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	sin_n	7,176	5	5.3331	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87872	The martyrdome of King Charles, or His conformity with Christ in his sufferings. In a sermon on I Cor. 2.8. / preached at Bredah, before his Maiesty of Great Britaine, and the Princesse of Orange. By the Bishop of Downe. June 3. 13. 1649.	Leslie, Henry, 1580-1661.	1649 (1649)	Wing L1164; Thomason E569_10; ESTC R22162	31,059	32

preached unto them They among whom hee had wrought many miracles and unto whom he had done many good workes even they were such unthankfull traitors that they crucified the Lord of glory In the last place the Apostle tells us that their ignorance of the wisdome of god led them to the committing of that horrible murther for had they knowne it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory But here ye may say unto me did these malicious Iewes sinne onely out of ignorance as did Paul in persecuting the Church O no they sinned out of malice against knowledge and conscience for they knew that Iesus was a good and just man and had given him that testimonie that he had done all things well they knew that he was a great Prophet a teacher come from God they were in some sort too covinced that he was the Christ Mark 7.37 Ioh. 3.2 for Ioh. 11.47 they held a councell against him saying what shall we doe this man doth many miracles if we let him alone all men will believe on him namely that he is the Christ Where ye may behold them fighting against the light of their owne knowledge wherewith our Saviour expresly charges them Ioh. 7.28 Yee both know me and yee know whence I am and Ioh. 15.24 Now have they both seen and hated both me and my father This appeareth further by that which is said in the parable of the housholder Matth. 21.31 A certaine housholder planted a vineyard and let it out to husbandmen and went unto a farre countrey And when the time of the fruits came he sent his servants to receive them and the husbandmen took his servants beat them and killed them againe he sent other servants and they did unto them likewise Last of all he sent unto them his sonne saying they will reverence my son But when the husbandmen saw him they said this is the heire come let us kill him and cease on his inheritance And saith the Evangelist ver 45. when the chiefe Priests and the Pharisees heard this parable they perceived that he spake of them So that they had some knowledge of Christ but it was not the true knowledge they were not indued with heavenly wisdome nor taught of God for their heart did stand out against the light which did shine on their understanding and as Solomon saith They hated knowledge and did not choose the feare of the Lord. Prov. 1.29 Therefore saith our Saviour unto them yee neither know me nor my father Ioh. 8.19 So that even sinnes of malice committed against knowledge and conscience yet are accompanied with some kind of ignorance This is cleare in the crucifying of Christ for they knew that it was evill to kill him that was innocent and just but this knowledge was onely habituall and generall they did not actually know that it was evill at the instant when they did it or they did not consider it or though they knew that it was evill yet they did not know that that evill was not to be done for the obtaining of a greater good which they proposed to themselves namely the retaining of their places and dignities which they feared to lose if he were acknowledged for the Messias Thus it holds true that the Philosopher said omnis malus ignorans there is some ignorance in every sinne for seeing the will cannot possibly affect evill as it is evill but that the same is still presented unto it under the maske of good it followeth necessarily that every one that sinneth is some way ignorant of good and evil For which cause Solomon sayes nonne errant omnes Prov. 14.22 Psalm 14.4 Psalm 53.4 doe they not all erre that worke iniquitie And David oftner than once in the Psalmes saith have all the workers of iniquitie noe knowledge Indeed they have no true knowledge And therefore howsoever some have commended ignorances as the mother of devotion I may say more truly that is the mother of errour our Saviour said so much to the Saduces Matth. 22.29 Yee do erre not knowing the Scriptures It is the mother of Idolatrie Galat. 4.8 When ye knew not God yee did service unto them which by nature are no Gods It is the mother of pride and arrogance Rom. 10.3 Being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God they went about to establish their owne righteousnesse It is the mother of lust Thess 4.5 The Gentiles which know not God walke in the lust of concupiscence Finally it is the mother of all sinne Ephes 4.18 Having their understanding darkned through the ignorance that is in them and being past feeling they gave themselves over unto lasciviousnesse to worke all uncleannesse with greedinesse And on the other part all grace is from the true knowledge of God 2 Pet. 1.2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Iesus our Lord. As this knowledge brings grace and peace so it brings