Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A04840
|
Two sermons. vpon the Act Sunday, being the 10th of Iuly. 1625 Deliuered at St Maries in Oxford.
|
King, Henry, 1592-1669.; King, John, 1559?-1621. aut
|
1625
(1625)
|
STC 14972; ESTC S108030
|
43,354
|
86
|
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And because he would be sure not to be vnderstoood here short of his meaning he puts sinnes in the plurall which enwraps all greater and lesser For so Marlorat in his Ecclesiasticall Exposition renders the word Praevaricationes Praeuarications which are not onely facts of malice but collusions too and may containe our intended sinnes as well as committed For so he explicates himselfe Dauid eoram Deo se sistens sensus omnes suos effudit Wilt not thou confesse thy riots as well as thy Murthers the pollution of thy thoughts as well as of thy Actions Christ thy Sauiour suffered for both he bled for both Though thy great sinnes opened the wide Riuer in his side and the curreÌ„ts in his hands and feete thy smallest sinnes scracht him in the thornes which he wore vpon his head or at least opened a Pore in his sacred Bodie For how knowest thou but that as he bled for thy crimson sinnes as Esay calls them through those larger wounds so he sweat bloud for the sinnes of thy thoughts that as he suffered for thy great offences vpon the Crosse so he suffered for thy lesser crimes in the Garden that as he did vndergoe a publique passion for the one so he had an antepassion for the other in his Agony that as for thy foulest transgressions he became a red Sea a true Iordan a sanguine Riuer the head of which streame began at Mount Caluary So before his Ascent thither in a lower place not farre from the Brooke Cedron he suffered his body to become a Marish when for thy sake the bloud wept out at euery Pore Take heed therefore how thou vnderratest any sinne since in the Inuentory of thy Sauiours passion they were all rated He dyed for all And do not neglect those faults which are the smallest in thy Catalogue For euen that sinne which whispers now and is only peccatum susurrans carried about in a still report and in the common fame wounds and traduces thee but closelie will in a litle time become Peccatum clamans a shrill and crying sinne That which is now a Grane in weight may proue a Pound and that which was but a single fault at first by an vnblest faecundity may multiply into Sinnes For culpa culpaÌ„ excutit one sinne is strooke out of another like sparkes they conuey fire one to the other Doe not suffer therefore the Embers of sinne any loose thoughts or vitious Imaginations to lurke within thy bosome least at length those subterraneous fires breake out like Aetâ—â— and burne thee in their hot Flames Minutae guttae pluuiae nonne flumina implent domos deijciunt Thou seest the raine which causes the land floud at first onely distills in small drops take heed then how thou lettest any vice drop in vpon thy senses If a temptation insinuate into thine eares or onely beat in at the casements of thy eyes those litle flawes those cranies if not stopt betimes will make way for the ruine of the whole Fabrâ—ke Marcus Eremita excellently saies that Sinne is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like a subtile net consisting of many foulds which if not warily avoided will entangle the whole body Whensoeuer therefore that Fowler whose taske hath bin to ensnare soules offers his Net at thee seekes to fasten a small sinne vpon thee quit thy selfe betimes by a Repentance and in a true confession discharge thy selfe of all thou knowest euen to thy smallest trespasse Remembring that wise saying in Ecclesiasticus Qui spernit modica paulatìm decidet he that contemnes small faults shall fall insensiblie And to make this confession of thine more perfect as thou acknowledgest the Offence so acknowledge the Offender Qui rem non tacuerit non tacebit authorem If thou confesse the Fact and yet deny the Author say thou hast sinned but blame some others as an Occasion or Accessory to thy sinne thou do'st not then accuse thy selfe but endite another thou do'st not make a just confession but by a Recrimination seeke to excuse thy selfe Dauid here makes no such 〈◊〉 or faint confession He doth not say onely what was done but who did it coÌ„fesses a Propriâ—ty makes title to those sins My sins We are all naturally prone to transfer our sins vpon others Adam cries The woman which thou gauest me And Gabriel Biel mentions some that