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	let_v	3,168	5	4.0636	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03581	The child-birth or womans lecture. That is: A lecture vpon Chap. 1. ver. 57, 58. of the holie Gospell according to Luke very necessarie to bee read and knowne of all young married and teeming women, and not vnprofitable for men of all sortes. By. Chr. H.	Hooke, Christopher.	1590 (1590)	STC 13702; ESTC S116551	17,682	30

scholed by this vertuous woman and learne of her for our amendment in this behalfe these two lessons namely our selues vpon whome God hath powred foorth his blessings first to reioyce in thankfulnes and praise to his name and then to communicate and declare it to others that they with vs and wee with them may doe the same For thus wee see Elizabeth did her selfe she reioyced and certified her neighbours and Cosins how great mercie the Lord had shewed vpon ner for which cause they also when they heard tell thereof reioyced with her What this great mercy was which the Lord had shewed vpon Elizabeth may be vnderstood by that which hath been said to wit that whereas she had been a long time barren and thereby a reproach among women now the Lord had giuen her to conceaue to accomplish her full time to be deliuered and to bring foorth a Sonne Euery one of these is a great mercie as seuerally it hath been shewed how much more then when they come all together in their ful perfection as a reeke of Corne commeth in due season into the Barne This teacheth women especially and so al other generally what account they haue to make of the conception and bearing of their Children and from whence it doth proceede namely that they haue to account of it as of a great mercy and as proceeding from the great mercy of God Wretched therefore are they that account it as an ordinarie thing proceeding onely from the mutuall coniunction of man and woman for who hath so bewitched them that they sée not many to want this blessing to die without an heir and to leaue their possession to strangers if not to enemies though a long time begininng in the flower of their age they haue liued a married life Gen. 30.1.2 This opinion it seemeth Rahel had conceiued when she said to Iaacob giue me Children or else I die but Iaacob corrected her fondnes saying am I in Gods steed that I should giue thee Children Children therefore againe wee see come of God without whose blessing a woman remaineth barren not able to conceiue or conceiuing without strength to bring foorth her fruite Looke therefore and account howe many Children you haue borne and reckon that so many mercies yea great mercies whereof euerie one containeth a number of mercies ye haue receaued from the Lorde That wheras others haue remained as dry Chippes you haue beene as fruitfull Olyues in your husbands houses And this as you must account a mercie so you must acknowledge it to proceede from the free mercie of God without any desert or merit of yours it is from his mercie that you conceaue that you fulfill your time that you are deliuered of Children not of Monsters Were it not for his mercie your sinnes euen the best of the whole Sexe deserue that in some of these if not in al of these you should miscarrie Gen. 3.16 The multipliyng of your paines in the conception bringing foorth it proceeded of the cursse of God the deliuerance from those paines that therein you perish not it is of the great mercie of God This Elizabeth and her Cousins here confesse and this no doubt all such women as feare God do with thankesgiuing acknowledge And this cannot be but a great comfort vnto you to consider when as in other thinges so in your children especiallie you haue such notable pledges of the Lord his mercie towards you for thus may you say if the Lord in this and this child and so in all the rest had not shewed me contrarie to my deserts great mercie the curse of sorowes which iustlie I deserue had ouerwhelmed me that I should neuer haue liued to haue praised the Lord in the Land of the liuing As therefore to conclude you haue the greatest tokens of God his mercie towards you so you must labour that in you may appeare the greatest signes of all dutifull obedience vnto the Lord otherwise the Lord for your vnthankefulnesse will cut off his mercies from you whereby you shall die not onely in your sorrowes to the losse of your liues but in your sinnes to the losse of your soules But if according to the example of all holy Matrons and especially of this our Elizabeth you render thankes vnfaynedlie cause thanks by many to be rendred vnto the Lord for his great mercies vpon you then be you assured that his mercies shal neuer cease from following you in this life till you haue receaued the summe of all mercies in life euerlasting Thus we haue heard what blessings the Lord bestowed vpon Elizabeth and how she her neighbours and Cosins reioyced thereat in rendring