Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	child_n	lord_n	see_v	1,429	5	3.3654	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05188	Three Christian sermons, made by Lodouike Lauatere, minister of Zuricke in Heluetia, of famine and dearth of victuals: and translated into English, as being verie fit for this time of our dearth: by VV. Barlow Bachelar in Diuinitie; Von thüwre unn hunger dry predigen. English	Lavater, Ludwig, 1527-1586.; Barlow, William, d. 1613.	1596 (1596)	STC 15322; ESTC S108382	49,209	164

In the dayes of Ahab many godly in Israel this way afflicted God himselfe confessing that there were seuen thousande which neuer bowed knee to Baal yet they thus distressed and fed priuily by Obadias in caues Paule 1. Cor. 11. felt this scarcitie Many of the Saintes killed with Famine in the 11. to the Hebrewes VVandring about in Desarts in dennes in holes on hilles where commonly is no great plentie Wee aunswere that euen the most faithful are sinners their corruption naturall wil sticke by them to the death although it brake not out into manifest blaines and grosse sinnes and yet sometimes it doth as when they are slacke in punishing offenders or backwarde in preferring men of good qualitie and desert so that it is good for them that God punisheth them in their bodies for if in his exact iudgement hee should deale with them they should be in daunger of eternall perdition But this happily will not satisfie you for if Idolatry and notorious crimes are to be punished with Dearth and Famine thē should they bee most subiect to this plague which are more wicked then any other For thogh the godly haue their slips and straines yet it greeueth them that their standing is so slippery and their knees so weake they wish that they might shake off those occasions to sinning but the Infidels and impudent sinners little regard anie amendment which think it not inogh to offende God themselues but are readie to drawe other into the same pitfals yea and are angrie as the Apostle speaketh if others will not goe on with them in that excesse of riot and yet these are no more nay not so much punished as the other hauing in such times of Famine their arts and shiftes by which they not onely scape the brunt of this heauie iudgement but inrich themselues therby Rather had the godlie starue for hunger then to vse these sleightes to preserue their life and yet is their condition no better then theirs This tentation hath in all ages much distracted and troubled the mindes of the verie best men hath forced them to doubt of gods prouidence as though hee regarded not the actions of men whether good or ill Malachy in his third fourth Chapter saith that many haue burst out into these blasphemies It is in vain to serue the Lorde and it is all one to doo well or ill for neither is the iust rewarded nor the ill man punished But we must know there is a great difference betweene the wicked and godly in the like punishment as also that albeit sinne is the principall and chiefe cause of all mischiefe for other causes God dooth afflict men with Famine Swoord or Pestilence The two Theeues on the Crosse died the like death yet great was the difference betweene them the one patiently taking his death and acknowledging Christ to be the Messias the other storming at his punishment and scorning our Sauiour to his face Many causes there are which moue God to punish his children more then others as we shall in briefe see for our comfort First God by Famin such like plagues stirreth vp his chosen to a more earnest repentance for presently vpon the infliction of any punishment the godly search out the cause thereof When Dauid saw the dearth of victuals ceased not he inquired of the Lord wherefore hee was so angry with his people Answer was made him as you heard before Ofttimes the faithful fal into many errors and sinnes neither can they bee recalled into the right way vnlesse God by punishment do fetch them in Amos cap. 1 God complaineth that although he had punished his people with scarcitie of bread and drinke yet they returned not vnto him Whereout we gather that God therefore sendeth Famine vppon the earth that Men may bee turned to him As we plucke backe and stay our horses if either they gallop too fast or goe any thing out of the way so doth God reduce vs into a right path with such chastisements If a boy that is put to learning either runne away or play the treuant presently we send for him to fetch him to schoole perhaps with a rodde at his backe Secondly God by these trieth our faith in him and our loue towardes our neighbours as also our patience in our selues Wee many times persuade our selues that we haue a sound faith yet if wee bee any long time pincht with anie distresse then wee feele how necessary it is to crie with the Apostle Lord increase our faith Peter walked vpon the lake when Christ bid him but feeling the winde so fierce and his ground so slipperie in dismay of minde hee began to sinke that by his maisters hand he might be supported Math. 14. God will trie our behauior toward our neighbors either in the paiment of our debts or in lending to the needie or giuing freely and such like againe howe patiently we can endure the crosse whereof we glorie much before miseries come but when they light vpon vs in some weight and number then we grow discontented and impatient feeling our owne infirmities how weake and fraile we are The soldier which neuer saw a pight field promiseth himself much courage but whē he seeth the armies ioyne hears the thundring of the Cannons and spies a tempest of bullettes whirling beholdes riuers of mens bloud flowing and heapes of his fellowes lying some dead some wounded then hee trembleth and quaketh wishing himself at home God knowes our weaknesse before he chasten vs yet lest we should thinke better of our selues then we ought he will make vs feele his hand that we may confesse it our selues Some will not stick to say I wil rather die then rob alas not knowing the gripes of hunger and Famine which wil as we say breake through stone walles who afterwarde beeing in want are driuen to fall into suche leaude practises for life is sweete Thirdly hee will in a manner preuent these afflictions that is keep vs from falling into more greeuous enormities like a skilfull Phisitian that giueth his patient phisicke to preuent a disease to which he is inclining so dealeth God with vs that we might say to our selues as our Sauiour to the woman Iohn 8 Goe thy wayes sinne no more lest a worse thing happen vnto thee The Germans haue a prouerbe which we in Englande vse The burnt childe dreads the fire So if any haue bene once distressed hee will beware lest hee fall into the same or some greater danger There is also another cause why god thus exerciseth his childrē namely that they may pray earnestly for such is our nature that if he afflict vs not we are more slack in praying For Plentie makes wantonnesse and prosperitie dissolute Which mischiefes Famine and calamities preuent making vs more instaunte in prayer They that are full fedde prooue vnthankfull who if they be but toucht with want then flie they vnto him whome before they forgatte and not for themselues onelie but for others also