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	work_n	6,191	5	6.9192	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29373	A sermon preached unto the voluntiers of the city of Norwich and also to the voluntiers of Great Yarmovth in Norfolke by William Bridge ...	Bridge, William, 1600?-1670.	1642 (1642)	Wing B4466; ESTC R12276	14,881	24

other spyes they looked upon God upon his promise and upon his providence in delivering of them and thereupon returned and said the men of the Land are meat unto us c. Would you not be discouraged but encouraged take heed how you raise or how you lay your courage upon second causes take heed of all those things that may debase your spirits idlenesse wordlinesse and courage layd upon second causes Again Be sure of this that you keep your conscience clear A bad conscience is very timerous the righteous are as bold as a Lion but the unrighteous that have any conscience left are as fearfull as a Doe be sure therefore that you keep your conscience cleer And then again keep and improove all the experiences of Gods delivering mercy Beloved how many delivering mercies have God wrought for us the last yeare truly it may be said it hath been the annus mirabilis year of wonders and all the year long God hath been known to England by this Name A wonder-working God when any temptations arise to discourage answer Surely if the Lord had meant to destroy us he would never have done all this experienced men are most couragious onely make use of your experience as a stirrup to get up your spirits to the promise 6. Again Actuate refresh and strengthen your love True love is very valiant sayes the Apostle Love suffers all things it does all things as one observes concerning a Sheep though it be so feeble and fearfull a creature that a little dog will make a whole flock run before it yet notwithstanding you shall see That if a great masty comes to take away a Lamb from the Ewe the Ewe will stamp and run at him why love puts it on Do you therfore love your Countrey I know you do Do you love the people of God I presume you do Do you love the Cities of God I believe you do often actuate refresh and strengthen your love this will give courage 7. In the last place When ever any discouraging temptations arise before ever you parly with those difficulties and temptations step in to God by prayer Beloved if you first parly with difficulties before you go to prayer you will never have done a thousand Objections will be created in your mindes whereas if you first go to prayer before you parly with them in prayer you shall have the sight of a great God and the sight of a great God will make your spirits great In prayer your heart shall be composed for prayer is a soul-composing duty In prayer you shall meet with the Captain of your Salvation and he will leade up your hearts that are ready to run away In prayer you shall bring your souls to this frame quietly to resign up your selves and cause and successe unto God and a man is never more couragious than in that frame as Joabs courage and resignation went together Are you presented with any difficulty and discouraging temptation then say within your selves it is true indeed to attain to such an event certainly it will be hard notwithstanding I know that my cause is good my work is good the people good and therfore though the difficulties and temptations be never so great I will give my selfe to prayer and praying courage is good courage Wherefore my beloved in the name of the Lord pray in these evill times pray pray pray and when you have done praying then wait wait on the Lord and be of good courage and again I say waite on the Lord and what I say unto one I desire to speake unto my own soule and so unto you all in these sad and evill times be of good courage and let us play the men for our people and for the Cities of our God and the Lord do with us what seemeth him good FINIS Omnes urbes Israel vocantur urbes Dei quia Deus illas dederat Israelitis vel illa erat specialiter terri Dei Abul●●nsi in 1. Chr● 29. Observation Fortitudo justorum est carnem vincere propiis voluptatibus contraire delectationem vitiae praesentis extinguere hujusmodi aspera pro aeternis praemiis amare prosperitatis Blandimenta contemneie adversitatis malum in corde superare Reproborum vero fortitudo est transitoria sine cessatione diligere contra flagella conditionis insensibiliter perdurare bonorum vitam non solum verbis moribus sed etiam gladiis impugnare in semetipsis spem ponere iniquitatem quotidie sinè ullo desiderii defectu perpetrare Greg. moral lib. 8. Tumor animi non est magnanimitas Sen. Leonum clementiae multa indicia sunt prostratis parvunt in viros potius quam in faeminas saeviunt infantes non nisi in magra same perimunt Solinus Si igitur animus tibi sit si valeas si audeas absolve quod propofuisti redde hostibus meis sociis tuis quod promisiffi si me occidere stat animus quando rectius quando secretius quando virilius venenum parasti mulierculis id relinquito tortulo insidiaris hoc adulterae possunt ferro ex insidiis me aggredi decrevisti hoc sicarii non militis est officium solus cum solo congredere ut saltem proditio tua turpitudine careat quae perfidia carere non potest Miles autem haec audiens mox verbis regis quasi gravi percussus fulmine ad pedes regios cum lachrymis tremore cucurrit Cui Rex noli timere inquit quod nihil a me patieris Cumque ei de caetero se fidelem amicum futurum promisisset reveriunter ad socios nihil paenitus referentes Mat. Paris pag. 21. Hist. Willil 21. Confirma 1. Fortis est quē adversa non frangunt fortier est quem prospera non alliciunt fortissimus est quem vicissitudo rerum non deturbat Senec. Magnus animus est quem non incurvat injuria Senec. Dan. 3 17.18 Applica Aquin. Peccatum majus ubi repugnantia major inter peccantem peccatum Object Answ Psal. 127.5 Hist. Nether 1 Sam. 30.6 otium est vivi hominis sepultura

