Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	day_n	lord_n	people_n	3,016	5	4.8463	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85251	A few words to the people of England, who have had a day of visitation, not to slight time but prize it, least ye perish.	Fell, Christopher.; Howgill, Francis, 1618-1659. A warning to all the rulers in these nations.; Howgill, Francis, 1618-1659. A warning to all the world.; T. W. (Thomas Wooddrove). A lamentation over all England.	1655 (1655)	Wing F840; ESTC R206651	13,069	16

A few words to the people of England who have had a day of visitation not to slight time but prize it least ye perish O England England many precious days of visitation hath the Lord thy God let thee see Oh that thou hadst but known it the Lord thy God hath been very gracious unto thee O England above manny Nations of a long time he that created the Heavens and formed the Earth hath made manifest his love unto thee to that in the conscience of thee thou people of England I speak who am also a witness of the Lords dealings with thee I am the light of the world said Jesus Christ which hath lightned every one that comes into the world with which light O people of England thou hast seen the deceits that people in thee and other Nations have lived in and by that in thy conscience O people of England who was of late but little in thy own eyes hast thou seen the deceits of them that were in Authority before thee both the Bishops and their Prelates and their Prelaticall Authority and the persecutions they used over the people of God and their usurped Authority they used over tender consciences that then were living in thee thou wast not ignorant nor it was not unknown to thee O thou people of England how the Bishops with their Prelaticall Authority and usurped power did fine imprison banish and lay wast thy people O England who for conscience sake could not bow down to his Idolatrous worships as thou then rightly calledst it And O people of England it was not hid from thine eyes neither was thou ignorant how others who were called civil Governours and had the Authority of Majestracy in thee O England did usurpe Authority over mens persons estates and consciences And to thee O people of England it was discovered what corruptions those and all other in Authority lived in that then were heads of the Nation and then thou couldest have cryed The Judges judge for reward the Prophets Prophesie falsly the Priests beare rule by their means and my people love to have it so but what will ye doe in the end thereof was not this thy cry in that day when thou wast in distresse O people of England to that in thy conscience I speak Was it not a griefe to thee when thou wast kept low yea the griefe of thine heart to see people persecuted mocked and imprisoned or banished under names and titles given them by their enemies wherewith to cover their bloody enterprises and I call that in thy conscience to witnesse if thou didst not languish under their tyranny in those days and how many prayers and tears hath it cost some and how much imprisonment others and how much banishment others and in these thy languishing days of sorrow hast thou with tears and prayers and with hands lifted up entreated the Lord that he would be pleased to pull down that Authority which did then usurpe and bear rule over tender consciences in this Nation and them that did uphold it and how many vows promises and ingagements didst thou make in thy lownes and distress if ever the Lord would give thee power and strength to overthrow the Tyrants that then bare rule and if ever the Lord would bring those Tyrants and their laws into thy hands thou wouldest utterly destroy persecution out of England for ever and make England a free Nation was not this thy ingagement and promise O people of England when thou wast under and in distresse to that in thy conscience I speak O that thou wouldst give it leave to answer me that thou mightest come to see where thou hast been and repent for here thou wast that in thy conscience will witnesse for ever And now O people of England the Lord God by whose hands the Heaven and the Earth was made hath granted thy request to the full the Lord hath not been slack but hath given thee what in tendernesse thou didst desire What darest thou charge the Lord with that he hath witholden from thee which in freenesse in thy days of sorrow thou did desire the Lord hath brought under thy feet the necks of them that did oppresse thee and the Lord hath brought into thy power their Authority and their Laws and subdued them all under thee to the full request of that which then breathed under did desire to that which condemns the d sobedient doe I speak which is an eternall witnesse to thy face before the Lord how thou hast performed thy Covenant which thou madest with the Lord in the day of thy calamity Consider take heed to that in thy conscience return the living witnesse for God will not be mocked with words nor shews to the light of Christ in thy conscience look and it will let thee see that the same Laws which thou in thy adversity and lownesse didst promise to pull downe are standing still are not oppressive Laws to compell men to pay Tithes to the maintaining of coveteous hirelings and tithe-mongers standing in as great force as ever and many of their outward estates spoyled by these oppressive Laws which thou promised to take away and this is not done by an enemy of thine but even by thee who didst professe to be faithfull in performing thy Vowes to the Lord Thou faire professing people of England who hast made so many faire promises to take away oppressions to the light of Christ in thee I speak which will witnesse me and condemn thee for holding up these things which thou promised to the Lord thou wouldst pull down except thou repent with speed and let the light in thy conscience judge if these persecuting Laws under names and titles be not standing yet in as great force and power as ever they were in thy fore-fathers days which the Lord by thy hand hath destroyed and thou dost now exceed thy fore-fathers in persecuting the innocent under names and brands which thou dost put upon them that the truth may appeare odious and that persecutions done by thee may be supposed to be punishing of errours as thy fore-fathers ever did as at this day is plainely made manifest in many places of thy Land O faire promising people of England and many people tender and dear to the Lord in in many a Town and City of thy Nation is imprisoned without any Law or cause at all nay not so much as Queen Mary the Papists Law to alledge against them was there ever such things done by thy fore-fathers which I have destroyed before thee hast thou allready forgotten that the Lord pleaded the cause of the innocent with thy fore-fathers and overthrew them O call to remembrance what the Lord hath done to thy Predecessors in former time who persecuted the innocent and tender hearted ones who hardned their necks and would not regard the counsell of the Lord which was and is the light in all consciences which light once shone in thy conscience by which thou sawest them which lived in

