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
A78576	The preacher, or the art and method of preaching: shewing the most ample directions and rules for invention, method, expression, and books whereby a minister may be furnished with such helps as may make him a useful laborer in the Lords vineyard. / By William Chappell Bishop of Cork, sometime Fellow of Christs College in Cambridge.; Methodus concionandi. English	Chappell, William, 1582-1649.; Brough, W. (William), d. 1671.	1656 (1656)	Wing C1957; Thomason E1707_1; ESTC R209506	52,143	230

lesse vehemently displeased us heavily been punished quality semblable in evill dissemblable in good VIII From those things that rise either Nominal Real where the parts the finition VIII From the Testimonie where who God who also sometimes descends to our ways of provoking swearing Man by testimony common by the law by the voice of the people included in a proverb a wise mans saying spread abroad by publick report proper What. CHAP. XIX Of Consolation or Comfort 1. IF the Doctrine doth afford a Consectary which promises some good to those who are troubled and vexed in mind this Consectary must be applyed to the hearers in the use of Consolation 2. The formal object of this is either the evill of guilt or of punishment which presseth the hearers either not at all or not in such a degree or measure as they imagine The end is to stir up joy The means whereby he attains to this end is by propounding to the heart some great and present good 3. This presence may be shewn by Notes taken from any Argument that necessarily infers the good which is proposed 4. But because in publick Sermons the usual manner of comforting is in speaking to men not plainly but under that condition to which the Scripture promiseth that good Therefore because those shall not assume this comfort to whom it doth not belong as not being endowed with that quality which is required it will not be out of purpose sometimes to give some notes by which one may judge of the presence or absence of that quality and consequently of the good which is thereunto annexed 3. The reason of the good is Negative Positive The Negative good is in the absence of the all or of so much of some evill either of that which is thought to be present or of some other which if it were indeed present would afflict a man but the absence of it argues his affairs to be in a better condition then he thinketh The Positive good tends to that that if it cannot remove the evill of punishment as sometimes it cannot yet it may lenifie it and make it tolerable But shews that the evill of sin or guilt because that with it the good and consequently the comfort cannot consist may at least be removed and so far he may be comforted But if it be demonstrated that either the evill never was present or that it is already removed there seems no more to be required for comfort 6. The rejoycing is by so much made the greater by how much the good in it self is greater and the presence of it is more strict and apt for participation and its perpetuity more firm 7. The good may be amplified according to its nature If it be a good of vertue the arguments may be fetched according to the rule of opposites out of the Scheme of the aggravations of sin And this amplification may be extended either more or lesse as his affliction whom we intend to comfort shall require And the good is most of all to be amplified in that wherein it is opposite to that evill which presseth the patient either diminishing or removing or preponderating of it 8. As grief may arise out of an evill present not only actually but also in the certainty of the causes so may joy out of a good If therefore the object of fear doth urge vehemently especially according to a difficulty of avoiding so that it either quite take away or too much weakens that parcel of hope which is in the fear and so causeth a grief and dejection of mind The Consolation may be either Negative to the object of fear in that excesse shewing that either there is no evill at all or that it is not so great or so unavoidable or positive by some good which is present either actual or in an equall or greater certitude of causes 9. To this act may be added the act of Benediction or promise of good Crypsis The notes may also here be sometimes omitted especially when they are taken from that condition or quality to which the good which is propounded is annexed and the Preacher intends instantly to exhort the Auditors unto it for then in that exhortation if so be it be absolute in all its parts there will be occasion to make use of those notes 11. The pronouncing of the blessing as in the first use the Denuncitation of the cu●se being the exercise of the Keyes or seeming to make shew of some such thing doth therefore very well belong to the greatest and weightiest causes 12. He that comforts doing it as Gods Minister and in his Name and out of some place of Scripture peradventure out of the History of some Heroick person therein mentioned and seeing those who are to be excited doe more then seldom sin through pusillanimity grieving extreamly and letting their minds faint upon slight occasions to which the comfort is obvious lying as it were before their feet It may sometimes be permitted to entermix Reproof producing the examples of Christ or Saints in Scriptures who with alacrity and boldnesse of Spirit did undergoe far greater afflictions Which if he think fitting he may by a decent Prosopopoeia bring in saying they had causes of grief equall to if not greater then theirs and laying forth by what means they hold out rejoyced and sang praises in their tribulations looking upon the excellency and greatnesse of the annexed good And so at last conferring theirs and his Auditors condition he may close up this whole place either upbraiding his hearers if need be with their softnesse and imbecillity of mind or exhorting them to imitate the fortitude of those excellent men CHAP. XX. Of Exhortation 1. HItherto have been those Uses which have a relation to the heart as being under a present distemper now follow those which look upon it as in relation to some future thing These the Apostle seems to comprehend under the notion of those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for instruction in righteousnesse and they are Exhortation Dehortation Exhortation looks upon some future good which belongs to the hearers spuring on the heart to pursue it The scope of this is to excite hope or an effectual desire and propounds that which it exhorts unto under the formal reason of the object of hope which is a future sublime or difficult possible good 2. The Motives are grounded upon the good of the thing to which they are exhorted Which being considered in the degrees of subordination which it hath to the summum bonum or supreme good as more or lesse necessary for the attaining unto it hath so much the more force as the necessity is the greater and most of all if it be absolutely necessary by the necessity of the last end 3. The good is honest and seemly useful and pleasing To which may be added the absence of the evill which may be taken for a good 4. The good may be urged from the examples of God and Christ and the examples

