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	power_n	soul_n	2,506	5	5.3976	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A22871	An introduction to the looue of God. Accompted among the workes of S. Augustine, and translated into English, by the right reuerend father in God, Edmund, Bishop of Norvvitch, that nowe is, and by him dedicated to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie, to the glorie of God, and comfort of his chosen. And newlie turned into Englishe meter by Robert Fletcher. 1581.	Simard, Marie Ange, attributed name.; Freake, Edmund, ca. 1516-1591.; Fletcher, Robert, fl. 1586.	1581 (1581)	STC 936; ESTC S114474	35,980	111

for to looue them more But as our selues that is to wishe as to our selues is sayd before Especiallie the ioy and blisse that euerlasting dooth remaine That we with them and they with vs may at the length the same obtaine Them to assist and helpe likewise with bodilie and ghostlie foode As reason and habillitie requireth so to doo them good And as the Gospell dooth you giue to vnderstand euen so to doo To other men as you would wishe that other should doo to you For so sayth Iohn let vs not loue neyther in tongue nor yet in worde But euen in truth and veritie that loue is liked of the Lorde But now where are those neighbors whom we ought to loue forsooth euen all Both Christian Heathen Iewes friends and those which Enimies we call ¶ Why and how God is to be loued Cap. 2. SInce our soules health consisteth in the loue of God let vs prouide To way the cause with diligence when why and how our life is tride But to exite and to increase the loue of God in vs for aye To nourishe it not greater force then on his prouidence to stay Remembering his benefites which he doth heape vpon vs still That in the view thereof our soules doe faint as though our liues would spill For in this case we cannot be so able as we would desire To yielde him thankes for all his gifts as loue and seruice doth require Yet must we doe what may be done what resteth in the power of man So many thankes to render him as we by nature render can And see wherefore for benefites which we by merites might not haue He hath bestowed aboundantly that by decerte we could not craue Intirely he of vs therefore is to be loued with true intent But how and in what sort forsooth euen keepe his straight commaundement Giue eare therefore O man to that which greatest is of others cheefe In memory imprint the same Day night and houre it yieldes releefe And this commaundement it is Loue God the Lord with all thy hart With all thy soule with all thy might With all thy minde as his deserte With all thy memory and thoughts With all thy skill and knowledge eke Yield vnto him obedience due with humble hart and minde most meeke Yet peraduenture thou wilt thinke alas his loue to me is light Therefore I will not be afrayde to aunswere him with loue more slight Searche all thy thoughts haue in minde what he ere this hath doone for thée And what héereafter promist is to be bestowed in like degrée Then shalt thou finde how much thou art vnto him bound beyond thy might Yea and beyond all measure eke if thou regarde his grace aright But to the end the looue of God may quickned and augmented be Waighe and consider well the cause and looue him more aboundantlie Whom why and to what end mankinde was first created and what things God made for th'vse and ease of man these vnto him thy sences brings Whether they heauenly were or not visible or terrestriall Inuisible or in what sorte till his mercy did them call Our fyrst creator Lord and God one God and eke one Lord alone Whose goodnes of such greatnes is that he dooth blesse vs euery one Of which his blessings he dooth bid we on our partners some bestowe It cannot be diminished but dooth increase and ouerflow That goodnes therefore which him selfe is he to others would extend Onely of his frée goodnesse for necessitie may not contend Because vnto thy goodnesse chéefe it appertaines and els to none Our mighty and eternall God he profitable is alone Man of himselfe vnable is partaker of his blisse to be But by the vnderstanding of his mercy perfect made is he The more that he dooth vnderstand the more in grace he dooth abound The lesse that he dooth vnderstand for that he is more guilty found God made a reasonable man that he the chéefe might vnderstand Of goodnesse which th'immortall God had framed with his mighty hand By vnderstanding he might looue and loouing might the same possesse And so possessing it might haue vnto his profit nothing lesse The creature he