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	people_n	3,792	5	4.4298	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01077	The bitter vvaters of Babylon, or The miserable estate of the citizens of Sion considered by the confusion of all things in this world.	Forsyth, James, fl. 1615-1619.	1615 (1615)	STC 11191; ESTC S121939	26,614	42

similitude the Prophets threatnings did not afflict him the offence done against his God did only vexe him I haue sinned against the Lord. And in an other place In te solum peccaui Against thee onely haue I sinned and done this euill in thy sight Holcoth maketh mention of a certaine bird that hath the face and visage of a man and yet is most fierce and cruell against man and doth only feede vpon mans flesh when it hath killed a man being dry goeth to the brooke to quench his thirst but looking down into the cleare water and beholding his owne countenance considering what it hath done that it hath destroied one of his owne likenesse and image returning presently from the water neither eates nor drinkes afterward but goeth into the wildernesse and their consumes himselfe in displeasure and so endes his daies in sorrow this is the behauiour of euery good and godly Christian considering that by sinne he hath destroied the image of God in him he doth consume away in displeasure what heart is so hardned considering how the sinne of man hath procured the death of the sonne of God would not end his daies in sorrow and lamentation The second cause of their weeping is for that wo●dly punishment inflicted that now they are sent into banishment When the Lord cannot winne man by his mercies he will turne to his iustice to trie if by affliction hee can bring him to acknowledge his s●nne they being in prosperitie at home would neither hearken nor obey but being now in banishment and vnder captiuitie they are drawne to lament for their offences The heauie hand of Gods instice is able to breake and bruise the hardest heart and crush it in peeces nay bring the most wicked and impious man to acknowledgement of his sinne Kames heart is ouerqueld herewith wherefore he mournes grieuously and cries out my sinne is greater then can be forgiuen it was not his hypocrisie the murdering of his brother nor any other sinne that he had committed but onely the great punishment inflicted vpon him that did prouoke him hereunto Pharaoh tooke on greiuously and confessed his sinne it was not for a detestation thereof but because of the plagues that were sent vpon him and vpon his land Saul is very sorrowfull but it is because of Samuel● threatning Sunt quos peccasse paen●tet propter 〈…〉 displicet euim latroni peccatum qu●…●…t vindictareuertitur ad crimma saith S●… Augustine There be many saith he that are greiued for their sinne because of the present affliction vpon them A theife is so●●ie for his offence when he feeles the punishment but it being once ouer he fals to stealing againe This no doubt is the second cause of their weeping because of the heauie crosse laid vpon them The third cause of their weeping is the want of grace both in that they could not preuent the danger before it did assault as also that now they cannot performe those duties which they ought vnto others in distresse for the former Peter doth weepe exceedingly being so forward a little before and so peremptory to stand to his owne strength that now should falter in the performance and become so weake he mournes abundantly Misit legatos pro suis doloribus lachrymas dolorem probantes commissi criminis dolorem Like Rachel that wept for her children because they were not euen so the children of God they weepe for their graces because they are not Dauid doth protest that teares were his meat and drink night and day because he knew the want in him that without his grace he could not stand And the Apostle Saint Peter doth crie out of this want in him The good that I would do that I do not but the euill that I would not do that I do Againe the defect of the duties which in performance they owe to their brethren in distresse is a great cause of their weeping for they seeing the citie spoiled the temple ransacked the people carried into captiuitie and they no waies able to help them they cannot remember these things without great greife fler●oportet of necessitie they weepe it is the greatest greife that can come to a kinde soule to see another man in miserie and not able to helpe him this was Iobs greife did not I weepe with those that were in trouble was not my soule in heauinesse for the poore This was Ieremies sorrow for the people being by the iudgement of God destroyed that I might weepe for the slaine of the daughters of Sion Whether it be for their sinnes committed their punishment inflicted or their graces ecclipsed weeping I finde them where I leaue them vntill I enquire after the place of their abiding and I finde it to be Babel The place is ominous for if they had been banished into some priuate place where they might haue had libertie to exercise the duties of Religion and to serue their God although they had been detained for a long space their exile had been the easier but being exposed to Babel that barbarous place their estate is more miserable Babel here doth signifie the prouince of Babilon or countrey of Caldea for the City of Babel stood vpon one riuer Euphrates onely but here there is mention of more then one By the riuers of Babilon The country was idolatrous the people sauage so that to dwell in such a place was dangerouse In this place was Bel and Dragon the two Idols of the Caldeans worshipped and the cheife metropolitan Citie Babel accursed His foundation was laide in pride Come let vs builde a tower whose top may reach vnto heauen to get vs a name It was finished by Nabuc●…zzar that proud puissant in ambition Is not this great Babel which I haue built to the gloris of my maiestie by the might of my power And the end thereof was confusion for afterward it came to be an habitation of vncleane Diuels as before was prophesied of it To dwell in such a place is greiuous to the children of God Dauid ●●ies out of this miserie Woe is me that dwell ●n Mesech or haue my habitation so long among the tents of Kedar A couetous worldling cares not where he dwelles omne solum est ills patria Euery dominion is a dwelling for him to serue the Market is all he lookes for in any place that he may gaine by his commodity although it bee to another mans great losse but of all grei●es it is the greatest to a godly man to dwell in a lewd place where there is no practice of religion no goodnesse exercised but altogether prophanesse and abhomination This doth much vexe the Prophets spirit being constrained hereunto Wo's mee that I dwell amongst a people of pollutea lippes for the Prouerbe most commonly comes to passe in this aliquid mali propter vicinum malum some euill doth happen by reason of a wicked neighbor either they are subiect

