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	scripture_n	word_n	1,385	5	4.3491	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01682	The praise of a good name The reproch of an ill name. Wherin euery one may see the fame that followeth laudable actions, and the infamy that cometh by the contrary. With certaine pithy apothegues, very profitable for this age, by C.G.	Gibbon, Charles, fl. 1589-1604.	1594 (1594)	STC 11819; ESTC S113889	37,552	56

her Cato the elder banished Gaius Manlius out of the Senate house because hee kissed but his owne wife in his daughters presence King Hiero condemned the Poet Epicharmus because he vsed vncleanely wordes in a great somme of money Lycurgus made a law that the wemen of Lacedemonia should couer their faces when they went abroad because they might neither looke nor be looked vpon Augustus Ca●sar commaunded no wemen should come to sée the wrastlers because they did vse to wrastle naked all these I rehearse to note how necessary it is to auoide the occasion of euill for feare of inconuenience now if the occasion bée so daungerous the very action of euill must néedes be detestable and hurtfull to the Name for although some may commit some odious crime and may haue it concealed for his credite or not spoken of for hys calling or not regarded for hys countenaunce or bolstered out by fréendship for the common prouerbe is true A mans matter is ended as he is frended and Some may better steale a horse then an other looke on Modestinus could say in 〈◊〉 tyme of Transgressors that some were gréeuously punished others scarce touched For this cause Anaxagoras likened the lawes of 〈◊〉 to Cobwebs which do tie little flies fast but breake with the great Yet as one kernell of Colloquintida will make the best br●●h very bitter and one deade flye will putrifie a boxe of ointment 〈…〉 euill action will disgrace many good I will vse one exa●●●●●nstéed of many so long as Vzziah sought the Lord hee pr●●●●ted and was so valiant that it is saide his Name spredd farre a●road but that one acte of his in vsurping the Priestes Office 〈◊〉 defame all his former and so much diminished his Name that he which before liued as a king in his pallace at Hierusalem did dwell as a Lepar in an house apart 2 Chro. 26. Although a good Name may bée recouered agayne in time for Tempus edax rerum Yet it wil be long ere it bée worne out of mens mouthes and memories Yea and when the best is done as it is hard to cure a wound so well but that a skarre will appeare in the skinne so you shall as hardly recouer the other but it wil be a blot to the Name A generall application COnsidering the excellency of a good Name surpasseth all other terrestriall blessinges there is specially to bee obserued two thinges 1. In the Speakers 2. In the Hearers THe Speakers must take héede how they vse their tongues Nature hath lent vs two eares and but one tongue that wée might not vtter all we heare this tongue is reared and hedged in with a double fence to the end we might speake without offence The tongue is ianua vitae necis it is no small vertue to bridle the tongue saith Cato Salomon saith Hee that hath a naughty tongue shall fall into euill Prou. 17.5 S. Iames saith that mans religion is in vaine which refraineth not his tongue S. Peter saith If any man long after life and to see good dayes let him refraine his tongue from euill Esop béeing bid to buy the best and worst meat in the market brought home nothing but tongues noting thereby that the tonge was good and euill as it is vsed The Psalmist kept silence euen from speaking good things much more ought we from euill If wée must giue accompt for euery idle word much more for lewd and lying spéeches Therefore you must take héede how you blemish the Name of your brother either by carrying of Tales Thou shalt not go about with tales Leuit. 19.16 or by raysing flaunders He that inuenteth slaunder is a foole Prou. 10.18 Tales and slaunderous spéeches sayth Dauid are as the sharpe arrowes of a mighty man Psal 120. For as a strong man shooteth far and doth much harme with a sharpe arrow so a slanderer defameth farre and doth much mischiefe with his viperous tongue Tales and slaunders are by the Psalmograph likened to the coales of Iuniper psal 120. Pliny writing of the nature thereof saith that those coales doo yéeld the greatest heat so a lewd tongue doth procure the gretest hurt S. Iames likeneth the tongue to fire we all know how great a thing a little fire will kindle and so it is with the slanderer one sparke of ill spéech may cause a flame of defame amongst many for as