Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	believe_v	lie_n	truth_n	1,698	5	6.1293	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80782	An abstract of some late characters. Or, how the principall means appointed for our reformation is become the maine fuell of our wickednes. Laid downe in sundry characters of L. Bishops. Dumb dogs. Non-residenciaries. Men-pleasers. Unpreaching ministers, that edify to damnation, by their scandalous living. false wresting. mis-applying the Scripture. So turning the truth of God into a lye, that they may discourage the godly; incourage the wicked. In which the blind world may see, to their shame, how Satan guls them with a multitude of misprisions, and false surmises against the godly; that so he may barricado [sic] their hearts against all good. Necessary to be knowne in these times of discovery.	Cranford, James, d. 1657, attributed name.; Craufurd, James, 17th cent, attributed name.	1643 (1643)	Wing C6851B; Thomason E67_35; ESTC R7704	68,958	47

my mouth Even so when we heare such a Sermon and finde it to excell their accustomed Orations in a Subtile kind of sophistry as though the Sea be in perpetuall agitation yet the Spring-tides rise higher then their fellows We may presently conjecture or rather conclude That Satan hath a speciall hand in this businesse And I doubt not if they would with her acknowledge the truth and neither Turne to the right hand nor to the left but they would confesse the same However Their zeale and fervency to defend the Devils cause proves it sufficiently 1 J●●n 3. 14. when in preaching for him or against the good and goodnesse they are like C●assus who even burst his sides in pleading for Pompey Or if neither of these It is enough we heare Saint James affirme That this Tongue full of deadly poyson issuing from a Corrupt heart fraught with Bitter envy and strife is set on fire from Hell And that this Wisdome is not alone Earthly and Sensuall but Devilish Jam. 3 6. 8. 14 15. Now put all together First Their Alleading GODS Word Secondly Their Mixing of truth with Falshood Thirdly Their Excelling in Wit and Learning Fourthly The Great Helpe and Supply they have from Satan And you will no whit marvell that their preaching so takes with men of the world who count that Preaching which saves soules no better then Foolishnesse For otherwise were not the danger more in the Men then in their Cause Had not these Two Great Curtizans of the world Profanenesse and Antichristianisme so Cunning Pandors I could not but wonder how they should get any but Foolish Customers where the Gospel in many Parishes is so purely taught But these false Prophets as they use the matter are able to seduce if it were possible the very Elect as our Saviour shewes Marke 13. 22. As let there be Two Ministers in the same Parish One a Simon-Magus that is Parson or Curate put in by the Bishop the other a Simon-Peter that is by a Speciall providence chosen Lecturer What 's the issue The one comes in CHRISTS name Therefore him they receive not The other comes in His owne name and him they receive John 5. 43. The Fore-noons man is Of the World and therefore speaks of the World And these men of the World Heare him 1 John 4. 5. The Afternoons man is Of GOD and they Heare him not because they are not of GOD verse 6. Simon-Magus his Sermons are made to Please But withall to Kill As All Poysons Kill not with Griping Torments Some cast into a sleepe Or make men Laugh till they fall downe Dead Simon-Peters to Profit Of whom the LORD speaks Jer. 3. 15. I will give you Pastors according to mine owne heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding The Doctrine of the former being like the Angels Book Sweet in the Mouth but Bitter in the Bowels Revel 10. 9. That of the latter like Mithridate Bitter to the Flesh but Soveraigne for the Soule Well knowing that a Mortall wound must be Throughly Searched ere it can be soundly healed And that no Purgative Medicine can bring Health without some Griping And where the LORD is pleased to place such an one It is the Greatest Blessing he can give to that Parish And the people are no lesse bound to him for the vertues he teacheth them then to their Parents for the life they gave them Yet woe is me Naturall and fleshly men are so blockish and withall so ingratefull That they are not onely better pleased with the former for his flattery then with the latter for speaking the truth But commonly they requite their faithfull Minister as Ahab did Micajah the False Prophets Jeremiah Herod John-Baptist and Demetrius Paul whiles they thinke nothing Too much for their Vn-preaching-minister It is not the Searching but the Soothing Ministery that carries away the peoples applause Because they had rather have their Itch clawed