Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	natural_a	nature_n	2,983	5	5.5283	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00581	Comfort to the afflicted. Deliuered in a sermon preached at Pauls-Crosse the xxi. day of May, M. DC. XXVI. Being the last Sunday in Easter terme. By Antony Fawkener, Mast. of Arts, of Iesus Colledge in Oxford	Fawkner, Antony, b. 1601 or 2.	1626 (1626)	STC 10718; ESTC S118330	17,791	36

it be naturall and can aswell make a vertue as sense a vice The flesh is weake I but the spirit is willing an intemperate body may desire badly but a well guided soule makes the action vertuous Mercie Aqui. 22 ae q. 30. Art 3. as a sensitiue passion may be meere triuiall and idle Mercie as a motion of the minde guided by reason is a beautifull vertue Now because vertue hath its extreames and the Deuill can turne himselfe from blacke to white from the extreame to appeare the meane from the Prince of darknesse to se●me an Angell of light we must seeke how to finde the meane and refuse the extreames to entertaine the Angell and cast out the Deuill To the performance of which we must first define Pitie shewing what it is then manifest the persons whom it respects But before we proceede to define let Logicke moderate vs for because of the ambiguous terme Misericordia Mercie t is best to diuide T is taken then two waies as only intimating commiseration or withall implying succour In 4. Psalm poenitent S. Gregorie makes the diuision and proportions fit termes to the diuiding members Per misericordiam miserentis affectum intelligimus per miserationem verò misericordiae exhibitionem signamus The word is either taken for a naked pitie onely commiserating misfortunes without giuing reliefe or for a compassion attended with a beneficence which implies an actuall exhibition of succour The first is most properly meant in my Text the second is a naturall consequent both may be handled but to auoyde confusion and tediousnesse the first onely in the doctrine Pitie then is defined to be Alienae miseriae in corde nostro compassio S. Aug. de ciu dei lib. 9. cap. 5. a deepe and hearty fellow-feeling of anothers miserie From which obserue these foure Canons First there must be a feeling or sorrow Thus in the extremity of commiseration the Prophet cryeth My bowells shall sound like an Harpe for Moab mine inward parts for Kirharesh Isay 16.11 Secondly there must be a fellow-feeling compassion as well as passion for we must slere cum flentibus weepe with those that weepe Rom. 12.15 Thirdly we must haue a respect to Miserie Misericordiae propriasedes miseria est saith S. Bernard De conuers ad Cler. ser cap. 10. Felicitie requires no pitie but miserie is the only seate of mercy Lastly it must be Alienae miscria of anothers vnhappines Our pitie hath respect to others not our selues and if we are sad for our own miserie 't is Dolor not Compassio Anguish not Pitie Sothen if we haue not feeling we are not passionate if we haue not fellow-feeling we are 〈◊〉 cōpassionate The definition then includes a re●●on that respect brings vs to the persons The consideration of whom swayes the ballance and makes our pitie either friuolous or discreet Now the persons to be itied are to be considered in respect of their coniunction to the parties pitying The coniunction may be three-fold 1. Naturall as of a Kinsman to a Kinsman Aqui. 22. ae q. 31. Art 4. Ciuill as of a Countriman to a Countriman 3. Spirituall as of a Christian to a Christian We ought indeede to pitie all but these per prius Charitie begins at home we owe it to each man but first to the nearest Vertue and Grace 't is Aquin as his simile imitate Nature the fire first warmes what is like it and next it The ayre can sooner participate of the fires heate than the water and the flame soonest heats that which naturally is most propense and inclining to warmth So though our Compassion extends to all it first respects the nearest Religion and policie prescribe an order to our loue and naturally our affection is as neere as nature In Cant. Tom. 3. Puto quidem esse vim charitatis vnam multas tamen habere causas multos ordines diligendi saith S. Origen We may loue and consequently pitie all yet some first and most and one commiseration may haue diuers degrees The beautifull and deformed may be both beloued yet the fairest best I may commiserate a friends case yea and an enemies too yet my friends first Ioseph fed all Egypt but he placed his father and his brethren in the best of the land Gen. 47.11 He sold foode to the Egyptians verse 14. but hee nourished them vers 12. S. Paul suffered persecution for the Gentiles but he could wish himselfe separated from Christ for his bretheren his kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9.3 Israel was commanded to entertaine strangers gently Leuit. 