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
A59194	Daniel Sennertus his meditations setting forth a plain method of living holily and dying happily / written originally in Latin, and now translated into English.	Sennert, Daniel, 1572-1637.	1694 (1694)	Wing S2536; ESTC R19038	74,434	198

Lusts and Desires of the Flesh and to hinder us from treating it with softness and delicacy let us often consider that a little while hence our Bodies will become stinking Carkases For what is our Flesh how finely soever it be treated and cloathed and fed and pampered but food for Worms Luxury chiefly comprehends Lust and Drunkenness Against Lust a Christian ought diligently to fortifie himself The prize of Chastity is of all the most difficult the Conflict is perpetual but the Victory rare Remember therefore what St. Paul says Flee Fornication 2 Cor. 6.18 every sin that a Man doth is without the Body but he that committeth Fornication sinneth against his own Body Our Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost the Tabernacle into which is received the Holy Body and Blood of Christ Take therefore the Advice of Ecclesiasticus Cap. 9. v. 7 8. Look not round about thee in the Streets of the City neither wander thou in the Solitary places thereof Turn away thine Eye from a Beautiful Woman and look not upon anothers Beauty Drunkenness which is the other part of Luxury is amongst other Vices more especially to be avoided because now a days it is by many thought no sin but rather accounted praise-worthy although there be no plague more dangerous to Christianity and nothing more severely forbid than this Isa 5.12 For the Drunkard regardeth not the work of the Lord neither considers the operations of his Hands 1 Cor. 6.10 Drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Wine and Drunkenness captivates the Heart of Man so that the Holy Spirit will no longer reside in him It is very dangerous even to be once Drunk For our Saviour adviseth us to take heed to our selves least at any time our Hearts be overcharged with Surfeiting and Brunkenness but to be sober and to watch unto Prayer because the hour is uncertain when the Son of Man will come we therefore ought always to keep our selves free from this sin because we must appear before the Tribunal of Christ in the same state as we were in at the hour of Death let every one therefore consider what a terrible thing it would be for a Man whilst he is Drunk to be taken on a sudden out of the Land of the living by some unexpected fall by the Sword or some other Violence or by a fit of an Apoplexy and withal let Drunkards consider how many poor Christians there are in the World who would think themselves happy if they might have their fill of Bread and small Drink whilst they so unjustly and lavishly wast the pretious gifts of God let them beware least at last it happens to them as it did to that Rich Glutton who when he had fared Sumptuously every day and denied poor Lazarus the crums that fell from his Table he was buried in Hell where not so much as a drop of water would be allowed him to cool his Tongue in those infernal flames And because Idleness administers the greatest fuel to Luxury therefore more especially avoid idleness Be always intent about something or other Meditate Read Write Pray Work or follow diligently the business of your particular Callings and by these means the love of Pleasures will be more easily damp'd and exstinguished Another sin we are to arm ourselves against is Envy which is a divelish Vice and according to some was the cause of Satans fall and which made him endeavour the overthrow of Mankind Against this let us consider that all the good things we enjoy are not from our selves but are dispenced and distributed amongst us by the great Lord of all as he sees best Why then O Man shouldst thine Eye be evil because he is good and kind to thy Neighbour It is rather thy Duty when thou seest all things succeed well with thy Neighbour to give thanks unto God and to think that thou art not worthy of such prosperity or that it would not be profitable unto thee Why shouldst thou envy another those things he possesseth without thy loss or hurt When as if he had them not thou wouldst not have them Is it not a property of the Devil when thou art by the just Judgment of God under any Misery or Trouble to wish that others were miserable also Lastly consider what good envy doth most certainly thou canst not by it transfer thy Neighbours goods unto thy self Thou hurtest thy self only whilst thou breakest thy Heart with Vexation and Languish thou art only thy own Tormentor and Executioner After all the most present Remedy for Envy is to be Humble to avoid Pride and Covetousness from whence Envy generally proceeds For whoever lives contented with his own condition never envies the Honours and Riches of other Men. And to name no more the Christian ought to fortifie his mind against Anger Enmity and Hatred Slandering and false accusation by considering that all the while a Man is out of Charity with his Neighbour so long he is unacceptable to God insomuch that such an one under the Old Testament could offer no Sacrifice to God and under the New cannot say that Prayer which our Lord hath taught us For thus our Saviour Admonisheth us Mat. 5.23 24. If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy Brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift and go thy way first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer thy gift And in the Lords Prayer we Pray Mat. 6.12 Forgive us our Debts as we forgive our Debtors which is farther enforced at the end of the Prayer by this reason for if ye forgive Men their Trespasses your Heavenly Father will also forgive you vers 14 15. But if ye forgive not Men their Trespasses neither will your Father forgive you Let us also reflect on those severe words of our Saviour Mat. 5.22 But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his Brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment and whosoever shall say to his Brother Raca shall be in danger of the Council but whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of Hell fire and in another place Luk. 6.27 Love your Enemies do good to them which hate you verse 28. Bless them that Curse you and pray for them which despitefully use you verse 31. And as ye would that Men should do unto you do ye also to them likewise verse 32. for if ye love them which love you what thank have ye For sinners also love those that love them verse 35. But love ye your Enemies and do good and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the Children of the Highest for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil verse 36. Be ye therefore merciful as your Father also is merciful verse 37. Judg not and ye shall not be Judged Condemn not and ye shall not be Condemned Forgive and ye