Fourthly The exhortation looks upon them that have listed themselves in this great service of God and their Countrey in these dangerous times Brethren I have need for to speak to you and my commission especially is to speak to you I had need do it for have not some freely offered themselves to this work yet shamefully deserted it again I say shamefully for what greater shame Marcus Crassus amongst the Romans caused the cowards to be let bloud giving this reason that it was fit their bloud should be shed in disgrace which they would not shed in defence of their Countrey and if you look Judg. 7.3 you shall finde that when the hoast of the Midianites came against the Israelites Gideon had gotten a good and well framed Army together but when word came from the Lord that the fearfull should return how many think you did return of them surely no lesse than two parts of three the whole Army consisting of 32000 the divine story tells us That 22000 of them went back and but 10000 left 22000 not ashamed to be called cowards and fearfull so that I say that I had need to speak to you and to you is my commission and if you please you may read my Commission and your own duty together 20 Deu. 2.3 And it shall be when ye are come nigh unto the Battell that the Priest shall approach and speak unto the people not the Captain but the Priest what sayes the Priest Let not your hearts faint fear not and do not tremble neither be you terrified because of them therfore you see what I am commanded to speak unto you well good sirs and beloved in the Lord Jesus be you also of good courage and I have three words of encouragement to speak unto you First your worke and service you are about it is very honourable It is observed to my hand that when Solomon built the Temple he did not employ the Israelites about the meaner works carrying of stones and drawing of water strangers were put to that worke but the Israelites were employed to be a guard about him so did the most wise man in the world Solomon count it an honourable thing to bear arms and to be a souldier anciently souldiers were called Latrones because they were a Latere Regis and now the latine word miles for a souldier signifies a Knight when the children of Israel went out to Battell some there were that went into the Field and some that did stay at home concerning those that stayed at home it is sayd that she that tarryed at home devided the spoile Psalm 68.12 as if they were only women and the weaker sort that stayed at home as if all that were worthy to be called men went into the Field In the triumphing Psalm of Deborah we read that some are condemned and some commended those that were condemned were such as came not forth that came not forth to helpe the Lord against the mighty Judges 5.23 Those that were commended were the Voluntiers that offered themselves willingly amongst the People vers. 2. and 9. The truth is that the Volunteers of England under God are the Bullwarks of England and England under God the Bulwark of the Protestant Religion Wherefore honoured Brethren be ye all of good courage for your worke and service is very honorable And as your worke is honorable so your worke is sase In times of war the safest place is the Camp and whilst that those of poor spirits that love onely to be in their beds and in their houses shall be pillaged and plundered men of brave spirits that are willing to be in the Field shall be secured A valiant and couragious minde commandeth all thing sayes Seneca he that commandeth death commandeth all things as the valiant man doth Now Beloved you see into what times we are fallen of necessity things must either go well or ill if things go ill the worst is death and what great matter is it to dye for your God a little before your time who would live when Religion is dead who would live to out-live his Religion Cicero tells us of some Indians that having many wives when the husband dyed the wifes strived to be burned with him and she that was the strongest prevailed to be burned and the rest went away very sorrowfull as having met with a great losse that they might not be burned with their husband and do you desire to live a day after the protestant Religion that you have bin married too now for many yeers together It is no great matter to live the beasts birds and fishes live this is truly great to dye well honorably freely wisely as Seneca saith It is better to dye in the Field for the cause of God then die in ones bed by the hand of a sicknesse It is storied of one Bibulus a great Roman that having obtained many victories he came to Rome to ride in triumph where a Tile falling off the house stroke him so deeply and mortally into the head as he dyed of it Thus may you dye by an unworthy Tile as you walk in the streets or by the turning of some humour in your bodies and is it not better then to dye for the truth Can you lose too much for Christ that hath lost so much for you Death is the worst And if things go well I cannot but thinke it will go with the popish Maligant party as once with the Freislanders when the Earl of Holland had overcome them they took up Arms to resist him again whereupon he ordered that the doors of their houses should be made so low as they should alwayes stoop when they went in noting their subjection so though the mercy of those that are in authority may let the houses of Malignants stand yet I make no question but the doors of their houses shall be made so low that they shall alwayes stoop as a note of their subjection whil'st you that stand for the cause and Countrey and Cities of your God shall have the doors of your houses enlarged and if a good cause have any interest in Heaven and the prayers of Gods people hath any credit there you shall undoubtedly in the end prevail wherefore be of good courage for your work is safe And as your worke is safe so it is also warrantable I know it is objected They take up Arms against their King I am perswaded there is not such a thought in the bosoms of any of you all and God forbid there should but there is much difference between taking up of Armes against the Kings Person and taking up of Arms for the defence of the Kingdom without the Kings command David though he were Gods annointed yet he was a subject unto Saul his King and he tooke up Arms to defend himselfe he tooke up Arms indeed but if you looke into 1 Sam. 26.19 you shall finde that David does impute that unnaturall warre that Saul his King made against him to those