19.33 but they wept bittery for the destruction of their countrimen the Beniamites 2. Sam. 21.3 Iudg. 21.2 Dauid indeed pitied and reuenged the soiourning Iebusites But Ieremy compiled a whole booke of Lamentations for his natiue City Ierusalem Gen. 19.4.6 Briefly Abraham may be kinde to Hagar but he must loue Sarah It was grieuous in his sight to part with Ishmael yet he must not be heire with his sonne Isaack Gen. 21.10.11 For we must doe good to all men but specially to those that are of the houshould of faith Gal. 6.10 These three things then Religion Kindred and Country claime the first title in our affection and consequently in our compassion and that commiseration which orderly respects them is naturall lawfull and sanctified These indeed inferre a priority in mercy but insinuate not so clearly the legitimacy of Pitie it selfe Now this lawfulnesse we may collect from the motiues to commiseration and the causes of affliction The motiues are of two sorts 1. A parte miserentis 2. à parte eius cuius miseremur the one is grounded in the party pitying the other proceeds from the person pitied The causes of compassion in respect of the person pitying are three 1. Dilectio 2. Coniunctio 3. Assimilatio Loue Kindred and equalitie or likenesse The first is Loue There is a body as well by loue as by nature the difference is that two naturall bodies make but one by friendship As one naturall body hath onely its owne sense so two bodies made one by friendship hath but one feeling So that pitie is as naturall as sense and compassion as proper to friends as passion to men All things are common amongst friends then so is miserie for affliction is as selfe-communicatiue as happinesse My friend is as mine owne soule Deut. 13.6 Thus if I loue my friend I am but penè alter scarce another so that I account his paine my griefe and what he vndergoes properly I must suffer at least by reputation The second motiue is Coniunction and nearenesse which we haue before touched The third is Assimilation or likenesse If the winde can scatter dust then à simili why cannot the breath of Gods nostrills scatter vs which are but dust If one man be in miserie we are men too but men and may be iust so afflicted Aetas parentum peior auis we are all no better than our

brethren not so good as our fathers If they be punished so may we if bad be scourged why should worse looke for happinesse If Iob be punished why may not his friends be tormented Saul persecutes Dauid and what Supersedeas hath hee but that for all that the Philistims may scorne him Iacob was as wise as aged and pitied the Shechemites his neighbours knowing that the rest of his neighbours might ere long haue had cause to pitie him If the inhabitants of the land should haue gathered themselues together against him being few in number and so he and his house should haue beene destroyed Gen. 34.30 If then we pitie others we put our compassion to vse we lend our mercie to our owne profit and onely store it to receiue it at neede Thus our mercie reflects vpon vs and our compassion to others includes as much respect to our selues as them Now if we should onely pitie them for our owne sakes it would be Philautie not Charitie a selfe-affection not a brotherly compassion There must be then causa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The obiect must impell to as much as we in our selues can be mooued to grant So that we must weigh the motiues aswell in respect of the partie pitied as the partie pitying Now that motiue is onely one Miserie which in respect of the person its subiect is two-fold Involuntary which befalls vs against our will and voluntarie which in some manner takes ground from our owne consent Involuntarie vnhappinesse is of two sorts Either Naturall when any defect is in and by Nature as blindnesse lamenesse and such like imperfections vnauoidable Or casuall as when from any thing we expect good Iob 1. 