Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	exercise_v	young_a	youthful_a	12	3	13.3374	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35535	An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and the thirty fourth chapters of the booke of Job being the substance of forty-nine lectures / delivered at Magnus neare the Bridge, London, by Joseph Caryl ...	Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.	1661 (1661)	Wing C774; ESTC R36275	783,217	917

the abused patience of man will turn to greater anger and he groweth the more passionate by how much he hath been the more and the oftner deceived Thus Elihu is still described acting angerly yet in the very next verse we shall find him speaking soberly plainly and to purpose Vers 6. And Elihu the son of Barachell the Buzite answered and said When Elihu saw these three men gravel'd and that after all the outcry they made against Job they were forced to leave him as they found him unconvinced of those crimes of that hypocrisie which they had layd to his charge he hereupon saw himselfe engaged to undertake the matter and offer his opinion Concerning Elihu his name his fathers name Barachel his tribe or stock a Buzite I have spoken at the 2d verse and shall not adde any thing of it here only take notice That here Elihu begins his own preface The former part of the Chapter contained the report of the divine historian concerning Elihu but these are the words of Elihu himselfe here he begins like an Orator to gaine favour with and attention of his hearers or to prepare the minds of his hearers to receive what he had to say And upon this subject or piece of Rhetoricke making Prefaces he spends the whole that remaines of this Chapter And Elihu c. answered and said I am young and ye are very old that is it which he said therefore I was afraid and durst not shew mine opinion As if he had said I am conscious to my selfe of the weaknesse which accompanieth youth I very well know my own incompetency for such a worke I am young Parvus secundum dies Heb The Hebrew is I am few of dayes or little according to dayes if you should reckon or measure me by dayes I am very little And is not every man so If you measure any man by dayes is not he very little Thou hast made my age a span long said David Psal 39.7 that 's quickly measured Job spake thus Chap. 14.1 Man that is borne of a woman is of few dayes and full of trouble He saith not this or that man but man take old men the Elders take all men the oldest men are but few of dayes in themselves considered and comparatively to the age or rather the eternity of God their utmost age is but as a drop to the ocean Thus all men even ancient men are few of dayes which is here the description of a young man I am young saith Elihu or few of dayes but compare one man with another so some have few dayes and others many dayes young men have few dayes and old men have many dayes compared with one another I am young and ye are very old 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 decrepitus The word notes decrepid old age the very dregs of age the utmost line of life old age like a heavy burden bowes the back and criples the limbes of the strongest and stoutest sons of Adam See more of this word Chap. 15.10 Hominis aetates in septem partitur Hippocrates 1 Parvulus ad annum 7 mum 2 Puer ad An 14. 3 Adolescens ad An 21. 4 Juvenis ad An 28. 5 Vir ad An 50. 6 Senex ad An 56. 7 Decrepitus post quamdiu vivit There are severall divisions of the life of man some cast it into foure parts sutable to the foure seasons of the yeare some into five alluding to the Acts of an Interlude or play others into seven in allusion to the Planets now what ever division you make of the life of man this decrepid old age is the last I am young and ye are very old wherefore I was afraid and durst not shew mine opinion What effect that sence which Elihu had of his youth or fewnesse of dayes produced in him is set forth in these words 't was feare I saith he was afraid c. There is as to this poynt a twofold feare First a cowardly feare Secondly a modest feare when Elihu saith he was afraid he doth not meane the feare of a coward but of a modest man it is not not cowardize to be afraid of doing many things to feare to doe those things which are unlawfull or which are uncomely is no part of cowardize This latter feare surprized or rather composed Elihu he was a man bold spirited enough but modesty made him afraid to shew his opinion There is a great elegancy in those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est serpere denotat timorem serpentum latebras quaerentium videri metuentium Aben Ezra I durst not shew mine opinion They imply he hid his speech as Serpents hide themselves when men approach Micah 7.17 Serpents which are a terrour to men and make them afraid are also afraid of men their appearance causeth them to run and hide their heads The Rabbins take much paines in their Criticismes about this word to expresse a vertuous modesty As it is a duty to be as Christ exhorts his Disciples to be especially in times of persecution Math 10.10 wise as Serpents so it is a vertue to be fearefull as Serpents even to feare as much to be heard by some men as Serpents feare to be seene by any man Reptilium more dimisi me unde vulgatus reddit Demisso capite veritus sum Drus Thus Elihu held downe his head he was afraid and durst not shew his opinion suddenly nor declare his judgement in the case for the reverence he bare to those graver and elder heads Note hence First Young men are apt to run into mistakes their heat usually exceeds their light Youth drives furiously and commonly carrieth presumption with it or is it selfe hurried by presumption Though God hath given a young man a good understanding quick parts and a ready tongue yet he wants much because he hath not seene much and so is very liable to miscarriage He cannot look through nor see to the end of things for as it is the great and sole priviledge of God to cast an eye quite through all intermediate both actions and revolutions and to see the end from the beginning so it is more peculiar to those that are aged and long experienced to see much of the end of things in their beginnings or to see what is like to be as well as what is 'T is the part of a wise man to consider what may come and whether things tend there is much weakness and deficiency in young men as to this As most young men want sences exercised as the Apostle speakes of all un-improved Christians of what age soever Heb 5.19 as I say most young men want sences exercised to discerne what is good or evill so they want sences exercised to discerne what good or evill is like to be they rarely see effects in their causes or events in their prognosticks Therefore Elihu might well say I am young therefore I durst not venture to shew mine opinion Paul giveth Timothy

