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
B08186	The lamentations of Germany. Wherein, as in a glasse, we may behold her miserable condition, and reade the woefull effects of sinne. / Composed by an eye-witnesse thereof: and illustrated by pictures, the more to affect the reader. By Dr. Vincent. Theol..	Vincent, Philip, b. 1600.; Weckherlin, Georg Rodolf, 1584-1653.	1638 (1638)	STC 24760.5; ESTC S95680	21,484	88

it selfe their case ours and our soules in their soules stead Do as Nehemiah did when he heard of the state of Ierusalem and the Temple therein He sate downe and wept mourned and fasted certaine daies and prayed before the Lord God of Heaven Neh. 1.4 Would we but doe the like for our selves and them God would assuredly restore their peace and continue ours for which I shall ever heartily pray and so rest A well-wisher to all the Churches of God Imprimatur Haec Epistola Samuel Baker London Ian. 22. 1637. CHAP. I. EVills of Punishment are Gods the evill of Sinne is wholly ours Whatsoever was the impulsive cause of his iudgements our wholesomest use is to attribute them to our sins to greater sins greater Iudgements seeing God seemeth to observe a proportion to our deserts for Ezek. 14.21 the Prophet speaks of foure sore Iudgements that is greater and more grievous than the rest famine sword pestilence and the noysome beast With these hath he lately visited some nations especially Germany before a large populous fertile and flourishing Countrey What shall we say were their sinnes greater than ours No but except we repent what may we expect the sinnes of Sodome were pride idlenesse and fulnesse of bread and such they acknowledge theirs to have beene I have seene their peasants served in plate they slept with downe-beds above and under them their stoves kept them insensible of the winters cold they ate no dish of meate without his sauce their plenty of corne and wine milke and honey fish and flesh did equall that of any other nation whatsoever A little labour brought them in much delicacy of living made them incompassionate of others sufferings and security blinded them that they could not see the storme a comming Thus while they swim in fulnesse and pleasure the Iudgement that slept was suddenly awaked and the fire of war was kindled in all their coasts which blowne with the bellowes of exasperated spirits hath depopulated their Land and consumed their dwellings to the ground all lieth desolate the vineyards are not dressed nor the fields tilled the sword is every where drunke with blood Famine killeth more than the sword and the pestilence with other Epidemicke diseases warres attendants devoure their part also and which is worst of all there is yet no end of these things the blazinge starre 1617 burgers and ministers releued in prisson a diuine tortured with a Catt CHAP. II. Of Extortions and exactions TO beginne with warre which beganne the rest who knoweth not that this mercilesse fury hath there plaied the tyrant ever since that burning Beacon the blazing starre gave them the alarme 1617. which the best Astrologers expounded the sword of Germany A prophecie I have seene long since written in a Booke which belonged to a canonick of Nimegon and now in the Library at Zutphen that a time should come when one Frederike should be King and then should the Princes of Germany the Nobility of Bohemia and the people of both be oppressed and warre rage beyond all precedent of former ages this if ever is now fulfilled in our daies And if in such disorder it may be possible I will observe this order in speaking thereof first extortions and exactions secondly tortures and torments thirdly rape and ravishing fourthly robbery and pillaging fifthly blood-shed and killing sixthly burning and destroying These shall be the scenes of this first act Famine and pestilence shall stand for the other acts of this direfull tragedy in which as no action or passion was simple or single so can I not but with intermixtion and confusion rehearse them For the first as no province or part of Germany can boast of her freedome from these miseries though some have beene more free than others so is there no Prince nor State which hath not suffered herein no City no Towne almost no person Every halfe yeeres every moneths yea weekes relation telleth us of hundreds thousands millions of rix dollars or guldens imposed exacted extorted by the Conquerors or spoylers for the redemption of mens lives or liberties goods or dwellings c. Strange and impossible oft-times have the ransomes beene with which they have taxed the Burgers at the taking in of townes And that they might have their wills in this kinde they have called the Magistrates and Burghers into the State-houses threatned imprisoned or otherwise abused them till they condescended At Gryphenberg they kept the Senators shut up in a chamber of the common hall macerating and tormenting them so long with hunger and smoake that some of them dyed Wee left in Heydelberg Castle many Burgers to this their mercy and divers reverend Ministers who were imprisoned and fed with bread and water till the charity of the reformed Churches could relieve them Presently after they at Frankendale surrendring the towne upon necessity could not enioy the articles granted them by the enemy But were together with the grave Counsellours and other Electorall Ministers forced to endure such conditions as were fitter for slaves and dogges than men Some were cast into prison and there so handled that many of them dyed through griefe and sorrow Others though altogether exhausted redeemed themselves with unreasonable ransomes The goods of those that were fled were confiscated all the inhabitants though they were willing to leave their houses with all their furniture were detained in the City and their destruction most cruelly plotted after like manner have others beene dealt with contrary to all oathes and promises yea contray to the lawes of nations and common faith twisted out there eyes Raced offe there skinne with knifes hanging vp in the smoke blood sprouted at fingers end plaining there faces pisse poured downe there throates CHAP. III. Of Tortures and Torments NOt to insist on these looke we upon the cruelties which the licentious Souldier hath exercised upon the persons of the inhabitants without respect of age sex dignitie calling c. and we shall rather thinke them banditos or renegado's than men of armes rather monsters than mankinde Nor Turkes nor Infidels have so behaved themselves Even Princes sacred persons though they never bore armes as the old Landgrave of Hessen and others yea some of the female sex as the old Dutchesse dowager of Wirtenberg have beene without any regard or pitty taken prisonors reviled abused Aronibeus reporteth from the Letters of the D. of Saxony that some of Tillies Souldiers caused his Subiects to be tortured by halfe strangling them and pressing their thumbes with wheeles His Souldiers and those of Walsten exercised yet greater cruelties in Pomeren and thereabouts They made the people by force to eate their owne excrements and if they would not they thrust them downe their throats and so choaked some of them Whom they thought to have hidden gold or other wealth they have assyed by exquisite torments to make them confesse Yea Princely personages have suffered like cruelty in this kinde with meaner folke They have wound and tied about the heads

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 Iudgemements 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 Ier. 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 considerations 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 divisions 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 wee 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 wisdome thereof we may be led along in such waies as may propagate our peace unto posterity In patience under those chastisments 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 There be also some sinnes in speciall which wee ought to repent of as drunkennesse prophanation of the Lords Day and other holy festivalls rash oathes quickely made and as quickly broken together with Sacriledge all which are most notorious not among them alone but among our selves also This we should doe but what doe wee Wee put farre away the evill day and cause the seat of violence to come neere We 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 Vialls of Gods wrath are pouring forth as well on his owne Churches for correction as on their adversaries unto destruction Who knows how fast the day may passe round Gods arrowes are all fleet The curse of God goeth forth over the face of the whole earth Zacch 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 we 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 Ier. 28.6 But it s good to remember that of the Apostle when they cry Peace Peace c. Gloss ordin in Ier. 7.12 Quicquid illi populo fecit Deus timeamus cum nos similia faciamus Yet no such clouds blessed be God arise over our heads as those wherewith her horizon is darkened 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 be affraid if wee 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