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	great_a	sin_n	2,789	5	5.0653	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18693	The vvarfare of Christians concerning the conflict against the fleshe, the world, and the deuill. Translated out of Latine by Arthure Golding.	Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606.	1576 (1576)	STC 5201; ESTC S116490	35,443	84

forgiue and forget it and rather go to lawe than lose any peece of their right For the world doth commonly terme patience by the leude name of cowardlynesse and lasinesse and deeme the desire of reuenge to be a kinde of valiantnesse and stoutnesse meete for a man To be shorte after the same sort there are innumerable who to eschewe the brute of pouertie bycause they take that to be reprochfull doe seeke goods by all meanes possible whither it be by periurie vsurie or any other leude slightes not passing at all howe they come by them so they may haue them For if any do heap vp riches by hooke and by crooke and inforce themselues to the vttern o●t to get abundante of welth those doth the world deeme to be men of forcast and pollicie and it taketh almost them only to bee wise and only worthie to be accounted of As for honest pouerti● it despiseth it making no reckening of such as eschew it not by al meanes possible And so by inflaming mē with d●sire of welth and riches it bringeth to passe and obteyneth that like as in all other things so also in this men direct the doings and deuices of their whose life cheefly by the iudgement of the world and neglect the commaundementes heauenly doctrine of God running blyndly and madly into al sin corrupted by example one of another Looke what I haue sayde of riches thinke the same to be spoken of power dominion and authoritie to the atteynment of which things whosoeuer do bēde thēselues with all their harte them doth the world gape gaze at aboue all others as men of greatest corage Whiche dealing when well dispozed men and such as feare God doe see who else are woont to despize such things and to make none account of them they also are somwhat moued at it and tickled with a certaine desire of the same things the whiche notwithstanding they doe easily put away and shake off by and by in respect of Gods will which they labour to obey To be short which way so euer a man turne him in the worlde vndoubtedly he shall euery where meete with somewhat whereby the mindes of the godly may be sore offended if they take not heede and which may wonderfully defyle atteynt and mar them with the foule infectiō of noysome example bee they neuer so pure sound and cleere so as a man may rightly say that the worlde is after a sort the wide gate broad way that leadeth to destruction and is woont to be alwayes troden haunted of most men wherof our Sauiour maketh mention in the Gospel But I will not stande any longer vpon these things Of the Diuell THen let vs come to the third enemy which is at deadly foade with vs continually Uerily he is the old serpēt which is called Satan and the Diuel as Iohn writeth in the Apocalips This is hee that raungeth continually vp and downe in Christes sheepefolde as an hungerstaruen Lyon seeking whom to deuour whom Peter willeth vs to withstād stoutly by fayth This is he that seduceth the whole worlde This is the author of sinne which allured the first father of mankinde into deceyt This is he whō our sauior witnesseth in a certaine place bothe to haue bene a murtherer from the beginning and also to be a lyer and the father of Lyes This is hee of whome Iohn saith The diuell sinneth from the beginning This is bothe the prince of the world as Christ termeth him in Iohn also the euill wherefro we desire in the Lords prayer to be deliuered He therefore to come to the matter not only tempteth vs to the meane vices and wicked doings suche as I haue rehersed alredy and wherevnto both the fleshe of it owne accord is foreward and the world ministreth innumerable causes and occasions but also laboreth to driue and inforce vs to some greater sinnes and horribler wickednesse as Epicurish contempt of God the neglecting of gods woord vnbeleefe distrust often despayre false perswasion of ourselues trust of our owne strength wilfull stubornnesse in euill blaspheming of God the withstanding of the knowen truthe hypocrisie superstition Idolatrie periurie treason aduoutrie inceste murther kylling of a mannes owne father or mother impoysonyng witchcraft and other infinite sinnes such wicked and vngodly deedes as cannot be conteyned within any number He laboreth to infeeble our trust in God and also to weaken or rather to take