also Marlorate and Musculus amongst the mode●… ashrine the same Saint Augustine hath made a great volume which he entitles de ciuitate Dei the citie of God where in hee comprehends all sorts of people into two namely the Citizens of Babel and the Citizens of Ston both which I haue mentioned in my text the one in bondage vnder the tyrannie of the other and in opposition one to the other the one in Babel corpore bodilie but in S●… animo spiritually Anima est vbi amat non vbi animat the soule is where it loues not where it liues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle S. Paul our rule or gouernment or as the vulgar hath it our conuersation is in heauen Omnis Catholicus saith Saint Augustine debet scire vnde ciues sumus vnde peregrinamur Euery Christian ought to know to what citie we do belong that sinne is the cause of our peregrination and our iuslification by grace in the merits of Iesus Christ the matter of our deliuerance But to leaue mysticall moralities and wrested allegories I will onely make a comparison in this betweene the World wherein we liue and this Babel wherein the people of Israel did liue comparatiuely This world wherein we liue may be well compared to Babel for sundrie reasons 1 Propter munditiam for the pompe and glory thereof Babel was a rich place and very fruitfull as the historiographers do write of it The World is fertill and very gorgeouse in shew the Diu●…l did reueale it vnto our Sauiour Christ Omnia haec d●●o all these things will I giue thee is a description thereof Diues fareth deliciously and goeth gorgeously euery day Diues wants nothing in this world that his heart can wish 2. Propter affectionem for the affection of her inhabitants Babel habet suos amatores pac● temporali consulentes nihil vltra sperantes saith Saint Augustine the citizens of Babel desire no other dwelling for there they haue taken vp their rest the world hath her louers doth not the rich man in the Gospell prouide onely for this life Let vs eat and drinke post mortem nulia voluptas our life is short and tedious let vs take our pleasure that is present for this is our lot and portion 3. Propter afflictionem for the affliction which they suffer Babel is a place of torment for the Israelites the World a place of affliction for the godly for here they suffer violence of the wicked in munde pressuram sustinebitis in the world you shall suffer affliction was a cognizance giuen by our Sauiour Christ to know his flocke by The Apostle Saint Paul doth iustifie it by his often miseries A certaine Philosopher being sent into banishment hee tooke it patiently and one day being vpbraided by an other as a disgrace vnto him answered mildely sum ciuis mundi shewing that as long as he was in this world he was subject to the same affliction 4. Propter confusionem for the confusion of things in it let a man consider the world and all things in the world the state of things and manners of men and he shall finde nothing but confusion as the word doth import This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be well said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of the confusion of things both in Church and Common wealth Coelum mari admixtum parua magnis confusa heauen and earth are confused together for vertue is hated and vice is embraced no man is regarded for his giftes giftes yes surely si nihil attuleris this Homere for as giftes carries all away now adaies Amongst the Venetians there were certaine magistrates that were called praegads because at the first foundation of their Citie men were entreated to take offices but it is long since that order it is now cleane worne out of vse and especially in this Land for now they are not entreated to enter into offices but rather entreate pray and vse all meanes possible to haue them and if I mistake not my selfe they pay soundly for them is not this confusion what greater confusion can come to the Church then Iudas and Symon Magus to shake hands together what will ye giue and what shall I giue then all must needes come to confusion truly I thinke that such a confusion was neuer wrought in Babel as is at this day practised in this Church for they would not robbe their gods to beautifie themselues as these Latrones beneficiorum the Patrons of Benefices do Let but a Iack-daw come to these Benefactors that bestow benefices onely for their owne priuate commoditie with a purse in his mouth A birde that neuer came in at the doore but at the window or some little hole aboue and he shall carry away the presentation before a man of worth is not this confusion nay it is condemnation vpon the delinquents And shall I impute this abhomination onely vnto the Patrons Many of them be Laymen and cannot tell how to trie their Clarkes but by the sense of feeling there be other members in the Church that are to be blamed for it Let Elisha take heede that Gehez● his man be not the author of this confusion and so bring destruction vpon his soule Is it not a great confusion when Bel and Dragon are worshipped in the Church and idolatrie erected in the house of God as it is in the Romish Church where they giue that worship due and proper only to the Creator to the creature They adore the host kneele at the crucifixe and inuocate Saints departed which is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a seruice due only vnto God distinguish it as they will to be imparted to no Creature Ego sum Dominus saith the Lord by the Prophet I am the Lord this is my name my glory will I giue vnto none nor my praise vnto grauen Images Like vnto the heathen their Churches gorgeously they garnish inwardly and within they sacrifice vnto Deuils where such abhomination is wrought it must needes bee Babel nay that Whore spoken of in the Reuelation that hath made the whole world drunke with her fornications let vs and all true Christians pray the Lord to turne their hearts that they may see this confusion or else to send a westerly winde and driue such Caterpillers into the sea But to leaue them to Gods censure and come to the common wealth and you shall finde that these lawes and ordinances that haue beene formerly or deined to good purpose beare no sway in these daies The law was in auncient time to be required at the Iudges mouth which thing is now greatly in practice for the law now doth only depend on the Iudges voice And I will not say that the hea●●ble Iudges of this land doe follow the footsteps of Samuels sonnes looke after lucre peruert iustice and take rewards I beleeue that neither cognatus aut argentum bribe nor brother will