Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	affliction_n	great_a	sin_n	1,620	5	5.2580	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19311	Mnemosynum or Memoriall to the afflicted Catholickes in Irelande Comprehended in 2. boockes. in the one ther is a consolation for the sorovvfull, in the other a resolution for the doubtfull. composed by Iohn Copinger priest, bacheler of diuinitie, vvith an epistle of S. Cyprian vvritten vnto the Thibaritans, faythfullie translated by the said authour.	Copinger, John, b. 1571 or 2.; Cyprian, Saint, Bishop of Carthage. Epistle unto the Thibaritans. aut	1606 (1606)	STC 5725; ESTC S118020	76,240	344

punish according to his iustice In all these generall and dolefull calamities of our poore cuntrie so great as neuer any nation vvas subiect vnto through vvarre famine plague out of vvhich none of that poore natiō escaped vvithout his portiō vvherein milliōs did perish such as are liuing or did escape the svvorde or the miserable death of their neighboures are oppressed or rather ouervvhelmed vvith such miseries suche displeasant accidētes as it vvere better for them to end ther miseries by death then to liue in continuall tormentes I vvill take no knovveledge or notice of suche as are the procurers of your troubles I vvould vvhere the fault is committed it had rather bene reformed by thē then reproued by any other But surely the cause of such miseries and afflictions ought rather to be ascribed vnto our ovvne grieuous offences vvhich deserued greater plagues and punishmentes if possiblye greater could be inflicted then vnto any other for the authours are but god almighties instrumētes to beate vs vvith his vvhipp either for the manifold sinnes that vve haue cōmitted that by the same vve may amend our liues be reduced vnto the filiale subiection of our eternall father or els for the triall of our patience and curbinge vs from fallinge into greater inconuenience like as the cunninge phisition to preuent sicknesse to come letteth the patiēt blood in the spring time taking from him superfluitie of blood vvhich vvould ingender diseases in the sommer not that the patient is sicke but least he shoulde be sicke Yf our miseries be the debt that are due vnto the manifold trespasses that vve haue perpetrated or the paine that should follovv the outragious sinnes that vve haue cōmitted vve ought to beare them patientlie to embrase them vvillingly to suffer thē quietly lib. i●dith c. ● It is vvritten in the booke of Iudith that the capitaine of the children of Amon called Achior speaking vnto Holophernes of the Ievves is saied to haue spokē after this sorte their god hateth iniquitie and vvickednesse so our god hateth in vs catholickes vngolidnesse more then in Ievves pagans and heretickes therfore no marueyle being rebellious children vnto god vve should be punished like rebelles and traiturs it is not expedient if vve offend god as vvee haue done that vvee should hope for a revvarde vvhen vve haue deserued paine If Achior the pagan spake these vvordes of the Ievves much more a christian ought to speake them of christiās if these afflictions be sent vnto vs for our triall and exercise of uertue vve ought not to grudge at them but rather to entertaine them most gladly to say vvith the prophet proba me Deus scito cor meum Psal 136● cognosce semitas meas vide si via iniquitatis in me est deduc me in via eterna psal 136. proue me ô god searche my hearte and discerne my steps and see by the straihgt vvay vvhether I vvalke in the vvay of iniquite and lead me by the vvay of euerlasting life Vvhereas novv our troubles rather increase then decrease by the last proclamation vvhich vvas published in all places of Irelande the last October I can giue you no other remedie or comforte then Cē 12. H● per patientiam currere ad propositum nobis certamen aspicientes auctorem fidei consummatorem Iesum ●ebr 14. qui propofito sibi gaudio confusione contempta crucem subijt eum recogitate qui talem sustinuit aduersus semetlpsum contradictionem to runne go forvvard vnto the battaile prepared for vs and vvith patience abide the brunt thereof let vs sayeth the apostle beholde the authour of our fayth vvhose onely ioye vvas to beare entertaine his crosse and not respecting the confusion vnto vvhich he vvas brought neuer left of vntil he said consummatum est it is acomplished remēber saieth he that did suffer such reproches at the handes of sinners Vnto you he drancke the bitter cup of his passion vvhich Chriest vvoulde haue to passe vnto his church and the members thereof For Christ being in the garden of Gethsemani in the darke alone flat vpon his face svveating and praieng and hauing apprehended the sore agonie of his bitter and paynfull passion to come did not desire of his father eternall that the elect of his church should be cherised vvith possessiōs or vvorldly pampered but of that cup he vvould giue them a draught to drincke This holy cup of Chriest is no other thing but tēptation hunger colde thirst persecutiōs exile pouertie and martyrdome of vvhich thinges god giueth to drinck and to tast to such as he hath chosen to serue him and hath predestinated to be saued A stomacke that is ful of bad and corrupte