persecuting and oppressing the seed of the Lord in its arising and appearance and people that in thy conscience is witnesse against thee that thou art left without excuse and also that in thy conscience the light is witnesse against thee that thou hast built the Sepulchres of the Prophets and garnished the Sepulchres of the righteous and whited them over with faire words and promises and thou sayest if I had been in the days of my fathers I would not have been partaker in the blood of the Prophets and yet thou art filling the measure of thy fathers iniquities and the same wrath curse and judgements of God waites to be poured upon thee except thou repent and be warned in time many warnings hast thou had from the Lord that in thy conscience can witnesse by the hand of them that are and have been persecuted by thee and imprisoned by thee but thou hast cast them behinde thy back as all the persecutors in all ages have done before thee who by the power of the Lord were destroyed and now O faire saying people of England by the same power thy destruction comes for truce breaking with the Lord and let that in thy conscience judge if thy judgement from the Lord be not just upon thee which will appear in the day of thy misery and overthrow though thou for a while tread above it but if thou have not totally put out the light and if any spark of light be in thee thou mayest see thy selfe going the way of all bloody persecutors into perdition for ever and ever except thou repent and remember that thou art once more warned and no more warning can I promise thee whether thou wilt choose or refuse And againe heare the word of the Lord thou people of England if thou wilt not be warned nor repent but wilt harden thy neck against the tender Lambes of my pasture Thus saith the Lord because of the Cry of the oppressed and the many prisoners which contrary to my Law thou hast imprisoned for no other Cause but because they cannot worship thy Idoll Gods which thou hast sett upp and the Idoll Gods which thou hast sett upp are many for thou hast promised many faire promises to take away Idolatry Superstition and Oppression and all Lawes over the Consciences of men that I the Lord might be worshipped according to my owne will which I have made manifest in my Childrens Consciences and that my Gospell even the word of eternall life might have free passage through thy Land ô England but now I see the sinnes of Jeroboam which caused Israel to sin are held up by thee Yea the high places which are in thee ô people of England and the Priests of thy high places beare witnesse before my face against thee which thou hast sett upp contrary to my Will which I have made manifest in every mans Conscience and for what end did Jeroboam sett upp these high places and those Priests was it for this end that he was afraid that the people of Israel should returne to the Temple at Jerusalem to worship which then was Commanded of God for his people to worship at And now O people of England thus saith the Lord who pittied thee when thou little in thy owne eyes and put a sword in thy hands to cut downe Idulatry high places usurping Priests made of the basest of the people and corrupt Lawes wherewith they did tyrannize over the Consciences of my people and pride and respect of persons which then I let thee see to be before destruction and thou wast bearing but now hast turned thy sword against them who are brought out of those things and witnesse against them and now I the Lord thy God in visitting thee and thy worke have found unfaithfullnesse in what thou promised to me in the day of thy Calamity and unfaithfulnesse in thee in what I looked for at thy hand for now I see that thou O people lifted up dost hold up the very same high places and as bad a generation of Priests as thy forefathers did and the same usurped Lawe over mens Consciences and the same persecuting Lawes even the Lawes of Papists wherewith to imprison my servants yea not respecting persons is made a Law for thee to imprison many of my servants and many of my servants are imprisoned by thee because they cannot breake the Commands of Christ and many of my deare Children are imprisoned by thee because they cannot pay Fees for being imprisoned and kept many moneths without any just Law broken as at this day there are many Witnesses of my deare servants whose witnesse thou dost refuse because they abide in my Doctrine and dare not sweare at all but their witnesse have I received against thee because I know their sufferings and their Cry is come before me and this is the Cause why thou holdest up these things even the sinnes of thy forefathers which made England sinne for which I will plague thee with all my stormes Thou people of England art afraid that if liberty be graunted to worship me according to my Will which I have made manifest in my Childrens Consciences that then the hearts of people which thou wouldest have to serve thee and feed thy lusts will be turned unto me and then thy covetous hireling Priesthood which in all ages I have cryed against will fall downe and thy pride will famish and wither and thy oppressions will cease whereby a great part of thy wickednesse is upheld and thy honour will depart from thee and returne to me and thy respect of persons which thou art so mad on which I have and for ever forbid and denie and for feare that those and the like things should come to passe upon thee to that in thy Conscience which is of me which thou hatest doe I speake which will witnesse me and condemne thee for thy stiffe-neckednesse that this is the cause that thou dost so torment my tender Lambes and because thou dost these things and will not be warned but wilt still provoke me to jealousie by thy Idolls I even I which plagued thy forefathers will proceed against thee by my sword I will plead with thee by and with the fire of my jealousie till thou that wouldest not obey my Councell which I did give in thy Conscience be utterly laid wast and desolate and I will blott out thy name as I have blotted out the name of thy forefathers who held up the same thing that thou dost and I will gett me honour in destroying thee as I gott me honour in destroying thy fathers before thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord God whose hand is not shortened but is strongly stretched out to destroy and slay all that will not that I should reigne over them therefore expect my plague for it is neere at hand to come upon thee and my hand will I hold no longer for because of the Cry of the oppressed and the many prisoners who unjustly suffers