distinguished that parte moste purely might remaine Vnto himselfe and not be ioynde with humaine shape the same to staine The Aungell is that perfite part without a body passing pure The other is the soule of man that with the body doth indure The reasonable creature is deuided thus as here you see Into the thing which it hath not And whith it hath for both these be That which no body hath is calde an Angell as the word we scan That which a body doth possesse we know doth represent a man He doth consist of flesh and blood his mightie maker to extoll Who by his power did him compact in shape with reasonable soule The cheefest cause Gods goodnesse is by which both men and aungels were With reason and with grace indewed Herein his goodnesse doth appeare So in as much as God is good so are we by his power diuine For goodnesse his he giues to them that from his grace doe not decline And to this end created were these reasonable creatures then to praise their God and him to serue as best becommeth christyan men And by the same we do possesse all profite to the creature For God himselfe fulfilled is with soueraigne bountie perfite pure He neither is deminished nor neede encrease hee is all one A Creator the profite is the creature his owne alone Therfore to them that will demaunde why to what end were creatures made A profytable reason straight is here set downe them to perswade The goodnes of the Creator for profyt of the creature So that he loue the Lord his God and in his seruice stil indure Finis 2. Cap. ¶ The cause of the creation of Aungels men and all other Creatures 3. cap. BOth men and angels are therfore said to be made for God aboue But not because he needeth them but for because hee doth them loue He needeth not the seruice haue of Angels or the sonnes of men He hath no want of worldlie goodes but that they both might vse him whom The seruaunt profite dooth receyue not he to whome the seruice due Is done him hath no néede thereof all textes in Scripture prooue it true As for him selfe the Lord made man the world for man he made also That it might serue at all assayes the vse of man in wealth to flow Where béeing placed in such state and high degrée as wishe hee could Bothe that he might be seruant there and serue his God as reason would That all the goodnesse might redound vnto him selfe of that he sought The seruice of the Lord his God which he to passe in him hath brought That man might holpen be thereby to serue the Lord in godlie trade Bothe in the thing for him ordaind as for the thing that man was made All thinges are ours th'Apostle

feareth God Moreouer I know y ● meter is more acceptable to some then prose may with lesse capacitie be cōprehended as of children yoūg men maides c. which mooued me also to take this paines therein and the rather to suppresse that huge heape superfluous rable of balde Ballads Rimes Ridles Songs Sonnets yea and whole volumes of vanity which tend to the nourishing of vice and corrupting of Youth which be not written for our learning but for the confusion of those that delight therin to teach vnlawfull lust and outragious ribauldry and to trayne vp in the toyes of vanitie the vaine fickle and fantasticall youth yea and some aged whose modestie ought to be ashamed of such immoderate follie It is not long since I happened to speake with a good fréend of mine concerning the Printing of this Booke in meter truely sayth he it is woorthy the publishing in Print but Bookes of vanitie be better sold twentie to one which is lamentable that vanitie should be preferred and Vertue supplanted or at the least verie much suppressed Is that the fruites of our profession sayde I that haue enioyed the cleare light of the Gospell now full thrée twentie yéeres No sayth he God be thanked many haue doo receyue the glad tydinges of the Gospell with reuerence and feare but there commeth vp so many fine heads newlie pullished for the purpose that professe Poetrie and commit paltries for he that can eyther Prose or Rime wyll be in print if his Pen can but blotte foorth a Bable it shall be a Ballad with Finis c. at the ende They be all Chaucers and Gowers Lidgates and Bocases and he is a foole that is not fiue Skeltons for cunning these write woonders newes neuer séene before no nor neuer heard of but at Billings gate or in Grauesende Earge I would to God these wittie writers would take paines in penning profitable Pamphlets eyther godlie Meditations or good Prayers whether in Prose or in Verse that the practise of Poperie which was wunt to be published in Fables to delude the simple ignorant