Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	lose_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	53	3	10.0222	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91881	John the Baptist, forerunner of Christ Iesvs: or, A necessity for liberty of conscience, as the only meanes under heaven to strengthen children weake in faith; to convince hereticks mis-led in faith; to discover the gospel to all such as yet never heard thereof; and establish peace betweene all states and people throughout the world; according unto which, were both our Saviours commission, and the apostles practice for the propagation of it peaceably: as appeares most evidently by sundry Scriptures digested into chapters, with some observations at the end of every one; most humbly devoted to the use and benefit of all such as are zealously inquisitive after truth; piously disposed to imbrace it, and constantly resolved to practice it in their lives and conversations; to the honour of God, the edifying of their brethren, and their owne salvation unto eternity. The contents of the chapters follow in the next leaf. This is licenced, but not permitted to be entred according to order.	Robinson, Henry, 1605?-1664?	1644 (1644)	Wing R1673; Thomason E9_13; ESTC R15393	119,971	135

into the prisons reply Paul thou liest thou art wilfully malicious and reprobately obstinate Oh! let them bring it home unto their owne hearts and consider whether many poore Brethren who never flew so high as Pauls extravagancies but only differ from them in some few opinions which yet like enough will agree together in Heaven may not be interpreted to continue in them meerly out of conscience and whether if Paul a vessell of election so fiercely persecuted the Saints of Iesus they themselves so much inferiour gifted in comparison of Paul may not have been subject to the same temptation 1 Cor. 10.13 and plunged into the selfe same errour Oh that God of his infinite goodnesse would be pleased to sanctifie the thought thereof and worke them to sobriety A man that wanteth judgement the more zealous he is the more hee resembleth one gone astray that hath lost himselfe in some by-paths who the longer or the faster that he goeth is still more out of his way and has the farther to returne againe and yet I dare not say that it is better to have no zeale then to be in some smaller measure zealous in a bad cause for he that hath no zeale at all can never have it in a good cause and perhaps it may be observed that such as have none are at best but luke-warme Laodiceans Which God will spue out of his mouth Rev. 3.16 and even the best Christians zeale at first does most commonly exceed their knowledge but what I chiefly aime at is that we be not rashly carried away by every breath of zeale without examining whence it springs and whereunto it tends This avoyding and withdrawing of our selves from such as walke inordinately and will not obey the word is the last meanes and utmost extent of power except miraculous which our Saviour left to his Apostles and they unto the Church successively for government of his people if any take it to be too remisse or milde doe not such make themselves wiser then God conceiving better of their owne fancies then his Ordinances t is no marvell if they both seeme and prove ineffectuall to such as have so little faith in them is not this to distaste Gods government because hee does not rule us with a rod of iron full wanton are we that thus grow sicke of His clemencie and gentlenesse importuning him farre more foolishly then did the Israelites that he would give them a King to reigne over them although that Samuel by Gods expresse command imparted to them how cruell and tyrannous a King would prove 1 Sam. 8. yet the Israelites might be thought thus engaged as overswayed with novelty and a vehement desire to be like other Nations as not having had the experience of a Regall power themselves v. 20. But we who have so long together and even so lately felt the Spirituall bondage of Episcopacie which yet we are not freed from neither are notwithstanding not much unlike to people suddenly waked out of a deep sleep by the hideous crying of fire fire whose eyes being dazled with the sight thereof and their understandings furprised with the near approach forth with cast themselves downe staires or out at window to their destruction which in appearance might have beene prevented had they been but throughly wakened and kept their wits about them in like manner we having beene so tyrannized over by the Bishops our consciences enthralled by their Canons and our persons hunted up and downe and baited by their Courts and Beagles in such an intolerable manner being quite tired out are apt to thinke a bart exchange will eas●us and so without examining safficiently what it was which enabled the Bishops to torment us conceiving we have now gained a full opportunity are desirous in all haste to be enthralled againe to any body that will but for the present secure us from the first captivity Deare Countrymen and Brethren let not me though the meanest of you all be thought presumptuous if with some importunity I beg of you as you value the quiet and welfare of three Kingdomes hope that other Nations may be from thence enlightned with purer and clearer beames of the most pretious Gospel to consider only whether if Bishops had wanted a coercive power they could possibly have prevailed so farre against the Saints and saving truths of Jesus Christ whether the same sovereignty and power be not as effectuall I forbeare to say farre more to bring a people unto Popery Turcisme or any other Religion except the right and for such as must be whipt into the faith whether so many lashes more will not easily whip them out againe If this be so as surely it cannot be denied by men of reason why doe we not free our selves for ever in stead of seeking ease only for the present what meane we then to take this sword or staffe of Sovereignty from the hand of one Metropolitan usurper to put it into many are not Presbyters men as well as Bishops are they not all subject to the same passions and infirmities Act. 14.15 may not a power to punish and persecute others tempt them as well as Bishops to satisfie their owne lust and affections and being many become a Hydra a brotherhood of iniquity may not they possibly erre as well as Bishops and being many prove more confident and obstinate in imposing such errours upon subordinate Churches by force of their coercive jurisdiction t was miraculous for Aarons rod to bud but this which you put into the Presbyters hands will naturally of its own disposition sprout out so fast and furnish rods enough as in stead of the exchangers which defiled the Temple may quickly whip Gods best servants out of Country Corruptio optimi est pessima If a Presbytery grow tyrannicall as by nature mankinde is prone to evill they have more heads to manage it then Episcopacie and so may become more formidable more remedilesse If then God shall by any meanes restore us to such a condition wherein we may enjoy a liberty of conscience to serve God according to his owne Ordinances if we our selves desire so to doe let us not give or sell our selves into such slavery as that it may be in the arme and power of others to say you shall not serve God at all or in any other manner then we approve of proscribe but this coercive power which else will infalliby drive God from us or us from his service in matters meerly of Religion and then you shall quickly see men will not be so ambitous of Christs crowne of thornes nor presse with so much carnall violence unto his Kingdome and then being cleere of such temptations as the importunate suiters of this Diana come laden with we shall be better able to judge indifferently after what manner Christ would have his servants governed Have not our prayers petitions and preparations beene all for Reformation has God suffered some hundred thousands of men to be slaine and three