have been heretofore condemned c. he must be so much the more wary and certain of that which he speaks For the grievouser the crime is which is objected the grievouser is the injury if it be objected falsely 7. Finally what error soever he brings upon the stage let him doe it nervously solidly and manifestly lest the resutation vanish away and the error stick fast but with an affection and speech befitting the cause and Christian charity lest whilest he takes care to free the hearers mindes from error he fill them with malice and bitternesse and by his example doe teach how to cause Religion to be from one end to the other evill spoken of and hated by the brethren then which things if we will believe Scripture rather then our own malignant nature there can nothing be more contrary to pure Religion Crypsis 8. The use of Refutation may for the most part be omitted unlesse the error be such as have found belief with our Auditors or of which we are afraid in their behalf or from which we may hope by their means to have others freed 9. In some necessary Controversie we may prosecute the error 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the opposite truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CHAP. XVIII Of Reprehension 1. NOw follow the uses which have respect to the heart or will and affections But these especially doe vindicate to themselves all manner of Rh●torical preparation but not to be undertaken without the salt of wisdom and gravity as is befitting a sacred person and businesse 2. And here sometimes may be somewhat mixed with the use which belongs to another but obliquely as they shall seem to conduce for the sharpning or softning of one another 3. The uses which belong to the heart have a respect unto it either as under some present distemperature or disposition in regard of which it hath need of some correction or rectification or in relation to some future thing Of the first kind are Reprehension Consolation These two seem to be contained in the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for correction 4. If the Doctrine doe afford a consectary which doth argue the evill of the sin to lye upon our hearers it may be applyed to them in the use of Reprehension 5. The formall object therefore of this is sin of which the Author doth not yet repent The end to excite sorrow or repentance The medium or means by which he attains to this end is by arguing and urging that evill both as present and as great 6. The presence of the evil may be demonstrated from the notes or markes And these may be taken chiefly from the proper adjuncts and opposites without a medium because that from these we may always argue both affirmatively and negatively The causes also may sometimes be taken for notes unlesse it be when we had rather make use of them in the Exhortation or Dehortation But in this thing the proper effects are exceeding usefull For though we cannot argue from them affirmatively and negatively because the cause is not alwayes in the second act yet the affirmative argumentation is very evident and convictive neither is the negative quite null when the cause if it were present had all things present for to act We may also make use of other notes as well affirmatives as negatives 7. But the man of God who will with dexterity assigne the notes especially in some cases must have senses well exercised in Scriptures and be well skilled both in the art of reasoning the nature of the humane soul and the divers means of Gods operating also the state of man as well carnal as spiritual and the divers degrees of either and in what state and degree he was in Scriptures from whose example he will argue c. But away with all vain dreams of humane brain private experiments confused and incertain collections c. wherewith one making himself as a rule to all men like a Pretor and as it were sitting on a tribunal gives sentence on anothers state having neither regard nor respect to the nature of things or Gods own Word though every one of us stands or fals to God alone and his Word be the judge of all men and the rule of all states and degrees in order to God and a certain and infallible index of all manner of obliquity 8. Those things we have said here of notes may be usefull in Consolation and chiefly in Exhortation 9. As the presence of the evill is demonstrated by the notes of the offence so the greatnesse by the aggravations The chief heads of aggravations may be taken out by the Scheme added to the end of the Chapter which also hath place in the residue of uses 10. To this act of Reprehension may also be added the act of Commination or Denuntiation of punishment out of one or more manifest places of Scripture with which the holy Ghost thunders against that sin 11. But let this use more then any of the rest bring with it the force and evidence of the Text or Doctrine from whence it is deduced Here we must also make use if there be any necessity to use them of the most evident notes we can get Like unto the bleating of the sheep c. 1 Sam. 15. to discover Saul's disobedience 12. When subordinate sins and such as are distinguished by divers degrees are to be reprehended it will be most commodious to begin with the least and so ascend gradatim or by degrees And so likewise in the aggravation of the same sin But here the privative opposition is lesser then the adverse 13. If it be requisite to insist somewhat longer in reprehending of some sin after the notes are given if there be need of them we may first argue from the dishonesty and unprofitablenesse where also the Comminations in its latitude Then with aggravations shewing the more then vulgar magnitude of both or of the first in some cases following also each degree of the said sin if so you think fitting from the least to the highest and that by divers heads and degrees of aggravations 14. To this head may be referred the Lamentation sometimes used in Scripture by which the Preacher sometimes virtually and obliquely reprehends sinners This Lamentation is sometimes actually assumed foretold that it must be assumed And it is for sin committed punishment present future That for sin draws nearer to the nature of formal Reprehension as having the object cloathed with the same formal reason This for punishment is more oblique as not having the same reason in the object but that doth argue it as the effect doth the proper cause That principally flows from the Preachers love to God towards whom the sin is This from the love towards the neighbour against whom the punishment is An example of Lamentation actually assumed for sin is to be had Isai 1.21 For punishment present Lam. 1. v. 1. to the 12. future Is 22.4 An example of a Lamentation which