Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	let_v	lord_n	see_v	4,698	5	3.6890	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93844	A plain discovery of the unrighteous judge and false accuser wherein is soberly ... brought to light ... the spirit of that pamphlet, intituled, The leper cleansed ... by Richard Ballamy ... as also, a clear vindication of ... Anabaptists ... / by Robert Steed and Abraham Cheare ...	Steed, Robert, of Dartmouth.	1658 (1658)	Wing S5376B; ESTC R223912	66,136	82

willingness to lay that disputation aside Accuser I wish that the plain hearted among them would but seriously consider whether they can possibly expect a blessing from heaven under such amans ministery whose course I have a little hinted to you and judge you whether I have not cause to withdraw where such iniquity is indulged Answer Here you have his conclusion with William Facy and now upon the whole of what is said either in defiance or defence of him though we might say much more in the words of truth and soberness it would appear that the man is a poor sinner that stands in dayly need of his Saviour compassed about with weaknesses temptations and tribulations of all kindes without are fightings within are fears whose footsteps are watched and the iniquity of them written in his forehead who was left for a season under the power of the Tempter fell in a grievous manner was sharply rebuked of God severely censured by the Church to the breaking of his bones so that he hath neither the perfection of the flesh nor the honor of the world left him to glory in And yet being gratiously delivered by Love and upheld by Divine power from perishing by sin or sinking is at length brought out to declare the Lords praise in the middest of his Church who being a poor plain despised people abhorring the indulgence of iniquity and not judging aster outward appearance but righteous judgment finding that God hath humbled him to the dust remembring that they also themselves are compassed with infirmities and liable to be tempted have renewed their love toward him and can comfortably wait upon the Lord and their waiting is not in vain in the Lord for a blessing on the faithfull labours of him and others despised like unto him though yet they have not clearness to appoint him to Pastorship in a way of office as the Accuser falsly repeateth often as if they had done Accuser The third particular of my charge is for charging some of the Anabaptists with denying Magistrates and the neglecting of Family-duties and singing of Psalms let me tell you I do not charge you without a cause for these things abound in you at that rate that seeing you and sin will not part you and I must part and though some of you are dear to me whom I trust the Lord will convince in his due time yet the Lord Iesus is neerer and dearer whose communion I must and through grace do prize before yours had you and I continued it s to be feared the Lord and I should have parted for while I sat under your ministery I could never find that blessing which I have found from that Ministery you despise That tenderness which the Lord wrought upon my spirit by the publick Ministery before I came among you did much decay while I continued with you and therefore it is no small mercy that the Lord hath brought me from you Answer That which he calls the third particular of our Charge for charging some of the Anabaptists c. was thus far worthy to be laid before him in the iniquity of it that he had openly and very slanderously affirmed concerning us in the general that we denied Magistrates denied family-duties denied singing of Psalms c. and on this ground had left us The introduction to his Defence is filled with such flourishes and invectives as either we meet with and speak unto elsewhere or will be best answered by committing our Cause to him that judgeth righteously VVe come therefore to consider what he saith in the particulars for himself Accuser 1. For denying the power of Magistrates it 's notoriously known to many good people in Tiverton how you have carped at the Magistracy there for executing their power upon Sabbath-breakers and Quakers yea you confessed it and pleaded it against me as many of my Friends can testifie when I charged you with it affirming that Magistrates had nothing to do with Quakers Answer He publickly and falsly accuseth us that we deny the power of Magistrates or as he also phraseth it we deny Magistrates his proof is It 's notoriously known we have carped at them for executing their power on Sabbath breakers and Quakers We have in great part declared above and still do That we abhor the imputation of denying the power of Magistrates in punishing evil-doers though withal we say That it will be an hard task to undertake the justification of all the actions of persons in Magistracy who may presume to smite and imprison in execution of passion and lust and not of Law and that such things and so acted whether against Quakers or any other People are not onely lamentable but most abominable As to matters relating to the Conscience and what Power the Magistrate may exercise in that respect we leave the Accuser for answer to the publick Edicts of the Magistracy it self without which the Sect to which the Accuser is joyned can claim no more Priviledge in England Scotland and Ireland then any other Sect or party of People professing Religion by the Magistrate allowed We utterly reject what he suggests about Sabbath-breakers as not having the least colour of Truth of which had there been the least pretence to have fastned it upon any somewhat would have been said to tender us odious and liable to punishment in this Pamphlet or at the Meeting abovesaid proceeding his rejection where he was not backward to load us with whatever ignominy he could bring to bear on us or the way wherein we be Touching the Quakers what testimony we hold up against their principles is very well known to this Accuser and divers good people in Tiverton and elswere what measure they have found in that town and by whose violent importunity and instigation it hath been executed whether to the satisfaction in point of conscience of some that did it or whether even constrained to doe it beyond a voluntary inclination what compassions and complaints it occasioned in many good people in that place that are neither Anabaptists nor Quakers are not things unknown there The day may soon enough declare it in other places we judging it not now our work to say any thing unto it Accuser 2. For neglecting family-duties you cannot without blushing say that I wrong you in charging the neglect of it upon you being conscious to your selves that many of your families call not upon God which I can confidently affirme upon my own personal knowledg when I walked with you besides when I charged you with it you affirmed that it was a mans liberty not his duty to pray in his family as my friends can testifie who were then present Answer What his false accusation about this matter was and our defence therein are manifested above to which we refer the Reader Accuser 3. For neglecting to sing Psalmos an ordinance of Christ you never performed this duty in your assemblies but when I charged you with this you affirmed it to