praise and thankes for the same vnto the Lord. Now let vs pray vnto our good God and louing father in Iesus Christ yeelding vnto him all praises and thankes for his great mercie alreadie shewed as generally vpon vs all so particularlie for his great mercies towards her for whose cause especially we are assembled to reioyce in thankefulnes vnto him FINIS Errata In the 4 Pag. lin 1. for Lod read Lord. Pag. 11. lin 15. for deliuer to read to deliuer Pag. 15. lin 9. for serueth read feareth li. 16. for watching walking lin 28 for falleth faileth Pag. 18. li. 6 for his this Pag. 19. lin 14. for mutis cautes Pag. 20. lin 9. for spirituall speciall The thankes-giuing O Lord our God most gratious and most mercifull father in Iesus Christ wee thine humble seruants doo yeelde vnto thy diuine Maiestie through him in whō onlie thou art well pleased all possible thanks from the bottome of our heartes for all thy benefits and blessings both publique and priuate of bodie and of soule which from thy bountiful hands in great mercie we haue receiued And especiallie O Lord we praise and magnifie thy glorious name for thy great mercies bestowed vpon thine handmaide in giuing her to conceiue to accomplish her ful time and to bring foorth a man-childe into the world This mercie thou hast reuealed vnto vs out of thine holie word to bee a great mercie and from thy great mercie onelie to proceede so O Lorde we doo acknowledge it so wee accept it confessing no power to bee in any creature in Heauen or in earth to bring the same to passe nor worthines or merit to binde thee thereunto For this thy great mercie therefore towards her wee extoll and laude thy name reioycing with her in all thankfulnes and reuerence on her behalfe vnto thy maiestie and we further in Iesus Christ his name most humblie beseech thy fatherlie goodnes as thou hast thus mercifullie begun so to continue on thy louing fauour and kindenes towards her and the sweete infant which she hath brought foorth into the world O Lord strengthen her by thy power comfort her by thy spirit that howsoeuer now she be brought into a lowe and a weake estate that yet in due time shee may recouer her former strength and be able to come to giue thee praise for her gracious deliuerance and for all other thy blessings with the rest of thy Saints in the great congregation Blesse also O Lord her infant that as shee hath sustained sorrowe and paine in bearing it in her womb and in bringing it foorth so by thy blessings vpon it she may receaue comfort and ioyce when not onelie shee may see it to haue receaued the Sacrament of new birth but when comming to age of discretion it shall manifest by a godlie and an holy life that it is borne a new and regenerate in spirite and is of the number of them with whom thou hast made this pretious couenant I will be thy God and the God of thy seed For these graces O Lord our God as we pray thus particularly in regard of this present occasion so we beseech thee to enlarge thy selfe in al other necessarie mercies to vs and to thy whole Church generallie especiallie in the pardoning forgiuing of our sinnes according to thy promise in Iesus Christ in whose name with the same words which he hath taught vs we pray further vnto thee saying Our Father c. FINIS

so especiallie in regarde of that hope which they had conceiued of the Childe by the relation of the Angell vnto Zacharias both therefore for the benefit as it respected Elizabeth and her Husband particularlie and for the blessing which hereby the Church of GOD shoulde receiue generallie did they thus at this birth reioyce In the former they perfourmed the duetie of kinde Neighbours and kindred and in the latter the part of good and godlie Christians For to speake of the former it is the duetie of good Neighbours and kinsfolke to be glad and to reioyce at the good of their Kindred and Neighbours So did as the last yeare vppon like occasion I shewed the Neighbours of Naomie in the booke of Ruth for when Ruth her Daughter in Lawe was deliuered of a Childe by Obed Ruth 4.14 The Women her Neighbours saieth the text saide vnto her in reioycing manner Blessed be God which hath not left thee this day without a kinseman this shall bring thy life againe and cherrish thine old age for thy daughter in law which loueth thee hath borne vnto him c. Thus also did Iob his bretheren friends and acquaintance Iob. 42.11 for they after the Lorde had turned the captiuitie of Iob came vnto him and brought presents with them to comfort him ouer the euill that the Lord had brought vpon him and to reioyce with him for his recouerie there from Rom. 12.15 This is to Reioyce with them that reioyce and to weepe with them that weep like as the Apostle commandeth whereby it appeareth that such good Neighbourhoode was then and that it ought to be also now for which cause their example and this commaundement is left vnto vs. But good neighbourhoode