Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	way_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	138	4	9.2564	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10013	Advice to readers of the common prayer, and the people attending the same. With a preface concerning divine worship. Humbly offered to consideration, for promoting the greater decency and solemnity in performing the offices of God's publick worship, administered according to the order established by law amongst us / by a well-meaning (though unlearned) layick of the Church of England. T.S.	T. S. (Thomas Seymour)	1691 (1691)	Wing S2829; ESTC R183777	88,165	210

't is these men that incourage offensive and indecent behaviour for many of their hearers though they are present at Prayers yet never observe any thing that the Rubrick directs to be performed but sit and loll and stare about and endeavour as much as they can to seem unconcern'd in what is done till the Minister goes into his Pulpit for they came to Church only for the sake of what is done there lest they be thought to approve the Common Prayers these I sear conceit that they do well in this from observing the slightness of such Ministers in Reading the Prayers or at least it prevents that conviction which such might receive from the devout and reverend performing the same by others and I believe this because in those Churches where the Minister is very devout in Reading the Service I could never observe any such behaviour so that either such people seldom come to such Churches and I think giving more scandal by their ill Example than they receive benefit by the Service they were better be absent or else the power of a Devout Performance is such that they cannot but be inclin'd to imitate it Therefore if there be any such imployed in the Ministry of this Church as I have cause to fear there are that Read ill on this account I earnestly intreat that they will reflect on the indecency and ill consequences of such practices and as a Remedy hereof that they will consult the most learned and judicious that are devout of our Church for suller Satisfaction in the Reasonableness and Excellency of our Service that so they may perform it more Reverently and Affectionately to the Honour of God and the Peoples Edification and this they will find to be more comfortable to themselves and of better acceptance with all good men than halting between Two Opinions For it is evident that if there were any thing sinful in the performance they ought not to have undertaken it at all for Evil must not be done that Good may come But if there be only a defect of some degrees of Goodness in this Service then Reason requires that they do not make it worse by an ill performance but that they do make the best of it for effecting the ends to which it is designed viz. God's Honour and our Spiritual Consolation Yet those that Read ill on the account of such Error are more to be pitied and less condemned than those that do so out of a kind of Carnal Wisdom yet such there are I mean those who are very unwilling to seem Zealous and Devout in that which is condemned by a great Party of Men because they may some time or other be uppermost and indeed when such men can stand as fair for Preferment for the present as the most devout and yet have the good Opinion of those in whose power it may be to prefer them hereafter there may be many temptations of this kind especially among a People consisting of Parties that bear an equal Balance and therefore the Consideration of this is not to be despised Men are apt to think they may serve God and Mammon but it cannot be 't is true we may and must become all things to all men that we may win some but in this they rather win us than we them if it may be called a winning when for fear that a Party may prevail we are indevout in what we own for the Worship of God and indeed we shall never win them from their Errors by such compliance for the reason of all mankind must agree that men may not serve their own Carnal Interests to the prejudice of that Worship whereby God is most eminently Served and Honoured in the World And whilst these men acknowledge our Liturgy to be such none can approve their indevout performance for fear of being esteemed High Church Men and of losing their Interest in that they call the Moderate Party nor will any of that Party ever be brought from the admiration of the Ex tempore Way by such kind of politique Readers And yet I believe these men do mistake their Interest I mean even in things Temporal for the Pious of every Party agree in this that men should have an hearty Zeal in the Way of Worship they use and do abhor such men as prefer their own Interest before God's Honour Now if Times should change a man formerly Zealous in the Way of the Church of England if he should see Cause to change with them as he may sometimes do would have as kind Reception among such as those that were afraid to be zealous for fear of offending them and they would be more apt to glory in bringing one such devout man to their way than in the Conformity of many such luke-warm worshippers And for those that in all ways of Religion make Gain their Godliness and only follow Christ for the Loaves and Fishes they are for shutting out as many as they can on any pretence from sharing in the Benefits of their Church-Order and think the fewer the better chear they will be sure to exclude from preferment those that fared well in the times that were ill with them whether they were zealous in the contrary way or not by such terms of Communion as they shall very hardly comply with or if they have a Latitude beyond men's reach in that kind 't is ten to one but the want of the fear of God will betray them to some vices that will spoil the comfort of all their worldly enjoyments and make them less happy than the greatest sufferers for Nonconformity can be But lastly if Carnal Wisdom should so discern the inconsistency of such Vices with this Worldly Happiness as on that account they should avoid them yet the loss of the Endless Joys of Heaven which such shall never obtain will detect the folly of this sinful Indifference and carnal Compliances I fear these kind of Men will but deride me for all this and be more hardly perswaded to be truly zealous and devout Readers than either the Profane or Erroneous because they have less sense of the things of another Life and what relates thereunto then either of them Concerning the later there is no question and of the former not much for the cares of the World and deceitfulness of Riches are named before the Pleasures of other things in choaking the Heavenly Seed viz. The Doctrine of Eternal Life For though Sensual Pleasures are of another Nature and have other Objects than Spiritual and are therefore called the Pleasures of other things and upon that account must needs discompose the Mind and make it unfit to conceive or injoy the Delights and Pleasure of Communion with God and his Saints in these Holy Exercises yet because we are many times uncapable of such Sensual Pleasures and satiety oft turns to loathing especially for a time this helps men to see the vanity thereof so that they may be disposed by good counsel at such

