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	good_a	great_a	3,132	5	2.4770	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17297	Conflicts and comforts of conscience a treatise, shewing how the conscience, in cases of deepest distresse and distraction, may recollect it selfe, and recouer solid and sound comfort / collected from priuate proofe, for publike profit, by H.B. ...	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1628 (1628)	STC 4140.4; ESTC S259	75,671	324

incurable ludibrium Medicorum The Prouerbe is As good bee halfe hanged as haue an ill name Which hath beene the cause that many being oppressed with the shame of it and out of hope of any likely remedie haue gone and hanged themselues out-right Yea among the Heathen an ill name hath beene so detestable as on a time A. Gall. Noct. Att. l. 18. c. 3 when one in Lacedemon of a notorious vicious life but wittie and one that could speake well in a dangerous exigent of affaires gaue such aduice as all the Citizens applauded it and would haue it presently enacted and decreed vnder his name as the manner was thereat one of the nobler Senators starting vp with a spirit full of indignation vttered these words What meane you O yee Lacedemonians or what hope is there that euer this Citie and Weale-publike should long continue in safetie if wee shall vse such corrupt Counsellours If that his sentence bee good and honest I pray you let vs not suffer it to bee stained with the reproach of a most filthy Authour And hauing said this he chose a man among the rest for courage and vprightnesse but of a poore speech and vneloquent and commanded him with the consent and request of all to pronounce the same sentence in as good termes as he could that without mention of the former this Decree of the people might bee recorded in his name onely in regard he recited it anew And thus as the sage Senatour counselled it was done Sic b●n● sententia mansi● ●urpis au●●or mu●atus est So the good sentence stood good but the infamous Author was changed And euer Gratior est pulchro veniens è corpore virtus And in Sacred storie Dauid must not build the Temple because hee had beene a man of blood in so many battels nor must Moses haue the honour to This was in a mystery Moses sinning was the Law broken which could not bring Moses thither condu●t Israel into Canaan because by his owne humble confession hee had dishonored the Lord by his vnbeleefe at Meribah And Salomon in his boo●e of repentance in dislike of the vani●●es hee had committed being King stiles himselfe The Preacher not Salomon the King saying onely I the Preacher haue beene King in Ierusalem On the contrary Ioab would not send the newes of Absolons death by good Ahimaas but by Cushi And when Dauid heard of two comming running to bring newes and the one Ahimaas he promised to himselfe good tydings for saith he He is a good man and bringeth good tydings So preiudiciall is the person to the cause good or bad for the very name sake Now it hath beene the lot euen of Gods dearest Saints to be ill reported of Iohn the Baptist was reported for a Daemoniaeke or one possessed with a diuel yea Christ himselfe the innocent Lambe of God in whose mouth was no guile yet escaped not scot-free but was famed for a wine-bibber a friend of Publicans and sinners also a sedicious person and I wot not what And Dauid heard of Shimei Come out thou man of blood thou sonne of Belial as much as Thou bloud-shedder thou debosht person yea the drunkards made songs of him And Iob complaines Iob 17.6 He hath made me a by-word of the people and I am as a Tabret vnto them And Saint Paul heard 2 Cor. 6. One that stirreth vp sedition And hee went through euill report and good report as a deceiuer and yet true Onely the difference is how the ill name is deserued how iustly or vniustly raised And although by reason of the worlds vnreasonable malicious enuy against true vertue generally Gods Saints are falsely reproached yet it may so fall out as euen the holiest man may iustly and worthily fall into an euill report Who holier than Dauid yet it was his case which Shimeis railing did in part at least reflect vpon calling him a man of blood and sonne of Belial murtherer and adulterer For Dauids adultery and murther were not so closely carried but men might easily take notice of it howsoeuer the maiesty of his person place might somewhat smother and smooth it ouer by keeping mens tongues in awe yet it was so known already as Nathan tels him he had giuen the enemie cause to blaspheme So that the very Philistins had notice of it much more Dauids owne people and Court. Gloss. O●din And the Hebrews say that Achitophel ●ooke part with Absalon in reuenge of Bathshebas chastity and honour because she was his Neece This being so what a torment was it to poore Dauids heart thus to be reported thus reputed seeing he had so deepely and 〈◊〉 dese●ued it seeing Dauid ●as no prophane Prince whose lust was his law or who held it as his priuiledge to be vniust in taking away the wife or life of any of his liege subiects as though he might sinne by authority or adultery were