Cicero saith nothing fléeth more swiftly then an ill word nothing goeth sooner foorth nothing is sooner taken nor broder spread it was this the made Dauid complaine Thou makest vs a reproach amongst our neighbours c. concluding thus for the voice of the slaunderers Psal 44. Tales and slanders well impeach the best Name for the most part are apte to beléeue that is ill say●h Ouid and therefore sayth Salomon The wordes of a Talebearer are as flatteringes and they go down into the bowels of the belly Prou. 18.8 doe wee not sée many times amongest vs that if an ill spéech or tale bee vttered and bruted though but by one base person of no reputation how ready a multitude will beléeue it these are they that cause such idle expence of money and debate amongest fréendes for who can abide to bée euill spoken of therefore saith the wiseman Without a tale bearer strife ceaseth Prou. 26.20 Qualis vir talis oratio A good man is discerned from a wicked by his talke for the godly man of loue will couer some offence but the wicked of malice will exclaime without cause Hereof saith the Scripture A righteous man hateth lying woordes but the wicked cause slaunder and shame Pro. 13.5 A caueat for Talebearers Backbyters and Slaunderers THese men or rather monsters amongst men should consider two thinges First in their neighbour Secondly in themselues In their neighbour they are to weigh the woorth of a good Name which they shall the better performe if they reason wyth themselues by way of comparison thus If it be a gréefe to a man to haue a wound in his body what is it to haue a mayne in hys Name for arte may cure the one but nothing will recouer the other If it be a gréefe for a man to loose all his goods which he hath béene long in gathering together what is it to loose his Name which he hath laboured for all his life For one may be restored in time the other is stayned for euer In themselues they must weigh the reward of their wickednesse they are abhorred both of God and Man God detesteth such kind of men as appéereth by many pregnant places in his woord Him that priuily slaundereth his neighbour will I destroy Psal 101.5 the backbyter shall not be established vpon earth Psalm 140.11 he that speaketh lyes shall perish Prou. 19.9 The Lord punished Ely and his posterity because hys sonnes ran into a slaunder and he stayd them not 1. Sam. 3.13 he punished the two Iudges for slaundering Susanna the leprosse was layd vpon Gehazi because he made a lye

and Ananias and Sapphira were punished with present death because they made an horrible lye Act. 5. A godly man doth balke backbiters slaunderers and such like The iust man saith Salomon cannot away with a lye much lesse with him that vseth it he sayes in an other place that a busie body is hated Prou. 14.17 the Philosophers could not abide them therefore Pithagoras willeth vs not to receiue a swallow into our houses meaning bablers clatterers and such like companions The Cretians were neuer accompted on because they were common lyers Moses made a law to punish the slaunderer with losse of mony for the misdemeanor of his mouth Deuter. 22. Now to the second point For Hearers THe Hearers must regard how they listen too and beléeue reportes for wée commonly say the receiuer is as ill as the thiefe if there were not so many to geue eare to lyes and beléeue them there would not bée so many to deuise tales and tell them Therefore the Psalmist doth not onely condemne him which raiseth but him which receyueth a false report against his neighbour Psal 15.3 For this cause S. Barnard doubted whether it were a greater sin to inuent or listen to a slander therfore such as receiue reportes and ill spéeches by heare say must remember many thinges First that if Saba would not beléeue a true report of Salomon till shee had tried out the trueth much lesse ought any to beléeue a false report of their neighbours too rashly Secondly that there be some that take all their pleasure to depraue others and do nothing but inuent lies lewd spéeches Thou geuest thy mouth to euill and with thy tongue thou forgest deceit thou sittest and speakest against thy brother and slanderest thy mothers sonne Psal 50.19.20 Hee that will not let to slaunder his mothers sonne so néere bound by nature what wil he do to his neighbour These for the most part are the offscummes of a Country The abiectes saith Dauid assembled themselues against mee they tare me and ceased not Psal 35.15 His meaning is that the very reffuse people did most rayle vppon him and true it is when Alewormes are quaffing on their tipling bench then mens