Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	answer_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	34	3	9.8169	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19503	Pathmos: or, A commentary on the Reuelation of Saint Iohn diuided into three seuerall prophecies. The first prophecie contained in the fourth, fift, sixt and seuenth chapters. By Mr. William Cowper, Bishop of Galloway.	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.	1619 (1619)	STC 5931; ESTC S108985	231,291	374

righteousnesse c. So the Horse whereupon this Conquerour is carryed through the world is the Ministerie of the Word Primasius by the Horse vnderstands Apostles and Preachers Ministers without the Word are not to be receiued and the Word without a Minister able to preach it is not profitable These two the Lord in his most wise dispensation hath ioyned together For it hath pleased God by the foolishnesse of Preaching to saue them who beleeue The Horse then is the Ministerie of the Word The Gospell preached is the Chariot and Horses whereby this King is carried through the world As in the gouernement of the world hee vseth the Ministerie of Angels so in the gathering and gouerning of his Church hee vseth the Ministery of Preachers Who can heare but by Preaching and who can preach except they be sent These are figured by Horses first for the courage wherewith they are endued This is obserued by the Lord himselfe as a speciall property of the Horse He mocketh at feare and is not afraid hee turneth not back from the sword And doubtlesse Preachers in whom Christ is and vpon whom hee rides are valiant and couragious men Their fore-head is like the Adamant and harder then the Flint They feare no death they faint for no trouble that can follow them in the seruice of Christ. Notable was that answer of Andrew the Apostle when Egeas Gouernour of Patris vpbraided him with the death of the Crosse hee answered that he would neuer haue preached the honour and glory of the Crosse if he had feared it And as the seruants of God are farre from that timiditie which makes men vnfaithfull in the cause of God so are they as farre from temerity whereby men ignorantly zealous are precipitate and carried head-long to accelerate for euery light conceite of their braine trouble on themselues Their zeale is like a fire kindled of stubble or straw which makes a faire blaze for the time but because it hath no matter to maintaine it vanisheth incontinent and endeth in vngracious smoaking I wish we had no example of any such among vs it is a shame to the Gospell to speake the one day and retreate the other A wrong cause will neuer furnish strength in trouble wisedom requires that men before-hand should ponder and consider well the cause for which they will resolue to suffer affliction Againe Preachers are figured by Horses and Christ going forth to conquer appeares riding on a Horse to note the speed and celerity which hee was to vse in propagation of the Gospell And indeed it is wonderfull to see how in a short time the Lord Iesus ranne through the world by the Ministerie of his Word ouercomming and subduing to his obedience most mighty Kingdomes by most weake Instruments This is well obserued by Cyprian Bishop of Carthage and Martyr Ecce à Domini Redempt●…ris temporibus anni effluxerunt plus minùs 240. iamque huius vitis palmites latiùs se sparserunt quàm Romanum Imperium It is little more or lesse saith he of two hundred and forty yeares since the daies of Christ the Redeemer and yet in this time the Church hath spred out her Branches larger then the Romane Empire Et qu●…s nulla ferri vis domare potuit emollit sanguis Agni candidi and they whom no power of the sword was able to daunt are made peaceable and tame by the bloud of the vnspotted Lambe Among many of that sort how the Lord hath beene mercifull to Scotland in that about sixteene hundred yeares this Conquerour with his white Horse entred in among vs and subiected vs to himselfe whom the Romanes could neuer subiect to their Empire I haue at large declared in that Treatise Intituled Six daies conference betweene a Catholike Christian and a Catholike Romane And againe as the Horse is bridled and ruled and turned here or there by him that rides vpon it and is not left to himselfe to wander where-away he will so is it with Preachers of the Gospell they are directed to Countries Kingdomes and Cities at the good pleasure of Christ they neither come nor go by accident but by the prouidence of God A notable example hereof we haue in S. Paul hee was of purpose to go to Bithinia but the Spirit suffered him not yea commanded him to go to Macedonia And albeit now the Lord doth not informe his seruants by such extraordinary reuelations yet doth he still worke with them in the same manner appointing them to such places and people as in his Wisedome hee thinkes most expedient Take heed to the flocke ouer which the Holy Ghost hath made you Ouerseers and they are as starres in the right hand of Iesus they shine not but where hee holds out his hand and sends them This is a warning to Preachers if they looke to haue their Ministry blessed of the Lord let them not goe where the calling of God leades them not Other riders are helped by their horses but heer the horse is helped by the rider for what is a Preacher if Christ bee not with him and worke in him he is like a Pen without a hand it can write nothing a tongue without a heart it can speake nothing a musicall instrument without one to touch it can make no sound at all We are not able of our selues sufficiently to thinke a good thought all our sufficiency is of God Sith it is so our care should be to carry our Lord alway in our Conscience how should we wait vpon him how should wee most carefully keepe him sith without him wee are able to doe nothing It is written of Bucephalus the horse of Alexander that hee would suffer none to ride vpon him but his owne master whether that be true or not sure it is this is most true Preachers should not be Asses like Issachar couching downe to receiue euery burden that any man will lay vpon them but they are horses for Christ onely to ride vpon Yea all other Christians in their callings are also to looke vnto this that the commandement and direction of their waies bee reserued onely to Iesus Christ Beatae animae quae dorsum suum cur●…arunt vt suscipiant Sessorē verbum Dei fraenacius patiuntur vt quocunque ipse voluerit flectat eas quia non iam propria voluntate incedunt sed ad omnia ducuntur reducuntur voluntate Sessoris Blessed are the soules which bow their backes to receiue The Word of God to ride vpon them who are content to be bridled by him and turned where-away hee will these walke not after their owne will but are turned hither and thither at the good pleasure of him who rides vpon them But to returne and conclude this second point As there is no horse which needeth not the spurre and the bridle the one to stirre him forward the other to gouerne him in