but a tricke of youth and veniall in Court or the manner of making away Vriah a politicke deuice to make a fairer way to his lustfull ends but as he was a sacred person a King anointed a holy Prophet and Saint of God so nothing could so excruciate and vexe his noble spirit then thus to see the crowne of all his graces cast in the dust the beauty thereof defaced Gods name dishonoured his owne name disgraced religion reproached and such a brand of infamy inusted on Dauid● name and that imprinted in sacred Record neuer to be blotted out as it were in capitall letters Sauing in the matter of Vriah Now tell me brother thou that art in estimation for wisdome and glory in whose estimate nothing is so precious as a good name to haue a good report with all good men in case through some folly thou hast made shipwracke of thy credit and so of all that fraight of graces which thou hast toyled about all thy life now thy sincerity is censured for hypocrisie and all turned topsie turuie What wilt thou doe Now thou maist finde that a good conscience wounded may more easily be cured with God then thy credit once crackt with men the cure whereof depends vpon as many Physitians as there are men in the world whereof though some few possest with diuine loue may be willing to licke it whole with their tongues or as the noble Emperour Constantine who said that if he did with his eyes see a Bishop to defile another mans bed hee would cast his purple robe ouer it least therwith any should be offended as he threw the bundle of the Bishops mutuall complaints at the Councell of Nice into the fire saying it became them to pardon one another sith all needed pardon of Christ Yet the most will out of the superfluity of maliciousnesse not sticke to invenome it the more with their Serpentiue tongues and teeth CHAP. X. The Comfort How in this deplored case the deiected soule may sustaine it selfe and hold out to the end IN this

yet is deserted of his friends Who would not wonder at this To heare a King complaining My louers and my friends stand aloofe from me Psal. 38.11 and my kinsmen stand a farre off And Psal. 88 18. Louer and friend hast thou put away farre from me and hid mine acquaintance out of my sight And Ps. 69.8 I am become a stranger vnto my Brethren euen an aliant vnto my Mothers children But wherefore all this Because he was now fallen into pouertie No such thing for hee was still a great King Or was it because hee was a Type of Christ and therefore must looke to fare so much the worse with the world and bee euill intreated of his neerest friends as Christ was For the liker to Christ the worse liked of the world Nor that neither for then Dauid might haue found much comfort to be for such a cause forsaken But that which so much estranged Dauid's familiars and friends from him was his sinne so offensiue and scandalous and withall his humiliation and open repentance for the same which caused all his carnall friends to despise him Was not his sinne the cause that his owne Sonne his chiefe Councellors all Israel almost rebelled against him as an enemie of God and as one vnworthy to rule any longer ouer them They made it a faire pretence at least which God vsed as a scourge to his Seruant both for his greater humiliation and tryall and for example of others Yea the carnal minded made a mocke also of his humiliation as Micol as Shimei as others as vnseemely for the Maiestie of a King As if in sinne-cases it became the simple and poore vulgar onely to weepe but not Kings To these two causes Dauid referreth his friends st●angenesse towards him First For his sinne Psalme 31.10 11. My strength faileth me because of mine iniquitie and my bones are consumed I was a reproach among all mine enemies but specially among my neighbours and a feare to mine acquaintance Plebi lacrimar● lic●t Regi honeste non licet H●er Ps. 69.5 10 11 12 they that did see me without fled from me For I haue heard the slander of many And O God thou knowest my foolishnesse and my sinnes are not hid from thee Secondly for his humiliation When I wept and chastened my Soule with fasting that was to my reproach I made Sack-cloth also my garment and I became a Prouerbe to them They that sit in the Gate speake against me and I was the song of the Drunkards Here let Iob's patience take brething awhile solace it selfe ●●stum tenacem propositi virū Non ciuium arbor praua iubentium Non vultus instant●s tyranni mēte quatit solida Hor. And Alium multis gloria terris Tradat omnes Fama per vrbes garrula laudet Caeloque parem tollat astrii Me meatellus Lare secre to tutoque●egat Sen. Yea let him with astonishment bee silent at Dauid's tryall in being thus forsaken of his friends And Dauid's case it is that suits with this present conflict Tell me not my Brother of thy friends forsaking thee being fallen into pouertie or into great mens disgrace or the like a masculine Spirit will easily incounter all such contempt But hast thou some thing in thee wherein thou resemblest Christ as one of his members and therefore worthy to haue the world for thine enemie And besides some thing inherent and