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
A66784	Three private meditations which being, for the most part, of publick concernment, are therefore published, by their author / George Wither.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1665 (1665)	Wing W3197; ESTC R12458	20,586	50

Truths by Violence confute VVe bring but fewel to that fire Or breath to blow the flame still higher VVherein our hopes will quite expire And Prudence then is justly mute 12. For when GOD threatens Desolations If men turn due humiliations To Triumphs and vain Recreations VVhat can be justly then expected But changing hopes into despairs More Breaches instead of Repairs And that our formal thanks and prayers Should be offensive and rejected 13. Oft under Trust is hatched Treason VVise to be thought is to want Reason Sincerity is out of season Foundations likewise are orethrown To speak the Truth is now a Crime To look for Justice 't is no time To be a Knave the way to elime And sin almost full ripe is grown 14. My witness therefore having born Among men in the hope forlorn I 'le all alone sit down and mourn For that which cannot be prevented My Lot I le meekly take with those VVhom GOD shall unto that expose VVhich may befall both Friends and Foes And therewith will remain contented 15. This now is all that can be done That therefore I resolving on VVill let the world awhile alone And GOD therein to work his wil I le only take that Ammunition VVhich gives no just cause of suspicion And without seeking their perdition Let filthy men be filthy still 16. Thus far forth I have trod the Maze VVithout offence to any cause That 's justifide by Righteous Laws But now no further can proceed For so confusion here abounds That Good and Evil it confounds And whirles us in an endless Round Which fruitless makes both word and deed 17. For they who dance upon the brinck Of Hell it self and fondly think They are secure because they wink Their open danger cannot see But are so vext to hear me tell Their Heaven borders upon Hell That for my wishing of them well They wish but little good to me 18. Perhaps too as the Round now goes They who my good intents oppose And are both mine and their own foes May seek to take my life away If they so do when that is done I shall beyond their reach be gone And he who all deeds looks upon Will suddenly their spight repay 19. Yet I shall make no such Request As may not with their we●l consist I neither by the Sword or Pest Or Famine wish aveng'd to be Or by ought else which might destroy The life which here they do enjoy Though they that Mercy mis-employ This rather shall my Prayer be 20. Let GOD confound their pride their hate And all their Plots annihilate Who shall design to practise that Which may to his dishonor tend Let none of those endeavours thrive Whereby ungodly men contrive How they another may deprive Of his just freedom Foe or Friend 21. This deprecation doth not reach Mens Persons or that Love impeach Which Christian Verity doth teach For to avenge themselves of wrong That giveth liberty to none But to do good for evil done Required is of every one To whom a Saintship doth belong 22. The publick welfare I prefer Before mine own particular And this for truth I may aver Who ever shall the same deny My Countrey or my Sovereign Lord Neither by actions or by word Or by my Pen or by my Sword To self-ends injured have I. 23. I have not broke my Faith to those Who did a Trust in me repose Whether they prov'd my Friends or Foes But did with Loyalty submit To do or suffer under them Who exercise the Power Supream Which is at the dispose of him Who gives and takes as he sees fit 24. I never did for Love or Hate Act or Design to innovate The Government of Church or State But did my duties in my place And when I fear'd that for our sin An Anarchy was creeping in Endeavor'd when it did begin How to preserve the Common-Peace 25. When Civil Powers were so divided That then both Fools and Wise men sided As Interest or Conscience guided I sought not to inlarge the rent But being called Aid to bring To and by them whose counselling Had been Authoriz'd by the King I to perform my duty went 26. Retir'd from Court and City then I liv'd among plain Countrymen Employing otherwhile the Pen My private Musings to record Which I had more desire to do Then that which I was call'd unto Till I was importuned so That I at last put on my Sword 27. To do my best forth arm'd I came My Conscienee warranting the same And purpos'd nothing worthy blame By unjust violence or guile For in sincerity I thought A course we follow'd as we ought Whereby means might to pass be brought Divided Friends to reconcile But so divisions them inrag'd Who were in that Contest ingag'd And such ill consequents presag'd That I my Troop did soon disband And hopeless I should ought assay Successful in a martial war My Sword and Arms quite flung away And took my Pen again in hand 29 Such new Adventures this began That I appeared to be than Betwixt the Fire and Frying-pan For such proceedings I espy'd That they who wi●h the best intent Pursu'd the way in which they went And ill to neither party meant Found least respect on either side 30 To see what was done well or ill I had just cause against my will To be there an ey-witness still Where grand Affairs transacted were As well the Person as the Name I knew of most men who by Fame Were said to merit praise or blame And who did best or worst appear 31. Self-love base Avarice and Pride I saw among themselves divide The publick Rights on either side Their Foes befriending out of season Well-meaning Innocents destroying Their power to favour guilt employing And often to a self-destroying Against their Friends committing Treason 32. I saw both GOD and Man offended Much finding fault but little mended Good Life and Piety pretended But few whose words and works were one They who most quarrell'd with each other In evil so agreed together That to repose a trust in either I found but little cause or none 33. The worse men were they seem'd the better To serve their ends and much the fitter To be inriched and made greater Him who did most indulge their sin Or to inflame their lust brought fuell Or were unto their foes most cruel They kept about them as a Jewel And such their chief esteem did win 34. Such as had neither Grace nor Wit Such as Job judged men unfit Among his Shepherds dugs to sit Even such as were the other day More worthy of contempt then those Who liv'd by picking Hips and Sloes With such food as on Hedges grows Were honor'd yea few more then they 35. These having scratcht up wealth and power In Court and City Town and Tower Did act as if our fatal hour Were hither making an advance The mean while men here and abroad At Hazzard plaid in such a mode At hide at Even and at Odd As