humours and a body that languisheth through disseases must take a sovver purgation vvherby the one shoulde be clensed of the humoures and the other healed of the sicknesse Shall not a miserable soule infected vvith the poyson of sinne corrupted vvith sundrie vices take this holsome potion and purgatiō of Chriest his cup vvherby it should be clensed of the disease and lighted of the heauie burden of malignant humoures Shall not a putrified vvounde be healed by a hoat irō shall not vvee therefore that are catholickes and christiās onely in name but contrarie vnto Christ in our vvourkes and persecutors of Christ and his church in our purposes so incōstāt so malitious in our vvilles so hypocriticall only bearing a shevve of fained holines before man but before god vvho is the searcher of our heartes are foūd stubble dry sprigges fit for hell fire shall not vvee I say be purified by the fire of tribulatiō be chastised by the rodd of affliction to the end vve might be made perfecte mēbers of Chriest his church tryed and vvell trayned souldiers in the cāpe of Iesus But I feare very much that the grieuouse and lamentable complaint of Ezechiel is meant of vs by fill hominis T●●e e. 29 c. I haue put the house of Israel saith he into a for nace of the captiuitie of Babylon hoping that being vvith in the fire of tribulation she vvould resolue to pure gold and fine siluer but she is conuerted into leather lead brasse and Iron This is the meaning of the holy ghoast in this text that man is conuerted into lead vvho being put into the fornace of tribulation cannot only not be amended but from one day to another grovve vvorse and vvorse that man becomes yron to vvhom god hauing sent some punishment to aduertise him in place to be amended he ceaseth not to repine at it He is turned into leather vvho out vvardly seemes to be of holie lyfe vvhen any tribulatiō happeneth he is foūd an hypocrite and that man is resolued into brasse vvho in his dispositiō is intractable in his condition inflexible in his life carelesse in his cōsciēce negligēt so as I feare much that there are farre greater nūber of such as

Zealous of godes honore and haue any care of ther ovvne saluatiō should sooner suffer all afflictions then to make a shipvvreacke of ther religion to suffer them selues to be separated from cuntry from vvife and children from all the vvorld rather then to be separated from the catholicke church though it be subiect to the ragefull tēpest of the deuil against vvhich the vvicked being his instumentes haue combined togither vvhose puissance and formidable attempts vve cannot eschevve and therfore vvhosoeuer continueth vvithin yt must liue in continuall vvarfare and be subiect to many afflictions and tribulations this is the courte of Iesus vvhere the courtiers must expect no greater fauour or priuiledge of him then all manner of afflictiōs and troubles aduersities and persecution Actoeum 5 for this cause ibant apostoli gaudentes a conspectu concilii quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine Iesu cōtumeliam pati the apostles vvent more contented for ther persecutiō thē kinge Salomon to be inuested and crovvned kinge of Iuda and vvhen the apostle saith ego Paulus vinctus in Domino holdeth him self more happie to be fettered in chaines for the loue of god then if he had bene raised to the greatest principalitie of the earth For as in the pallace of princes vvho is most fauored of the kinge is best esteemed of the people so in the house of god his preferment is greatest vvhome Chriest doth most chastice and ought to be put in the ranke of the chiefest friendes of god vvho suffred Tobias to be blinded Daniel to be ymprisoned Susanna to suffer sentence not for ther harme but to expresse the loue he bare them this beinge one proprietie in godes affection to chastice those that he loueth and leaue others to ther destruction the perplexities that vve suffer for godes cause thoughe vve feele them yet god doth beare them and giues vs grace and streingth to indure them if vvee suffer thē for oure ovvne offences or rather for the trial of oure patiēce they ought rather to be called aduertismentes then punishmentes seinge they are corrections to amende vs and not stumblinge blockes to make vs stumble nor heauie burdens vvhose vveight may make vs fall butt they be furnaces necessarie to refine oure fayth and instrumentes vvorkinge to our perfection This is the cause that godlie people are subiect to manifold afflictions vvhen it is said multae tribulationes iustorü Ps many tribulations are incident vnto the iust Dauid said omnes fluctus tuos induxisti super met all the traueiles and dangers oh lorde vvhich thoue vvert vvont equalie Ps 87. to distribuite vnto others thoue hast novve reduced and returned oppon me onlye Iob hauinge lost his goodes and his children said hoc sit mihi consolati● Iob. ● vt affligens me dolore non parcas greater consolation god could not send me then chastisinge my offences to spare no sortes of sorrovves vppō me ad Gal. 6. mihi absit gloriari nisi in cruce Domini nostri Iesu Christi I aske no glorie saith sainct Paule then to indure troubles as by that means to communicate vvith the glorie of Chriest holdinge it no other