credites goe to wracke with theyr cuppes and as Sampson when hys eyes were out did not care on whose head the house might fall or as the Drone will hinder the Bée of her winges when he hath lost his owne so do they séeke to blemish their betters when themselues are of no accompt or estimation Thirdly there bée some that repine at their neighbours good Names and therefore vse all meanes to detract it as appéeres by Tobiah and Sanballat against Nehemiah and the Rulers and Gouernors against Daniel the examples at large are a little before When such as these can no way woorke their will they wish the death of the godly that so their Name might pearish Mine enemies speake euill of me saith Dauid saying when shal he die his Name perish Psal 41.5 Saul would haue slayne him because the people ascribed the greater Name to him in that Dauid had slaine tenne thousand and Saul but a thousand 2. Sam. 18.8 the people of Iudah would haue destroyed Ieremy that his Name might be no more in memory Ierem. 11.19 Fourthly you must reproue such lewd detractors and no way bewray any credulity not so much as by a fauourable countenance for as the Northwind driueth away rayne so doeth an angry countenaunce the slaundering tongue Prouerb 25.23 and if no approbation may be geuen by any outward apparance much lesse must you adhibite any credite to such detractors for that is an argument of impiety hereof saith the Wiseman The wicked geue heede to false lips and a lier harkeneth to the naughty tongue Prou. 17.4 Fiftly It is the point of a wiseman to consider all circumstances seriously that touch the Name of his neighbour and not to be too credulous for such commonly as bée light of beléefe are so in theyr liues Therefore sayth Salomon the foolish will beleeue euery thing pro. 14.15 It is the part of a Christian to doe as he would be done to then if you would bée loth to haue an other heare euill of your selfe and sooth him the like doe for an other If the Apostle willeth that one should not speake euill of an other he will not allow one to heare euill of an other but that the rule of charity should be obserued in both Sixtly it is the part of a wicked man when he heareth his neighbour ill reported of to dispearce it to others whisperingly when he should charitably informe him Dauid complayned of this Al they that hate me whisper together against me Psal 41.7 Of such kinde of whisperers we haue too many at this day for by this meanes a man shall haue a rumor and crime raised of him and yet neuer come to know either accusor or author of it Veritas non quaerit angulos it is the rather to be suspected to be a vile enuious inuention The Apostle Paul condemneth whisperers and inuenters of euill as appéereth in the Rom. 1.29 Seauenthly you must beware how you beléeue a Tale or ill report though there appéere great presumptions allthough there can bée no smoke without a fire yet there may bée most smoke when there is least fire Omne simile non est idem Violent presumptions may induce much as appéereth by Salomon in handling of two harlots 1. king 3.27 but as his wisedome was extraordinary so I take it to be an acte rather of admiration then imitation God forbid that euery ordinary presumption should be of credite to conuince The two Iudges deuised a suspicious matter against Susanna yet their gréeuous punishment in the end doth discouer their egregious impiety in the acte and her innocency from offence Putifars wife could pull away Iosephs garments and tell a very suspitious tale against him as the wicked care not in their malice what they imagine but if you read the story it will appéere her tales were false and she in al the fault Eightly you must not altogether credite spéeches though there appéere some proofe for false witnesse of malice may be suborned for mony and men in their malice care not what weapon they vse so they may massacre Our Sauiour Christ without subornation of witnesses could neuer haue bene condemned by his aduersaries The Libertines and the rest of that Synagogue could find no coulor of cause to stone Steuen but by suborned witnesses The Elders and Nobles could neuer haue condemned Naboth but for two wicked suborned witnesses 1. king 21.13 Therefore you must haue a respect to the reputation of the persons and beléeue not euery bare and beggarly testimony Ninthly you must not peremptorily alwayes beléeue euery matter though sentence bée passed there be many reasons for it May not right by might bée ouermastered as many poore men are oppressed when they are in suite with their superiors or buckle any way with their betters