Magistracy and Ministery as he hath informed the world then indeed leave us as he hath perswaded you But if these appear to be the unrighteous accusations of a person puffed up at best with the heat of his own passions then take heed and beware of that spirit which hath acted this man and led him aside according to the pride of his own heart to play both the unrighteous Judge and false Accuser against the way of God wherein we stand Friends We intend not in this defence to justify any evil person or matter for our advantage we are assured we have in hand a cause of God that needeth not save to be stated in its own simplicity wherein we shall endeavour to be faithfull with you being made willing by the grace of God to stand and fall with it The persons of men we shall not care to overvalue or presume to detract but as men stand approved or disapproved of the truth to give them their due and particularly for this our Judge and Accuser we shall cast behind us the filth of his invectives without retaliation his impertinencies and absurdities as much as may be we shall passe over with silence that what may be found in him to bear upon the mayn cause may be dealt withal Accuser It may seem strange to all that know me to see me in print and if any that see me thus appear judge that it is my mayn business to vindicate my self they are mistaken I am partly driven to this by the irregular proceedings of those who have judged me at an offender and yet would not give me liberty to speak for my self so that I am enforced to speak this way or to justify them by my silence but that which most of all prevails with me is First to give glory to God-in acknowledging his mercy who hath opened my eyes and shewed me the error of my way 2. I judge it my duty to labor to undeceive all the simple and plain hearted 3. I think it as necessary to discover the hypocrisie of some that ly in wait to deceive and by cunning insinuations and pretences to draw aside many souls to their own loss if not to their destruction Answer It is not much that we should think needfull to speak to this paragraph only whereas he begins It may seem strange to all that know me to see me in print In this the Accuser speaketh right for we have ground to judge he doth but personate the contrivance of other men Who have judged me as an offender and yet would not give me liberty to speak for my self We shall hereafter meet our Accuser in this his false allegation in its due place I think it as necessary to discover the hypocrisie of some that ly in wait to deceive c. Whom he intends under these expressions as hypocrites lyers in wait c. he manifests in the title page how well he proves us to be such appeareth by the sequele of his book where we shall have full opportunity to examine it He proceeds Accuser It is notoriously known to all the Inhabitants of Tyverton that I was deeply ingaged in that way which is commonly known by the name of Anabaptists yea so far as that I thought I was bound to oppose all that dissented from that way as being antichristian so zealous was I to promote that interest that I forsook my relations and left my fathers house not caring for any society but such as were for that way refusing to joyn in prayer with such as differed from me in that though otherwise godly thus I continued for the space of nigh two yeers but at last God was pleased to cause me to reflect upon my self and wayes and by some speciall providences of which by and by I shall give an accompt he made me willing to stand upon the ways and see and enquire for the way of the Lord for untill this time I was so filled with prejudice against the publick Ministery that I refused all conferences and debates with any though offered with never so much mildness concerning the way in which I was or if I did at any time admit of any it was to defend and not to examine it Answer All this rash and uneven walking while under this profession that this man makes discovery of himself in for we should not have judged it worth the while to have given such a character of him it easily appeareth to have sprung from the youthfull vanity and lightness of his own spirit not from any priaciple owned among us nor was the observation of it any comfort to us in that he was severall times reproved for sundry of those very things Accuser But now God having put some check upon my spirit I began to lay things in the balance and observing another people in this place walking under Ordinances and joyned with the publick Ministery such thoughts as these would come in sometimes We say we are in the way of God and they say they are in the way of God may not I all this while be mistaken Though I often opposed such thoughts as these yet they returned upon me by my observation for I could not but take notice that those I walked withall were looser both in their Principles and Practises then those I dissented from Answer Then I began to lay things in the balance c. Those unsteady revolutions of thoughts always learning never coming to the acknowledgment of the truth argue a minde unstable as water and therefore cannot excell I could not but take notice that those I walked with were looser both in their Principles and Practises then those I dissented from We shall not in this place insist on the weakness of the Argument urged from the practises of some persons to the error of their profession But to the generall charge we say That if to state the everlasting Covenant made and given by the Lord himself for the redemption of sinners and the efficacy of the Ministration thereof upon the free grace of God in Christ alone and so stated to minister the same for the calling and gathering of the elect the true seed in that Covenant given unto Christ for the bringing them into visible communion with Christ their head and each with other If to require a proof of the truth of this work before admission into such visible communion and fellowship with an pen profession upon such admission to take up the cross of Christ and follow him in doing and suffering his whole will as himself requireth Mat. 16.24 Luk. 14.26 If to administer such Gospel Ordinances as import the peculiar priviledges of the children and family of the Son of God to persons so approved and no others If to acknowledge and believe the everlasting Kingdom and Priesthood of Jesus Christ in providing for governing and perfecting his people although a feeble flock and therefore set at nought by them that are full and at ease If while these