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	spirit_n	3,926	5	5.5026	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A00730	Certaine plaine, briefe, and comfortable notes vpon euerie chapter of Genesis Gathered and laid downe for the good of them that are not able to vse better helpes, and yet carefull to read the worde, and right heartilie desirous to taste the sweete of it. By the Reuerend Father Geruase Babington, Bishop of Landaph.	Babington, Gervase, 1550-1610.	1592 (1592)	STC 1086; ESTC S100811	308,840	390

CERTAINE PLAINE briefe and comfortable Notes vpon euerie Chapter of Genesis GATHERED AND LAID DOWNE for the good of them that are not able to vse better helpes and yet carefull to reade the worde and right heartilie desirous to taste the sweete of it By the Reuerend Father Geruase Babington Bishop of Landaph PSAL. 119.103 O how sweete is thy worde vnto my mouth sweeter then honie vnto my throte EZEK 3. verse 3. Then did I eate the rowle and fill my bowels with it and it was in my mouth as sweete as honie LONDON Printed for Thomas Charde 1592. To the godly disposed Reader I Haue often desired to haue some good occasion offered me wherby I might at the least in word s● God knowes in deed I am 〈…〉 to testifie my vnfeigned zeale and goodwill to the Authour of this booke for the comforts and sweet instructions I haue receiued by his most holy labors And alth●ugh my ●udgement be but slender and therefore my sentence little worth yet vnder the Authours correction with whom I am vnacquainted and without whose knowledge I am ●●ld thus farre to presume I dare giue this testimonie of all his workes and so of this amongst the re●t that he doth therein vtter as great loue to the Church of God and as feruent zeal vnto the truth as euer did any Engli●● man that hath writen I humblie beseech God that his faithfull trauaile● may prou●ke others of his calling to followe his steps in the like care of gods people cōmitted to their cha●ge One thing is necessarie al the rest are but accidents and ●●taine●s the Lord make vs more carefull to the attaining thereof and increase in this Reuerend Authour zeale and heauenly strength to proceed as he hath begun to helpe forward the Lordes haruest which lieth withering vpon the ground in many places for want of workemen The Lord for his elects sake hasten the comming of his son Iesus Christ to iudgement confound all his obstinate enemies and vntill then graunt vs his peace with Christian constancie and obedience to his truth Amen Thine in the Lord Edm. 〈◊〉 student in diuinitie The Preface to the Christian Reader shewing amongst other things the most necessarie vse of such easie commentaries and the intendment of the Author ALthough gentle Reader God and man both may look for at our hands that al of vs should be able to prophecie as Moses speaketh and al of vs haue our wits so exercised in y e word that we could euen without a guide wade in the deepe places thereof nowe I s●y that the light of the Gospel hath bene set on a candlestick so long and not onely Moses and the Prophets but also the Apostles and Euangelists haue in euery citie almost such as preach them vpon the Sabboths and festiuall dayes yet for al that to true it is and with griefe of heart be it spoken as well as to their shame that are faultie the greatest part haue no knowledge in the scriptures to account of the vision I meane the doctrine of the olde new testament is a booke that is sealed as the Prophet speaketh The causes whereof as they are common and not vnknowne first our owne naturall corruption whereby we loue darknes more then light and ease more then paynes taking next the malice of our ancient enemie who because he could not hinder the winds from blowing the seede frō being sowne vpō the earth which he principally aymed at therfore hee bestirreth himselfe so much the more egerly to take that which is sowne out of mens hearts and to make it vnprofitable so are the remedies as easie to be discerned I pray God they may be at length as well thought vpon attained And what be they The first and chiefest is the holy spirite of God who being giuen to a man searcheth all things euen the deepe things of God 1. Cor. 2. But vntil he be giuen there remaineth a vaile ouer the heart vntaken away in the reading of Gods booke and so that which should haue beene for our light is made vnto vs an occasion of falling What shall we say then Is the letter dark or doth it turne any out of the way No our minds are darke euen darknes it selfe Iohn 1.5 And though there appeare vnto vs a great light as there did vnto Saul at noone day yet vntill by the finger of the holy ghost as it were by the hands of Ananias the scales of naturall ignorance bee taken away frō our eies wel we may suffer our selues to be led by others but we shall not be able to see our way our selues For this cause S Paul praied for the Ephesians that the spirit of wisdome and reuelation might be giuen thē that the eies of their vnderstanding might be lightned c. And for this cause are we to pray with all maner of praier and supplication and with al earnestnes that this key of Dauid of y e true Dauid Iesus Christ might be giuen vs. For if the spirit once open no man shutteth but if he shut so long as he shutteth no man can oopen nay as Austen saith though god himself should appeare vnto vs in some likenes of man and speak vnto vs yet if he do not moue vs direct vs by his inward grace the grace of his spirit he should do vs no good at al with al his preaching Therfore I say deare brother begin here make praier for Gods enlightning spirite the first staffe of thy ladder and the first stone of thy building Pray for the same early and late and doubt not but it shalbe giuē the. For if we that be euil can giue good gifts vnto our children how much more shall our heauenly father giue the holy Ghost to them that desire him This promise is made by Christ himselfe and by no worse person and therfore as he that beleeueth it hath sealed that God is true Ioh. 3.33 so he that beleeueth it not yea or doubteth of it saying who shall ascend into heauen and fetch me the spirit the same man maketh Christ a liar and so dishonoreth the sonne and the father to This may suffice concerning the principal help for the vnderstanding of the Scriptures Now besides this there are certaine inferior helps and means which though they be not as effectual as the former for God forbid we should make any comparison betweene the power of God and the weaknes of man yet they be most necessarie and no way to be neglected Nay this is true that if we should do nothing but pray as did the Messalians of old or hold open our mouthes as it were gape after extraordinary inspirations as certaine Enthusiasts do to this day we should do no lesse then tempt God like to them that will take no paines with their ground and yet looke for a good crop and so in stead of blessing wee should reape a curse Therfore though we must begin

