Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	cause_v	great_a	part_n	1,765	5	4.2655	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05093	A treatise of the excellencie of a christian man, and how he may be knowen. Written in French by Master Peter de la Place, one of the Kings counsel, and chiefe president of his court of aides in Paris. Whereunto is adioyned a briefe description of the life and death of the said authour, to the end that euerie one may knowe what he was. Translated into English by L. Tomson; Traité de l'excellence de l'homme chrestien et manière de cognoistre. English	La Place, Pierre de, 1520-1572.; Tomson, Laurence, 1539-1608.; Farnace, Pierre de. aut	1576 (1576)	STC 15231; ESTC S106746	64,194	137

graces appeare which he bestowed vpon them be so much the more confirmed in that felowship which they haue with him to the ende they may be notorious for his glorie and profit of his Church which is by this meanes obediently gouerned But the chiefest thing that is to be considered in this point is in deed the choysest piece of Excellencie that is to be founde in a Christian that suffreth for Christs sake is this that where al mē are naturally afrayd are sad and pensiue when any aduersities befall them murmure against God curse their life fal out to banning against heauen earth detesting their state as miserable the Christian very quietly contentedly beareth patiently whatsoeuer befalleth him not that he is so voyd of sense that he feeleth no grief or affliction were not sharpe irksome to him and very harde to beare for if it were otherwyse how could he be pacient if he feele nothing but because the crosse of Christ hath this propertie that being accompanied with the vertue of the holy Ghost which sweteneth the sharpenes bitternes of all afflictions it engendreth peace and meekenes in the heart of the Christian and also thankes giuing for a singular benefit receyued of God causeth him euen in the middes of the greatest calamities griefs that may come vpon him to haue a ioyful and mery heart and receine thē for an especial cause of comfort So that these two affections whiche are ioye and sadnes great enemies the one to the other come mete so togither that the one is constrained to giue place to the other as the stronger hauing the vpper hande in so much that the ioy of the spirit which is incomprehensible as S. Paul sayeth inexplicable in that that it proceedeth from a taste of heauenly giftes doeth in fine swalowe vp as it were that Sadnes and heauines On the contrarie side they that haue no taste of those giftes can not chuse but at length be oppressed with sadnes when aduersitie assayleth them for so much as the sweete louing yoke of Christ is to heauy a burden for them because they can not cōprehend how God our most louing and mercyful Father giueth them power to suffer that which they doo suffer to bring them to his blisse wheras the Christian mounteth vp on high and passeth the very heauens holdeth him self quiet and glad for the blisse of the inheritance to come as though he had it in his bosome committing himselfe for the rest to Gods direction gouernement as in deede it belongeth to the Father who is of right aboue al fathers And so not measuring the punishments after the iudgemēt of the flesh but giuing honour to God he acknowledge that he moderateth his punishments both discretely wisely so that there can be nothing found in them but very good moderation such measure that though through weaknes of reason he be not alwayes able to comprehende it yet he hath sufficient to comfort him selfe in that he knoweth that Gods indgements are most iust and righteous To be short euē as a mā that passeth through a strong flood or streame on foote lest he stōble and fal downe setteth his eie stedily vpon the firme lande which he mindeth to atteine vnto marketh not the swift course of the water so goeth ouer safely and is nothing dismayed so this man passing through the raging waues of present troubles turneth away his sight his thought all apprehension that he might otherwise haue of the miserie of thē and lifting vp his eyes to heauen beholdeth there with a spiritual regard the inestimable treasures of the heauenly inheritance which he striueth to atteine vnto by this meanes easely surmounteth al horrour and feare of torments griefs which cōmonly make alterations in mens heads casteth them hedlong into desperation So then he standeth surely setled marcheth on without feare not so only but leapeth for ioy reioyceth in his tribulations glorieth in the crosse which the world accompteth shamefull infamous as in a thing which he estemeth most precious and honourable more full of maiestie then al the crownes scepters proude pompes triumphes of al the Kings in the world which the world wondereth at for he casteth his eies vpon Iesus Christ and beholdeth in him the glorie of his sufferāces wherby he seeth him self glorified with him and the reproche that commeth by him to become nothing And in deede who is he that wil accompt that thing ignominious which is holy yea sanctified of God Or who would despise that wherby the children of God are prepared to glorie which is so farre from being diminished in a Christian through the contemptible state of this present life that it is rather augmented And Moses for this cause thought the reproches which he suffred for Christs sake greater richesse then all the treasures of Egypt The crosse of Antichrist of his members hath nothing like it is harde grieuous and shameful to beare For in that they seeke not to be iustified by Christ they labour in vaine by going about to iustifie them selues shewe thē selues to be enemies to the crosse of Christ striuing to beare the mortification of the crosse by many foolish inuentions withdrawing thēselues into desert inclosed places vnprofitably punishing their bodies without faith without Christ without hope without charitie Thus the Christian mā findeth combes of hony in the Lyons belly that is to saye ioye gladnes and glorie in the deepest greatest miseries that may be and a quiet state in the gulfe of tēpestes as if he were in full blisse already raysed vp from death to lyfe set in the heauenly places with Iesus Christ in whom he possesseth euen from this instant euerlasting glorie blisse and obteineth victorie against the rage of Satan al the force the world is able to vse for to him it is giuē to treade the Lyons vnder foote also the dragons and al other hurtful power because he marcheth vnder the enseigne of this valiant captaine which wil neuer lose any one of his though he employ them exercise them in continuall combats giuing them this proprietie that who so continueth stedfast constant in attayning to the glory of his hope shal in the end obteine a good and blessed end whereas the man that is afraid to make head and set him self courageously against al that exalteth it self as enemie against God is not able to say that he hath a true hope in him And though the trueth be so that there is not a weaker creature in the world then mā is subiect to the world the flesh the deuill and al his lustes though he had all the wisedome of the Grecians and strength of the Romanes and vertue of the Philosophers and righteousnes of the Iewes in him alwayes in feare care and horrour and one that cā

