conservation speaking of intelligent Creatures is but a Secondary Law of Nature ty'd up in Religion For is it not all the reason in the world that the first Law of Nature should primarily respect the first Cause and be chiefly terminated upon him in that we call Religion As the Secondary Law of Nature is chiefly terminated upon the Creature which we call the Conservation of it self Therefore so far as Self-conservation may be hazarded for the preservation of Religion we are obliged to prefer this before that Though in truth God has so wisely link't these two together that our Religion to God preserv'd with what hazard soever will insure our Conservation to our selves He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it This Natural Religion or venerable sense of a Deity is but at least in this degenerate state a faint seed till it meet with some farther active principles or dispositions in us to nurse it up and give it Culture And to the best of my apprehension there are but three active Principles capable to receive this seed into their bosoms viz. Love or Fear or Worldly design I mean there are but these three distinct predominant and habitual dispositions capable of it And then 1. Love is the genuine principle of a true and perfect Religion 2. Fear is the proper principle of Superstition 3. Worldly design devoid of either is the root of Hypocrisie and of all things that ever carried the face of Religion I think there are but these three principal sorts for Gentile Idolatry was Superstition call'd Idolatry in respect of the Object which was a false God and Superstition in respect of the Worshipper who was acted chiefly by Fear The roots of Hypocrisie may be as varias worldly designs are such as compliance with prevalent custom vain glory riches and advantage to be the leader of a Party the head of a Sect revenge and malice at others For some preach Christ out of envy Phil. 1. 15. says the Apostle The root of Superstition is only fear or dread I mean a Fear without Love and a dread of harm if the Divine Power or that which is thought to have so were not propitiated by such and such services This brought in so many dreadful sacrifices to the Altar at Tophet and all the Heathen-world over From whence these Three active Principles that nurse up the natural seed of Religion either into beauty or deformity do arise is obvious viz. from the various representations of the object of Worship For if that be apprehended as transcendently good and amiable the great Impression it makes is Love which cherisheth Religion into Perfection Beauty and a cheerful Obedience If it be apprehended as dreadful only and able to do hurt under the Attributes of Soveraign but independent Will and Power Fear is all the temper it gives which ferments the natural seed of Religion into Superstition But if there be few or no apprehensions of Divine Attributes to beget a real Love or Fear the soul of man is at liberty to make use of Religion so far as it serves worldly design and this principles it with Hypocrisie So that hypocrisie is nothing but Atheism dissembled under a veil of Religion and Atheism is nothing but Hypocrisie unmask'd A Lover of God is religious for Gods goodness sake and would be so were there none besides himself in the world his Religion may be defin'd A sacred Friendship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Superstitious person is religious for fear of harm from what he worships contemplating nothing but Power and Severity but would not be what he is if alone in the world his Religion may be defin'd A flattery of a Divine Power deem'd to be hurtful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 says Max. Tyrius An Hypocrite is religious for worldly designs only therefore acts his part in more lively measures than the person he represents but would not do so were there no spectators for what he doth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be seen of men says our Saviour Matt. 23. Hypocrisie is culpable only for want of internal reality 't is a curious painted shew without life it personates what it is not Superstition is culpable not for want of internal reality but regularity 't is truely the off-spring of the heart and mind but 't is illegitimate 't is begot in a rape and fright for such as are acted by it believe Gods Being but wish it were not Fear when it predominates and the true God is the Object may be an initial principle but 't is imperfect if it continues the habitual principle and suffer not Love to cohabit I see not but it must degenerate into Superstition but a fear that is founded in Love is filial and rather to be call'd veneration for a Son fears his Father because he loves him and this is allowable and requisite in the most perfect Religion but 't is a Solitary fear which I intend when I make it the principle of Superstition And now to recollect this part of the discourse If there be a real object of worship i. e. a God doubtless the Religion ought to be real not hypocritical If that Religion be a perfect and acceptable service doubtless it ought to be cheerful not compulsory as Superstition is that proceeds from Fear If Goodness and all perfection be essential Attributes of a Divine Nature i. e. If Power and Soveraign Will be inseparable from goodness and not its over-match as some would think them then that Power is comfortable and not dreadful till goodness be abus'd and offended So that Love is the proper and genuine principle of that Religion which is in its nature perfect and to God most acceptable as is evident from the first and great Commandment Thou shalt love the Lord c. 'T is true indeed the mind that is conscious of offending has its eye blood-shot always with guilt and therefore can behold nothing in God but Power and the Severities of Justice This is the case of the Devils who now can frame no apprehensions of God but what are fearful as appears from their Faith whose only Product is to make 'em tremble A vitiated eye cannot behold the brightness Jam. 2. 19. of the Sun no more can they the Divine Goodness by reason of those chains of darkness in which they are reserv'd to 2 Pet. 2. 4. judgment and those chains of darkness are not so much their local restraints as their guilt For a sinner is held with the Prov. 5. 22.

