Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bear_v	end_n	truth_n	1,796	5	6.9490	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29239	The penitent pilgrim	Brathwaite, Richard, 1588?-1673.	1641 (1641)	Wing B4275; ESTC R6455	111,815	454

bee light yet much sand laid together will presse us And a drop of water though it be light yet many waters gathered together may drowne us O what heapes of sinnes and those no small sands have I raised with those Giants as if they had beene Mounts to menace heaven So I might cunningly make a prey of the poore and colour my sinne with faire pretences I had mine end farther I sought not It was the eyes of men that I feared I tooke no compassion of others misery neither were mine eyes on him who is the Avenger of the poore and needy I perceived likewise in these Tents of Kedan where I was too long a Sojourner how there were other thefts and of an higher nature being such as stept up boldly to the Altar And these were Symoniacall Contracts and I understood how no thefts were like these holy thefts for gaine nor yet detected of lesse guilt Conscience was made a thing of equivocation Rich Donations according to their name seem'd to be given but they were sold and that so cunningly as if the Conscience had beene as senselesse of sin as Man was of himselfe it might have past with impunity And in the perusall of these mee thought I could have brookt well to have beene sharer but in these I was no actuall offender though much against my will for I was no impropriator In impairing likewise the fruits and offerings of the Church I had a desire to have an hand albeit I knew this to be taxed for a great offence by the Prophet and such as God did highly hate Will any man saith he rob God yet ye have robbed me but yee say wherein have wee robbed thee In tithes and offerings Whence hee straitly chargeth them to bring all manner of tithes unto his store-house that there may bee meat in his house By this I understood that there was a Snare to the Man who devoured that which was holy Yet while the Snare was in readinesse I went on in my wickednesse When I saw a Thiefe I run with him nay before hee practised that trade I could tell him that as to digge would bee a toile and to beg a shame so to take where opportunity gave way would shew a brave spirit Thus was it not sufficient for mee to perish alone without drawing others into the same ginne My life became their line which being crooked brought them to as untimely an end Thus did I see and seeing fall and falling bring others to bee sharers in my fall O my gracious Redeemer as thou lookt with the eye of pitty upon the good Thiefe as thou rewarded his late conversion and short confession with the promise of a Paradise a place of endlesse consolation vouchsafe to cast thine eye upon mee and save mee The Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence let it be my holy theft to lay hand upon it to suffer all things for it that as thou sufferedst all torments to procure me it so I by suffering with thee and for thee may enjoy thee in it CHAP. 21. His breach of the Fifth in supp●essing testimonies to witnesse a truth or suborning witnesses to maintaine an untruth NEver was there sinne of higher quality that admitted more impunity Wheras I might have performed an of office Christian charity in giving testimony before a Magistrate to settle my Neighbors estate or in clearing his good name or in vindicating his cause from a powerfull injurious Adversary were it in my selfe or any other I have laboured to suppresse the testimony closed with the worser party and so for mine own ends strengthned an injury Or if this failed being so well practised in evill I would not stick to suborne witnesses to maintaine an untruth and by false oathes to suppresse a truth And yet I thought with my selfe who could bee safe if such hatefull Agents could be safe if it were sufficient to accuse who would be found innocent yet whether it were for gaine or spleen or to purchase a powerfull friend Truth must bee out-countenanc'd because private ends were made to beare it The excellent speech of that Heathen might have wrought much on mee for it well deserved to be ever printed in my memory who when his friend came unto him desiring him to take a false oath in a cause of his which highly concern'd him made answer you must said hee beare with me I cannot shake hands with truth so easily There are many friends to be gotten if I lose you but if by forswearing my selfe I lose the favour of God I cannot get another there is but one God I had heard of the fearefull judgements likewise of many false Accusers suborned witnesses and hatefull Suborners what miserable ends befell them how they were discarded from the company of all good men how they were to weare some badge or marke of distinction that every one might know them and knowing abhorre them Yet was this path so much bette as I could not but thinke that there was some gainefull thing in it or else it would not be so much frequented And the common Road was ever held the nearest and securest And so indeed I found it the nearest to destruction and so little safe by being secure as my security brought me to the brinke of perdition Indeed I tooke occasion sometimes to talke with my selfe whom I ever found my greatest foe and by communing with mine owne heart to sift search my selfe throughly how I stood affected And even in the breach of this Commandement I thus reasoned Tell me Pilgrim dost thou know what in this case thou oughtst to doe and shall the sollicitancy of a powerfull friend prevaile so farre with thee as to bring thee to doe what thou oughtst not to doe Hast thou not to doe Hast thou not a friend within thee whose favour thou art to preferre before all friends without thee And will not this deare bosome friend of thine thinke much that either for love hatred dread or reward thou shouldst despise her nay sell her and by this meanes make thy nearest friend thy Accuser And I begin to inquire what friend this might bee And I found right soone how it was no other then my Conscience who howsoever I bore my selfe to her would deale faithfully with mee and justly as I had deserved at her hands either accuse or excuse mee This was likely enough to have wrought some good effect upon me but alas worldly respects made me forget my best friend So as shee who should have stood in the gate and spoken for me is now become mine Enemy Sweet Iesu thou against whom so many false witnesses stood up to condemne thee vouchsafe to be a witnesse for me that I now hate what sometimes I so unhappily loved and intend to love what I sometimes undeservedly hated To witnesse a truth were it for my deadliest Foe and to suppresse an untruth were it to the prejudice of my dearest Friend Deare Lord be thou my defender

