Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	begin_v	great_a	time_n	1,599	5	3.2122	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90401	To the Parliament, the Army, and all the wel-affected in the nation, who have been faithful to the good old cause.	Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.	1659 (1659)	Wing P1215; Thomason E983_21; ESTC R203316	4,620	4

To the Parliament the Army and all the Wel-affected in the Nation who have been faithful to the Good Old Cause THat there hath been a back-sliding and turning aside from the GOOD OLD CAUSE even by the Army who formerly were glorious Instruments in the hand of God hath been lately confessed and that they have cause and desire to take shame to themselves Now that they may see the cause of shame that lies upon them and may abase themselves in the sight of God and before all the World it behooves them to search narrowly into their back-slidings and consider the fruits thereof that they may be truly humbled and turned from that Spirit which led them aside lest any of them take advantage to make a feigned Confession for their own ends and fall afresh to seek themselves and their own Interests and not the God Old Cause singly and nakedly as in the sight of the Lord. Many bad fruits have grown from this Corrupt Spirit and the corrupt course it hath run in these late years which would be narrowly searched into and considered of Some few general ones I may mention 1. The Name of God hath been blasphemed in the sight of the whole Earth and that holy Spirit and Power which many hearts can witness was the Beginner and Carrier on of this Work made a scoff and derision to the Enemies of Truth in these Nations and in the Nations round about who watched to see the issue and result of these things The Controversie was very great and eminent and drew many eyes upon it the Lord was Appealed to on both sides to decide it and many know That by his Presence and Power in the Army the Scale was turned even when they were very low and cryed out for Prayers and made large Promises in the day of their Distress Yea the Lo●d did not desert the Army but heard their Prayers and the Prayers of his People for them carrying on the Deliverance until he had given a perfect Victory into their hands But then the Army deserted the Lord and just like men that were ruled by the Spirit of the World forgot the Lord and his Cause and Interest and their fellow companions in the hard Travel and Service and set up themselves and their own Interest making their General the greatest and their Officers great Thus the Cause was betrayed the measure of it lost a Private Particular Selfish Earthly Corrupt Interest set up and men countenanced and advanced not according to their Fidelity to the Good Old Cause but according to their complyance with this new selfish Interest 2. The great work of God both in these Nations and in the World hath hereby been turned backward In these Nations that Spirit which began this Work when at any time it hath appeared in simplicity and singleness for the prosecution of it hath been snibbed what was built up formerly thrown down and that which was thrown down now again built up so that the Face of the Nation was changed and unrighteous ones came into place and power and the innocent and upright those that feared God and could not seek themselves or the pleasing of men have been oppressed and crushed And if the work was thus stopt in these Nations its advantage of spreading further must needs be interrupted God had raised up a Power against Oppression in which he eminently appeared even to the dread of the Nations round about and how far this Power should have gone on in his work by the Leadings of his Spirit had they waited in his Council kept to their Leader and not turned aside to another Spirit and to other Ends and Interests who can tell 3. Great and Vast Treasures have been expended for the maintaining of you in greatness in your black-slidings and the poor have groaned to bear the burthen and while ye have grown thus high extravagant and exceffive many who remained faithful have wanted even that which was their due and have undergone great hardships thereby 4. The Account of all the Blood which hath been shed lies somwhere Was it for a thing of Nought Was in of no Value Nay It was precious in the sight of the Lord many yea very many in the singleness and simplicity of their hearts losing their lives for the Cause And yet how soon had you forgot all this casting it and the Cause behinde your backs and setting up your selves Thus have ye grieved that good Spirit which never gave you Victory over your Enemies for this end that h●s Name and Cause and Interest should be forgotten and yours grow great but the Name of the Lord should have been exalted by you and ye should have remained low and little both in your own eyes and in the eyes of others But the Lord hath been Vailed by your Greatness and that Vail lies upon him at this day Read this in the true humility and in the fear and dread of his great Name who will be exalted over all and whom no power or greatness on earth shall be able to hinder from arising Remember these things ô ye back-sliding children and be abased that the Lord may forgive you and may vouchsa●e yet once more to make use of you in his service But I am jealous over you with a godly jealousie lest ye should confess and turn back not with an upright heart but feignedly and it so then you will not lie flat in your spirits either before the Lord or before men but will be keeping up the greatness ye have got in your back-slidings and seeking your own interests and self-ends afresh There hath been often a naked honest simple pure thing stirring in the Army which the great ones seeing some present use of fell in with and improved for their own ends but destroyed the thing it self so that it attained not to the bringing forth of that righteous liberty and common good which it seemed to aim at and did indeed aim at in those in whom the stirring did arise but was made use of as an advantage to advance them in their particular Interests against their Enemies and so set them up Have ye seen this use made formerly of such lively stirrings in some and such fair pretenses in others after righteousness liberty and the Common good Take heed of it now Let not the pure stirrings after good be betrayed into the selfish lusts and interests of your own corrupt hearts Do not fall so hastily to the work of Reformation nor be not so forward to propose things for settlement but wait to be purged from that back-sliding sprit which sticks closer to you and makes you unfitter for this service then you are aware that you may come into a capacity of desiring the Common good and of being faithful in the prosecution of it and put off your greatness and swelling honours that ye have contracted in the time of your back-slidings and come at least into an equal ballance with them that remained faithful Are ye humbled