vsed to blame the Planets which raigned at their Natiuities for the sinnes vnto which they were enclined If they had ill dispositions Satarne was in fault if they were Theeues Mercurie made them so if incontinent and amorous Venus was to be blam'd not they A folly worthy of no refutation but laughter did I not see it possessed some in that high nature that they do not onely accuse the Influences of Heauen but pronounce God himselfe who gaue motion to those starres as the Author of their sinne Most strange and fearefull illusion that any should imagine God a Plotter for Damnation that he should combine with the Deuill to sâ—pplant soules that he should make a Prison and then make Offenders for that prison that he should build a Hell and cause men to sin that they might be condemned vnto that place of Torment O farre be the thought of this from our hearts Let God be glorified and all men reputed blasphemous Lyars that speake or imagine thus Let vs say with the Psalmist I haue sinned and I alone and in these words acknowledge I will confesse against myselfe those sinnes which I haue committed against thee resting vpon that excellent conclusion of Fulgentius Non potest esse illius Author cujas est 〈◊〉 It is impossible that God should be an Agent in sinne whose office is to avenge sinne and to punish the sinner For if thou say or thinke otherwise thou wilt proue a deuill to thy God slander and accuse him to his face of sinne who is the Confessor to receiue the acknowledgement of thy sinne The Lord. I said I will confesse my sinnes vnto the Lord. We take a liberty to tell God those things which for shame we dare not communicate vnto men Multi quod scire homineÌ„ nolunt Deâ— mirrant saith Seneca He spake in the worst sense 't is true in the best We need not be ashamed to discouer our selues our Actions our Thoughts to God who as he delights not in the death of a sinner so neither glories he in the shame of a sinner When we shrift our selues to men we aduenture our credits vpon their secrecy and confesse to our owne disadvantage since it is in their power to betray vs. If the Conclaue of Cardinals would haue suffered S. Chrysostomes Cauear to haue bin entered amongst them they neuer would in the Laterane Councill haue decreed a necessity of Auricular Confession nor in the Trent Councill haue established that former Decree Take heed how thou tellest thy defects to a man saith Chrysostom least he cast
where Domine miserere is set to keepe the doore Neuerthelesse as in Samsons riddle Out of the eater came meate out of the strong came sweetenesse so from the greatest terrours of this deuouring disease much hony and sweetenesse and comfort may bee extracted if we first know the causes of the Pestilence The Physicians of the body seeke the causes in nature and assigne two An outward from the contagion of the aire An inward from the constitution of our bodies But the Physitians of the Soule make their search beyond nature and for the true outward cause looke aboue nature to the will and Prouidence of Allmightie God for the inward cause looke belowe nature vpon the corrupt will Sinne of man Both these Dauid here acknowledged within him Peccauivalde without him and aboue him it was Manus Domini Both which he comprehendes Ps. 38. 2. 3. Thine arrowes stick fast in me thy hand presseth mee sore there is no soundnesse in my flesh nor rest in my bones Why because of my sinne And from both these wee may take many soueraigne Praeseruatiues 1 Whatsoeuer befalls vs in the time of Pestilence comes from the hand of the Lord by his will and permission Let vs not therefore like angry dogs which runne after the stone that is throwen at them behold with impatience and murmure the prints of Gods arrow which â—lyes by day but looke to that hand that sent it and be huÌ„bled vnder Gods hand And in the 2d. place let vs perswade our selues that whatsoeuer comes from the Lord shall tend to our good and saluation All things worke together for the good of them that feare him Peccata quoque saith St. Aug. Our sinnes wrought that vnspeakable good when they occasioned the comming of a Redeemer who wrought the good of our saluation 30 and odd yeares here vpon earth And they still worke for our good in calling for chastisements which are good for vs. But in the 3d. place The deserts of our sinnes doe farre goe beyond all our most insupportable sufferings How much more then are we to magnifie the Father of mercies that neuer deales with his children according to