inhabitant in thee resembling and sauouring of the old Adam whereby thou art any way obnoxious to the worlds censure yea in so much as now thy verie familiar friends forsake and fly thy societie as ashamed thereof When notwithstanding there is nothing more irksome vnto thee then to bee a stranger to God and all good men Tell me now in this case dost thou thinke any man more miserable then thy selfe And the more as thou art a man more or lesse eminent in place and graces and in estimation for wisdome and glorie What comfort now canst thou haue or hope for in thy life forsaken of all in a manner and euen abhorred of those whom thou most esteemedst When now those things which would be highly esteemed in others in thee doe loose their grace and acceptance And all this through thine owne want of care slacknesse and remisnesse in thy noble resolution to doe nothing vnworthy thy person and profession Tell me now dost thou not heare the Accuser of the Brethren Ca●endo magis quā puendo Quā multa p●nitenda incurrunt viuendo di● the old Serpent whispering in thine eares O thou forlorn wretch why art thou so base minded so stupidly patient as to possesse thy life with the losse of thy reputation and of the loue of thy best friends Thou hast lost them irreuocably and yet doest thou desire to spin out a contemptible and tedious life whereof together with all those torments and griefes thou sufferest in thy Soule for thy folly and deserued disgrace thou mayest so easily so speedily many wayes bee rid And this were the readie way to please thy friends againe For to whom thy life is hatefull thy death would consequently proue gratefull and welcome Or despi●●ng thee aliue they would desire and deplore thee dead as a thing pretious So that what thou canst not obtaine by liuing thou mayst by dying And by liuing longer thou mayest come to haue more cause to repent thee And what needest thou to hoyse vp Sayles to passe through a Sea of infinite troubles and perills being driuen by no other winds but those tempestuous sighes which arising from thy restlesse and dist●mpered mind must needs cause thy wracke vpon some Rocke or other When thou mayest with one short finall breath bee wasted ouer Lethe where thou shalt neuer think of thy friend● more whom now thou canst not remember but with ruthfull regret Such like counsells or cold consolations is the enemie of thy Soule readie to suggest vnto thee when thou art deserted of all comfort of those whom thou most dearely louest whose losse thou so deepely lamentest CHAP. VIII The Comfort How a man may ouercome or at least not be ouercome of the former Conflict BVt hence Satan And now poore Soule hast thou foolishly lost thy friends Lament the cause more then the effect So shall thy life be now not much more bitter in the losse of thy friends then it was wont to be sweet in the inioying of them So as remembring themselues they offend not God in the excesse of their strangenesse or disaffection by adding to the burthen which they should helpe to beare And then shalt thou comfort thy selfe with hope that you shall one da● meet and conuerse in Hea●●● in an vnseperable inoffensiue societie In the meane time their distast shall bee but one of those bi●ter ingredients in that strong potion which it pleaseth thy heauenly Physitian to purge the corrupt humour withall or as Rue in thy Diet-drinke to macerate thy Spirits and to frustrate the force of

vpon the most innocent so little need hath any of Gods children to be heedlesse of his conuersation as to expose his name as a prey to their teeth And yet this hath bene the lot euen of the strongest Champions and holiest Saints of God Dauid smarted so much the more because he had by his sinne caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme O how neere doth this goe to the heart of Gods child when hee considereth how instead of being an example of vertue to inuite the enemies of the truth to the loue of it beholding it to shine in the professors of it on the contrary hee causeth them to mis-deeme the truth it selfe yea to blaspheme it thereupon to condemne al that professe it For such is the malice of enuious men against the excellent glory of the truth the highest obiect of enuy that the least miscarriage of one Professor preuailes more with them to condemne the whole communion of Saints militant on earth as hypocrites and dissemblers then the vnspotted conuersation of thousands is able to wipe off or to possesse them with a good opinion of their Profession Yea and in stead of taking profit and making vse of the enemies of the truth among whom wee haply conuerse while their vicinity or neighbourhood should make vs more heedfull of our wayes least we offend them nothing being more disgracefull to a man then to commit any vnseemely act in the presence of his enemy the Apostle admonishing Walke wisely towards them that are without wee on the otherside cause much hurt vnto them not onely the greater shame to our selues by obfirming them in their ignorance prophannesse idolatry or superstition which now they dare more confidently preferre euen before Gods pure