glory for saith our Saviour This is life eternall to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent Ioh. 17.3 This knowledge is the wisdome of God which the Apostle here magnifies so much Which none of the Princes of this world knew for had they knowne it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory I Have now done with my text but not with the Princes of this world for I am to present unto you another sad tragedy so like unto the former that it may seeme but vetus fabula per novos histriones the stage onely changed and new actors entred upon it other Princes of this world yea of the darknesse of this world Farre worse than then Pilat the high Priests Scribes and Pharisees who have lately murthered if not the Lord of glory yet I am sure a glorious Lord though not Christ the Lord yet the Lords Christ Gods annointed This is a parricide so heinous so horrible that it cannot be paralled by all the murthers that ever were committed since the world began but onely in the murther of Christ And indeed the providence of God gave me first occasion to institute this parallell for that day that our gracious Soveraigne was murthered being the 30. of January a day for ever to be noted with a black coale as his Majestie was at divine service before he was led forth unto the scaffold the chapter that was read unto him was the seven and twentieth of St. Matthews gospell which containes the passion of Christ and that chapter was read not by choise but by the direction of the rubrick it being the lesson appointed for that day so that we could not but conceive that the murther then to be acted was like unto that which in the chapter is described And indeed you will finde it very like unto it if you will but consider the three circumstances which I before observed in my text the dignity of the person murthered the kind of death that hee suffered and the qualitie of the murtherers

death He was delivered to death for our offences So the sinnes of every one of us hath added force unto this great stroke and wound given unto these Kingdoms in his Majest●es death As the good King Josiah was taken away by a violent death for the sins of Iudah that God might the more freely powre out the fiercnesse of his wrath so was our Gracious Soveraigne taken away for the punishment of our sinnes that the iniquities of these sinfull nations being now finished and come to an height by an horrible rebellion and particide hee might powre out the violls of his wrath upon them there being now nothing to hinder the stroke of his vengeance when he is taken away yea made away by themselves who like Moses stood in the gap between the sinnes of his people and Gods judgements So that we may all of us take up that lamentation Lam. 5.16 which the Church made for the death of Iosiah The Crownt is fallen from our head woe unto us that we have sinned But howsoever our Saviour had many enemies yet his most violent adversaries were the Pharisees and if you will but observe how they are described unto us in the Gospell Ill all not need to make any application The Pharisees were the most strict and precise sect of the Jewes Matth. 6.16 the Puritans of that age they were men of a sad countenance and great austerity they did bow down their heads like a Bulrush when as their inward parts burnt altogether with deceipt they were outwardly though hypocritically holy Whited sepulchers beautifull without and within full of uncleanesse Great pretenders they were to religion and desired to be accounted more pure than others Matth. 23.27 the only saints upon earth and so did separate from the rest of the Church and from thence were they called Pharisees Matth. 6.5.7 Matth. 23.14.12.2 Luke 11.45.46 They pretended especially such of that sect as were Scribs great knowledge of the Scriptures and revelations of the Spirit they were much for preaching made long prayers and that openly to be seen of men used vaine repetitions Under colour of long prayers they devoured widdowes houses They were superstitiously zealous of keeping the Sabboth but great profaners of the temple they made Gods house a house of merchandise and Denne of theeves for which they were sharply reproved by our Saviour as they often quarelled him for breaking the Sabboth Whereas the fift commandement injoynes us to honour our Father not onely our naturall Father Mark 7.11 but also our civill father who is Parens Patriae they made this commandement void by their Corban that is a gift where by Gods cause or rather their own ends is advanced They did draw the people after them who were so much addicted unto them that they would not beleeve nor follow any without their allowance for that is the rule they gave to the people Ioh. 7.28 Have any of the Pharisees beleeved on him And indeed their faction was so popular that as I●●ephus testifieth they governed not onely Jerusalem but all Judea too They did bind heavy burdens upon other mens shoulders Matth. 