least drop of mercy who in all thy time hast been a stranger to the Workes of mercy Oh when hee shall demand of thee who gave himselfe for thee where bee those hungry soules which thou hast relieved those thirsty ones whom thou hast refreshed those naked ones whom thou hast cloathed Those harbourlesse Pilgrims whom thou hast harboured those sickly members whom thou hast visited those comfortlesse Captives whom thou hast redeemed those last Obits or Offices which thou to thy dead Brother should'st have performed what Advocate then canst thou find to plead for thee who is hee that will speake a good word for thee to the King that his wrath may be appeased towards thee oh none none Thou art wholly left to thy selfe and utterly lost in thy selfe and even in thine owne bosome shalt find that witnesse to accuse thy selfe as nothing may remaine but the expectance of a terrible and irrevocable sentence O God of mercy deale not with mee according to the measure of my sinnes for they are exceedingly multiplied but according to thy great mercy put away my iniquities that thy name may bee magnified O Lord thou who delightest in mercy and wilt have mercy on those on whom thou wilt have mercy make mee to delight in that wherein thou delightest that in the day of wrath I may find mercy CHAP. 45. Blessed are the cleane in heart for they shall see God CAn the Leopard lay away his spots or the Ethiopian his blacknesse As the Leper in the old Law was commanded to cry out I am uncleane I am uncleane So I a foule sinfull Leper may cry out in the same manner that men may shun me lest they become infected by my behaviour For as the soule is farre more precious then the body so is the Leprosie of sinne farre more dangerous then that of the skinne The Swan if at any time shee pride her selfe in her beauty no sooner lookes upon her bla●k feet then she wailes her plumes Miserable Pilgrim Looke at thy blacke feet how they are ever walking in the wayes of sinne Looke at thy blacke hands how they are ever with greedinesse committing sinne Looke at thy black prophane mouth how it is ever belching forth motives to sinne looke at thy blacke projecting braine how it is ever plotting new wayes or passages for sinne Look at thy blacke deceitfull heart how it is ever imagining how to strengthen the arme of sinne Looke at thy black corrupted Lever which proves thee a corrupt Liver how it is infected with sinne Nay looke at every part and every where shalt thou find this spirituall Leprosie raging and raigning spreading and streaming into every veine every joynt or artery And yet what an Idoll thou makest of thy selfe how ready thou art to justifie thy selfe How farre from craving thy good Physicians helpe as thou wilt rather dye then confesse thy want of health Truth is there is no sinne of a more dangerous quality then this spirituall Idolatry for by it whatsoever is in value least is honoured most And againe whatsoever in honour most is valued least Oh hadst thou unmindfull Pilgrim looked so carefully to the clensing of thine inward house as thou hast done to the needlesse trimming of thine outward house hadst thou beene as mindfull of clensing thine heart as thou hast beene of brushing thine habit oh then these leprous spots which now appeare so foulely on thee had never infected thee Then had thy life beene a Lampe unto others then had the affections of thine heart beene pure yea God himselfe had prepared in thee a Tabernacle for himselfe to dwell in a Bed of flowers for him to repose in a Temple for him to be praysed in See then what thou hast lost by losing that beauty which should have delighted him most The sight of God Woe is mee what a losse is this To be deprived and of that eternally in the fruition whereof consists all glory The sight of God! Woe is me that ever I was borne to lose that for which I was borne for which I was re-borne The sight of God! The nourishment of every Angelicall soule This have I lost by not clensing my heart for the cleane in heart shall only see God O clense mee from my secret sinnes O forgive me my strange sinnes O let mee now returne to thee with my whole heart and clense thou mine heart that I may make godlinesse my gaine and with these eyes see thee my God of Sion CHAP. 46. Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God I Beseech you that neighbour near me and whose testimony may much availe me speake for me have I since I sojourned amongst you laboured to compose peace or to prevent occasion of Suites Have I performed any office that might tend to peace Oh speake for me be it your charity to speak for me for unlesse your charity doe it sure I am my endeavours have little deserved it O no I see you cannot justly speake one good word to the King for mee For my conversation hath beene otherwise amongst you The spirit of contention and contradiction raigned in me and so farre divided was I from the bond of charity as I delighted in nothing more then nursing enmity Injuries I would beare none nay rather then embrace peace I would make injuries of none Neighbourly arbitrations I neither affected nor admitted it was my counsell ever that suits should bee commenced Let the Law try it though the cause were not worth a see for which we contended Nay to feed this fire of debate with new fuell I told such who repaired to mee for advise damnable advice to lead a deluded Client into the height of all vice that to beare an injury were to make every one their enemy How hee who forgives him that wrongs him encourageth him to picke a new quarrell at him while the remitting of one becomes the admitting of another yea where a wrong is threatned and not revenged it emboldneth the Actor to see it executed Thus lay I a snare privily to catch the simple and innocent doer and by my mischievous counsell to make him of a Lover of peace a common Barreter But evill Counsell is worst for the Counsellor this I find too true to my discomfort For now me thinks all those differences which I raised all those quarrels which I started present themselves before thee threatning nothing less then perdition to me for by the malicious instigation of Sathan they buzze like Bees about me and with strong hand bring mee forth before the face of heaven and earth publikely to accuse me This is hee say they who would be called the Child of God but how can hee have any interest in that title how dares he presume to derive any such promise from God who all his life time has beene a profest Enemy to the peace of God Hee has laboured to encourage Neighbour against Neighbour to bring all things into confusion by his distemper and