glorie of this vvorlde then to be in continuall traueles in continual affliction in continuall aduersities all thiese saith he 2. ad Tmi 2. sustineo propter electos I suffer for the elects sake to giue thē example of patience in troubles by the exercise vvherof men becom humble and beinge often tried they are the better iustified as the mettall that through many fiers riseth more to his fynenesse and perfection Beleeue me and assure youre selues that if in patience youe receaue all youre perplexities youe shall receaue youre revvarde vvith others vvho me god made happie by troubles by vvhich ther patience vvas tried ther vertue increased and ther fauour vvith god augmented vvhose examples vveare motiues vnto others to reforme ther liues Ps 76. to be sorrie for ther offences past cogitare dies antiquos annos aeternos in in mente habere and to bethincke vvith them selues there sinfull dayes past in vvhich they haue deserued the eternall and euerlastinge punishmentes that are due vnto such grieuous sinnes if by temporall aduersities and aduertismētes they vvould not be reformed and reclaymed and beinge once moued vvith the cōsideration of the horrible sinnes that vve haue so boldlie committed against god and his lavves as Ezech. Isa 28. vvas vvhen he sayeth recogitabo omnes annos in amaritudine vitae meae vvhen I call to minde hovv I haue mispent my dayes in follie my life must be bitte● and yrcksom vnto me vvee shal find oure paines fare inferioure to oure vvicked merites and oure offences rather touched vvith a mild iustice then strayned by any due conection S. Peter after commitinge that dolfull offence against Chriest did thincke all the punishmentes that coulde be inflicted too litle for him and his eys vvere neuer free from teares the blessed Marie Magdalin esteemed 30. yeeres pennanee in the vvildernesse verye litle in comparison of her offences hauinge altogether banished frō her self all vvordlye delightes that vvas the cause of her fall Dauid beinge strocken vvith this consideration said Ecco in flagellis paratus sum dolor meus in conspectu meo semper Psal 37. behold I am reddye for the vvhip and I hope I shall not vvant in this vvorlde occasions to procure my grief and to increase my paine the blessed apostle S. Paule beinge reconciled vnto god thought all the troubles that he sustained verie light in respect of the sinnes that he hath committed in nothinge did he glorie somuche as in troubles miseries afflictions tribulations and bearinge Chriest his crosse by vvhich said he the vvorld vvas crucified vnto him ad Gal. 6. and he vnto the vvorlde of vvhom the prophet speaketh Ps 38. hic est ille vir cuius nomen Domini spes eius non respexit ad vanitates insanias falsas c. this is he vvhose hope is onlye fixed in god and is not carried avvay vvith the vayne phantasies and deceitfull alurementes of this vvorlde vvhose onlye loue is in the obseruation of godes lavves and vvhose hearte is only occupied therin and is not blinded vvith couetuousnes nor ytched vvith ambition vvhich may say vvith the prophet quid mihi est in coel● a te quid volut super terram Ps 38 Deus cordis mei pars mea Deus in eternum vvhat shall I do in heauen vvithout thee much les haue I to do vvith the earth the god that lodgeth vvithin my breast shal be my portion for euer from vvhose loue saith he neyther persecution Rom. 8. nor tribulation affliction hunger svvord death principalitie angell man deuill or vvorld shal be able to alienat or estrange my hearte for vvhose sake he said mortificamur tota Die c. Ps 43 vve be alvvayse mortified and as it vveare like sheepe appointed for the flaughter

povvet of England began to ebb and decline this farre venerable Beda a holie sainct of the english nation if Oza for touchinge the Arcke of god being a place vvheare the table of the lavve a Reg 7 Moyses rodd and other relickes vvere kept vvas strocken dovvn dead vvith a thūderbolt the beastes vveare stoned to death for going vppon the montaine 4 Reg 13 vvhy should not reaso nable people be seuerlie punished of god for embrevving their murdering handes vvith the innocent blood of his sainctes vvhich be not dead thinges as the arck vveare but the liuing tēples of the holie ghoast vvhich are mediators betvvixt god and mā vvhose auctoritie geuen vnto thē by Chriest exceedeth the povver and iurisdiction eyther of kinges vpon the earth or angels in heauen vvhich haue povver ouer the soules of monarkes and emperours Io 20 Mat 218 vnto vvhom our sauiour sayth vvhose sinnes soeuer you forgiue in earth they shal be forgiuen in heauen c. of vvhom S. Peter saith vos autem genus electum Pec c 2 regale sacerdotium gens sanctae c. you are the chosen stocke the hinglie priesthoode the holie familie people pickt out that you should declare his vvonders c. although many priestes be ignorant and full of imperfections for amongest so many there must be som good some bad the church of Chriest being like vnto the net of the gospell that dravveth all sort of fishes for in this church vvee say dimitte nobis c. forgiue vs onr trespasses of vvhich trespasses the apostles tgem selues being the first fruit of the holie gkoast vvere not exempted vvhē they said vvee offend god in many thinges Psal 13 52 Eccle. 