religion it selfe while their naturall morality or superstition may seeme in the least degree to outstrip our practicall diuinity Much more then what a disgrace is it for a Protestant to run riot in the presence of Papists Not that Papists can shew any great holinesse of their religion by the holines of their liues seeing they so much exclaime vpon holinesse in the professors of the truth giuing it the nick-name of a new kind of I wot not what heresie as Puritanisme or the like so that they plainely disclaime holinesse in themselues neither hath their religion it in it for all their infused righteousnesse to infuse any holines Bellarmine making the sanctitie of Doctrine not of Life to be that which sheweth the Church of Rome to bee holy into the professors of it a thing confessed by Bellarmine His eight marke of the Church Bellar. de Ecclae no●● cap. 1● that hee is faine to trauaile farre to deriue holinesse to make the Church of Rome holy namely among others from the holinesse of Bellar. de notis Ecclae cap. 13. Nota. 10● S. Dominicke and S. Francis the Founders of their religious Orders Yea and the better to comply with Protestants as the Iuy winding about the Oake in time eates out the heart of it they fauour them most in whom they obserue the fewest and least tokens of grace and holinesse speaking euill of the best hereby not onely making a diuision between Protestants but insinuating themselues into an vnited societie of the worst sort of Protestants whose weakenesse maketh them way the more easily to instill their poysonous Doctrines into them while they so liberally will promise Pardons and Indulgences to those whose profane liues stand in need of the whole Ocean of Gods Mercies of the whole Fountaine of Christs Merits in his Blood to wash and purge them and not those imaginarie Waters that flow from the See of Rome whose Conduits conuey nothing but emptie ayre to thirstie Consciences but flow backe againe with streames of Gold which the Alchimistes of Rome do spunge from the full pouches of emptie braines Nor speake wee of any bastard Protestants who casting off all care and conscience of a Christian conuersation answerable to their generall calling are willing rather to symbolize with Papists in their profanation of all holy things as the hallowing of the Lords day in all such Christian duties as God requireth and so consequently run along with them vnto all excesse of riot railing at those that run not with them such Neutralls are neither good Fish nor Flesh but we speake of such Protestants as making conscience of their wayes to walke worthy of their calling if they chance to step besides the narrow path and of humaine frailtie commit the least errour so as euen the Papist comes to take notice of it It is enough to rayse a clamour not onely against the person in particular but against the whole Profession to make it odious if possible to all the world Certainly if any sober Protestant doe but enter into a consideration hereof he will be exceedingly wounded for the least offence giuen in this kind either by himselfe or by another Nor doth the offence onely reach to enemies without but it more neerely toucheth the Conscience for enemies within the Church What an indignation was it to Dauid trow you when hee heard how the verie drunkards and debosht sons of Belial within the Church made their Songs of him It was grieuous to Iob to be the derision of those base brats whose fathers formerly Iob accounted not for their vile conditions not for their pouertie worthy to bee set with the Dogges of his Flocke But this might the more easily bee brooked sith not any iust offence in Iob but his vertues so formerly enuied but now scorned being couered ouer and defaced with outward calamities made him to bee the obiect of contempt But Dauid's case was much more pittifull when those drunken companions at their vsuall Bacchanals made his sinne their song Can an ingenuous and noble Heauen-borne Spirit euen without bursting brooke such an indignitie And yet not so much the shame which himselfe sustaineth as the blame which Religion beareth for his sake and the desperate danger also whereinto by occasion of his example such Coribantes precipitate themselues is the thing that most of all troubleth his noble Spirit What comfort then in such a case CHAP. XII The Comfort How in this Conflict the Soule may stay it selfe and wind out of it WHo would not here stand agast and appall'd to consider into what a Maze of perplexities and Sea of sorrowes sinne though but in some errour of our life doth inwrap and ingulfe the poore child of God still one waue following in the necke of another like Iob's messengers and euerie one more grieuous then other How is it possible but the poore man should bee swallowed vp in the bottomlesse gulfe But loe euen in his vtmost extreamitie there is a planke for him to saue him from drowning First for the offence to the enemies without the Church The wound that is deeper will require the longer tent the longer time the greater pains the greater patience in curing of it For first this must redoubble and renue