Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bad_a	good_a	sin_n	1,576	5	5.0139	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B04981	A warning-piece to repentance presented in an assize-sermon preached in the cathedral chruch of Lincoln. Aug. 15. 1664. / By William Reresby doctor in divinity.	Reresby, William, d. 1670.	1664 (1664)	Wing R1123; ESTC R182680	27,476	70

145.17 so ●e you just in all your Sentences These are the three Motives which Je●●shaphat presented to his Judges to stir them up to carefulness I have only given ●ou the same And I beseech you my LORD remember 1. That you judge not 〈◊〉 Man but for the Lord. 2. That God ●s with you in Judgment 3. That there 〈◊〉 no injustice in the Lord your God And ●hen I am sure as you are the mortal picture ●f the Immortal God so you as he will ●ever punish without a cause and those judgments that you execute will be al●ayes just and righteous 2. This Exhortation doth extend it self to Lawyers Do you after Gods example look at the justness of mens Cau●●s and be more ready to compose than ●art differences It is Panormitan's ad●ice Promptior sit quisque vestrum ad ●mponendum quam ad contendendum And ●bove all things take heed that you do not knowingly plead a bad Cause else you cannot be good men Bonus vir non agit nisi bonas causas as Quintil. tells you Pl●●tarch reports That Phocyon would not defend his Son-in-law Charles in an evil Cause Why should you Strangers Undertake good Causes only and having undertaken them betray them not for want of pleading Take not Fees of both sides Demosthenes said to one of his Fellow-Lawyers that brag'd he had receiv'd 〈◊〉 Talent for his Pleading Tush Fool I ha●● more for holding my Peace Some Lawyers sell their very silence at a great rate but would they deal uprightly it would be more for their advantage Some write of the Ostriches feather that it will in time moult and consume all the feathers in the T●● wherein it is put Sure I am unlawful Fees will consume those Treasures which you have well gotten You may indeed by playing Jack-a-both-sides or by being for any side right or wrong heap up an Estate suddenly but it will neither do you nor yours any great good for it will not be permanent An inheritance may be hastily gotten at the beginning but the end thereof shall not be blessed Prov. 20.21 3. This Exhortation doth extend it self unto Jurors they are also to take heed of wrong-doing Remember thy Oath ●●d as far as thou canst search out the Truth receive thy Informations attentive●● and seriously before thou goest out and then all by-respects set aside deliver ●●y Conscience clearly and plainly Let ●ot the nearness of Kinsmen the malice thou hast to any man the frowns of great ●en nor the hope of reward from rich ●en cause you to clear the Guilty or oppress the Innocent I speak to you all not ●o the Foreman only I have heard indeed that in Juries all the rest are apt to follow the first as if they were so many Hor●es in a Teem But I beseech you remember that you are all to kiss the Book as well as your Foreman and therefore be not any wayes byass'd or coy'd in by him to bring in an unjust Verdict but act according to your Consciences Sheep will follow the first qua itur non quà eundum whether it be right or wrong but you are Twelve men not twelve sheep and therefore let reason and conscience and not example only be your guide 4. This Exhortation doth likewise extend it self unto Witnesses they must by all means take heed of wrong-doing Remember Gods Commandment Thou shall not bear false witness against thy Neighbour Exod. 20.16 Do not forget thy Oath take heed of Perjury It is Mendacium juramento firmatum a Lye confirmed by an Oath Thou shalt swear in truth and judgment and righteousness Jer. 4.2 Si ista defuerint saith St. Jerom nequaquam erit juramentum sed perjurium If these be wanting it is not an Oath but Perjury The Prophet Zachary saw a flying Roll and in it a curse written against Thieves and Swearers such as swear rashly and falsly Zach. 5.3 4. The curse of God will follow thee to thy house it is impossible to over-run it for it will flie after thee and when it comes there it will not stand knocking at thy door and be gone but it shall remain in the midst of thy house and shall consume it with the Timber thereof and the stones thereof Did men consider this Threatning well they would not sell Oaths so cheap as they say some do It is not thy Landlords abating thee a little Rent or his giving thee a piece of Money now and then not his making thee eat and drink of the best and to the full all the Assizes for swearing lustily in his Cause and coming to him before-hand to know what it is that will do the deed Alas it is not all this nor greater things than these thou possibly may'st gain by forswearing thy self that can lie in balance against the displeasure of Almighty God Though thou couldest gain the whole World for thy Perjury thou wouldest for all that be a great loser by the bargain For what shall it profit a man ●f he shall gain the whole World and lose ●is own soul Mark 8.36 These four Judges Lawyers Jurors Witnesses are in ●he first place more particularly concern'd 〈◊〉 this Use of Exhortation 2. Those that suffer under Gods and howsoever and the Exhortation to ●hem is double 1. To justifie God in their sufferings ●cknowledging themselves sinners and that ●e also is righteous in all that he hath done This hath been the constant practice of all ●e Saints of God in Scripture as St. Au●stine observes upon Psal 145. Omnes ●ncti in tribulationibus constituti non de●●runt Deo injustitiam c. The Lord is ●ighteous saith the Church in the Lamen●●tions Chap. 1.18 for I have rebelled ●gainst his Commandment O Lord righ●●usness belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of faces Dan. 9.7 saith Daniel Chap. 9.7 Again The Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doth for we obeyed not his voyce Ver. 14. ver 14. O my God saith Ezra I am asham'd and blush to lift up my face to thee for our iniquities are incrcas●● over our head Ezra 9.6 and our trespass is grown up unto the Heavens Chap. 9.6 And in ver ult Ver. 15. O Lord God thou art righteous behold we are before thee in our trespasses Howbeit Neh. 9 33 saith Nehemiah Thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly Chap. 9.33 I know O Lord that thy judgments are right saith David and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me Psal 119.75 Psal 119.75 Again Righteous art thou O Lord Ver. 137. and upright are thy judgments ver 137. Or as it is in the Original upright is thy judgments To shew that every one of his judgments is upright and so David confessed for when a Verb singular is join'd with a Substantive plural i● notes a distribution Again Psal 51.4 Against thee only have I sinned and don● this evil in thy