7 Prou. 20. Iac. 1 1. Io. 1. Hie 2. Cōc Nileni and if vve say vvee haue no sinne vvee deceaue our selues as S. Iohn saith amongest the apostles there vvas a Iudas among the angels vvhich are puri actus pure spirites and incorruptible ther vvere many that fell among the children of Adam the murtherer Cain and innoe cent Abel euen so among priests and although there are many by vvhose euill life and vngodlie behauiour the church suffreth great scandal yet thrankes be to god there are many vertuous godlie cōtinēt not ytched vvith ambition not defiled vvith riotousnes not blinded vvith couetousnes not infected or spotted vvith any mortall offence vvhose conuersation is in heauen and vvhose glorie is the sinceritie of an vndefiled conscience vvhose continuall exercise is the mortification of their proper appetites and vvhose threasure is a soule decked and replenished vvith the influence of grace and the vertues that do follovv it as S. Augaract 5. ●●ea Augustin saith Sacerdos si Luxuriosus est siauarus c. If the priest be riotous couetuous or proud vvhat passeth through his handes is not defiled the sacramentes that he handles remayne vnspoted for as the purgation that the physition sendeth is nothing the vvorse for the patient though he that ministreth it vnto him be bad so the sacramentes of the lavve of grace vvhich are send frō the phyfition of our soules by the priest for the curing of the disease therof haue not their vertue from the priest that ministreth them but by the merites of Chriest his passiō that ordained them and as the priestes in the old lavve being but figures of the priesthood of the lavve of grace vvere obeied of the people vnder paine of death Deutr. ●7 much more Chriest his priestes should be obeied of Christians of vvhom him self spoke these vvordes vvhosoeuer despiseth you despiseth me 〈…〉 and vvhoso euer heareth you heareth me and as S. Cypriā saith qui Christo non credit sacerdotem facienti lib. 4. ep 9. postea credere incipiet sacerdoti vindicanti vvhosoeuer that beleueth not Chriest ordaining and instituting preesthood he must belcue Chriest reuenging the quarell of priestes and especialie on those that punishe them as tray turs and banish them as offenders THE SECOND BOOKE VVHEREIN THE doubteful are resolued The sanctitie of those that planted the catholick religion and the impietie of the impugners therof ought to confirme our religion CAP. I. VVHen faith is a vertue infused by god by vvhich vvee doe beleue euerie thinge that god doth reueale vnto his churche and the churche doth propose vnto the faithful to beleeue then Caluin and Luder haue noe faith vvhen they do not beleeue in the Catholike churche nor in the communion of Sainctes c. for accordinge to all the diuins and to the holie scripturs vvhosoeuer beleeues not euerie article of our faith hath no faith and vvhen theese do misbeleeue moste or all the said articles they can haue no solid or sounde faith at all Religion is nothing els then a bindinge and consecratinge of our selues vnto god in suche sorte as vve should neuer forsake him vvhen Luder and Caluine and the rest of the apostles of their pretended reformation or rather of their ovvne cōfusion and manifest destruction of all religion and pietie haue quite forsaken god vnto vvhom by solemne vovv they vvere dedicated haue forsaken their religion haue brocken their promisse haue volated and transgressed their sacred vovves and haue caused others to do the like vve may easilie perceaue that there is no religion in them and vvhen they haue no religion them selues hovv may vvee become religious by them vvhen in their dealinges vvee see nothing but all irreligious impietie the effect of good religion are good vvorkes according to S. Iames to visit and succurre orphans Iac. ● and vvidovves in their tribulation and to kepe him selfe vnspotted in this vvorld vvhat good vvorkes may vvee expecte of these people that do say that all our good vvorkes are sinnefull that god doth not care for them that according to Luder his doctrine the more detestable a man is the more acceptable before god and according to Caluine god is the authour of sinne and all vvickednesse not onlie the efficient or physical cause that vvorketh sinne but also the morall cause that persvvadeth it that vvhen sanctitie according to S. Thomas is the flovver of religion 5 Th●i 2 ● 6 vvhich is nothinh else then to offer vnto god our soule vvith all the povvers therof vnspotted and voide of all filth of deadlie sinne and the handmaides of vvhich sanctitie be praiers and deuotion D. Th. ibid. by the one vve do enioy gods familiar presence by the other vve obtaine promptitude and vvillingnesse to serue him vvhat sanctitie praiers or deuotion may vvee expect of them vvhen they be impious contemners and blasphemers theof vvhen they vvith all deuilish despight and ragefull tyrannie persecute not onlie the professors therof but also churches monasteries chapples oratories and all other places vvhere the same may be exercised disprouing dissanulling and despising all religious vovves and votaries for by solemne vovves vvee may become perfect seruantes of Chriest and intimate vvith him and become as it vvere dead