shall be Forgiven The Apostle St. Paul reckons these amongst the works of the Flesh Gal. 5.20 21. Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Envyings and such like and pronounceth that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And St. John saith 1 Joh. 3.14 15. He that loveth not his Brother abideth in Death Whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murderer We have good reason to bear with the infirmities of others because there are many things which others must bear with in us For no one is perfect You see plainly that you are not able to bring your self to live according to those Rules which you could wish and why then should you be angry with others if they do not live just as you would have them Mat. 7.5 first cast out the Beam out of thine own Eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the Mote out of thy Brothers Eye let us therefore bear one anothers Burthens Gal. 6.2 for there is no body without fault And then farther let us endeavour to keep our selves from Slandering and Calumniating of others by not being too curious in enquiring into the Words and Actions and Lives of our Neighbours for what O Man is it to thee what another says or does Rom. 14.4 Who art thou that judgest another Mans Servant To his own Master he standeth or falleth Do thy best to give a good account of thine own Words and Actions to God and he also is obliged to render an account of his to the same God to whom all things are naked and open he sees all things under the Sun and knows what every one thinks and desires and to what end they direct their Actions therefore commit all to him rest contented and do not disquiet thy self with others cares The Prayer O Lord our most Merciful Father who in thy Son Jesus Christ hath called me to Eternal Life and forgiven me all my sins let thy Holy Spirit also direct and rule my heart that I may daily persevere in a true Repentance continually strive against my sins and increase more and more in all vertuous and godly living And for as much as my own strength is not sufficient to contend against so many Enemies and to bring my good purposes to effect do thou O Lord stretch forth thy Right Hand to assist me least I saint in the Warfare and Satan get the Dominion over me Thou O Lord resistest the Proud but givest grace to the Humble The proud in heart is an Abomination to thee vouchsafe me therefore O Lord an humble Spirit devoid of all High-mindedness according to the example of our Blessed Lord who being in the form of God humbled himself even to the Death of the Cross that he might exalt us unto everlasting life Make me to consider that I am but Dust and Ashes and have no reason to lift up my self let me not be proud of those gifts which thou hast bestowed on me and scornfully despise others but confess that what ever good is in me I have received it all from thee O Lord naked came I out of my Mothers Womb but thou hast bountifully given me Meat and Drink Cloathing and Habitation and all things necessary for the preservation of my life Make me to be contented with my Daily Bread that my mind may never be possess'd with Covetousness But may remember that I must go out of this World naked as I came and therefore may lay up my Treasure in Heaven which I may enjoy to all Eternity And because I know that in me dwelleth no good thing and the Flesh always Lusteth against the Spirit and is daily enticing me to the pleasures of this World grant O Lord that by the assistance of thy Holy Spirit I may crucifie and mortifie the Flesh with its affections and Lusts and may live soberly righteonsly and godly in this present World and serve thee in pureness of Spirit all the days of my life Grant also that according to thy command and example we may love one another Root out of our Hearts all bitterness and malice that the Sun may never go down upon our Wrath but that we may do good to those that hate us and forgive all that have offended us Lord I beseech thee take from me Pride and give me the Spirit of Humility Extinguish in me the desires of the Flesh and inflame my Heart with the love of thee Cast out of my mind the fury of anger and implant therein the gift of Patience Remove from me the love of Vain-glory the bitterness of Envy and bestow on me the sweetness of Charity and Humility the gift of a meek and quiet Spirit which is in thy sight of great price CHAP. XVII A Diary of the practice of Piety BUT for as much as the Exercises of Piety ought to be every day performed because no body can be certain which shall be that last day when he shall depart out of this life and every day for ought we know may be our last It will therefore be very useful to have both in our view and memory the course of one day regularly dispos'd according to the pattern whereof we may lead our lives that so every day we may be prepared for an happy Death First then O Man when you awake out of sleep in the Morning let your earliest Meditations be on God nor ever let any thing but the thoughts of God first enter into your mind For serious Contemplations of God being once admitted into our minds will keep out all evil Devices think then first that God will easily hereafter raise you from the dead as now you are awaken'd from your sleep Afterwards when with open'd eyes you behold the light of the Sun think with your self how great the Glory and Majesty of the last day will be when so many hundred thousand glorious Bodies shining like the Sun and Stars shall go with Christ their Judge like so many Suns into eternal life and therefore use all diligence that you may appear one of that blessed number Afterwards revolve in your mind that the Devil like a Roaring Lion 1 Pet. 5.8 walketh about seeking whom he may devour That he was not far from you the night past and had a desire to hurt you and could have done it unless God had defended you by the Ministry of his Holy Angels And withal think that the Holy Angels were encamped all night round about you that now you are rising from your Bed they stand by you and therefore take care to behave your self Circumspectly as being placed in the presence of God and the blessed Angels When you put on your Cloaths think that they are the Tokens of guilt with which we cover our shame and nakedness and therefore you have no cause to be proud of them and whilst you cover your Body let not your Soul be naked but put on the wedding Garment even the Righteousness of Christ and think