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	truth_n	witness_n	3,073	5	8.6773	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66751	Divine poems (by way of paraphrase) on the Ten commandments illustrated with twelve copper plates, shewing how personal punishments has been inflicted on the transgressors of these Commandments, as is recorded in the Holy Scriptures : also a metrical paraphrase upon the Creed and Lords prayer / written by George Wither.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1688 (1688)	Wing W3154; ESTC R25189	42,152	136

they were all Charity and Truth Shun all such thievish Paths for he that follows These Tracts may peradventure scape the Gallows But shall not scape unpunish'd though God may Defer his wages till a longer day As those are not excus'd So shall not he From our Infringement of this Law be free Who nourisheth a cause of this offence By Idleness by Prodigal expence By vicious gaming by regardlesness To husband wisely what he doth possess By keeping to himself what was bestown As well for others uses as his own Or by withdrawing through deceit or might The hirelings wages or the poor-mans right Whereby those may be driven to supply By stealth or fraud their griping poverty More such occasions he himself may find Who doth examine with a single mind His private practices and how the end Of one thing on another doth depend Oh Lord vouchsafe me grace to be content With whatsoever thou to me hast lent As long as life on me shall be bestown Let me be fed and cloathed with my own And not with that which being none of mine May make my Neighbour want or else repine If by a wilful or unwitting wrong I have detained ought which doth belong Unto my Neighbour Give me means and will By restitution for my doing ill To make amends or else do thou repay them The dues which I unwillingly delay them Forgive thou also my unrighteousness That it corrupt not that which I possess Or marr my thrift and for the time to come So wary keep me of departing from This Law that I may still in heart and hand Continue faithful unto this Command Amen Commandment IX IX Thou shalt not beare false witnes against c. Who can hope for Justice where Magistrates false witness bear Or secure in falshood be When great Princes scape not free She who Naboth's death contriv'd Was in Wrath of life depriv'd And her flesh by Dogs was torn Though a Queen and Princely born That all others heed may take How this Precept they do break Command IX In any case no witness bear Of things which false or doubtful are VVEre this Edict omitted who could say He should enjoy his life or Goods a day If nigh his habitation chance to dwell Such Neighbours as the wicked Jesabel And her curst Instruments whose downfall here Is typifi'd that such may stand in fear Where could we be secure from perjur'd men Unless God sent forth Vengeance now and then To find out those who secretly contrive How others of their portions to deprive Since very often this offence hath none Who can behold it but that God alone Or by what means might they be kept in awe Whose greatness makes them careless of this Law How safe seem'd Jesabel by being great And yet how boldly did the Prophet threat Succeeding Vengeance and though she were high How low upon a suddain did she lie That high and low might view her cursed plight And more in truthful honesty delight Most know that of this Law they breakers are Who bear false witness at the Judgment Bar And very many are not without fear In such ungodly actions to appear But few do seem aright to understand Their other breaches of this Ninth Command To lie accounted is a fault so small That many feel no sence thereof at all But make a Play-game of it yea and some Such Patrons of that Evil are become That they allow and justifie the same As Praises rather meriting than blame But this will prove though held a petty sin The Serpents head that brings his body in And an officious lying may in time Ingage us to commit a greater Crime However he that an untruth shall speak Or Truth if to deceive this Law doth break To praise is commendable yet thereby When we of others better testify Than they deserve true vertue we deride And sinners in their sins are justifi'd Unless it be by such a modest praise As flows from hope our Friend affects the ways Which yet he walks not that our praise may be A Gale to ripen what we blooming see For this is neither purpos'd to deceive The Hearer nor advantages to weave For him that speaks it but a wise intention To cherish budding Virtue by prevention But he that flatters doth pollute his mouth And is a falsifier of the Truth The Parasite who shames not to uphold Whatever by his Patron shall be told Or seeks by Jeering to discountenance A simple Truth and falshood to advance Against this holy Precept so offends That punishment his Guiltiness attends Yea they who get access to great mens Tables By coming furnished with News and Fables Are thereby often guilty of this sin Which by this Law hath countermanded bin When we dare venture to reiterate Those Rumors which the common people prate On meer surmises we are accessary To many slanders We make Truth miscarry And bear false witness to the wrong of many When we suspect not that we wronged any Nor can we satisfie for these offences Which then may follow if our Sov'raign Princes Or there affairs of state shall wrong sustain By such false tales as we receive or fain When out of levity Reports we make Of others frailties or occasions take To mention Jestingly what may disgrace The person either absent or in place Without just motives or content shall grow To hide what Love and Equity should show We in the main or in some circumstance False Testimonies may thereby advance But he that uttereth slanders in despight Or justifies the thing that is not right Or judgeth rashly in anothers Cause Or any needful witnesses withdraws Or by concealing what for truth he knows Betrayeth Innocency to her Foes Or hears another injur'd in his Fame With Silence when he may prevent the same Or unto any one occasion gives Whereby he falshood for the truth believes Ev'n every such a one false witness bears What Cloak of Honesty so'ere he wears Nor are they guiltless who avoid not that Whereby occasions rise to perpetrate Against this Law. As Bribery Respect Or disrespect of persons which infect The soundest minds and bring them by degrees Their innocent Integrity to leese Yea he who so loves Bribes though he were wise They will make deaf his ears hood-wink his eyes And so corrupt his heart that he shall know No Truth except some profit thence do flow Nor any falshood fear to entertain Whereby he may assured be of gain And lest by some those men be judged free From this offence if any such there be Who by False Miracles false Revelations False Dreams false Visions false Interpretations Of Holy Scripture or by such like patchings Of Carnal wisdom and of Sathan's hatchings Affirm that thing for truth which is a Lye Know that these Juglers in degree as high As he that 's worst prove guilty of this Sin Which by this Precept hath forbidden bin For though our Doctrines be not so unsound But that some truths among them shall be