Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	ghost_n	holy_a	sin_n	3,325	5	4.9847	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15797	The sincere preacher prouing that in whom is adulation, auarice, or ambition, he cannot be sincere. Deliuered in three sermons in Dartmouth in Deuon, vpon I. Thes. 2. 5.6. By Walter Wylshman, Mr. of Art, and minister of the Word there.	Wylshman, Walter, 1571 or 2-1636.	1616 (1616)	STC 26058; ESTC S114199	31,536	100

vngodly so riches is not euill in the heart sanctified Goods then with godlinesse is no hindrance to sincerenesse but mistrustfulnes with much or little riches breeds neither soundnesse nor sincerenes A second vse is that such people as in their owne knowledge and consciences perceiue their Pastors to be faithfull and freest off couetousnesse these should giue great credit to their doctrines for sincerenes In the eleuenth of the Acts it is recorded that when the Church vnderstood that a great number at Antiochia beleeued and turned vnto the Lord they sent Barnabas vnto them who when hee was come and had seene the grace of God in the sincerenesse of his heart he was glad saith the text and exhorted all that with purpose of heart they would cleaue vnto the Lord Where the holy Ghost sheweth that his so holy exhortation had a great and a blessed effect for much people ioyned themselues vnto the Lord. And what was the cause that should moue this people thus to ioyne vnto the Lord it is there noted that he was a good man and full of the holy Act. 11. 24 Ghost As if hee should say his goodnesse and sincerenesse was of great force to moue them to turne vnto the Lord. So we reade of Herod though otherwise a proud Prince and prophane yet when hee heard Iohn Baptist hee did many things Mark 6. 20. 21. and heard him gladly And what was the cause that should moue him hereunto the holie Ghost noteth the cause that it was Iohus sincerenesse For Herod feared Iohn knowing that hee was a iust man and an holy and reuerenced him so that those that will not reuerence their sincere Preacher are more prosane then wicked Herod was And yet behold the proteruitie of these times wherein all for the most part hate to be reproued because they haue no hearts to be reformed who like the peruerse Galathians count him Gal. 4. 16. their enemie that tels thē the truth The reason whereof our Sauiour yeelds namely that hee that euill Ioh. 3. 20. doth hateth the light neither commeth to the light lest his deedes should bee reproued So that the most profound are esteemed the most profane euen monstrous persons Zach. 3. 8. as signes and wonders Isai 8. 18. the most conscionable thought to bee most contentious Ierem. 15. 20. But what doth this bewray but that the whole body is dangerously sicke and out of order euen as a man in a feuer whē the gall hath dispersed it selfe ouer the stomacke findes no good taste or relish of the best meates and as the sluggish sleeper in the lethergie holds him his greatest foe that is his best friend in awaking him so it fareth with those poore soules that are most sicke with sinne they would goe to perdition in peace and cannot abide to be roused out of their sinnes Therefore wee haue great cause to pray with Dauid to establish vs with right and free spirits that being spirituall we may be able to discerne all things as they are we may loue soundly them that deale sincerely and haue them in 1. Thes 5. 13. singular regard for their workes sake Finally seeing that couetousnes is so great so grosse and so generall a sinne let euery man betimes examine his own soule whether it haue taken any hold in his heart for assure our selues their liues are miserable and their ends damnable as Phil. 3. 19 S. Paul saith that liue and dye in this sinne And therefore seeing the danger is so great and yet the sinne so common neede haue we euerie one of vs to pray to God with Dauid to encline our hearts vnto his Psal 119. 36. testimonies and not to couetousnes Which that wee may doe wee must labour to get that blessed gift of contentatiō that the holy Ghost Heb. 13. 5 exhorteth vnto saying Let not your conuersation be in couetousnes but be content with that you haue for hee hath said I wil not faile thee nor forsake thee A notable example of this vertue we haue in the Apostle Paul who had learned in whatsoeuer state hee was therewith to be content Phil. 4. 11. 