is now gone the common complaint in euery place is and Cousins kindnes is such that euen the name it selfe through Cousins that are Cousiners is growne to bee odious and a name of reproach for so farre are men in these daies from reioycing at the good of each others though they bee Neighbours the next doore together or kinsemen of the néerest bloud that they rather repine and grudge that any fat should fall besides their owne beards and as for the weeping with them that are in affliction thereby to comfort them it may bée saide as Iob saide of his friends in the same respect that in his behalfe men haue forsaken the feare of the Almightie Iob. 6.14 for whereas Hee that is in miserie should bee comforted of his Neighbour all his friends and neighbours as Salomon saith of the bretheren of the poore do hate him if not reuile him as Iobs friends did him This is a complainte more fitte for another place Prou. 19.7 yet not amisse here for that by the churlishnes and vnnaturalnes of men in these daies the loue of these Neighbours Kinsfolkes may the better appeare For how euer men in these daies malice and grudge they reioyced and were glad at the great blessing of the Lord bestowed vpon Zacharias and Elizabeth and would no doubt if occasion had béen haue also comforted them as manie of the Iewes did comfort Marie Martha for the death of their broher Lazarus Ioh. 11.19 But as men faile in this dutie so doe they no lesse in that other which is to reioyce for the good which generallie befalleth the Church of God for so careles are they of such spirituall things that for the most part they see them not or seeing them they regard them not for though an hundreth Ihon Baptists were borne that is though an hundreth or a thousand such who were able to preach vnto vs the Gospell of Christ for the remission of sinnes were sent foorth by the Lord of the haruest to furnish our own Churches such other as want their ministerie yet farre would many bee from reioycing thereat and from praysing and blessing the Lord for so visiting of his people which also they would be as they are in respect of sundrie other good blessings as for the blessing of good Magistrats of peace of plentie c. whereby the Church of God is made to flourish For though these thinges done they doe well like and chiefelie desire yet it is onelie in respect of their owns priuate commoditie and for the bodie sake for that they thereby also receaue benefite and pleasure for otherwise they would not respect them in regard of the good that commeth thereby eyther to their owne soules or to the Church of GOD for whose cause yet and not for their owne they doe inioye them This their corruption appeareth manifestly hereby for that though they heare of neuer so great distresse of the Church of God beyonde the Seas they are thereby no more affected to weepe quam si dura silex aut stet marpesia mutis than is the hardest flint nor though they heare of neuer so good the successe thereof are they at all more affected to reioyce than was Timon of Athens whereby they shew them selues not to be of the communion of Saints nor members of the mystical bodie of Christ betwixt whom is the like or greater Sympathie than is betwixt the members of this our naturall bodie wherein if one member suffer all suffer with it and if one member be had in honor 1. Cor. 1 26. all the other members reioyce with it This fellow feeling of the good of the church of God in general by the birth of Iohn Baptist had these neighbours and Cousins of Elizabeth for which cause at her deliuerance of him they reioyced And the like haue all they that are in deede of the communion of Saints neyther can any truely say that hee is a member of the bodie of Christ vntill in some measure he be partaker of the same And this may suffice for the parties that reioyced The manner of their reioycing followeth to be considered which though heere it be not expressed yet in what sorte the Godlie haue vsed to reioyce we cannot be ignorant since else-where it is often and at large declared Simeon reioyced in singing Luke 2.29 Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace Marie in singing My soule doth magnifie the Lord. Luk. 1.46 This Zacharias in singing Luk. 1.64 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel that hath visited and redeemed his people And the women that were at Ruths labour in saying Ruth 4.14 Blessed bee God which hath not left thee this day without a kinseman By these and sundrie others as by that song of Anna 1. Sam. 2 1 2. c. we may gather 1. Sa. 2.1.2 c. that the spirituall manner of reioycing either for this or any other benefit is in yeelding thankes vnto the Lord and praise vnto his name For this the Lord requireth of vs and this the Godlie hath bound themselues as it were by solemne promise to performe vnto him Psa 116.12 13 What shal I render vnto the Lord saith the Prophet Dauid for all