PATHMOS OR A COMMENTARY ON THE REVELATION of Saint IOHN diuided into three seuerall Prophecies THE FIRST PROPHECIE contained in the fourth fift sixt and seuenth Chapters By Mr. WILLIAM COWPER Bishop of Galloway Abacuk 2. 3. The Vision is yet for an appointed time but at the last it shall speake and not lye though it tarry waite for it shall surely come and shall not stay LONDON Printed by George Purslow for Iohn Budge and are to be sold at the signe of the greene Dragon in Pauls Church-yard 1619. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE LORD my Lord of Binning President of the Colledge of IVSTICE Secretary to his Maiesty and one of his Highnesse most Honorable Priuy Councell in both the Kingdomes MY LORD THIS Prophesie was properly cōpared by Primasius to a precious Gemme or Orientall Pearle not found in the clifts of rockes or shels of fishes but sent from Heauen for a Present to the Church on Earth by Iesus the splendor of the glory of his Father and that bright Orient which hath visited vs from on high He giueth it in a Loue-token to his Church who for it gaue himselfe to the death Doubtlesse it must bee some great Present which is sent from so great a King by the hand of that Seruant whom he loued best in the world This Iewell hath come in the hands of many who being strangers not acquainted with Canaan from which it came haue out of wrong conception iudged it to bee adulterine But all the Lords Lapidaries who haue seene the precious stones wherwith the walls of Heauenly Ierusalem are garnished haue easily perceiued this to be from heauen also yea and among all the rest most admirable for it partakes with all these both in color and vertue and serueth Saints not for decoration onely but declaration also of many secrets which greatly concerne their state Of old Vrim and Thummim were placed by God in that Pectorall of the high Priest called by the Iewes Hosen by the Greekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but what it was or how by it God gaue answere to his people Israel many Diuines in that point are diuinators speaking more out of coniecture then certaine knowledge Iosephus records that these stones by change of their colour gaue signification of things to fall out eyther aduerse or prosperous Sigonius in his Treatise of the Hebrewes Republick seemes to haue followed him The report that Suidas brings from an vncertaine Author is as vncertaine as the Author that if battell was imminent the stones turned red if death was foretold they turned black if no change of estate was to ensue then the stones changed not their colour at all One thing is sure God by them gaue answere to his seruants that sought him as may bee cleared by many places of Scripture But of this booke wee may boldly affirme that it is indeed a heauenly Oracle foretelling in types the truth of things as they were to fall out to the worlds end at the first it sheweth a white colour importing comfortable grace by the Gospell now and immortall glory hereafter Incontinent it turneth to a red colour foreshewing bloudy persecutions which Saints must suffer before they enioy the Crown Then againe it appeareth with a blacke colour to declare that blackenesse of wrath temporall and eternall which abideth the enemies of the Church In some parts it looketh darke in others cleare like the Christall yet through all more or lesse transparent and therewith variable with sundry sheddes among which most apparant are three seuerall rankes of Seuens stretching themselues in most comely order through this Iewell and wherein the Lord hath secretly inclosed treasures of manifold wisedome In the Seales vnsealed secrets are disclosed In the Trumpets battels are denounced In the Uials plagues are powred out The purpose in these three is not one yet by a comely proportion and correspondence doe they answere one to another Many haue handled this Iewell not to finde it by their labour that were impossible but to finde themselues by the valew of it For that cause among others I haue also looked vpon it truely for none other end but that I might learne from it and now what I haue seene I shew submitting my selfe to the Church for whose profit I haue taken these paines If the light of the booke hereby be any way encreased and comfort arise to the good Christian the praise is the Lords and vnder God thankes is due to your Lordship for by your louing counsell care I haue beene relieued of many intricate matters of Law and found the greater leysure and liberty both to attend my studies Thus hath your Lordship beene a Mecaenas to me indeed Good men oftentimes are forced to expresse great affections by small meanes and so now it fareth with me yet I trust your Lordship will esteeme of mee not as I am but as I desire to be on your behalfe But it is no reason I should requite deeds with words I know your Lordship doth neyther like them nor need them Where Vertue giueth out her beames euen her enemies are forced to acknowledge her glory yet thus much out of duty must I speake that by many Coards of loue hath your God bound you to be thankefull to him Vertue is weake without some aduersity neither can that felicity bee found on earth that communicates not with some crosse Some are raised to wealth but the lesse regarded by reason of their base Linage Some Noble by parentage but depressed with pouerty many beautified both with Nobility and riches who want the delight of children others haue the comfort of children but with the turning of a few yeares they turne crosses vnto them there is no estate so prosperous against which there is not iust cause of complaint Thus runneth the common currant of worldly courses here on earth But will your Lordship turne your eyes a little from others and looke to your selfe you shall see what cause your Lordship hath aboue others to say with Dauid Many wayes hath the Lord beene beneficiall to his Seruant beeing for Linage descended of a wise and worthy Father of an Honourable Family famous among many others of that most flourishing Trybe of Hammilton Honourable also for the places of honour which you possesse but much more for the vertue whereby you haue worthily deserued them for it is a greater thing to deserue Honour then to haue it but where by Vertue it is obtained by Wisedome encreased and by good Gouernement reteined all which are euident in your Lordship What can be more Your children thankes be to God no crosses but comforts like branches of the Oliue promised to such as feare God they stretch out themselues from the sides of your Tabie and without disparagement are matched with the mighty Cedars of the Land For your selfe I haue nothing to say but that which I know no man can gaine-say If quickenesse of ingine vigour of ready witte wisedome in words discretion