2. Sam. 4.4 and it happens euill So Iobs children met to be familiar and merry together and the house fell vpon them So Mephibosheth in hast to be saued was lamed These two sorts of vnhappinesse may iustly chalenge pitie Wherfore Christ had compassion vpon the blinde man Iohn 9.6 and Dauid vpon lame Mephibosheth 2. Sam. 9.10 Now our calamitie may be termed voluntary two wayes Ratione non euitationis Aqui. 22ae q. 30. Art 1. ratione electionis in causâ Eyther in not auoyding it when we may as when either by contempt or neglect we runne head-long into any imminent danger Or in willing vnhappinesse in its cause which is when we will the cause of miserie for so consequently we will miserie it selfe He that eates knowne poyson doth in some manner desire sicknesse He that wills the transgression of the law willes consequently the punishment He that must needs sin must needs die and he that willes the one desires the other Israel will die if they will sin wherfore God as it were wondring at their vnnaturall desire askes them not why they will sinne but why they will die Ezskiel 33.11 So these two sorts are so farre from moouing to pitie that they excite to punishment So then all poore are not alike to be pitied Cain was a wanderer so was Iacob but Cain a Vagabond Iacob a Pilgrim the one to be punished the other to be relieued He that will not auoide an apparent affliction is worthy to receiue it 1. King 2.37.46 And if Shimei wil not keepe his bounds but rashly goe ouer the riuer Kidron good reason hee should be smitten that he die Bona est misericordia S. Aug. sup-Exod lib. 2. sed non debet esse contra iudicium saith S. Augustine Mercy is good but then inordinate when against iustice We know by the immutable decree of God that bloud is to be shed for bloud If then the murtherer will needs be glutted with bloud let him buy it with the payment of his owne and receiue what consequently he wills the punishment Deut. 19.21 His bloud shall be vpon him and our eie must not pitie him Notwithstanding voluntarie affliction doth not alwayes exclude commiseration but only or at least chiefly when it is offensiue to Iustice Misereremei non quia dignus sed quia inops pauper sum ego Iustitia meritum quaerit misericordia miseriam intuetur Ver a misericordia non iudicat sed afficit Thus S. Bernard teacheth how to aske mercy by his owne petition Haue compassion saith he vpon me not because I deserue it but because I want it Iustice lookes for merit Mercie takes notice of miserie and true commiseration argues not by reason but affects with passion Samuel mourned for disobedient Saul respecting his distresse not his sinne And Dauid sorrowed for that trayterous parricide Absalom his teares indeed were in vaine yet they were pious because pitifull We may bestow pitie vpon an offendour that is dying not to saue him but to comfort him we may pitie an offendour that is liuing Aqui 22. ae q. 31. Art 2. Ad sustentationem naturae non ad fomentum culpae We may haue compassion vpon his nature in which he is like vs and not cherish his vice in which we should be dislike him From these it is euident how far compassion is lawfull and how inordinate But because the word Lawfull may only insinuate a tolerancie for things indifferent and not in themselues absolutely good may be permitted and according to that acceptation lawfull the next reason challenges place which is grounded vpon command and first of Nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nature Arban q. 118. saith Athanasius God hath so guided Nature that shee makes her best workes as like as shee can to God Man was created according to his owne image and is naturally in nothing more like him than in mercy In each creature there is vestigium creatoris the foot-steppe of the creator in man his image The most sauage cruelty hath its limits Beares agree amongst themselues and the Canibals that deuoure their enemies nourish their neighbours As bodies are naturally contiguous so are our affections Wee are as neere by loue as they by touch A man had as good be a stocke as a man without a neighbour Wee are better than beasts only in discourse so that our perfection depends vpon a fellow The cause why this fellowship is so necessarie is the necessity of a mutuall reliefe which is as well afforded by compassion as in a gift My minde may be as liberall as my hand and if pouertie curbe my bounty yet maugre misfortune I can bestow the naturall beneuolence of pitty Which is to be accepted sith it was the commendations of Agesilaus that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xenoph orat de Agesilao Hee respected those friends that would doe him a curtesie more than those that could doe it preferring the beneuolence of minde to the possible beneficence of fortune If I cannot grieue yet I can loue if by misfortune I cannot succour yet by nature I can pity By commiseration though I cannot free my friend yet I can ease him Nor is it my sorrow that so helpes him Aqui. 12ae