Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bring_v	fruit_n	good_a	2,614	5	4.5284	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03347	The splendour of the spouse A sermon preached in the parish church of Ware, Anno Domini, 1638. By Augustine Hill, rector of Dengey, in the county of Essex.	Hill, Augustine, d. 1660.	1640 (1640)	STC 13468; ESTC S116585	15,346	25

rapine malignity yea a secret venom they have which empoysons and corrupts whatsoever they adhere unto The Prophet describing the generall and desperate pravity of Prince and people thus seemes to aggravate it The best of them is a bryar the most upright is sharper then a thorne-hedge Micah 7.4 and the blessing promised to Israel was this There shall be no more a pricking bryar unto the house of Israel Ezek. 28.24 nor any grieving thorne of all that are round about them 2. For their sterility and barrennesse of fruit they bring forth nothing immediatly profitable unto man In the ninth Chapter of Judges there is mention made of the Olives fatnesse the Fig-trees sweetnesse the Vines refreshing and chearing yet nothing of the thorne and bramble but unparallelled ambition pride dissention that ends in utter ruine and destruction yea they are causes of barrennesse in others they make the best soyle and the most fruitfull Land barren so are evill men unprofitable themselves and make others good for nothing like the Pharises who compasse Sea and Land to make a Pros●lite Mat. 23.15 and when he is made they make him twofold more the child of hell then themselves Heb. 6.8 Math. 25. Lastly for their end for as of thornes the end is to be burned so everlasting fire is the issue of all sinfull courses where they shall receive their just and deserved meede in that Lake that burnes with fire and brimstone forever where we will leave them and come to speake of the Church her mixture with them here in this life as being a Lily among the thornes As the Lily among Thornes so is my Love among the Daughters 1. Saint Jerome expounds it De Ecclesia Gentium quae velè medio remedio infidelium non credentium quasi ex spinis emerserit Hier. in Cant. God doth select and picke out his Church of the Gentiles from among unbeleevers as a Lily out of a great heape of thornes so in the Prophet I found Israel like grapes in the wildernesse Hoseah 9.10 where no man expected them yea God doth finde us like Lilyes among thornes but even when we are very thornes as hurtfull as unfruitfull as fit for the fire as they till God of thornes make us Lilyes therefore let us glorifie the riches of his grace and set forrh the prayse of him who hath changed our disposition made us innocent pleasing to himselfe profitable to others and shall be one day transplanted into his Celestiall Paradise 2. Saint Austin understands it of the mixture of good and bad in the visible Church Aug. in Ps 99. Lily and Thornes promiscuously growing together so that the Church is like Rebeccahs wombe two severall Nations are in it like Noahs Arke that hath cleane and uncleane beasts in it like Saint Peters net which gathered fish and rubbish like the Samaritans Inne entertaines all maner of guests wheate and chaffe in one floore meale and branne in one lumpe and Saint Paul saith in a great house there are not onely vessels of gold and silver but of wood and stone some to honour and some to dishonour Saint Bernard saith● Tria sunt loca 2 Tim. 2.20 Ber. Sent. there be three places heaven hell and earth each of these hath his severall Inhabitants Heaven hath none but good hell none but bad the earth hath good and bad mixed together Saint Austin seemes to apply it briefely thus Aug. loc cit 1. Quomodo consolaris how dost thou comfort thy Church O Lord against the multitude of ungodly men she may seeme to despaire when she sees such thickets of thornes as if all was turned to a wildernesse yet there is hope for her in this sunt grana inter paleam est Lilium inter spinas There be some graines of corne amongst the great heapes of chaffe and a Lily among the multitude of thornes Thus God cheares up Elijah in his grievous complaint I have left me seven thousand that have not bowed the knee to Baal and the Prophet tells the people 1 Kings 19.18 Revel 2.4 there is a remnant and there be a few names in Sardis Mathew and Zachey among the Publicanes the Centurion among the Souldiers Mary Magdalene among the harlots Therefore though we doe gemere as he saith mourne that the wayes of Sion want passengers yet let us not mourne as Rachel for her children refusing to be comforted because they were not nor sorrow as they that are without hope Doubtlesse many shall come from the East and from the West and sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in that blessed Kingdome above though we be not privy to the places they have there nor to their going thither the Church herselfe saith in admiration of her encreased number who hath begotten me these seeing I have lost my children Isa 49.21 and am desolate a captive and remooving to and fro and who hath brought up these behold I was left alone these where had they beene And take we heed of over sullen censures least we condemne the generation of Gods children and take them for thornes which were Lilies August De nullo pronuntiandum est 2. Quomodo confor●as How dost thou strengthen us against the temptations of Satan and the seductions of wicked men when thou tellest us thy Church is and continueth a Lily though amongst never so many thorns she is as I have already said in a speciall manner in Christ his care and custody in his hands and none shall be able to plucke her thence built upon a rocke and remaines like mount Sion immoveable Psal 125. 3. Quomodo terres How dost thou affright us with the consideration of our dangerous and militant condition here on earth that we are beset with thornes plainly in Ezekiels case bryars and thornes are with us Ezekiel 2.6 and we dwell among Scorpions and as God left the Canaanites to be pricks in the eyes and thornes in the sides of Israel to teach them warre Judges 3.2 So hath he left us enemies to traine us up in our military profession of Christianity 4. That which is opposite to the scope of his exposition and of the Text it selfe is to perswade us Tolerare malos to be content to beare with and forbeare them that be evill for God himselfe hath said that the tares shall not onely be but grow among the wheat untill the Harvest and the bad shall be amongst the good in the same net Math. 13.30 Aug. tom 4. de Catech. 12. rud untill they be drawne to shoare at the end of the world even he quem nihil frurorum latet who knoweth right well what they are and what they will be suffereth them not onely to enjoy being but well being all manner of outward blessings causeth his Sun to shine and his raine to raine upon them yea Christ himselfe in the dayes of his flesh endured even the contradiction of sinners so that all those

