Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	case_n	court_n	judgement_n	1,563	5	5.9494	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14464	An epistle to the faithfull necessary for all the children of God: especially in the s[o] dangerous dayes. Written by Maister Peter Viret in french, and englished by F.H. Esquier.; Epistre envoyée aux fidèles conversans entre les chrestiens papistiques. English	Viret, Pierre, 1511-1571.; F. H., Esquier.	1582 (1582)	STC 24779; ESTC S104301	66,070	144

perhaps they had beginneth to waxe cold and altogether to bee extinguished and after that they fall into such despising of God and his word that they are much worse thē they which neuer knewe God Wherefore wee must take heede of that Sect. Transfiguration of Sathan 2. Cor. 11. same subtill Sathan who can so well transfourme him selfe into an angell of light to make the truth of God to serue our affections and to change it into a lye and blasphemy whē Sathan knoweth that there is any feare of God and any knowledge of truth in vs and that we do any thing reuerēce the holy scriptures he armeth him selfe to fight against vs by thē Mat. 4. and hee alleadgeth them to vs as hee did to Christ Iesus when he tempted him Luk. 4. This Sathan is very dangerous who taketh the staffe of the word of God to beate vs withall wherewith he ought to beaten and therewith he giueth vs dangerous woundes The first is that he mooueth vs to blaspheme God The second is which is made woorse that he maketh vs to beleeue and thinke that it is not wickedly done but that it is lawful for vs to doe so at the least it is a small sinne and amongst the lest that we can commit which is more to the entent we should not perish aone in our errours hee pricketh vs forward to entise others to doe the like And to the end he may bee more couert and lesse knowen to giue a better cloke to these reasons he layeth straight before vs Naaman the Sirian or Nicodemus or Saint Paule which applyeth him selfe to all and who made himselfe a Iewe amongest 1. Cor. 9. Sect. Iewes a gentyle amōgst gentyles I doubt not but these reasons seeme fayre and pleasant to the fleshe and that it loueth such proctors and aduocates which will so excuse Proctors and aduocates of the fleshe iustifie it but it must take heede that they vse her not as aduocates and proctors those are without conscience and without the feare of God and which haue no other God but Golde and siluer and haue no regard so they haue money such proctors and aduocates will make thē beleeue whose cause they defend that their matter is good although it be the worst falsest that may be for euery mā easily beleeueth that which he desireth that which pleaseth him he hath affectiō vnto therfore M. aduocate knowing the affection of man abuseth him to his profit gaine to the hurt of the pore contender for if he would tell him at the first that he had an euil cause hee woulde staye from pleading if hee were wise and woulde pursue that cause no more but would doe that which were right and reason and so the aduocate shoulde gain nothing Or if he were an obstinate persō and affectioned aboue measure to his cause against his partie he woulde be vexed and angrie against his aduocate and woulde iudge him ignorant and scant cunning in his arte for telling him trueth And therfore would goe seeke another more to his liking for it is the nature of man to iudge all thinges according to his affection and for his aduantage If thou speake to his fansie thou shalt be the learnedst man in the world but if thou bee contrarye to his opinion thou shalt be but a beast and haste lost immediatly all thy learning and therefore our flesh will haue aduocates to defend their cause well and to allowe what shee desireth seeing it hath such a desire shee shall no more lacke such fellowes as shee desireth then the same proctors which take pleasure in contention spending their money loosing their time and consuming their bodies and soules in strife and debate But what profit shall they haue to cast away Sect. and destroy them selues for the sentence shall not be giuen by the aduocate and proctor nor according to their desire but by the iudge and such as shall please him and when M. Aduocate shall see that the cause of his Client goeth euill whome he hath alwayes kept in good hope till the last cast he will shake him of well enough and leaue him in the myre wherein he hath plunged him for he hath his reckoning he hath fished in a troubled water he hath plucked the bird he hath the feathers the fat and careth no more for the cause and therefore let vs take good heede that we delight not in such defenders and aduocates for there maye be enough found which to please vs and bee in our fauour and well accounted of will flatter vs and tell vs pleasant thinges wee prooue it true in many bellies whiche haue founde suche tast in the Kitchin of Egypt that they thinke them selues vtterly lost so soone as they haue lost the sight of the smoke But when we shall appeare before the iudgement of God the disputation shal not there be decided nor the cause there iudged by their reasons nor according to their sentence but by the iust iudgment of God which is alwayes in truth And therefore let vs count them more deare Sect. Let vs flee flatterers and Parasites which speake simply and roundly vnto vs according to the truth of God then those whiche flatter and seduce vs to please vs and keepe themselues mor at ease for in this diuine court and in these last appeales sentences shall not there be weyed in the ballance of carnal sense humane reason but in the ballance of Gods worde which shall not be vnderstoode according to our fantasie but according to the will of the spirit of God then both Clients and aduocates shall find them selues as much astonied the one as the other and the one shall not ease then the case of the other for they both shal be sufficiently troubled eche one with his owne cause the plaintife shall not there be only in danger as in the courtes and iudgements of men but if he be condemned the proctor and aduocates shal be subiect to the same condemnation with him and more greeuous for if the hearer be condemned because hee hath taken pleasure to heare and followe euill councel much more grieuously shal the councellour be punished who hath had more regard to satisfie his couetousnes affectiō of a poore ignorāt soule then the word of God for hee hath setled him and confirmed him in errour whome hee ought to haue wtdrawen frō errour to haue led him into a better way by his good councel Why doe not these councellours as well alleadge other places of holy scripture whiche Sect. be repugnant to the affectiō of man as they alleadge those whereby they seeke to please it for it is not needefull nowe to trauell muche to finde cloking to our flesh to arme it against truth to furnish it with armour and to put the sword into her hand to fight against it for she is but too cunning by nature to bold hasty to

