Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	great_a	know_v	5,049	5	3.5427	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31734	A character of His Most Sacred Majesty, King Charles the IId with a short apologie before it, an introduction to it, and a conclusion after it / written by a minister of the word ...	Minister of the word.	1660 (1660)	Wing C2017; ESTC R21751	17,960	39

in whose Disposition he had ever observed a very high measure of Nobleness Goodness and Gentleness as good a Friend as any one could find any where like Theodosius that good Emperor who then thought he had a kindness done to himself when he had a good occasion offered him to shew courtesie unto others for his Majesty was alwayes ready to be doing favours And as he was so good a Friend so was he as good an Enemy too for he could easily forget and forgive any injuries done unto himself IX That his Majesty knew how and when to take up the State and Person of a King and when to lay it down And further that when he had any good occasion to improve his Valor he was then as bold as a Lion and when not as meek as a Lamb. X. Lastly He said That he looked upon his Majesty as upon a Prince too good for Scotland too good for England too good for the World and therefore thought that his Goodness might hasten his Glory But then he further added That he had some great reason to hope that God had not so wonderfully Qualified him and so miraculously Preserved him but that he had some great things to do For him and some great things to do By him The Conclusion NOw as this and much more was affirmed by the Person of Honour before spoken of concerning that most excellent King so the same in substance was likewise often attested by many Godly Scotch Ministers and others taken Prisoners at Worcester and since that time by divers more of good Quality and of repute too for Godliness and Honesty of which thousands in these Nations have heard However then it hath pleased Almighty God for causes onely known to himself to suffer his Majesty to drink so deep of the Cup of affliction since he was so violently forced from his own Countrey and from his Fathers house and cast wholly upon the Providence of God for his subsistence which must needs be a very heavie and grievous tryal unto him for the wants of Kings are by far more weighty and pressing then those of private men in respect of themselves their high Names Titles Places and in regard of others who look for shelter and comfort under their shadow which they cannot afford if their substance be taken from them Sapiens miser plus miser est quam stultus miser A Fool in misery is insensible because he apprehends not his condition whereas a wise man can both feel and aggravate it though both many times to little purpose and therefore upon consideration concludes that it is best to bear what he cannot remedy Fortièr ille facit qui miser esse potest No man more strong then he that can stoutly stand under and not be made to buckle under his heavie Cross not bear it up onely with head and shoulders as brutish men may do but with life and spirit and certainly they are most happy that can be most miserable and make least complaint And such hath been the carriage of his Majesty since he was forced as David sometime was to Adullam yet hath born all with marvellous Wisdome and Christian Patience for more then eight years last past when God preserved him at and delivered him from Worcester not to speak of his many flittings up and down to and fro and his great unsettlement before that time I say that his Majesty in all his Tryals hath been still looking up unto that invisible hand from whence all afflictions come And I speak not this of my self but from other credible Witnesses that do affirm it having observed the whole tenour of his conversation all along wherein his Majesty hath highly improved his most heavy pressures bearing them all with an even mind in being as well taught as chastened and consequently made by far more perfect through his sufferings and now long enough in the fire to come forth pure Gold wherein his Majesty hath been tried to purpose tried for many years last past with the want of any certain or known Revenue to support his Person and Dignity tried with many tentations to divert him if it had been possible from the Protestant Religion in which he hath alwayes stood constant firm stedfast and unmovable with his head against the storm not at all wrought upon by many specious overtures made unto Him by many subtle and plausible Arguments pressed upon Him to pervert him from it yet still hath continued like some fresh Rivers which they write make their way through the salt Sea and still retain their savour And after all such attempts it may further and truly be said of Him what was sometimes written of that Noble Fabritius That he would resolve well and when once he had resolved you might as soon have put the Sun out of his course as Fabritius from his resolution Which with many more particulars that might be added are sufficient to confirm all those who have made any scruple or doubt to the contrary that as his Majesty hath hitherto appeared so he is like to continue a very good and a gracious Prince And we have very great cause further to settle us in this kope if we seriously consider of one instance more which I shall here insert For as it was sometimes recorded to the very high commendation of that no less good then great Emperour Constantine who when he was told by his Physicians That there was no way to cure him of his Leprosie but by bathing his flesh in the blood of young Infants his heart abhorr'd their advice and he presently answered like himself Mal● semper aegrotare quam tali remedio convalescere That he had by far rather continue a Leper still then be so cured the remedy was so much worse then the disease So when his Majesty hath been often told That the best way to recover his Rights unto his three Kingdomes was to make his way by force and violence with any foreign aid he could get to his assistance and without doubt if tenderness of Conscience had not awed and kept him from a sinfull compliance with them if he would but hiss he could not have wanted help enough from abroad He hath always manifested such a marvellous regret against that desperate remedy upon many serious and sad considerations as the effusion of much more blood which he desires exceedingly to be tender of with divers other great mischiefs which must unavoidably follow such a force as if he had rather be and remain a great sufferer still if that violence may possibly be avoided then so setled And many of his Majesties greatest Adversaries have heard enough to acknowledge this to be a truth if they would but speak out That we may therefore seek out for help before our hurts grow incurable and not for ever continue to be our own spoilers and our own prey I shall add this That though the Body of these three Nations if they be considered collectively and together may not