furious spirits that seeke an immediate and uttereradication of the thorns and if it lay in their power would command fire from heaven to consume them doe not imitate these blessed examples show a great deale of non-proficiency in Christianity as Saint Austin Aug. decerpt sen Qui ideo neminem vult pati hominum quia ut arbitratur multum proficit per hoc ●psum quod alios non tolerat ostendit quod potius non proficit a great want of patience yea of Christian charity which still hopes the best judgeth nothing till the time come and hath alwayes a mantle ready to cover the infirmities of others 1 Thess 5.14 yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to beare them up as a crouch doth a body that is lame or a beame a house that is declining whereas these are ready to discover the nakednesse of others and even to thrust their fingers into their wounds to make them greater and so in an unjust unchristian way separate themselves and while they relinquish the flock for the Goates sake crept in amongst them they leave the sheepe exposed to the rage of the wolfe whereas they ought to beare with the Goates for the sheeps sake Aug. Epist 48. Vicentio Non enim propter malos boni deserendi sed propter bonos mali tolerandi The good are not to be forsaken by reason of those amongst them which are evill but the evill are to be tolerated in regard of those amongst them which are good yea in forsaking them that Aug. tom 6. contra Faustum man l. 13. c. 16. be good they relinquish Christ himselfe cum isti relinquuntur iste relin quitur who accounts himselfe relinquished when they are relinquished which he accounts of that question of S. Austin is very fit for every one of them who precipitate Gods judgement Tom. 9 Hom. de ●vib c. 10. li. c. 5. Hanc tune Angelus eradicans zizania art thou the Angell which must pluck up the tares and in the same Homily Homo carne septus carnem portans aut fortè caro totus id est caro corpore carnalis animo audes usurpate officium alienum quod nec in messe erit tuum Dares thou being perhaps carnall at least clothed with flesh and a man of like passions with others usurpe that office which shall never belong unto thee but to the Angels and not be theirs till the end of the world and whereas thou shouldest supplicate for the further manuring and longer growth of the tree dost thou antevert a commission to cut it downe that it may comber the ground no longer rather ●oe thou say and desire as he destroy it not there is a blessing in it Isaiah 65.8 I will close this point wirh that of Saint Cyprian worthy to be written in letters of gold Etsi videntur in Ecclesiaesse zizania non tamen impediri debet aut fides aut charitas nostra Cyp. ep l. 3. ep 3. ut quoniam zizania esse i● Ecclesia cernimus ipsi de Ecclesia recedamus Nobis modò laborandum ut frumentum esse possumus ut cum caeperit frumentum Dominicis horreis condi fructum pro opere nostro labore capiamus The being of tares in the field the Church ought not to be a hindrance to our faith or charity nor is a sufficient cause of our separation from the Church we should rather labour to be good corne our selves that when the Harvest comes we may be gathered into Gods Barne there receive the fruit of our faith and obedience or further as he goes on There be in a great house vessels of wood and earth made for inferiour uses and others of gold and silver made for honourable services thus it is in Gods great house the Church we must labour to be vessels of honour fit for our Masters use and leave those of baser metall to his disposall who will at his own time breake them in pieces like a Potters vessell 3. Junius thinks it spoken of the excellency dignity of the Church in comparison of other Congregations Iun. in loc and of such as are not truly hers though mixed with hers Tantum superat Ecclesia coeteros omnes caetus quantum Lilium spinas The Church doth as far excell all other Congregations in worth as the Lily doth thorns Our Saviour speaks of the Lily that even Solomon in all his Royalty was not arrayed like one of them Mat. 6.29 if Solomon the most glorious Prince in the height of his glory attained not to the lustre of the Lily what a low ranke must the burre bramble a thorne be of to the spirituall Lily what is Bethaven to Bethel the house of Ammon to the house of God the Tents of Sedar to the Tabernacle of Testimony Abana and Pharpar the puddle waters of Damascus to the cleare waters of Israel the wells of salvation glorious things are spoken of the City the Church of God as glorious she is as the Sunne when he goes forth in his might Judges 5.31 nay more glorious then the other Sunne for she is clothed with the Sunne of righteousnesse Revel 12.11 and the Moone under her feet They say the Pope is greater then any Prince of the earth by so many degrees as the Sunne is greater then the earth let Parasites say what they will we may truly lay the comparison that the true Church of Christ doth infinitely excell that Antichristian Synagogue of Satan and all prophane Congregations though they assume to themselves never so many vaine titles of honour as Sancta Ecclesia Catholica Romana and so forth and Musselmanni as the Turkes title themselves true beleevers yet are they all thornes to the pure Lily the Church If it be referred to the Daughrers such as I have mentioned that live within the pale of the visible Church yet are not the peculiar Spouse of Christ The truly Christian soule as farre exceeds them as the Lily doth the thornes what comparison is there betwixt the gold and the drosse the wine and the lees the faithfull Spouse of Christ and the filthy harlot of the Devill surely one little spot of ground Goshen that hath light in it is worth all Aegypt full of darknesse grosse and palpable Learne we highly to esteeme these Lilies and to prize these choyce jewels and in whomsoever we see true grace sanctity and justice which two are the candour and odour of the Lily to value them though they be beset with never so many thornes of infirmities or adversities let us account of them as they are indeed the heires of heaven the nobles of the world for Generosa Christi festa nobilitat viros cui quisquis servit ille vere est nobilis and the pledges of our peace it may be the fire had beene before this time sent into the thornes but that there are some Lilies amongst them to be preserved and for their sakes God doth spare the thornes so long Our later