a time to turn themselves to seek the Pleasures that are always Savory and Lasting of which we can never surfeit But now these Lusts of the World that is Covetousness of Worldly Riches as they are more insatiable than those of the Flesh so they have scarce any recesses they follow us into our Closets and to Church accompany us when Sickness shuts us into our Chambers and even on our very Death beds and nothing but the utter destruction of our Faculties can eradicate this Love of Money These Lusts give us no time or composure for the Hearty and Zealous Service of God but tho' our Bodies be present our Minds being agitated with Thoughts about the World cannot intend what is done to the Honour of God and their Souls Health as they ought Therefore Men of this Temper can't be good Readers till they be converted and their Conversion is very difficult as our Saviour hath taught Matth. 19.24 There remains therefore but this Way to make them Read well That it be for their Worldly Advantage so to do and that none will employ them except they can approve themselves to Read very well and this will make them Study it and it may be Do it as well to the Peoples Edification though not to their own Acceptance with God as the most Pious Men. And it is my humble Request to those who Imploy Readers That they will be sure they do so before they Admit them to the Place and will not suffer themselves by any Importunity Interest Relation or any other thing to be drawn to Accept an ill Reader to the dishonour of this Service whereby we Glorifie God and in which we enjoy the Highest and most Heavenly Delights in our own Minds and Spirits if a good one may be got But because there may be defect of such and that they may be forced to accept such as need the Instruction Incouragement and good Examples of the Ministers to whom they belong my Request is farther That neither their reserving themselves for long and earnest Preaching which I fear God will not bless when set up to the contempt of the Prayers nor Greatness nor Studies nor Business nor any thing else may hinder them from Reading sometimes themselves according to that good Order of our Church which they are many ways obliged to observe and the more obliged for that they receive a large share of the Dignities and Benefits thereof I beseech them therefore that once a Month at the least they will most Devoutly and Solemnly Read the Service of the Church in their own Persons that thereby the Readers may see they have a great love for the same and be excited to do their Part the better in imitation of their Masters For certainly nothing will be so prevalent as the Example of those on whom they depend to make Readers more studious and industrious to do their Duty And to this I also beseech them to add one thing more as that which will be of great avail to beget a reverence and good esteem for our Prayers in the Minds of the People and draw them to attend more Constantly and Devoutly upon them and that is That the Ministers of the Parishes will never omit but when constrained thereunto to be themselves present at the Prayers when ever they are read in their own Churches And also that here in this City where Churches are very near in some of which Prayers are read twice a day that all the Neighbour Ministers will come as often as they can possible to such Prayers It hath been a great Grief and Offence to some good Men as I have heard them complain that they see so few Ministers at the daily Prayers at St. Christophers a Church that stands most advantageously to give Example and Influence to the City and Kingdom where Prayers are read twice every day and the Example of a devout Attendance and good Performance of Eminent Ministers of our Church in that Place would for ought I know Influence the whole Nation unto a greater Reverence for the Publick Worship according to this Order Others I have heard complain of the Ministers retiring into the Vestry all the time of Divine Service as if they came to Church to Study and not to Worship and were not as much concerned in the Common Prayers of the Church as the People I know not what their Plea may be in this Case but I have not been able by my own wit to excuse them to those that have blamed them for it But the worst Complaint of all hath been That of many Ministers who at the time of some eminent Lectures will sit in a Coffee-House till Prayers be almost done and rather let their Company be wanting to the Solemnity of God's Holy Worship than leave a Pipe of Tobacco before it be smoak'd out or not take their usual Dose of Tea or Coffee I confess I have been much troubled to hear of it and am more so to mention it especially thus publickly if the thing were not notorious and in no way that I know of I can assist the Reformation of i● so well as in this which I hope will plead my excuse with all good Men. I know Ministers may be many ways hindred sometimes from attendance at daily Prayers and I am against those that are so censorious in imputing their omission to ill causes no man desires to preserve a greater Reverence and Respect for the Clergy of our Church than my self but yet I cannot excuse them wholly in this matter and therefore I humbly beg that it may not be reckoned any sign of dis-respect that in my Zeal for the Service of God I have proceeded thus far since I believe the good or ill State of this Church depends much on the Esteem or Contempt that is had of its Publick Service of God and the Good Order appointed for the same and upon the Love and Reverence or Neglect and Contempt of it by its Ministers which will very much influence the Minds of the People in this matter I have but one thing more to beg of them which I must crave leave to press with some earnestness which is this That in their Sermons they frequently inculcate the Duty of being constant and devout in attending the Common Prayer and that they prove to their People That it is not only possible but much more easie to be devout in the use of Forms of Prayer than in the Ex tempore Way Methinks when Papists out of a Malicious Design to divide us that they may destroy us and Separatists out of Mistakes of some Scripture Expressions and an Opinion of Experience cry up the way of Ex tempore Prayer in opposition to the Publick Liturgy to the distracting Mens minds and dividing the Church I say surely since it is so the Ministers of our Church should not think themselves unconcerned about the Esteem their People have of the Common Prayer and their Devotion in the use of