and vnlearned might be abolished with their maister the Pope and newe matters professing Faith and Religion published in place thereof I speake not of any the commendable works of many woorthy wittes set foorth of late by diuers Worshipfull Gentlemen good Schollers and well experimented Poets which containe bothe pleasure and profite but of those which in déede their workes smell not so much as of an honest minde but will make a mans eares ake to heare them and his face blushe to reade them and because they abounde I am bolde to bewraie my minde of them wishing you that shall reade this my simple endeuour in so woorthy a worke to estéeme the matter as it is and the meter as it shall please you and bothe so as God may be glorified and you certified of his intire looue if so you looue him as héerein is expressed To whose looue grace and mercie I committe you for euer Amen Yours euer in Christ Robert Fletcher Th. Prat Gent. to the Reader IF thou wilt learne thy soueraigne Lord to looue And practise how to prayse his holie name Heere mayst thou see his mercie dooth thee mooue That thou of duetie ought to doo the same Then reade this Booke and therein shalt thou find Sweete remedies to ease thy carefull minde It shewes thee howe thy God did looue thee first Yea long before thou didst begin to bee It shewes thee howe for sinne thou wast accurst Yet he in mercie hath redeemed thee The goodes thy Gods but thine was all the gaines The profite thine but his was all the paines Th. Prat. Gent. FINIS Tho. Lee to the Reader IF thou desire thy God to looue And would the causes vnderstand It shall be good for thy behooue This little Booke to take in hand The way to heauen it will thée teach And how to shun the paines of hell It to thy soule pure thinges dooth preach Peruse and immitate it well Tho. Lee. FINIS ¶ Io. Breifilde in the behalfe of this Booke THe Prose is to our profite pend From godlie learned skill The Meter dooth it selfe commend For he that hath good will Dooth reade them bothe he profite shall And pleasure eke attaine Buie bothe the Bookes the price but small much greater is thy gaine ●he Prose the power of God displayes and thy redemption free ●he Meter euen in minde bewrayes Like comfort vnto thee ●mbrace them bothe thanke God therfore Esteeme thy grace enioyde Giue thankes to them to salue thy sore That haue their paines imployde Io. Breifilde FINIS ¶ An Introduction to the loue of God That the loue of God and thy Neighbor cannot be seperated first Chapter WIth wakeful heed earnest mind and diligent indeauor eake How to escape Hell torments it with care becōmeth vs to seeke And for to purchase vs the place of ioy in Heauen there to dwell The one we cannot comprehend the other we cannot expell Except the meanes we marke and know to shun the worst and chuse the best The one by prayer to preuent in fayth to purchase endlesse rest Let vs with willingnesse therefore the wordes of the Apostle way The difference betweene these two he doth in order thus bewray The hart of man cannot conceaue the eye of man hath neuer seene The Eare of man did neuer heare What thinges for these preparde hath bene Which looue the Lord kéepe his Lawes that in his feare their liues doo leade These ioyes expressed they possesse that serue the Lord in word and déede Loe now beholde the present place in which th'Apostle dooth assure Vs of the lasting looue of God if we our looue to him endure But yet the looue of God alone without the looue of neighbours too Can not be had the text dooth tell which giues vs councell so to doo He that his Brother dooth not looue with whome he héere hath present béene How can he looue the Lord his God which with his eyes he hath not séene And this commaundement haue we from the Lord our God that so we doo First looue the Lord our neighbour next for looue consisteth in these two Th'Apostle Paule procéedes againe perswading looue and thus dooth say For to confirme you in the same I shewe a more excellent way The which shall safelie you conduct and leade vnto that heauenly place Which only is preparde for those whom God dooth gonerne with his grate But who is in this way or who dooth knowe the same for soothe euen hée That first dooth looue the Lord his God and next his neighbour by degrée Then looue our God more then our selues and as our selues our neighbours then According vnto this our God we rather must obay then men And that is done when we prefer his pleasure and commaundementes Before our willes which be peruerse as all our councelles and intents But yet our neighbours we are not commaunded