Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	know_v	2,974	5	4.2147	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42592	Gemitus de carcere Nantes, or, Prison-sighs and supports being a few broken scraps and crumbs of comfort lately fallen from the great kings table, the Holy Scriptures, into the prisoners basket : who being satisfied, let fall (through the grate) a few leavings for the hungry souls abroad, till God send more plenty.		1684 (1684)	Wing G482; ESTC R31724	15,019	19

had done nothing worthy of Death and what he said was in the name of the Lord And the Elders his Jury with Ahikam seconded them and clear'd him so his confinement was not Death nor very long tho' itterated for at last he was relieved and that 's a wonder at the sacking of the City by Nebuzaradan and releast to go at Liberty When his Malicious Natives went Captives Let good Prophets be Faithful to their Master and Message and tho' Country Men vex them for their fidelity God will make even Babilonians Favour them for their Misery or set them at Liberty Such Urbanity shew'd the Romanes to Paul Acts 23. 30. Chap. 23 29. Innocency and a good Conscience● are still a good Plea tho' not ever Successful and at last obtain with God and Men and often do more for the Honour or discharge of a good Man then all the Shifts that complying Politicians use for themselves But negative Comforts are not all Tho' it's sweet not to Suffer as an Evil doer There are some possitive Supports that Strangers intermeddle not with known only to them that taste them valuable above all Riches and adapted to the Nature of our Testimony First This has been the lot of the best in all Ages and for a good cause tho' by the worst of Men Josephs chastity could not excuse him nor M●caiahs plain dealing nor Jeremy's nor Peter's Nay Paul's Gospel tho' an Embassy of Peace even that exposed the Apostle Preaching oft does in se derivare furorem mundi One met with that Angel of God John Bradford then in Prison some rusled in their Prison-straw in the Marian Days with more true Content then others did in Sattin and Velvet And good cause for 't God is our Soveraign Disposer and may need or call for our Liberty or Life at pleasure and we are to resign it in the service of his Name and Truth as of more use then all our Preaching Beside there comes a Worldly rust oft on our Graces Silver has it's dross and rust and a Prison serves like the Scullions Office to rub us bright for the Lords Fable or the Summer Parlour The Zeal of a Poor Maid say Alice Driver or such a one shines more on Gods shelf then all the learning of X Bishops of Cant or York Spices smell best and Graces shine most when hard Rubbed This School of Adversity has accomplish't some in Experience for God better then the University has and to better Use Now to share in Society with the choicest Saints is great Support 〈◊〉 miseris socios habuisse doloris To bear as Simon did with Christ who ever takes the heavier part of our Cross yea and helps us to bear the lighter too is no small alay to its weight And all Saints have so often since shared that the Cross is by handling often planed smooth and worn light Bad associates may make Liberty uncomfortable and good makes bonds easy For Secondly God is also present and so was he with Joseph Acts 7. 9. And so with Jeremy Chap. 20. 11. This is no little Honour and Succour what it imports is not to tell in a few words Sometimes it means a Glorious presence in Duties and Ordinances This is promised to that Temple-State by the Name Jehovah Shammah So Ezek Vlt. Sometimes the Incarnation of Christ is noted by it as in the Title Immanuel Sometimes the Success of all affairs as in Josephs trust and Davids War And oft it denotes good success in our Prophesying Acts 18. 10. But most usually it notes Support in our Sufferings for Christ and the Gospels sake Such as Jeremy Steven Paul of old and the Martyrs a late had in all Ages past Nor needs a Man more to be happy now whatever it may intend in itself as Glorious it shows in its effects this has a Spirit of Glory resting on them that have it whatever shame or reproach comes for Christs name and sake As in 1 Pet. 4. 14. This in bonds is True Liberty and gives light in darkness 'T is that Precious Stone that was the light to Noah in the Ark whilst God shut him up above twelve Months which H. A. Notes and let our confinement be what and how long it will he that shut Noah in Gen. 7. 16. call'd him out again Chap. 8. 16. This makes darkness light a Den of Thieves an House of Prayer the detestable Dungeon Leonine a Garden or Palace of Christ And by this presence a Gridiron or a fiery Furnace converts to a Bed of Roses or pleasant Gallery in which Christ walks and talks with us And often do Persecutors both stumble and fall at this rock as Jer. 20. 11. He believed and Macaiah of old found whom Ahab committed and see why and what came of 't 1 King 22. 8. v. 27 28 and 34. compared The like found Herod Acts 12. Vlt. if not this yet none can express the love of God the Joy of Christ's smiles the Spiritual Liberty the Inlargements in Prayer the Content of mind that 's here save those that find them 3 dly Since Gods presence Seals not to a blank our cause is good 't is Christ's cause of which none ought to be nor are we asham'd The well strating of which is a key to let in Comfort to a Pris'ner for Christ's sake 't is no small relief to be marry'd to a Cross of Christ's choosing for us he ever intailing on 't what cost the Patient Bearers need to Bear all the Charges of it If any ask Pris'ners what our cause is We shame not to say this is the cause we Suffer for and dare venture further then to Prison in its Defence viz. The Royal dignity and primacy of Christ over all _____ Col. 1. 18. the Glorious Liberty of the Gospel in both the Profession of its Faith purity of its Worship and its Liberty of Prophesie We Suffer for not swearing to what we do not understand And because we dare not say far less Swear there needs no alteration in Rule Civil or Sacred when all things need it so much so it be for the better We Suffer for Preaching Christ and seeking to win Souls to him by the word for living in a City corporate when its Franchizes are discorporate and forfieted to the King And for Praying for its Peace reducted to Babel And for the Controversie of Zion and her stones in the dust Nay for dwelling Praying in our Famillies from which had we departed we should suddenly have been seiz'd and suspected for Pl●ters And they that commit us do now force us to live in Lo who now 's in the fault These in part are our Pious Offences And in all we dare with our dying Breath Sigh out our appeal to the last Judge that will one day perhaps in the Body call us and our Persecutors to a second fair hearing And at present we may onely say as once David 1 Sam. 26. 19. if the Lord have incensed but if c. or