somewhat a strange warning 2 Tim. 2.22 Flee youthfull lusts Timothy was young but was he noted for indulgence to any youthfull lusts what lusts doth he meane surely not drunkennesse nor uncleannesse nor any loose behaviour for though the most sober and temperate young men have in them the seed of all these yea of every lust yet Timothy at that time was a pattern a mirrour not only of sob iety but of holinesse and Paul was even forced to bid him take more liberty in the use of the creature then he used to allow himselfe Drink no longer water but use a little wine for thy stomack sake and for thy often infirmities Surely Timothy was a man that fled such youthfull lusts fast and far enough when he drank nothing but water and must be bid to drink a little wine 1 Tim 5.23 What lusts then were they which Timothy was exhorted to flee the words following ver 23 24 25. seeme to cleare it that because he was young he should take heed of rushing into unnecessary Questions and disputes which young men are apt to doe in the heat of their spirits nor are there any lusts of the lower or sensuall appetite to which the heart of man is more intemperately and vainely carried out then to those of the understanding and therefore the Apostle counsels Timothy to avoid unprofitable Questions knowing that these gender strife Those Questions cannot promote faith in or holinesse towards God which only stirre up and foment strife among men and the servants of the Lord must not strive but be gentle to all and patient These vertues and graces are opposed chiefely to the youthfull lusts which Paul exhorts Timothy to take heed of As if he had said Be not too hot-headed and hasty as young men are very apt to be in pursuing of controversies and entangling thy selfe in the thickets of Opinionists Elihu was of an excellent temper who because young was afraid and durst not shew his opinion Secondly Note It is good to feare and suspect our own judgements or to feare that we may erre they seldome doe or speak amisse who feare they may An over-confidence of being in the right hath setled many in a wrong way to be under a sence of our readinesse to fall preserves us from falling Hosea 13.1 When Ephraim spake trembling then he exalted himselfe There are severall sences given of that place but according to our translation the meaning is carried thus When Ephraim was in an humble frame and jealous of himselfe not confident nor over-bold as some are who presume to carry all before them when he spake trembling or did even tremble to speake then he did that which tended to his own advancement and exaltation This gracious trembling doth at once settle us the faster and rayse us the higher in the wayes and things of God It is a high poynt of wisdome to have low apprehensions of our selves though that be true Tanti eris aliis quanti tibi fueris You shall be esteemed of others as you esteem your selves If a man under-value himselfe others will yet 't is best erring on that hand Let the price be much too low rather then any thing too high when you are occasioned to put a value upon or rate your selves Againe Consider what an excellent speaker Elihu was when he came to it as will appeare hereafter yet see how he stood trembling he durst not speake nor offer his opinion Hence note Vsually they who have most ability to speak are most backward to speak or sparing of speech They are not easily brought to it who have it in them The belly of Elihu was as full with matter as an Egge with meate or a bottle with wine yet how slow was he in opening himselfe They who are and have least are most desirous if not ambitious to appeare most and would make up in seeming what they are not in being As Elihu in this verse hath shewed himselfe afraid to say any thing so he shewes us in the next who he hoped would have said all and altogether have saved him a labour Vers 7. I said dayes should speak and multitude of yeares should teach wisdome Or as the text may be rendred let dayes speak Loquantur dies sunt enim verba permittentis q.d. sinam loqui illos non praeripiam eis loquendi locum Pisc dayes shall not be hindred by me from speaking let dayes speak their fill But what meaneth he when he saith let dayes speak how can dayes speak 't is an elegancy in Rhetorick when that which belongs to a person is ascribed to a thing as here speech to time let dayes speak that is let those who number many dayes who have lived and seene many dayes let them speak they who have lived most dayes on earth are yet indeed as Bildad told Job Chap. 8.9 but of yesterday and so have lived as it were but a day yet according to common account some men are so very old that you may call them dayes and to them we may well say let Dayes speak Johannes de Temporibus We read of one who was called John of Times because he had lived if the Records spake true three hundred yeares and more An old man is a man of dayes and thus Elihu might say let dayes that is old men speak But Children can speak why then doth he say dayes should speak I answer There is a twofold speaking First naturall thus Children as soone as they are out of their swadling-bands learne to speak such speaking is but a naturall act Secondly There is a speaking which is an artificiall or studied act thus Orators and men of eloquence speake such speaking Elihu intended when he sayd dayes should speak He looked they should speake to purpose speak by rule even the quintessence of reason he presumed they would have brought forth somewhat worthy of their yeares and that he should have received such instruction from them as they had learned from old age it selfe I sayd dayes should speak Children can speak words but old men should speak things every word should have its weight their tongues should drop as the honey-combe and be a tree of life to feed and refresh many It is most truly said of the word of God in Scripture Every tittle of it hath a mountaine of sence a mighty weight of truth in it And surely the words of old men should be weighty and convincing They should speak truth with such evidence both of testimony and reason as may put to silence all those who speak against or besides either truth or reason As day unto day saith David Psal 19.2 uttereth speech that is every day speakes somewhat so men of dayes should speak much both for instruction and conviction I said dayes should speak Hence note That 's not to be esteemed as done at all which is not well done or not done to purpose An old man doth not speak unlesse he speaks wisely edifyingly and to