12. and therefore he saith I can be abased and I can abound euerie where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry to abound and to haue want This which Paul practised is soone said but not so soone done That wee therefore may after his example be content in euery state of life and shunne this foule sinne of couetousnesse let vs consider of these preseruatiues First set before our eyes the commandement of God that saith Thou shalt not couet not thy neighbours house only but not any thing that is his For looke what is sinne to take in the sight of man is sinne to wish in the eyes of God but in mans sight it is sin to take any thing that is thy neighbours for it is against the law of nature that wils thee to doe as thou wouldest bee done vnto and against the law of iustice that commandeth to giue euery man his due Therefore saith God thou shalt not couet any thing that is thy neighbours be it neuer so little it is too much to couet and though hee can spare it God will not spare thee for wishing it and though it bee not much wherein thou offend'st yet the Maiestie of God is great whom herein thou offend'st therefore thou seest there is no warrant at al to couet Againe consider that though a man haue that which hee doth couet yet it cannot profit him vnlesse God blesse it The Israelites saith Dauid coueted flesh for their lusts and God gaue them their desire with their desire he gaue them flesh but hee sent leannesse withall Psal 106. 15 into their soules so many are sicke with Ahabs disease proposing to themselues if I had such a dwelling then I should haue content if such a liuing thē I should haue no want But consider I pray you may not this be a fond and false perswasion may not God crosse thee in thy wished-for dwelling with vnwished for diseases in thy body and with torturing horrour in thy conscience and then thy dwelling will not delight thee and thy couering will not content thee And as for riches thou maist drinke in gold with Balthazar and see with him Dan. 5. thy doome and downfull grauen in the walles of thy palaces that may more quaile thee then thy gold and wine can comfort thee Therefore Dauids counsell is worthy Psal 62. 10. 11. where he aduiseth saying If riches encrease set not thine heart vpon them Why for three reasons first for God spake once or twice and I heard it that power belongeth to God As if hee should say Nothing hath any power to do a man good but only God Secondly to thee O Lord belongeth mercie noting that nothing procureth pitie and mercie but onely God and that a man is loued and kindly entreated it is

loue of honour and greedie desire of glory Whence I thinke I may thus define Ambition viz. Ambition is a base sinne whereby a man is so carried away with an inordinate desire of his owne praise and honour that whether he deserue it or no he regards it more then Gods glory or his neighbours good Which definition being compared with her parts or causes will I gesse appeare to be an absolute definition her parts I make to bee her Kinde and Difference her kind is that it is a sinne or base sinne her difference from other sinnes is that it makes a man sicke with selfe loue For the kinde that it is a base sinne I proue by reasons natural politick and diuine Naturall reason proues it For whereas man by nature is a sociable creature of the same matter and mould forme and fashion with others therfore should affect and delight in with others the Ambitious mā is so takē vp with self-loue with a desire of his own praise preferment that he becomes a Timon a Misanthropos a despiser and hater of all others in respect of himselfe Tullij offic lib. 3. Whereupon Heathen Tullie could say by the light of nature that in a free City nothing can bee imagined more foule or mōstrous then the ambitious desire of preferments To which accordeth diuine Ierome saying Vilium est hominum alios viles facere qui suo merito placere non potest placere velle aliorum comparatione that is it is the property of vile and base men to disgrace others to be graced themselues as all ambitious men seeke to doe and hauing no merit of his owne by comparison to seeke to be accounted of by others Secondly that this is a base sin crossing pollicy I proue for it seeks the downfall of all humane society For wheras one striues to be aboue another there is nothing but enuie and destruction of one against another Epist 2. Lib. 12. whereupon Seneca saith well Take heed of Ambition it is a vaine swelling and turbulent euill that hath none end and vexeth himselfe as much to see another before him as himselfe to bee behind another so that it is carried with a double enuie vides autem quám miser si is cui inuidetur inuidet behold then saith hee how miserable the Ambitious man is if hee enuic him that is enuied by him which thing Prou. 13. 