23.4 Vers 6. Vers 23. which themselves did not bear and so they made the way to heaven straite to others and wide to themselves They were invited to feasts and loved to sit at the head of the Table They made conscience of smaller matters as of ceremonies but omitted the weightier matters of the law judgement and mercy Now would you not thinke that the soules of these Pharisees by a pythagorean transmigration were entred into our new reformers As the murtherers of our Soveraign resemble the crucifiers of our Saviour so we find them acting all the same parts And first Judas who sold his Master of all that conspired against Christ is most odious for he was his disciple a domestick servant one whom he trusted with his purse and yet he his familiar friend who did eat of his bread lift up the heele against him So our Soveraigne was sold at a greater price than our Saviour by those who had as neere a relation unto him as Iudas had unto Christ for they were his countrey men brought up with him his servants and familiar friends whom he trusted with his purse with his counsels and his person cherished in his bosome and inriched with many princely favours In many respects they were farre worse than Iudas for when Iudas sold his Master he thought he would not have suffered but have escaped by a miracle as he had sometimes done before This is the conjecture of the Fathers and may be probably gathered out of the Text for it is said Then Iudas when he saw that he was condemned Matth. 27.3 repeated himself so that before he thought it should not have come to that but that Christ would have escaped and he gone away with the money But the Judases who sold their Soveraign knew very well that he could not escape being delivered into the hands of his enemies Againe Judas saw not the horror of his sinn before hee had committed it if he had it is probable he would not have done it but these men saw and knew very well what horrible fact it was to deliver up their King as may appear by Lowdon his Speech therein he professed that it is against the law of Nations for them to deliver up a stranger who had put himselfe under their protection much more to deliver their King And yet all that was onely for forme sake that he might better beat the bargain and raise the price as did appeare by the event Besides they have acted many more parts than Judas did for they were the first that tooke armes against him ingaging all his Subjects by a solemn League and Covenant to distroy the Church and the King they devested him of all authority within that Kingdome Seazed his Castles and revenewes and by their example and Covenant incouraged their Brethren in England to doe the like and when his Majesty was like to have prevailed against his Rebels in England they notwithstanding that the King to secure them on his side had gratified them by granting them all their unreasonable and impious demands yet came in the second time with a great army to assist strangers against their naturall King And they have persecuted all the Kings party in that Kingdom imprisoning banishing forfeiting and barborously murthering even under colour of justice all that adhered unto him Alas poor Judas did none of these things but would have rescued his Master out of the councels hands if it had beene in his power and yet because he sold him for money he is odious and infamous unto all generations Oh then what shall these men be Finally Iudas repented was swallowed up of sorrow confessed his sinne made restitution for he gave back the money and made some satisfaction too for hee tooke revenge upon himselfe when he betook him to the halter But we

is in Job 12.7 Ask the beasts and they will tell thee and the fowles of the Heaven Matth. 27.54 Thomlinson and they will instruct thee what an unnaturall murder ye are now committing When our Saviour suffered the Centurion beholding his passion was convinced that he was the Sonne of God and feared greatly so one of the Centurions who guarded our Soveraigne beholding his most Christian pious and magnanimous carriage was convinced and is to this day stricken with great fear horrour and astonishment When they had crucified our Saviour John 19.23 they parted his garments amongst them and for his coat because being without seam it could not easily be devided they did cast lots even so having crucified our Soveraigne they have parted his garments amongst them his Houses and Furniture his Parks and Revenues his three Kingdoms and for Ireland because it will not easily be gained they have cast lots who should go thither to conquer it and so take it to themselves In all these things our Soveraigne was the lively Image of our Saviour NOw if your patience will goe along with me while I consider the third circumstance in the Text the quality of the murderers their you will finde the paralell to hold also Our Saviour was crucified by his own Nation They crucified the Lord of Glory They who were his brethren and kindsmen according to the flesh John 18.35 So Pilat told him Thine own Nation have delivered thee unto me More particularly the great Councell consulted against him hyred Judas to betray him sent Souldiers to apprehend him falsly accused and injustly condemned him The great Councell was their high court of Sanhedrim which was their standing