unfitly be resembled by that figure of the Man in our Almanacks who seems to be wounded in every part from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head yet I cannot look upon it as past all remedy or cure For there is still Balm in Gilead and Physitians there by which the health thereof may be recovered In order to which let us first know that to sin is not the way to prosper And therefore that we may not slatter our selves into ruine nor be infatuated to destruction let our consideration and fear prevent our perishing And if we do desire to understand the minde of God aright we must not take some passages of Scripture in a literal sense which the Spirit of God never intended by them but that which is quite contrary and there are many such to be observed in the sacred Story like that in the last of the Revelations He that is unjust let him be unjust still To this end Almighty God speaks often to sinners unto whom he intends Mercy that they should Return as if before they had been quite out of their way Repent and turn your selves from your transgressions so iniquity shall selves from your transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruine And therefore if we would have mercy and pardon for sin we must labour as much as we may to free our selves from guilt and shew as much forwardness to redress Evils as to acknowledge or grieve for them remembring amongst many more particulars which might be here inserted that unquestionable Trath Non dimittitur peccatum nisi restituatur ablatum That there is no remissien without restitution if it can be made And here likewise we of these Nations shall do very well to call to remembrance our former Vows and Oaths as that of Allegiance and other lawfully imposed on us and taken by us as also since those were usually tendred The Solemn Protestation and after that the more Solemn League and Covenant which upon serious consideration was commended to the people here and by them received and sworn to with hands lifted up to Heaven and it would be remembred likewise what in them both was promised to his late so-so-so much suffering Majesty For Vows if lawfull and in our Power when made they must be kept Vow and pay unto the Lord your God Jephta was over-strict in this when he had made a rash Vow yet he concluded That he had opened his mouth to the Lord and therefore thought that he might not go back from it And for Oaths it is very observable in the case and story of the Gibeonites that though they had surreptitiously and by fraud gained a League with the Israelites God is very angry with Israel four hundred years after for the blood of some of them whom Saul slew though they were but servants yea drudges to the Israelites the Reason Because there was a Perjury attending upon their slaughter violating that ancient Oath wherein the Princes of the Congregation had bound themselves upon Joshua's League with those Gibeonites That they would suffer them to live And though this Oath was extorted by fraud from Israel yet because it was solemn and by no less Name then the Lord God of Israel God long after most severely punished the breach thereof with three years famine upon Israel All Vows Oaths Covenants if lawfull made on earth are registred in Heaven and God holds it a very high indignity that his Name should be Sworn by and the Oath violated And if the Vows and Oaths of others may bind us how much more must cur own Now these particulars require a very careful and serious Review which we hope will be taken especially now at last it hath pleased Almighty God and in a very short space of time so wonderfully and unexpectedly to alter and change the outward Face of things here amongst us in making us like the Israelites when newly return'd out of their Captivity to be like men that dream or as sleepers suddenly started and awakened out of their dreams that cannot presently consider where they are or how it is with them So it hath been with many of us by the encouragement we have had by some things already received in hand which of late we could scarce know how to hope for which makes us ready to question or make doubt whether it be so with us in reality which in deed is true Nescis quid vesper serus ferat We know not what a day may bring forth Yet if we observe the Courses of Gods Providence we may learn better how to know it One day cleared the innocency of Joseph from that most unjust Aspersion which lay so long upon him and brought him from a Prisoner in Egypt to become the Ruler over all the Land of Egypt and the same day changed his Fetters of Iron into a Chain of Gold his Rags into fine Linnen his Stocks into a Chariot his Jaile into a Pallace and Potiphars Captive into Potiphars Lord and Master Serving and Suffering leads unto Honor and God at last will be sure to pay his Children well for their Patience and Pressures I said but now That the great things which God hath done for us done for us already have made us like men that dream O how much did one day bring forth and another day may bring forth much more and blessed be God it is not a Dream we are in for God hath begun to open a door of Hope unto us which in good time may lead us on towards an happie jettlement and we have great cause to praise God and earnestly to pray for those worthy Patriots who have been so instrumental in it as for all others who by his Providence shall be again suddenly intrusted with the great Publick affairs and high concernments of these Nations that by his most gracious assistance as they have a Price put into their hands so they may improve it to the utmost advantage that the end of their meeting may be Happiness and the conclusion thereof Peace which we may expect if amongst many other things which of necessity must fall into their most serious Consideration they shall think too and that very seriously of what hath been immediately before spoken as of that which here follows after Secondly Suppose that if the Condition of things among us should yet continue as they now for the present are and these Nations for a time might appear to be setled in Peace and so that they might imagine themselves to be very secure yet could they never be established in Safety Because such a Peace would be like a grievous Sore skin'd over not cured and therefore continually ready to break out again For his Majestie or some other of his Royal Line and blessed be God there are many of them will be alwayes laying Claim to their Rights here and if they cannot by any fair means find out a way to them will then force themselves in the use of all other