quite away the hope of our saluation and to quenche our loue towardes God and our charitie towardes our neybour To bee shorte hee neuer leaues assaulting of vs both within and without hee preasseth and pursueth vs and neuer giues vs any respite at all And whome he cannot ouercome by sodaine assault them he indeuoreth to tyre with long continuance and with holding on stil. He prompteth our mindes with filthy shamful and wicked thoughtes and inflameth vs with sundrie heates of lustes within and afterward he trumpeth such things in our way outwardly as may easily eyther corrupt vs by example or offend vs vnwares eyther in word or deede Finally he trieth al the ways to the woode that looke to what vice a man is most prone by nature and custome hee may throwe him headlong into it and so finally destroy him And not that onely but moreouer he laboureth by all meanes to coniecture and knowe what euery man thinketh in his owne minde by some outwarde signes and tokens Therefore of all things it is the hardest for a man to resist his so sundry greate temptations vnlesse god helpe our infirmity And the diuel assalteth vs not only in respect of the minde that is to witte by prouoking vs to innumerable sinnes and by thrusting vs headlong oftentimes into most horrible wicked deeds but also indeuoreth to the vttermost of his power to hurt our bodies to appaire hinder our helth to procure sicknesses to infect the ayre to rayse noysome tempestes to stirre vp deadly warres great vprores and troublesome seditions and to minister causes and occasions of hatred hartburning and enimitie both publique priuate wherof diuers times doe rise very great slaughters And he is not more to be feared when he assaulteth vs openly than when he stealeth vpon vs as it were by vndermining neither is be more to be dreaded when hee sheweth himselfe as he is than when he transformeth himselfe as sayth the apostle into an angel of light He dealeth with vs openly when he goeth about to driue vs to outwarde sinnes and wicked deedes as rape aduoutrie incest manslaughter witchcrafte and such like And he stealeth vppon vs by vndermyning when he assayleth vs vnwares by secrete traynes making vs negligent and in manner carelesse in hearing of gods woorde and slowe and slouthfull in trew godlynesse and honest dooings as in the deedes of charitie in praying to God in giuing him thankes and in executing euery man the dueties of his owne vocation and so oppresseth vs as it were in a sleepe And

●●ey take not holde of Gods spirite by reason of their vnbeliefe and sensualitie but walke vnreasonably after their own lustes And the prophets call thē cattell wyld beastes common custom termeth them brute beastes without reason and in all the Lawe it selfe calleth them vncleane And anon after For the same cause sayth he the Lorde termeth them dead men For hee biddeth them let the dead bury their dead bicause they haue not the spirite in them that quickeneth the man Contrarywise as many as feare God and hope for the comming of his sonne and settle the holie Ghost in their hartes by fayth shall iustly be called men and cleane and spirituall and ghostly and alyue to God bicause they haue the spirit of the father which maketh a man cleane and rayseth him vp to the lyfe of God. Many things doth Irenaeus alledge there cōcerning this matter which are in deed worthie to be red but yet am I compelled to omit them for auoyding of tediousnesse Neuerthelesse I thought it good to set downe some parte of them for the better vnderstanding of the things that I haue alledged out of Paule concerning the Flesh the spirit only so farre forth as belongeth to the present purpose Of the VVorld NOw followeth that we treat of the World which prouoketh men to many euils and cōmonly ministreth occasions opportunities of all kynds of sin corrupting mē by example vndoing thē by stūbling blockes First of all therfore the World stirreth vp the Fleshe which of it self rūneth a main as is said to vainglory prid● ouerweening For wheras all of vs are naturally desirous of glorie more or lesse according to euery mans dispositiō y World quickneth vp pricketh forward and as it were wakeneth that affection by innumerable wayes No man can willingly finde in his hart to be vnnoble vnrenoumed much lesse to be vtterly despized as a rascall there is no man but he coueteth to place put him self foorth before others And there bee a great sort who loking to be alonly magnified honored of all men not only despize other mens meanenesse in comparison of themselues and make no reckening of them but also doe alwayes eyther by open resistance or