Three Private MEDITATIONS Which being for the most Part of Publick Concernment are therefore Published by their Author GEO. WITHER The First is a Private Thanksgiving consisting of three Hymns whereby GOD is magnified for his Mercy vouchsafed in the late Ingagement between the English and the Dutch in June 1665. Composed after Celebrating the Publick Thanksgiving commanded by the King The Second is a Sacrifice of Praise and Prayer by him offered to Almighty GOD for his providential respect to Him his Wife and Children during his Imprisonment in the disgraceful Goal of Newgate when left destitute of all ordinary means of subsistance by being deprived both of his Estate and Liberty The Third Intituled NIL ULTRA is a Soliloquium wherein this Author expresses the improbability of an effectual proceeding further to prevent the Sins Plagues increasing by ought which he can offer to consideration Imprinted in the Year 1665. A Private THANK-OBLATION Consisting of Three Hymns whereby Almighty GOD is magnified for his Mercy vouchsafed in the late Ingagement between the English and the Dutch in June 1665. after Celebration of the Publick Thanksgiving commanded by the King The first Hymn is a Preparation of the heart to the duty intended NOw what to GOD's praise belongs I will sing in holy Songs Who shall from his heav'nly Quire With such straines my heart inspire That though distant I and they Therein joyn together may For his influenced Grace Is not bard by Time or Place 2. Let his Raies of Light Divine In me and upon me shine Let his holy spirit shake Drousie flesh till it shall wake Touch my Lips unlose my Tongue That his Praises may be sung For till rouz'd up from on high Dark and dull and dumb am I. 3. Humane words cannot impart What GOD speaketh to my heart Nor my faultring tongue declare All his Operations there Yet I am compell'd sometimes In plain Verse and broken Rimes Thus to stammer out such things As to me the spirit brings 4. To extol what GOD hath done Here I mus●ng am alone And do praise him in my heart For what none can claim a part But what to his praise belongs Ile now sing in Vocal songs And will so his praise declare That no man shall therein share The Second Hymn being an imperfect Narrative and confession to Gods glory of what he hath done for us in the late Ingagement how little we have merited the mercies vouchsafed and how merciful GOD hath been to both Nations LORD in a publick meeting I this day Have joyn'd a Sacrifice of Thanks to pay And being warmed at the common fire By what external notions could inspire To perfect that which is begun And ought in duty to be done I now withdraw into my heart To speak to thee who therein art And learn how I may to thy praise So sanctifie my words and wayes That henceforth they may more conduce unto Thy glory then they heretofore could do Oh! let my Meditations be Made acceptable unto thee 2. For Victory confer'd we prais'd thy Name We hear our foes have likewise done the same And doubtless whosoever lost or won To thee are praises due for what is done Yea no less praise for what is lost Then that for which we triumph most The one our pride may elevate The other humble us for that Which was mis-acted or mis-spoke For Thou who heed of both hast took So graciously oh Lord hast shar'd betwixt Both Nations sweet with bitter intermixt That no man this day duly keeps Save he who therein sings and weeps 3. For all Transactions which concern in gross Our publick or our private gain or loss And which unto our knowledge fame doth bring Well-weighd gives cause no less to weep then sing The good successes we have had Abate some fears to make us glad The hopes which those events do give Of what we willingly believe So high our expectations rear As if he we were above all fear But when we hear the many Lamentations For loss of Limbs Lives and belov'd Relations To sadness all our Ioy it turns And he who much rejoyced mourns 4. A final Conquest is not yet obtain'd That rarely with one Victory is gain'd For they who loose at first at last may win By mending faults with which they did begin And they who did at first prevail Find oftentimes their hopes to fail Because to trustless things they trust Or else employ to feed their Lust That which thy Majesty intends Should strengthen them to better ends When therefore most Victorious we appear Let us rejoyce but with a trembling fear Lest when the rowling wheel shall turn We who rejoice find cause to mourn 5. Thou art but little pleas'd if ought at all To see us triumph when our foes do fall Especially when they though ours they be Are thy known enemies no more then we To be our GOD we thee profess They to our knowledge do no less We say our trust is in thy Name They may as truly say the same Their sins are many we are sure Or may be that ours are not fewer We have not yet our hopes at full enjoy'd Nor are their expectations quite destroy'd To praise thee therefore we and they Are equally oblig'd this day 6. We say the Dutch to us ingrateful be Our Conscience tells us we are so to thee They with our Nation cruelly have dealt Our inhumanity thy Saints have felt Their Avarice makes them oppress Ill husbandry and idleness Have made our wayes as grievous prove To those who seek for peace in love And we and they pursue the course Most likely to make bad things worse Then Lord which off us justly can expect That our Contests should have a good effect Or that the one should have a place Above the other in thy Grace 7. Had it so pleased thee thou at first Shock Both Earthen Pitchers mightst have justly broke But they as if they had been made of leather Are onely bruiz'd by being knockt together Which in meer love to us and them Thou didst vouchsafe to give us time With more advisement to take heed What by Contention will succeed Lest both before their quarrels end Be broke like pots which none can mend Lord were there but that mercy and no more In that which we pretend to praise thee for It merits from this and that Nation An everlasting Thank-oblation 8. For in this mercy unto both extended Are very many mercies comprehended So complicated one within another And to thy Judgments linked so together That if we could be brought to learn How they both Nations do concern To what each Judgment doth direct What every mercy might effect What we should seek what we should shun And what ought timely to be done The wisest men among us could not tell Whether those things which us have pleased well Or that which grieves us most shall best Thy loving kindness manifest 9. The Trophies which most men delight to raise As