the same Again to consent to that which is wickedly deuised of others and to make a particular concept a general iudgement action and worke at last Great cause therfore that mens lewd deuises should be restrained from being published since both the deuisers wishe and mans great corruption is so prone to yeeld a wicked consent and folowing of the same Caiphas counsell when it once sounded of Christs death was quickly harkened vnto and from that daye forward consultation had together howe they might accomplishe the same Whosoeuer broched it first that the people should aske Barabbas and refuse Iesus it was soone receiued liked folowed of such ignorant spirits and giddy heads That a sort should combine together and kill the Apostle had a beginner and how quickly pleased the plot such other bloudye mindes and spitefull hearts How soone imbraced Lots yoonger daughter the counsell of the elder to do so vile a thing That vnbrotherly conspiracie against Ioseph was soone yeelded vnto when once it was vttered Lye vpon thy bed said Ionadab and faine thy selfe sicke when thy father commeth to see thee pray him that thy sister Thamar may come make thee some meate c. You know the counsel you know the consent to the same also how ready it was how wel liked Ahitophels deuise that Absolon should enter into his fathers concubines left to keepe the house though it were horrible yet how it pleased was imbraced cannot be forgotten A sort of green heads Oratores noui stulti adolesc●tuli new orators fooles yoong counsellers laid a plot for Rehoboam Salomons sonne to folow he liked it he folowed it and cast away the counsell of the aged experienced learned and faithful counsellers to his father but it cost him the setting on hee bought it deere and had I wist came as euer it dooth when it was too late Thus might we runne on a large and long course if I woulde But it shall not neede one example moe shall suffice and then an end of this note Doe you remember the murmuring against Moses and Aaron in the booke of Numbers how began it had it not a Captaine then a second then a third then a number once broched that Moses and Aron tooke too much vpon them that others were equall with them and therfore should be in like authority that the people wronged and so foorth soone was it liked soone was it catched soone was it prosecuted of proud mindes that would be aloft and knew not to obey But what was Moses Aron that they should be thus vsed of their brethren Surely the Lords faithfull ministers his chosen serauants they were whose cause when he had thus exercised them with a trial he tooke into his own hands his ielousie on their behalfe began to burne and till hee had shewed a iudgement that should make all eares to tingle that heare of it all hearts not forsaken of God to feare how they doe the like hee neuer left them Conclude we then vpon all those that sinne some be wicked to broache a wickednesse and thousands weake to folowe the same when once they heare it yea though it be to builde a Tower against God it neuer was nor euer shall be either godly pollicie or christian dutye to suffer mens braines to broche what they list and others to folow vnquiet deuises hatefull to God and hurtfull to his Church in a high degree 6 It followeth in the text That we may get a name see the madnes of the world euer to neglect heauen and seeke a name in earth where nothing is firme nothing continueth but fadeth away and perisheth as a thought This madnesse the Prophet Dauid mentioneth in his 49. Psalme and laugheth at it saying They thinke their house and their habitations shall continue for e●e● euen from generation to generation and call the lands by their owne names This their way vttereth their foolishnes yet their posteritie delight in their talke c. That saying of Iuuenal is known Mors sola fatetur quantula sunt ●ominum corpuscula onely death acknowledgeth of what power mens bodyes bee such are our minds so greedye of a name and so blinde in the true course to attaine the same whereof wee had speeche before Thys sinne of ambition and vayne glorye pricked the heartes of our first parents to the very death It is not rooted out of their posteritie nor euer will But yet lesse and more it pricketh although all bee not euill in this respect alike Would God this vngodly and vntowardlye regarding and desiring of a name had not beene before and were to this day a cause to make many reiect the truth of God which they should imbrace For times past what said our Sauiour in the 5 of Iohn Howe can you beleeue which receiue glorie one of an other and do not seeke that glorie that is onely of God For times present I content my selfe with that confession openly at Paules crosse that amongst some other causes which kept one in such disobedience to God and hir Maiestie this was one chiefe one the tickling of vaine glory Which cause said he I am sure dooth detayne most of the contrary side meaning Papists in their peruerse obstinacie howsoeuer they bragge that they seeke nothing by theyr dealings but the glory of God c What I could saye I doe not let them that take bad courses examine their owne hearts why they do it and remember how deepe hee that made the heart seeth into it Yea let others also looke that be no Papists if this hidden conceipt to get a name doe not make them tread awrie and if secret thoughts giue secret sentence on my side against themselues because conscience will speake true though not euer alowde that others may heare remember his saying that sayd it well Melius est de media via recurrere quam semper currere male Better it is to returne backe when we haue gone halfe waye then still to go on and that ill 7 They will build they say to saue them that they be not dispersed But behould the issew this very thing is the cause of their dispersion both farre and wide a sunder So crosse shall God turne the counsels of flesh against his glory liking and will For euen that which the wicked feareth shall come vpon him saith the spirite of God As in example one for many beside this place Christ may not be suffred to liue and goe on least the Romains came vpon them and tooke awaye both their place and the nation But euen this conspiracie put in practise brought that which they feared vpon them most trulye iustly and heauely to th●ir vtter ouerthr●w and subuersion by Titus and Vespasian There is no strength there is no counsell wisdome or pollicy against the Lord. If fle●h deuise wayes to establish it selfe without his feare the folly of flesh shall soone appeare