then Cured Counsels are like Faces That which is Faire pleaseth Yea for the most part it fares with Doctrines as it doth with meats Those that are least wholsome are most requested That pleaseth us which is sweete to the sense not that which is Wholsome to the Conscience Neither do the common people like these Wasps so much for the Hony in their Combs as for the sting in their Tailes wherewith they gall the godly For as their Memory is like the Boulter which casteth out all the Floure keeping onely the Branne And themselves like the Egyptians who behold the Sunne the Moone the Starres all the Glories of Nature without Admiration yea without Common Regard untill they espy a Crocodile an ugly Serpent and then downe on their Knees to worship it so they will passe over all wholsome Instructions applying whatsoever they heare especially Bitter Invectives and fearfull threatnings to others As This belongs to Puritans That to such and such an one not to themselves Even as one Monkie looking in a glasse things he sees another Monkies face and not his owne In a word These men will make no other use of what they heare then Spiders doe of what they receive Suck out all the Poyson and leave the rest And it is just with GOD it should be so Because they forsake my Law which I set before them and have not obeyed my voyce neither walked therein but have walked after the imagination of their owne heart and after Baalim which their Fathers taught them Therefore thus saith the LORD of Hosts the GOD of Israel Behold I will feed them even this people with Wormwood and give them waters of Gall to drinke Jer. 9. 13. 14 15. Againe more expressely 2 Thes 2. Because they received not the Love of the Truth that they might be saved For this cause GOD shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve Lies That they all might be damned which beleeve not the Truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse vers 10 11 12. This is a Sure but a Sore Judgement Will they not adhere to the GOD of Truth They shall be turned over to the Father of Lies Because Ahab will not beleeve Micajah Therefore a Lying Spirit shall deceive his Prophets to deceive him The Jewes had forbidden the Sober Prophets to prophesie Therefore they shall have Drunken Prophets that shall Propkesie of Wine and strong drinke and walke in the Spirit of Falshood Mica 2. 11. Jer. 5. 30 31. Isa 30. 10. 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. Such a people such a Prophet am I speaking of For 2. In stead of Converting he Perverteth his Hearers dealing with them as an Ill Physitian with his Patient that purgeth away the Good Humours and leaves the Bad behind them Or as Vermine doe by Poultry that suck out the best bloud from them and leave onely the refuse His Sermons being worse then so many infectious bits of meat For as that causeth all the wholsome food a man hath eaten to be vomited up so it selfe is vomited up with all

be deceived by these Hornes of the Lamb. For there is no temptation so dangerous as that which comes shrouded under a Vaile of Holinesse and pretends Authority from GOD. The Holy Prophet himselfe was deceived by Such a Devil under another Prophets vizard 1 King 13. 18. to 24. Yea Satan made no doubt but he should Cousen CHRIST himselfe when he came to him with a Scriptum est It is written Matt. 4. If Hushai had not said I am for Absolom And whom Israel chuseth his will I be he had not disappointed the counsell of Achitophel which was then like the Oracle of GOD nor re-established David in his Kingdome 2 Sam. 16 18. So if these false Doctors should not say We are for CHRIST they could not withstand the True Ministers that deliver the words of GOD nor enthrone Anti-Christ in the Seat of CHRIST But besides Alleadging of Scripture and mixing Truth with Falshood they have other Great Advantages as 3. These Preachers are usually men of Extraordinary Parts being for the most part Exceeding witty subtile and eloquent did they imploy these gifts accordingly And still the Better their wit the Worse As the Earth the more fruitfull it is the more and more Pestilent are the Weeds in it if it be not sowen with good seed The sweetest Wine turnes to the sharpest Vineger The fairer the Stone is in the Toads head the more pestilent is the Poyson in her Bowels And it is commonly seene that a wicked man indowed with wit and learning is like a Spider and her Web wherein is more Venome then A●● as these verify For what Desperate advisements doe they give us in a Fine-filed Phrase And with what Powerfull and Partinent Expressions How doe they by their Elequence or Ornament of the tongue spread Sweet Snares and allure the hearts of men For they winne not by Battery but by Vndermining which is as secret as wicked So that what is wanting in the Goodnesse of the cause is supplied not onely in the Greatnesse of the Fees as I shewed before But also by the cunning of the Advocate And what they cannot performe by the Evidence of truth they seeke to attaine by the Eloquence of A●● which they improve to the utmost knowing that false things have need of foistings and filthy and foule things of ornaments and coverings In the meane time we have the same cause that Job had to say Our Enemies speake Eloquently against us But ●●●●y●s ●ou●e o●● t●ares unto God Job 16. 