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	nature_n	reason_n	1,625	5	4.6916	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13211	Sermons, meditations, and prayers, upon the plague. 1636. By T.S.	Swadlin, Thomas, 1600-1670.	1637 (1637)	STC 23509; ESTC S103474	86,706	284

It is named so Sicknesse is Nay sometimes it is a double Debt a Debt to Nature and a Debt to Physicke If we dye then Natures debt is payed if we recover yet we are still in debt to the Physitian so farre sometimes that wee spend the last Farthing of our substance So it was sayd of the Woman in the Gospell she consumed her whole estate upon the Physitians Or it is a percussion 5. Percussio 6. Desolatio or a desolation either a smiting or a desolating So the Prophet sayes I will make thee sicke in smiting thee Mica 6.13 in making of thee desolate by reason of thy sinnes It is distinguished so Sicknesse is and of all sicknesses this Division best complies with the Plague and I beleeve the Prophet there meanes the Plague for the plague is a smiting sicknesse and is therfore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the fiercenesse of it And it is a desolating sicknesse and it is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it spreads and diffuses it selfe into many if not into all people In a word the plague is an Outlawry and the plague is an Excommunication It is the greatest punishment in the Civill Law and it is the greatest punishment in the Common Law it outlawes us and it excommunicates us too It outlawes us from all workes of Civility in the Common-wealth and we may not goe about our lawfull Callings and it excommunicates us from all workes of Piety in the Church and wee may not goe to publicke prayers No body may goe to visite them hardly the Physitian they may not goe to visite any body not the Divine such a fearefull thing is the plague and I pray God deliver us from it For who else can The pla●tre whence who can remove it but he that causes it and who is the cause of it but God If I looke upon it as it is Praemium or Meritum A Reward or a Desert so my sinne is the cause of it Causa deficiens But I looke upon it as it is Poena Correctio A punishment or a Chastisement and so God is the Cause of it Causa efficiens So the Prophet Micaiah points to God I will make thee sicke I will Mica 6.13 And so does the Prophet Moses too Wrath is gone out from the Lord Num. 16.46 and the plague is begun And the very word it selfe Plague speakes no lesse for it is Verbum asperum A killing word the plague is But it is the Lord that kills and therefore it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To kill as it were with the Sword But it is the Sword of the Lord no hand can weild this Sword but the hand of God And therefore sometimes it is called the hand of the Lord 2 Sam. 24.14 be cause in this punishment the Lord shews his punishment after a wonderfull and fearefull manner And sometimes it is called an Arrow The Arrow that flies by day but no Bow can shoote this Arrow but Gods Psal 91.6 An Arrow it is for the suddainnesse and an Arrow it is for the swiftnesse of it It brings a suddaine destruction for it creeps not as doe other diseases by little and little but it pierces suddainly and it flies with speed too thorow a whole Citty over a whole Countrey Even from Dan to Beersheba 2 Sam. 24. and who can shoote so suddainly or so swiftly but God Manes indeed in one of his phanaticall dreames telles us that a certaine Spirit in the aire called Messor diffuses that contagion which breeds the plague But wot you what his drift was Marrie to establish that Divellish conclusion of two beginnings the one good the other bad and so to joyne another power in commission with God But I believe and I believe all good men believe the same with me that this Messor is one of Gods mowers Others there be that say Beterg de Vrbib lib. 2. 11. particular cities have their Crytical dayes and Clymactericall yeares Every third yeare is fatall to the Grand Cayre in Egypt in which 300000. commonly dye of the plague every fifth or seventh yeare to Constantinople wherein the mortalitie seldome costs her lesse than 200000. And so some have noted the twentieth yeare to be mortall to London but surely they are out in their account for wee have had three plagues within lesse than three parts of twenty yeares one in 1625. another in 1630. and now a third is begun this yeare 1636. Surely then they were then and this is now from the hand of God Others conclude the pestilence to proceed from nothing else but a malignity of course arising from an ill conjunction of planets or a concurrence of some other disaffected causes in nature and their reason is because they are able to trace the infection to the first body that dyed or because they can distinguish betwixt a contagion received per contactum of other bodies or occasioned by an infected aire They may as well deny Thunder to be the voyce of God because by the helpe of Philosophy they can probably guesse it to be the collission of two clouds and in them the contestation of two repugnant qualities No sure as there is no mercie so no judgement neither wherein wee may not discerne Digitum Dei the hand of God whether it bee Winde or Storme Tempest or Hayle they are all his Ministers to fulfill his will yea and the very plague too So sayes another Text The wrath of the Lord kindled Num. 11.33 and smote the people with an exceeding great plague And another to that and many more If I send a pestilence 2 Chron. 7.13 But why Why doth the Lord send the plague The Plague why If it be asked in propter quod for what reason It is for our sinnes But if ad quod to what end It is to put an end to our sinnes that we repenting for our sinnes he may repent of his anger Our humility is the finall cause and end of the plague and I end it thus I dare not say God hath infected the aire but I dare and doe say I have infected the aire I have infected it by my sinnes I have made my sins more infectious than the plague For the plague infecteth but by sent and that sent must bee neare But I wretch that I am have sent my sinnes farre and neare Some I have infected with the sores of Drunkennesse neare at the table some with the spots of adultery nearer in the bed some with the tokens of pride farther off in the street many with the swellings of oathes and many more farre and neare with those dangerous symptomes of covetousnesse and idolatry of prophanenesse and hypocrisie of theft and oppression of lying and vanity And what fire can purge this aire but that of zeale And who can kindle this fire but thee O God O God that thou wouldest once kindle it in mee And lest it exalt the