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	see_v	2,875	5	3.5208	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64144	Via intelligentiæ a sermom [sic] preached to the University of Dublin : shewing by what means the scholars shall become most learned and most usefull : published at their desire / by ... Jeremy, Lord Bishop of Downe, &c. ...	Taylor, Jeremy, 1613-1667.	1662 (1662)	Wing T416; ESTC R23462	32,047	72

apprehended 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men as St. Basil sayes when they expound Scripture alwayes bring in something of themselves but till there be as one said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a rising out from their own seats untill they go out from their dark dungeons they can never see the light of Heaven And how many men are there amongst us who are therefore enemies to the Religion because it seems to be against their profit The argument of Demetrius is unanswerable by this craft they get their liings leave them in their Livings and they will let your Religion alone if not they think they have reason to speak against it When mens souls are possessed with the World their souls cannot be invested with holy Truths 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St. Isidor said the Soul must be informed insoul'd or animated with the propositions that you put in or you shall never do any good or get Disciples to Christ. Now because a man cannot serve two Masters because he cannot vigorously attend two objects because there can be but one soul in any living Creature if the World have got possession talk no more of your Questions shut your Bibles and read no more of the words of God to them for they cannot tell of the Doctrine whether it be of God or of the World That is the Second particular Worldly affections hinder true understandings in Religion 3. No man how learned soever can understand the Word of God or be at peace in the Questions of Religion unlesse he be a Master over his Passions Tu quoque si vis Lumine claro Cernere verum Gaudia pelle Pelle Timorem Nubila mens est Vinctáque fraenis Haec ubi regnant said the wise Boethius A man must first learn himself before he can learn God Tua te fallit Imago nothing deceives a man so soon as a mans self when a man is that I may use Plato's expression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mingled with his nature and his Congeniall infirmities of anger and desire he can never have any thing but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a knowledge partly moral and partly naturall his whole life is but Imagination his knowledge is Inclination and opinion he judges of Heavenly things by the measures of his feares and his desires and his Reason is half of it sense and determinable by the principles of sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then a man learns well when he is a Philosopher in his Passions Passionate men are to be taught the first elements of Religion and let men pretend to as much learning as they please they must begin again at Christs Crosse they must learn true mortification and crucifixion of their anger and desires before they can be good Scholars in Christs School or be admitted into the more secret enquiries of Religion or profit in spirituall understanding It was an excellent Proverb of the Jews In passionibus Spiritus Sanctus non habitat the Holy Ghost never dwells in the house of Passion Truth enters into the heart of Man when it is empty and cleane and still but when the mind is shaken with Passion as with a storme you can never heare the voyce of the Charmer though he charm very wisely and you will very hardly sheath a sword when it is held by a loose and a paralytic Arme. He that means to learn the secrets of Gods wisdom must be as Plato sayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his soul must be Consubstantiated with Reason not invested with Passion to him that is otherwise things are but in the dark his notion is obscure and his sight troubled and therefore though we often meet with passionate Fools yet we seldom or never heare of a very passionate wise man I have now done with the First part of my undertaking and proved to you that our evill life is the cause of our Controversies and Ignorances in the Religion of the things of God You see what hinders us from becoming good Divines But all this while we are but in the preparation to the Mysteries of Godlinesse When we have thrown off all affections to sin when we have stript our selves from all fond adherencies to the things of the world and have broken the chains and dominion of our Passions then we may say with David Ecce paratum est Cor meum Deus My heart is ready O God my heart is ready then we may say Speak Lord for thy servant heareth but we are not yet instructed It remaines therefore that we enquire what is that immediate principle or meanes by which we shall certainly and infallibly be led into all truth and be taught the mind of God and understand all his secrets and this is worth our knowledge I cannot say that this will end your labours and put a period to your studies and make your learning easie it may possibly increase your labour but it will make it profitable it will not end your Studies but it will direct them it will not make humane Learning easie but will make it wise unto salvation and conduct it into true notices and wayes of wisdom I am now to describe to you the right way of knowledge Qui facit voluntatem Patris mei saith Christ that 's the way do Gods will and you shall understand Gods Word And it was an excellent saying of St. Peter Add to your faith Vertue c. If these things be in you and abound ye shall not be unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For in this case it is not enough that all our hinderances of knowledge are removed for that is but the opening of the covering of the Book of God but when it is opened it is written with a hand that every eye cannot read Though the windowes of the East be open yet every eye cannot behold the glories of the Sun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Plotinus the eye that is not made Solar cannot see the Sun the eye must be fitted to the splendor and is not the wit of the man but the spirit of the man not so much his head as his heart that learnes the Divine Philosophy 1. Now in this inquiry I must take one thing for a praecognitum that every good man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is taught of God and indeed unless he teach us we shall make but ill Scholars our selves and worse guides to others Nemo potest Deum scire nisi à Deo doceatur said St. Jrenaeus lib. 6. c. 14. If God teaches us then all is well but if we do not learn wisdom at his feet from whence should we have it it can come from no other spring And therefore it naturally follows that by how much nearer we are to God by so much better we are like to be instructed But this being supposed as being most evident we can easily proceed by wonderfull degrees and steps of progression in the Oeconomy of this Divine Philosophy For 2. There is in every