he is contented that the 〈◊〉 of his immediate Worship shall for that purpose be for a time intermitted and suspended When Joshua and the Elders of Israel were crying to God in prayer mark Gods Reply Get thee up why lyest thou upon thy face Josh 7.10 something else is now to be done Israel hath sinned I am highly provoked Achan must dye Though the prayer of the upright be Gods delight Prov. 15.8 Though prayer be the most acceptable piece of all God's service Cant. 2.14 Let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voyce for sweet is thy voyce and thy countenance is comely Yet Joshua is here called from his Devotion to the execution of Justice Reas 3 Not to mention any more the third Reason is taken from his Judicial Office at the latter day He shall judge the World ponderrng the particular actions of men and weighing them as it were in a balance So Solomon in the last of Ecclesiastes God will bring every work into judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or evil And if every work then among the rest wrong-doing and injurious dealing Now this he cannot do if injustice and wrong should be found in any of his actions A Judge must not be guilty of those things he condemns in others The Philosopher being ask't on a time why he laugh'd answer'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I see great Thieves lead a little Thief to hanging And this reason I find laid down Rom. 3.5 6. Is God unrighteous c How then shall he judge the World So Gen. 18.25 Shall not the Judge saith Abraham of all the Earth do right q. d. O Lord Thou art Judge of all the Earth How then can it be but thou shouldest do right Now for Application And the Use hereof is threefold For Instruction Consolation and Exhortation Use 1 1. For Instruction If God never punish without a cause if the judgments that he executes are alwayes just and righteous it teacheth us when any punishment is upon us how to obtain deliverance from it viz. by taking away the cause thereof The cause of any thing being taken away its effect ceases according to that Rule Sublatâ causâ tollitur effectus But what 's the cause of all kind of punishments The Prophet Jeremy shall tell you Lam. 3.39 Man suffereth for his sin And David Psal 107.17 Fools because of their transgressions and because of their iniquity are afflicted Remove thy sins then and forsake them and be washed from them and let them be unto thee as the waters of Noah which God hath sworn shall no more go over the Earth not returning with the Deg unto his vomit again nor with the Sow to her wallowing in the mire and then God will remove his judgments Thou deceivest thy self if thou expect deliverance any other way Jer. 30.15 Why cryest thou for thine affliction Thy sorrow is incurable And why For the multitude of thine iniquities because thy sins were increased Thou dost not cease to multiply and increase thy sins and iniquities daily and yet cryest unto me for thine affliction that I should take it away why dost thou so its in vain I neither can no● will till thou take away thy sins Use 2 The second Use is for Consolation and the Consolation of those whose Friends that are dear unto them are any wayes afflicted or visited under God's hand Look into the 14th Chapter of Ezekiel the Lord threatning there to smite Jerusalem with a deadly destruction bringing his four sore judgments as he calls them upon it The Sword the Famine Noysom Beasts and the Pestilence yet promises that a remnant should escape he would spare some few But what favour was that They had better have perished with the rest than survive with grief of heart and sorrow of eyes to see the destruction of their neighbours kinsfolks friends and acquaintance round about How can I endure saith Esther to see the destruction of my people No saith God in the two last verses They shall be comforted concerning the evil that I will bring upon Jerusalem But how When they consider that I have not done without cause all that I have done Use 3 3. For Exhortation And 1. To all in general 2. To some more especially in particular 1. To all in general Eph. 5.1 Herein to be followers of God as dear Children taking heed by all means of wrong doing In God there are some things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inimitable of the Creature some things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are difficult and hard to be imitated other things again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are easie to be imitated And of this last sort is his just and righteous dealing and process against sinners The sin my Brethren is greatly aggravated when what is done is done without cause no just occasion being given They have privily laid a Net to destroy me saith David of his Adversaries that was a sin I and without cause Yea even without cause they have made a pit for my soul Psal 35.7 It was greater by that The Assyrian saith God oppressed my people that was ill nay and which is worse without cause Esay 52.4 A sin too common and Epidemical in these times wherein Judgment as our Prophet speaks Ames 6.12 Chapter 6. is turned into gall and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock Esay 59.14 Or as another Prophet Esay 59. Judgment is turned away backward and Justice standeth afar off Truth is fallen in the streets and Equity cannot enter But I wish the Apostles saying were remembred Col. 3. ult He that doth wrong shall receive according to the wrong that he hath done 2. To some more especially in particular And they 1. Those that are instrumental for the execution of Justice viz. Judges Lawyers Jurors Witnesses 2. Those that suffer under Gods hand howsoever 1. Those that are instrumental for the execution of Justice And amongst these Judges have the first place They are God's Vicegerents his Substitutes as it were or as the Apostle calls them Rom. Rom. 13.4 13. His Ministers to execute wrath upon evil doers In any wise to beware of unjust executions and penalties such as for which there is no cause An upright Judge looks at the justness of the cause not at the persons of their Friends Kinsmen or Favourites Personam judicas exuit qui amici induit He is too little a Judge who is too much a Friend Justice must run down like a River saith our Prophet Amos 5 24. Chap. 5.24 It must not be pal'd in as a Pond but must lie open to refresh all comers rich and poor Ye shall hear the small as well as the great Deut. 1.17 Justice is pictur'd with a veil before her eyes and a pair of Scales in her hand her eyes are veil'd to denote unto us the impartiality that should be in a Judge he should have tars to scan mens causes but no eyes to discern