the Idolaters and strengthen the faithfull and woulde take away all cause of offending the good and woulde leaue no matter to the Idolaters wherin to glorifie but the cause why we goe it is to doe farre contrary it is to couer vs and not to vncouer vs. Yet notwithstanding if wee shoulde doe as Sect. Naaman did yet ought we no more to iustifie our selues then he but wee ought to aske pardō of God for it as he did And if Naamā were afraid to offend God by that act although he had a goodly cloke to excuse himselfe I ashamed of those with are quite cōtrary to him that they dare so assuredly defend their worke as if there were no sinne in it And to make their matter better after they had red that which was written against their opinion seene themselues bereft of that weapon which they tooke from the example of Naaman to defend their cause they sought another starting hole wherein there is slender foundation they haue imagined that when Naaman made y● confession to Elizeus which was spokē of before that it is very like he was alone that he said it not before al the cōpany which was with him they proue their imaginatiō by this that it is the custome of great Lordes to speake in a Maiestie of their affaires in the absence of their seruants rather then in their presence Wherefore they cause thē to depart for better confirmation hereof they alleadge that when Geazi ran after Naaman that Naaman descēded out of his chariot that hee came before him Wherefore they conclude that he spake to him apart in absence of his seruants and that hee might well do as much to Elizeus when hee vsed that talke with him wherof the holy scripture maketh mention This is the sophistrie whereby some wil now Sect. adayes make this exāple of force to helpe an euill cause but I know not to what ende it may serue them but to shew that those which are so seene in speculation to imagine these starting holes know wel what they haue to doe that it seemeth they are desirous to finde some cloke in scriptures to couer their matter that they would gladly make the spirite of God which speaketh in his holy scriptures to thinke that he would speake vnderstande things as they would haue it For as for the first all their reason is grounded but vpon imagination which it is as easie to disproue as to allowe but of thinges of so great importance wee must not iudge vpō presumptiōs imaginatiōs Moreouer the scripture doth manifestly witnes that he promised cōfessed he would serue none other God but the Lord woulde declare it by sacrifices and by outward confession publike testimonie to giue this testimony he desired these two mules charged with the earth of Israel as his wordes do manifestly witnes For to what purpose should that earth serue him more then the earth of Syria but to this end then wee haue no cause to doubt but that that matter is easie as he hath purposed demanded it For that which the prophet answered him after the maner which the Hebrwes vse in their salutations whē they bid a man farewell saying to him goe in peace ought not that only to be reserued to the last speech that Naamā vsed touching his worshipping in the Temple of Remmon but to all his former woordes wherein the Prophete consenteth to him The matter then is plaine that his confession was not secrete but publike and therefore his example serueth to no ende for them which content them selues to haue confessed Iesus Christe in secrete before a fewe and blaspheme him publikely It is easie to vnderstande all these thinges Sect. but we seeke these cloking starting holes because we wil not be vnfurnished And what is the cause if we should discouer our selues we shold yeeld our selues all vnto death and shoulde bee murtherers of our selues But those which are out of this danger may babble at their ease our life costeth them little I know some vse suche speech but yet their life is dearer to vs then they thinke for we are no lesse afraide to put them in danger then themselues for wee are not out of pryson without being mindefull of them feeling the afflictions of our brethren as if we were there our selues and therefore it is more safe to followe the iudgementes of those which are out of danger thē those which are in it it is very hard that the sicke man shoulde be a good Phisitiō to himselfe but he hath need of another for it is doubtfull hee would rather make the medicine serue his affections thē rule his affections by the art of Phisicke for sicknesse desireth to entertaine it selfe willeth alwaies that is contrarie vnto it the sicke man also beleeueth rather the phisitions which accord vnto his will then they that gaine say it It is very hard also that a man should bee a good iudge of his owne cause for hardly could he auoide but his affections woulde cary him away hinder him frō seeing the right giuing good iudgement wherefore it is requisite to seeke iudges which be not ouermuch affectioned to the matter do not iudge at randon according to their fancie but bee of good cōscience with out looking to the affection of any but to God only to right and equitie And therefore my brethren consider whether Sect. I speake of mine own head or whether I bring my minde or the mind of God If I speake any other then the word of god my reasons ought not to moue you nor trouble you but you ought to let thē passe as vaine friuolous If I offer vnto you the coūcell of god you haue no cause to be angry or to cōplaine that we are too sharp our iudgement is too hard for would you that wee should change the meaning of god should belie him I haue vnderstood the cōplaints the attestations that som make to cause vs to bethink our selues what we write of these matters They say it is true that the cōtrouersie matter is not of the shadow of an Asse or the wooll of a goate as the olde Prouerbe is but of that they account most deare in this world that is of a thing for which we must forsake our countrie our wife our deare children our goods and all that euer wee may haue delight pleasure in this worlde yea to the loosing of our life running straight vpon death and I denie not but these things are very sharpe and hard to flesh wherefore I cannot thinke therof without great compassion of these which are in such a straight but what shoulde we doe there wee ought to think it more strange and fearefull to forsake Iesus Christe the heauenly habitation and the eternall felicitie then these transitorie thinges which without that we must once forsake Wee would gladly