goodnes honestie before men labouring by his good conuersation to edifie all men to the aduancement of their saluation And all this he doeth because he feeleth within hym selfe that he is called to so high a degree of honour as to be the childe of God which moueth him with great earnestnes and zeale of spirite to do an infinite sort of good workes to the glorie of God and to frame himselfe to be manered and facioned as becommeth so high a state as he is placed in And though these markes may seeme to be sufficient to knowe a true Christian by yet notwithstanding beside those markes of holines and charitie there is the marke of the crosse farre more apparant and to be perceiued in the sight of man to teache vs more plainely that the knowing of a Christian mā standeth in the mortification of the outward man outwardly as the former did in the inward man And yet both the one and the other proceede out of one head which is the felowship we haue with Christe which can not be separate frō the crosse For this cause the doctrine of the Gospel is called the word of the Crosse because the worlde doeth for the most parte hate it as the wisdome of mā is wholly cōtrarie to the wisedome of God the one seeking Gods glorie the other the glorie of the flesh which is so much the more enemy to the first because the light of that Gospel discouereth the darknes of it the trueth of the Gospel maketh manifest and bringeth to light the errours and lies of the flesh And because the world can not indure it seeth that it can not mainteine it self in credit by the may of trueth and peace it striueth to do it by the way of lying cogging and violence as it is in deede a lier murderer so that they that are accompted and taken for the wisest the discretest of greatest power and holines are sometimes the first that band them selues against the trueth of God as they that feele them selues most greeued And therfore the Iewes did more hainously a great deale persecute Christ then the Gentiles amongst them the Pharisies and high Priests more then the common people and so at this day the chiefest among the false Christians and members of Antichriste are enemies to Christ more than other so that the saying of saint Paule is found true in all times That they which are after the flesh alwayes persecute thē that are after the spirit for though they do not imprison all nor banish all nor confiscate all Christians goodes nor burne all or behead all or hang all yet at the lest wyse there are fewe that scape their scoffes and mockes their reuiles and tantes their gnashing of teeth and shaking their heads at them for this is a sure saying and worthy to be receyued that all that will liue faythfullye in Jesus Christe must suffer persecution So that all the children of God haue this condition layed vpon thē to beare the crosse of Christ as men appointed to it by the wyll of the heauenly Father who hath decreed this with him selfe to obserue this order and meanes in gouerning his childrē that he wil exercise thē in this life with diuers crosses and for that cause Jesus Christ him selfe the elder brother was consecrate by afflictions and so entred into the preferrement of saluation And so must all they that followe him beare the same liuerie and cognissance vpon them as he him selfe shewed plaine inough saying to his Apostles No man can be said to be his disciple but he that taketh vp his crosse foloweth him And in an other place That the childrē of God shal be knowē frō other by this that the world shal hate thē as he was hated first And in deede if we looke vpon Abrahā the paterne of our faith which is a sufficient example for vs so that we neede not alleage any other we may see that the promisse of adoption was no soner made him but he was by and by commaunded to depart from his house and forsake his parentes his own coūtrie and other cōmodities to be a pilgryme and a stranger vpon the earth subiect to a perpetuall kinde of crosse And surely that man can not haue a certain profe within him self that he is a Christian that is vnwilling to be subiect to this state condition which the master head and Lord of al was willingly subiect to for vs all who is a liuely paterne for vs to folowe For the free adoption wherein consisteth mens saluatiō can not be separate frō Gods euerlasting decree which hath made all his children subiect to beare the Crosse and because there shal be none inheritour of heauē which is not first made like to the only sonne of god For as he hath the chiefest best place amongest al the children of God as amongst men the eldest sonne beareth the name of the house so is he appointed to be their paterne by whom they must be framed as it were by line and square to the end they refuse nothing which he was subiect vnto and that in so doing they may euerie one in his place be ioyned and coupled together with their head who is placed in the highest degree not onely to be aboue all but also to holde all thē that are coupled togither with him vnder one selfsame marke of brotherhood and honour And as kings princes of this world haue their honours and praises wherewith they crowne the noble and valiant actes of their soldiers so this soueraigne King and Prince Jesus Christ honoreth thē with his markes whom he vseth in matters of great weight to the ende they may appeare glorious with him aboue the rest Hereby it appeareth how farre this marke of the crosse which is proper to the Christiās differeth frō that which al the world tasteth of seing the case standeth so that there is no mā can say that he is exēpt frō miserie affliction trouble in this life For where as the other which al mē taste of is a signe of the curse of God to the wicked this crosse which is sanctified of God is a signe of blessing wholsom for thē that beare it therefore they should be deceiued that should thinke that they which suffer in this warfare against sinne should be thought to suffer for sinne as the worldlings do in their sufferāces cōsidering that by this crosse God procureth the saluation of his people vsing it as an instrument and help fit for the aduācing of regeneration begun in them both to beate downe the foolishe vaine confidence of the flesh and to breake in pieces the veile of hypocrisie which is naturally in it and also to bridle his intemperancie For the whole nature of mā is so prone to boast it self proudly and presumptuously of his vertue sufficiencie that it is needefull to shewe him his frailetie as it were