the proportion of their transgressions And if that God of pure eyes did not behold iniquitie in vs his hand would neuer be heauy vpon vs. Therefore 4thly If we desire to prevent the infection of the Pestilence we mnst flye the nfection of our owne concupiscence and purifie our hearts by faith and vnfained repentance For it is the first degree of madnes Nolle quempiam à malis suis iustè quiescere Deuâ— iniustè a suâ velle vltione cessare To expect that the Lord should rest from his most just worke of punishing vs if we will not rest from our owne vniust workes of provoking him Thus perhaps we may divert the Pestilence from our persons And as our Kingly Prophet coÌ„forts himselfe and all the godly A thousand may fall at our side ten thousand at our right hand yet it shall not come neere vs. But if it be approch't so neere that we are not neerer to our selues that it is euen vpon vs there is neuerthelesse balme in Gilead there are remedies at hand Iob praescribes a cordiall Hope euen aboue hope Though he slay me yet I will trust in him St Luke himselfe being a Physitian but from the mouth of a greater praescribes an excellent diet which is Patience In your patience possesse yee your Soules St Iames Prayer which is a medicine both purgatiue and praeseruatiue Is any among you afflicted let him pray Is any sicke let him call others to pray with him This will either remooue the Plague from vs or vs from the Plague What then dost thou feare O man of litle faith Doth solitarinesse affright thee because thou art an vnwilling Heremite in a peopled citie shut vp froÌ„ the society of freinds acquaintance Thou foole Angels will be thy Guardians and the Lord himself thy Keeper to make thy bed in all thy sicknes Doth Death appale thee Aristotle's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Bildad's King of Terrors Why this is thy Debt to Nature thy Passage to Glory And what though the Pestilence be appointed one of Death's Collectors and Tole-gatherers to gather thee to the rest of thy Fathers This may separate thy soule from thy body but in S. Paul's confidence What shall bee able to separate thee froÌ„ the loue of God in Christ Iesus Let vs therefore willingly cheerefully with holy Dauid submit our bodies to fall into the hand of the Lord to fall by his hand into the mouth of the graue so long as we may securely with Dauid commend our spirits into the hands of the same Lord. But let me not fall into the hand of man I shall giue you this Negatiue part of his Resolution in few words The hand of man is his power and his power becomes formidable by his Malice Why boastest thou in mischeif O mightie man Dauid had oftentimes the experience of this malicious power of men as in that Psalme he coÌ„plains of Doeg's ealumnies and elswhere of Saul's furie and Sheba's treacherie nay his owne sonne Absalom's conspiracy Shimei's cursing and railing and the like No wonder then if he so feelingly except against the hand of man For in the Originall it is set downe by way of petition with vehemence and importunitie Incidamus obsecro Let vs I pray It shall be a great courtesie and happines to fall into the hand of the Lord but by no meanes into man's hand Albeit he puts them into the ballance and this be but the hand of Adam which is the word in the Originall weake fraile corruptible contemptible vaine man nay vanitie it selfe that the hand of Iehova the Lord of power and strength But the goodnes of the Lord endures continually as it followeth in that before-alleaged 52. Ps. This goes hand in hand as an inseparable companion with his power whereas man's power is seldome seene in so good company And did not the Lord set limits to the malice of man like to the raging sea thus farre shalt thou goe and no farther did not he shorten and direct the power of man better then he intends it No flesh could be saued Doe not we heare S. Paul speake of one man biting and deuouring another Doth there not stand vpon record an encounter of his with beasts at Ephesus Homo homini lupus Man is a Wolfe a Panther a Tiger most vnnaturall to his owne kinde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When he is once flesht with bloud he becomes as insatiable as the Horse-leech He was at the first created milde and gentle but afterwardes he tooke this ill qualitie from him who was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a manslayer from the beginning There is manus Linguae the hand or power of the tongue Let me not fall into the power of man's