10. made wise Salomon to affirme that only by pride doth man stir vp contention but with the well aduised is wisdome Diuine reason proues ambition to be a base sinne for whereas God hath reserued these three things to himselfe viz. Vengeance Iudgement and Honour the diuell by this sinne of Ambition striuing to bee equall with God of an Angell of light became a spirit of darkenesse whereupon Basilius magnus calles it the diuels disease because it makes men like the diuell for the ambitious man hath no beleefe as our Sauiour saith How can yee beleeue Ioh. 5. 44. that receiue honour one of another and seeke not the honour that commeth of God alone So that you see proued by reasons naturall ciuill and diuine this genus or kind of my definition that Ambition is a base sinne The difference of this sin from others is that this sinne makes one to be sicke of selfe-loue euen with an inordinate desire of his owne praise and honour so that as Icarus hee would mount aboue the mountaines for whereas the couetous man desireth riches and the flarterer bellie-cheere and maintenance the Ambitious man aimes onely at honours so that hee regards not friend brother nor father but with Absolon will seeke his fathers head to haue his crowne Hence we may descend to consider the causes both efficient materiall formall and finall of this soule sinne the opening of which will make vs further and fuller to behold the vglinesse of this base monster The efficient cause of Ambition is ignorance for howsoeuer some thinke that pride was the cause of the fall of men and Angels though it be not denied but that pride was in this sinne yet the breeder of this pride was follie which made them proud therefore Iob saith God found follie in the Angels so that ignorance being the mother of follie is the first cause of the pride and Ambition of Angels and men and good reason for no man knowing God or himselfe as he ought can be proud so that one may be bold to say to the Ambitious That folly was his mother and shame will be his daughter The materiall cause of Ambition is vaine praise and honour which so bewitcheth the heart of the foolish as that their whole man is set vpon it as S. Bernard in lib. 3. de consideratione affirmeth saying O ambitio ambientium crux quomodo omnes torques omnibus places nil acerbius cruciat nil molestius inquietat nil tamen apud miseros mortales crebrius negotijs eius that is O Ambition the crosse of the ambitious how dost thou torment all and yet please all nothing doth more cruelly crucifie nothing doth more trouble somly vex men and yet nothing is more common with miserable mortall men then her affaires Act. 12 23. We may see that Herod Agrippa to win honour of men vsurped to himselfe the honour of God for it God made him more base then a worme The formall cause thereof is an ouer greedy and inordinate desire of honour such as was seene in Iulius Caesar who being ambitious of a Monarchie shamed not to vtter the words of Euripides Sipeierandum est regnandi causa peierandum est as if he should say Sweare and forsweare for a Kingdome for the getting of honors forget God kindred and conscience so that the end of Ambition is also to preferre his owne honors before Gods glory or neighbors good as was seene in Herod but specially in Ieroboam Act. 12. who to vphold his owne honour set vp Idols in Bethel and Dan fearing lest if his subiects should goe vp to Ierusalem to the place of Gods worship the hearts of the people should turne againe vnto 1. King 12. 27. the Lord and to Rehoboam King of Iuda and so he preferred his owne honour to the honour of God and the saluation of his people so horrid and horrible is this sin of Ambition whose kind is as you haue heard a base sinne whose property is too great a desire of honour follie is her mother and shame her daughter her matter honour and forme too great a desire thereof and her end brings contempt of God man to commend her selfe Thus we reade that Abimelecke slue Iudg. 9. 5. Matth. 2. 2. Sam. 15 his owne brethren Herod killed his owne sonne Absolon would haue slaine his owne father for a kingdome and for honour Let vs therefore in the second place consider the parts and litter of this monster for this cur'st mother wants not her accursed daughters I will therefore obserue