Parliament In it were many members of divers Callings and Professions some Priests and chiefe Priests some Elders and those lay-Elders for as there was a Parliament against Christ so also a Presbytery some Scribes and Lawyers who were Chair-men for they sate in Moses Chaire They drew also into this conspiracy against Christ wicked Herodians whom otherwise those precise Jewes could not endure And were they not such who murthered our Soveraigne His own Nation his great Councell the Parliament the Presbytery some Priests but they are Jeroboams Priests of the basest of the people some Scribes and Lawyers And they drew into that combination too wicked Herodians that is dissembling Courtiers and profane Ruffians and as pure as they would seem to be yet were they content to endure all their God dammees to gain their assistances for to damn and condemn their Soveraigne As Christs Enemies were of divers professions so also of divers Sects and Religions some Pharisees some Saduces and those were very opposite one against the other yet both joyned together against Christ To crucifie him even Herod and Pilat were made friends Act. 4.27 For as the Apostles say against thine holy Sonne Jesus both Herod and Pontius Pilat with the Gentiles and people of Israel were gathered together So the enemies of our Soveraigne were of divers Sects and Religions some Papists some Presbyterians some Independents And though they be at oddes enough between themselves their heads are as farre asunder as Sampsons Foxes yet being linked by the tayles they banded against the Lord and against his anoynted The Papist may seem to have little hand in that murder yet they contributed very much unto it For they raised a most horrid and bloudy Rebellion in Ireland and most falsly pretended the Kings commission for it whereby they enraged his other Subjects against him they weakned his Forces there destroying many who would have assisted their Soveraigne and keeping others so busie that they could not come to his reliefe they promised him great ayd but when he depended upon it they utterly failed him The Presbyterians are deeply imbrued with his blood for they assaulted him both in England and Scotland deprived him of all power and means declared him unworthy to raign and so weakned him that it was an easie matter for the Independants who are drunk with his bloud for to kill him The Presbyterians framed both the Major and Minor Propositions and the Independants drew out the conclusion for thus the Presbyterians both preached and published a tyrant is to be opposed and destroyed but the King is a Tyrant Then comes the Independants and draw forth the conclusion which naturally follows from the premisses Ergo let him be destroyed Or to use their own distinction which they have so much abused the Presbyterians murderd the King in his politicall capacity the Independants in his naturall capacity Thus our Soveraign as well as our Saviour was crucified between two theeves but neither of them a good theefe These two factions as his Majesty well expresses it in his Book Are the twins which lately one wombe inclosed the younger striving to prevaile against the elder what the Presbyterians have hunted after the Jndependants seeke to catch for themselves And indeed they have taken the prey out of their mouths They who at first were but journey men unto the other have now set up for themselves Albeit these be the chiefe murderers there be many others who though as himself saith Their hands are not embrued in his bloud by acting and consenting to his death yet they are sprinkled with his bloud by deserting him Even all those who had power and means and did not use them for his defence Seneca For Non caret scrupulo occultae societatis qui manifesto discrimini non occurrit By the Law of nature and Nations all subjects are bound to defend their Kings Person Crown and dignity Our Saviour said unto Pilat If my Kingdom were of this world Joh. 18.36 then would my servants fight that J should not be delivered to the Iews Where he insinuates that the servants and subjects of an earthly King are bound to fight for his defence And therefore all those who did not aide him according to their power have incurr'd the curse of Meroz Judge 5.23 Curse ye Meroz said the Angell of the Lord curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the mighty Besides these neutrals who because they were not for the King were against him there are many who fought for their soveragin who have yet by their sins fought against him their debauched carriage gave much advantage to his enemies provoked God to forsake their armies by their rapine and plunder they did alienate the hearts of the people from their Soveraigne and by their strifs and emulations they lost the Kingdom and that gracious King there was a strife amongst Christs followers which of them should be the greatest but the strife that was among the Kings followers for places and preferments was farre more hurtfull and pernicious Yea as all of us were in some sort Rom. 4.25 guilty of Christs bloud for our sinnes were the meritorious and procuring cause of his