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	suspicion_n	1,645	5	12.6412	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14442	The lamentations of Germany Wherein, as in a glasse, we may behold her miserable condition, and reade the woefull effects of sinne. Composed by Dr Vincent Theol. an eye-witnesse thereof; and illustrated by pictures, the more to affect the reader. Hereunto are added three letters, one whereof was sent to the Dutch consistory in London, under the hand and seales of 14. distressed ministers of Swyburggen in Germany.	Vincent, Philip, b. 1600.	1638 (1638)	STC 24760.7; ESTC S121128	25,071	81

Gods indignation Isay 10. 5. There is no evill in a City but he doth it Behold saith the Psalmist what desolations the Lord hath made in the earth Psal. 46. 8. If a Sparrow fall not to the ground but according to the will of our heavenly Father much lesse are millions of men mowed downe with the sword but according to his righteousnesse in Iudgement It is also cleare out of Scripture that wee ought to lay to heart those Iudgements of God which wee are acquainted with and especially his greater Iudgements God sends one place to consider of another Goe yee now unto my place which was in Shilo where I set my name at the beginning and see what I did to it for the wickednesse of my people Israel 7. 12. saith God to the men of Ierusalem And who makes question but that those Churches Nations Persons and Places which have speciall relation one unto another sacred or civill in the bonds of Religion neighbourhood or commerce are more especially bound mutually to consider and bemoane one anothers conditions This likewise is evident that our Church and State and every member of the same ought upon speciall consideration to be cordially affected with the miseries of Germany They are of the same Religion with us Christians as wee are our peace is the weaker for want of theirs many of our owne have suffered with them but above all is the affliction of that Royall Lady our Gracious Soveraignes onely sister who hath suffered already in her Royall Person and may suffer yet more in her posterity but God forbid But what is it that wee must doe or learne from the state of things in Germany The particulars are severall in severall regards In relation to God to them and to our selves In regard of God Wee must acknowledge the infinitenesse of his Wisdome and unsearchablenesse of his Iudgements and take heede of rash assigning the cause Some lay all the blame upon the Protestants as if their division among themselves and unnecessary separation in their phrase from the Church of Rome were the roote of all But is it not more likely that Germany drinkes now of the cup of wrath because shee hath long drunke of the cup of sundry great abominations The generall cause which is sinne wee all acknowledge It were a happinesse to know the speciall according unto that Foelix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas But such a spirit of discerning God gives not unto all They themselves best know their owne waies case and state and therefore wee may leave it unto them to consider of the speciall causes whom it most concernes But who will not feare the Lord and glorifie his Name who onely is holy and whose judgements are made manifest Rev. 15. 4. In respect of them first let us sympathize grieve with them that grieve Rom. 12. 15. and weepe with them that weepe We are all members of one and the same mysticall body whereof Christ is head Our peace and security is in a great measure bound up in theirs their troubles may increase ours as they have already occasioned many feares cares and expences Witnesse the great levie of souldiers at some times and not a little chargeable Embassages from our King and State Next of all we are to pray for them that God would restore peace and make up all breaches Giving the Lord no rest untill hee make Ierusalem the praise of the earth Abraham interceded long for Sodome how much more ought we to do the like for them And yet further as we have ability and opportunity we ought to help and succour them ministring to their necessities receiving of their profugates and intertaining them into our bosomes when they fly from their owne to us Many of ours found among them a shelter from the storme in our Marian daies and doe still no doubt blesse God for our peace notwithstanding their owne warres In respect of our selves there be many instructions which we may learne from the Lecture of their calamities No privileges can finally secure a sinfull people for what have we to glory in that they had not The seedes of all their evills are sowne in our fields There be