by priuie vndermyning malice and guile bite their equalles and matches for very spyte and cankred euill will bycause they enuy their vertue prayse and glory as in maner dayly examples shewe And oftentymes it falleth out that when wee see other men in honour authoritie and credite wee also stryue to bee equall with them and whatsoeuer it bee whereby renowme authoritie or dignitie may be gotten we giue our selues to it with might and mayne to atteyne the same and enuy other men for them For commonly Pryde is accompanyed with spitefulnesse But it cannot be said how great a vice Ambition or Pryde is nor howe many mischiefes spring of it Therfore that the godly man may eschew pride let him bethink him of this saying of our Sauiour in the Gospel He that exalteth himself shal be brought low And of this in the Apostle Sainct Peter See that ye haue lowlinesse of mynd setled in you for good withstandeth the loftie giueth grace to the lowely Therefore humble your selues vnder gods mightie hand that he may lift you vp when time serueth Saint Iames as it were poynting with his finger to this saying of S. Peters sayth Humble your selues in the sight of the lord he wil exalt you There are other textes of scripture besides these which are able to scare men from pryde And certesse it is very hard for a man to asswage and represse this loftinesse of mynd to think lowly humbly of himself For the roote of it is fastened deepe in mans brest springing out of the blynd self-loue which is ingraffed in all men by nature Hereof commeth the estimation and trust of our owne vertues power and wisdome and the misknowing of mans weaknesse and infirmitie This doth oftentymes breede the despizing and oppressing of others A braunche hereof is that vyce whereof the Diuell rather than the world is the breeder namely the hypocriticall pryde pharisaicall ouerweening where through men doe not only conceyue some singular opinion of their owne righteousnesse but also despize other men as vngodly in comparison of themselues Of the which matter there is a parable in S. Luke wherein Christ speaking of the praying of the pharisie and of the Publicane addeth this after speeche in the end of it that whosoeuer exalteth himself shal be brought low and whosoeuer humbleth him self shal be exalted Heerewithall agreeth the saying of the blessed virgin and mother of God that god lifteth vp and exalteth the lowlie and pulleth downe the mightie from their seates But now let vs proceed to the rest Lyke as the Fleshe is naturally giuen to ryot vnrulinesse wantonnesse euen so the world ministreth sundrie furtherances of lust nurrishments of vnstayednesse and firebronds of lecherie to the Fleshe adding fyre to fyre and oyle to the flame It setteth all kyndes of pleasures before it and whereas of it owne accord it gapeth to greedily after such things it not only quickeneth it vp with the smoothe enticementes of them but also tolleth it on and holdeth it snared in captiuitie to them Whatsoeuer the Fleshe lyketh of what sorte soeuer it bee bee it right or wrong the world doth in all poyntes feede the humor of it most perniciously soothing following smoothing and commending all things and suffering it to be caryed headlong into all mischiefe by foading the vyces and leaudnesse of it And verily the World is to the Flesh as a fit couer for such a potte as the prouerbe saith so iump doe they agree togither in all poyntes as I will shewe more playnly in due place Oftentymes also the World yeldeth both causes and occasions of spiting of backebiting of hatred of reuenge of hartburning of malice of anger of impatience of enmitie of quarellyng of slaunderyng of scoldyng of raylyng and of innumerable other sinnes And this is so true and manifeste as it can neyther bee denyed nor ought to be set foorth with moe woordes Therefore let vs bee euer in a readinesse as it were to some battell whensoeuer wee intende to set foote out of doores and to goe abroade● Let vs alwayes set sure watche vppon our selues and vppon our owne myndes and when wee shall haue to doe with other men let vs looke well aboute vs vppon all our sayinges and dooyngs as though wee were among the thickeste of our enemyes Let vs eschewe Stages Gamyngs Syghtes Dauncing schooles and throngs of people least anye thyng happen to come in our syghte whych maye eyther corrupte vs by example or hurte vs by giuyng vs offence Thou meetest a woman of verye good fauour and bewtie beware thou fasten not thyne eyes vppon hir For hee that looketh vppon a woman to luste after hir is an aduouterer alreadye in hys harte sayth our Sauyour Thou meetest with a