20. Not that we need be discouraged For more likely to be the Truth and we GODS Chosen because the wits of the world dispute against it and us Wit and Learning is like the Vnicorns horne which being in a skilfull mans hand is very precious and of admirable use But when in the Beasts head no lesse hurtfull and pernicious As the Church hath alwayes sound to her griefe How many learned and witty Hereticks doe we read of who were admired for their Fine Conceits and Elegant Expressions which fell from them whiles their Opinions and secretly-couched Doctrines were Dangerous and Mortall So that we may say of their Doctrines as Es●p said of his Tongues or Jeremy of his Figs Ier. 24. 3. Then the good and true nothing can be spoken better Then the bad and false nothing more perilous and vile Such an one was Balaam where he spake well never any Prophet spake more Divinely where he spake ill there was never any Devill spake more Desperatly He could not make Israel cursed by his Prophesie therefore he tries to effect it by his Policy He sends a Troop of Meabitish Whores among thom that so they might be tempted to offend GOD and GOD might cease to defend them He had confest before Numb 23. 23 That there could be no Inchantment nor Witchcraft against Israel No Devils but those Shee-Devils could doe it Numb 25. 4. As they are men of Extraordinary parts So they have Extraordinary Assistance from Satan which is another Prime Advantage That Satan is their Tutor to prompt and assist them to speake in and by them no man can doubt that beleeves Micajah the Prophet who relates before Ahab that there Came forth a Spirit and stood before the LORD saying I will goe forth and be a false Spirit in the mouths of all his Prophets To whom the LORD answered Thou shalt perswade Ahab and also prevaile Goe forth and doe so 1 King 22. 20. 21. 1 Chron. 18. 18. to 23. Or that Scripture Matth. 13. 25. where speaking of the Envious man sowing Tares among the Wheat Our Saviour tels them plainly That the said Envious man was the Devil v. 39. Or lastly Our Saviours words to Peter Matt. 16. 23 Get thee behind me Satan But their Practise sufficiently proves it For needs must that be a Serpentine Exposition which Gnaweth ou● the Bowels of the Text. Now if it be Satans Heart in their lips and that he doth prompt and assist them it must likewise be granted that he hath more knowledge learning and experience then any man alive Yea put all the wits in the world together and then adde Satans thereunto The last like figures in Arithmetick will more improve the same then all that went before it So that whatsoever a mans owne Mother-wit is he that hath Satans wit superadded is able to doe more mischiefe then many other men And it may be said of such an one as it was of Caesar There were in him Ten such as Marius Yea If it be true as it 's reported That a Serpent having swallowed a Serpent becomes a Dragon what must his Subtilty be that hath the Subtilty of this old Serpent infused into him We have known possessed men speak languages they were never taught and we have had experience that Ma●i●ians through the permission of GOD were able to doe whatsoever the Devil himselfe could doe So that as an Ape is like a Baboone onely a Baboone is Bigger So these Little Seducers are like the Great Seducer onely he is the Elder and more experienc'd having used this Art now neere upon Six Thousand Yeares No marvell then that Falshood hath more wit to devise then Truth For He must needs goe that is Devil-driven As when any one goes about an Evill Businesse It is strange to see how ready the Devil is to set him forwards how carefull that he should want no furtherances So that if any man would but be Leudly-witty he shall be sure to be furnisht with store of profane jests jeeres and scoffs wherein a loose heart hath double advantage of the conscionable But more especially doth he assist his Clergy by whom and in whom he speakes as sometimes Clients doe by their Advocates When David had heard the Subtile woman of Tek●a how cunningly she had contrived her speech touching Absolom he presently perceived that Joab had an hand i● it The which she ingenuously confesseth saying Thy servant Joab bade me speak this And he put all these words into