likewise divers duties that wee should abound in the more In repentance lest we bring upon our selves the like In prayer that God would blesse our state and government that by the wisedome thereof we may be led along in such waies as may propagate our peace unto posterity In patience under those chastisements which we suffer Though the hand of God hath long beene upon many Cities and Townes and his Arme be stretched out still upon some of them yet is our misery happinesse in comparison of theirs If a gentle plague alone have affrighted us all What would Sword and Famine with it doe But what doe wee Wee put farre away the evill day and cause the seat of violence to come neere Wee drinke wine in bowles and anoint our selves with the chiefe ointments but are not grieved for the afflictions of Ioseph Amos 6. 3. 6. This is no small sinne and if once the day of our visitation come a small chastisement on Gods part will not be all Oh that wee would consider the Vials of Gods wrath are pouring forth as well on his owne Churches for correction as on their adversaries unto destructino Who knowes how fast the cup may passe round Gods arrowes are all fleete The curse of God goeth forth over the face of the whole earth Zach. 5. 3. If the sinnes of Sodome be found in Samaria and the sinnes of Samaria in Ierusalem they shall all pledge each other for God is no respecter of persons Are there no drunkards but in Germany Or doth God hate sinne in them alone What are wee that God should alwaies spare us Many cry Peace Peace and I with the Prophet Ieremy say Amen The Lord doe so the Lord performe the words of them which prophesie of nothing but good Iere. 28. 6. But it s good to remember that of the Apostle when they cry Peace Peace c. Gloss. ordin in Ierem. 7. 12. Quicquid illo populo fecit Deus timeamus cum nos similia faciamus Yet no such clouds blessed bee God arise over our heads as those wherewith her horizon is darkned But stormes arise suddenly God creates good and evill brings both when there is no appearance or cause of suspicion Not to feare is cause enough to bee affraid if we could so reflect upon our selves As God brings light out of darknesse so darknesse out of light How faire rose the Sunne upon Sodome that day it rained fire and brimstone How poore a thing was a cloud like a mans hand to prognosticate abundance of raine by But I must manum de tabula Well then reade on reade and spare not reade and consider reade and weepe imagine the Booke to be Germany it selfe their case ours and our soules in their soules stead Do as Nehemiah did when he

comminatur quòd cognato suo apud quem vixerat hactenus redeunti furtum hoc propalare velit ibi continuò sceleratus ille instinctu mali genii accurrit puero falce putatoria miserè jugulum abscindit In pago Steinhausen propè Hornbacum foemina quaedam puellam 12 annorum blandis verbis pellectam puerumque quinque annorum molitoris filium horresco referens trucida vit cum vicinâ devoravit Milites praesidiarii Bipontini excurrentes in pagum hunc irruunt fortuitò aedes infanticidae bujus nesariae nidore allecti intrant omnes angulos rimantur tandem vas adipe humano resertum Caputque prius aquâ fervente maceratum exinde in furno tostum reperiunt ipsam captivam Bipontum trabunt ubi 24. Ianuarii poenas infandi hujus infanticidii dedit meritas sequ● praeterito anno duos insuper liberos prope Landoviam Annae villam mactasse confessa est altera foemina quae particeps barum carnium suit adbuc in vinculis tenetur se enim hujus facinoris affinem fuisse constanter pernegat Talia proh dolor indies audire cogimur tristissima exempla ô vere malesuadam famem ô ingenia verè Cyclopica ô horrendam metamorphosin quâ homines omnem ubmanitatem exuentes truculentissimarum bestiarum naturam induunt verè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seu Lycaones fiunt Fredericus Goelerus Pastor Meissenheimensis The same in English VVHat the state of our most afflicted Countrey is without all doubt you have perceived by others all things as I may use the words of the Poet have runne together for the worse and slid with a backward foot for wheresoere we cast our eyes wee see nothing but misery and a horrid devastation of townes and villages the insolencie and cruelty of the Souldiers exceeds all beliefe they have not beene afraid sor the hope of prey in Sweibruggen to violate the tombes of the illustrious Dukes many yeares agoe deceased to exercise cruelty on their corps to disturb and diminish their bones The dearenesse of provision is such as never hath beene heard of before in this land a bushell of corne is scarsely got with 1● Rix Dollers which is foure pounds one