nulla ratione videre Possunt ac fieri divino numine rentur Lib. 1. p. 6. Humana ante oculos i. e. Epicuri faede cum vita jaceret In terris oppressa gravi sub Religione Quae caput a coeli regionibus ostendebat Primum Graius homo Epicurus mortales tollere contra Est oculos ausus primusque obsistere contra c. Lib. 3. p. 76. Atque ea nimirum quaecunque Acherunte profundo Prodita sunt esse in vita sunt omnia nobis Nec miser impendens magnum timet aere saxum Tantalus ut fama est cassa formidine torpens Sed magis in vita Divûm metus urget inanis Mortales casumque timet cuicunque ferat fo rs This is the opinion of Ghosts and taking things casual for prognosticks Lib. 1. p. 6. Et quae res nobis vigilantibus obvia mentes Terrificet morbo affectis somnoque sepultis Cernere uti videamur eos audireque coram Morte obita quorum tellus complectitur ossa This is the same opinion of Ghosts or Vmbrae which word Lucretius useth elsewhere and the Leviathan in explication of those Ghosts useth the same word Vmbrae Quippe ita formido mortales continet omnes Idem ibid. Quorum operum causas c. Which the Leviathan in the Chapter of Religion translates in these words A perpetual fear accompanies men in the ignorance of second Causes by which and the like 't is evident the Leviathan did not invent but took up these principles out of Lucretius What Epicurus's design was the same Lucretius tells us Religionum animum nodis exolvere to untwist the bonds and tyes of Religion that kept men in such a slavish fear which evidenceth he thought there was no other Religion but Superstition and therefore those words are us'd indifferently by none but the Epicureans and such as quote their Doctrine that I can observe What Lucretius stiles Religio Tully stiles Superstitio who tells us that Epicurus's grand measure was this Omnium rerum naturâ cognitâ levamur superstitione liberamur mortis metu de Nat. Deor. Lucretius expresseth it thus lib. 2. p. 28. Hic tibi cum rebus timefacto Religiones Effugiunt animo pavidae mortisque timores Tum vacuum pecius linquunt curaque solutum All this is to make good my charge that the Leviathan collected only out of Lucretius the Epicurean More might be added but that it would swell this Sermon too big But lest we that seem so much to dislike these accounts of his may be judg'd unable to give any better of our own agreeable to humane nature and experience I shall briefly in consent to my Doctrine search into the nature of man in this particular for better principles than these which I shall submit to the inward experience of mankind and propound 'em as follows 1. The natural seeds of Religion are laid in that imborn sense which the soul has of a Deity the farther investigation of which Deity is left to the more elaborate Acts of Understanding If men might Act. 17. 27. happily feel after him and find him says St. Paul compared with the first and the second to the Romans 2. To this imborn sense of God in the way of knowledg there is an imborn seed of Love in the way of desire and affection adjoyn'd in the same mind to give vigour to it that it might search out that God to a fuller discovery and be happy in the Contemplations and Love of his Perfections I am confin'd from a thousand things in this Cause therefore briefly in a few words Love is properly an intellectual affection and if by reason of mans sensual part it do degenerate into lust 't is because the soul which cannot for the bodies weight have its proper delight is forc't to take up with such fare as is grateful to its companion But if we scan the true nature of this active Principle which we call Love or Desire in humane kind it will be found a vigorous tendency after satisfactory Good incessantly prompting the soul to search out the summum bonum for this is its proper object this is at the end of all desire and therefore 't is restless till it center here as a magnetick Needle till it point to its pole which accounts for that inquietude that is both on Earth and in Hell This Love is the radical affection of humane nature all other passions as we call 'em are but its off-spring for as hopes are but the wings of Desire and joys are but the triumphs of Love so sorrows are but its mourning-weeds and despair is but Loves giving up the Ghost Fears and jealousies and hatreds are but the Agues the Fevers and Convulsions into which Love is cast through the oppositions it finds in its natural course and if they arise to that malignant extremity which we call Despair 't is the death of the soul because they extinguish this vital principle of Love and Desire If that the affections of the concupiscible faculty are natural to man he cannot be without 'em even Dives in torments was as ardent in desires as flames that Lazarus might relieve him with one drop of water and surely the eternal frustration of this radical affection is Hell enough as its plenary and permanent satisfactions are Heaven But now on the other hand all the passions of the irascible faculty are but casual and accidental as fear jealousie hatred c. They are but intended as seconds to Love to fight its Battels and overcome its opposites where no opposite is there is no occasion for their service therefore mans nature may be wholly without these and shall never be happy till it be This love or radical affection after satisfactory i. e. the greatest Good being thus inseparable from the soul of man by looking always out of it self for satisfaction demonstrates That it 's proper object is without it self For finitude is an empty thing much more a single finite Being and therefore from it self alone ariseth no satisfaction which is the reason that all created appetites and desires look out of themselves God only can be happy in and from himself but 't is not good in any sense for man to be alone Created Love therefore is an hunger and thirst that arises from our finite natures and is in a manner wholly receptive Gods Love is the emanation of an infinite goodness and therefore wholly Communicative The flame of our affections like a Lamp must always be fed with Oyl or it will expire God like the Sun gives out his Rays but takes in none This radical Love this impulsive Desire I speak of it not in the act but in the root and principle was the grand Impression or Signature which Divine goodness stampt upon our nature when he made us in his Image and therefore 't is that Tally which nothing can exactly fit but that by which it was struck as the hollow impressions in the Wax can be