shilling English money which is hither brought with the extreme danger of their lives that bring it Surely without our good God from above should lend us his helping hand those few Inhabitants which yet remaine alive and hitherto for the most part have lived on apples and peares must needs perish The Famine of Saguntum Samaria Ierusalem if they are but paralleld with those most grievous ones oh our griefe that have befalne us in our Countrey seeme but trifles About a fortnight since an Inhabitant of the village of Ilvesbeim a manotherwise of a good report comming into the house of his neighbour when he was absent tooke a little bread intending to goe out a child of some eight yeares of age called after him and threatned him that when his Cousen came home with whom he lived that he would make manifest his theft presently that wicked fellow ranne unto him and with a pruning hooke miserably cut his throate In the Village of Steinhaus neere Hornebach a certaine woman having allured unto her with enticing words a girle of 12. yeares old and a boy of 5 a Millers son I tremble in the relating killed them both and devoured them with her neighbour the Garrison Souldiers of Sweibrugen making an excursion by chance into this village being drawne thither by the smell enter the house of this infant killer they search every corner at last they finde a vessell full of humane grease and a head that had beene scalded in hot water and so baked in an oven they carried her caprive unto Sweibruggen where on the 24 of Ianuary shee suffered condigne punishment At her death she confest that neere Landovia and the Village of Anna she killd two other children the last year The other woman which was partaker in the eating is still kept in prison and constantly denies that shee was a partner in that wicked act Such things oh our grief we are compeld daily to heare most sad examples O ill perswading hunger O wits truly Cyclopicke O dreadful Metamorphosis by which men putting off all humanity and putting on the nature of salvage beasts doe truly become wolvish From Meissenbsim Feb. 1. 1637. Fredericus Goelerus Pastor of Meissenh A true Copy of a Letter written by a worthy Minister Andreas Pilger sometimes Minister of Heydelberg From Wormbs the 10th of Febr. 1637. ALas What stormes and tempests doe now beat upon the ship of Jesus Christ in our Countrey What punishments and plagues doe now oppresse us God is justly angry with us for our manifold sinnes and seemes in his indignation utterly to destroy us and all that is round about us The heavie curses of Moses the bitter lamentations of Ieremy and all the horrible threatnings of the holy Prophets wee see daily here accomplished With this new Winter-quarter beginnes a renewing of our miseries oppression and persecution we being utterly destitute of all helpe and meanes to support us The chiefest of our Countrey are forced to leave their houses and lands and to goe a wandring in strange Countries yea many of them end their lives most miserably It is impossible to expresse either the greatnesse of our wants or the fury of Famine amongst us Mothers forgetting their naturall affections towards their owne children become butchers of them and eate them up in stead of food Wee do heare daily children crying about the streets and lamenting that they dare not goe home for feare of being killed It is kept upon record by the Magistrates of this City how that men have digged out of the graves dead bodies and have eaten them A woman was found dead having a mans head rosted by her and the rib of a man in her mouth holding it betweene her teeth and of this horrible spectacle all sorts of men can give testimony Such and many more signes of Gods heavie wrath wee could write unto you of but this shall suffice to give you a touch of the extremities wee are in O how seasonable are those almes which are sent hither to keepe some of us alive That faithfull God who hath made so many promises to the liberall heart will undoubtedly consider those that consider our poore Countrey-men in these extremities and keep them from famishing Andreas Pilger Pastor CHAP. I. EVills of Punishment are Gods the evil of Sinne is wholly ours Whatsoever was the impulsive cause of his judgements our wholsomest use is to attribute them to our sins to greater sins greater Judgements seeing God seemeth to observe a proportion to our deserts for Ezck. 14. 21. the Prophet speaks of foure sore Judgements that is greater and more grievous than the rest famine sword pestilence and the noisome beast with these hath he lately visited some nations especially Germany before a large populous fertile and flourishing Countrey