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
A07213	The tribunall of the conscience: or, A treatise of examination shewing vvhy and how a Christian should examine his conscience, and take an account of his life. By Henry Mason, parson of St. Andrews Vndershaft, London.	Mason, Henry, 1573?-1647.	1626 (1626)	STC 17613; ESTC S112441	37,697	74

THE TRIBVNALL OF THE CONSCIENCE OR A TREATISE OF EXAMINATION SHEWING Why and how a Christian should examine his Conscience and take an account of his life BY HENRY MASON Parson of St. Andrews Vndershaft London LONDON Printed by G. P. for Iohn Clarke and are to be sold at his Shop vnder St. Peters Church in Corne-hill 1626. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE Sr. THOMAS COVENTRY Knight Lord Keeper of the great Seale of ENGLAND Right Honourable Lord NOt long since I published a small Treatise concerning Fasting and therein the matter giuing me occasion for it I mentioned some holy duties fit as I thought to bee practised vpon a fasting-day as namely Examination of our liues Confession of our sinnes and a stedfast purpose of a better life But these being there but named only because the handling of them was not proper to that place some haue desired a more full direction for the right performance of those holy duties And because Examination of the Conscience is one of them and such a one as doth leade and direct and carry with it all the rest I was vpon this occasion perswaded to reuise some Notes which lay by mee concerning that argument and thence I haue framed this short Treatise which I therefore call the Tribunall of the Conscience because the worke intended is a kinde of judiciary proceeding wherein a mans conscience doth giue sentence vpon himselfe And this little Treatise concerning the iudgement of the Conscience I haue made bold to offer to your Lordships Patronage and Protection who by your Office are IVDGE of the Court of Conscience hoping that hauing your Name in the Front it may finde the more fauour abroad and nothing doubting but if it finde entertainement it will returne some part of thankfulnesse to your Lordship backe againe by easing you and your Court of friuolous tedious and vnrighteous quarels For if Plaintifes would examine their conscience concerning the iustnesse of their cause and the reasonablenesse of their demands it would make them to relinquish their cauilling suites before they did commence them And if Defendants would examine their conscience concerning the wrongs they haue done and the dues which they owe it would make them to giue a willing satisfaction rather than to weary their neighbour with vniust and shifting delaies And if Lawyers would examine their conscience concerning such rules as Religion doth tye them to in pleading for mens rights it would make them to turne away such Clients as brought them vnreasonable causes And if Iudges would examine their conscience concerning the duties of their place and the condition of the suites that euery day are debated in the Court it would make them so to entertaine all sorts of wranglers as that they would haue no great lust to bring friuolous matters before a righteous Iudge And so at length it might bee hoped that that might happen in your Lordships time which they say did happen in the time of Sir Thomas More * Stapletō de tribus Thomis in vita Tho. Mori cap. 3. Who as mine Author saith hauing ended a cause then before him did call for the next to be brought but answer was returned him that there was neuer another cause behinde And so the Court was dismissed because there were no more causes to be heard A great honour to the Iudge and a great happinesse to the people The like honour and happinesse I shall euer pray may once happen in your Lordships dayes that so conscience preuailing wrangling suites may haue an end And heerewith continuing my prayers also for your Lordships prosperitie together with the peace of a good conscience I humbly take my leaue Your Honours deuoted in all seruice HENRIE MASON THE TRIBVNALL OF THE CONSCIENCE OR A Treatise of Examination Shewing why and how a Christian should examine his conscience and take an account of his life IN the Historie of the Creation it is said that at the daies end GOD looked vpon the worke that hee had made and hee (a) Gen. 1.4 10 12 18 21 25. saw that it was good and at the end of the weeke taking a view of all his workes together (b) Gen. 1.31 he saw euery thing that hee had made and behold it was very good Which sheweth that after God had done his workes hee did reflect vpon them and considered the quality and the condition of them In imitation heereof or in conformity hereunto wise men doe wish vs that at euery dayes end wee should reflect vpon our works and take a view of what we haue done that day and at the weekes end take account of all our doings for that space of time and so further as further occasion shall require And this Enquirie or account-taking of our workes they call the Examination of our soules or conscience And surely if wee did obserue this rule still to reflect vpon our selues after our workes are done though we could not finde them to be like vnto Gods workes good and very good nay we should rather finde thē naught very naught yet by this viewing and searching into our workes if it bee rightly and diligently performed we may without all doubt make our workes much better than they are In regard whereof I haue assaied whether by my poore labours this way I may propound something to the Christian Reader that may incite him to vndertake this worke willingly or that may direct him how to performe it aright and to the profit and spirituall good of his soule And for this purpose I haue thought these six Points worthy of consideration 1. What generall Inducements there are that may animate a Christian to vndertake the search and practice of this worke 2. Wherein the performance of this worke doth consist and what actions or performances it doth include and containe 3. What the Matter is about which Examination is to be exercised 4. In what Manner and order it may and ought to be performed 5. What be the Times in which it is most fit to be vsed 6. What fruit or spirituall good a man may get by this Exercise when it is rightly and carefully performed CHAP. I. What generall inducements there are that may animate a Christian to goe about and vndertake this worke NO man vndertaketh any worke but in hope of some good to be gotten by it For Omnis actie est propter finem All actions say Philosophers are for some end and finis et bonum conuertuntur that which a man propoundeth to himselfe for his end is the good which hee hopeth to gaine This is generally true in all actions of any value but most especially in such as be either difficult or distastfull to our nature for men are hardly drawne to vndergoe such but vpon good hopes that may recompence their labours but without some reasonable inducements no man would euer yeeld to take paines in difficult businesses And vpon this consideration being about an exercise that is somewhat laborious in it selfe and very

Author saith fell out accordingly And so vvhen Goliath was slaine 1 Sam. 17.51 the Philistines seeing that their Champion was dead fled before Israel And so in like manner in our conflicts with sinne it will be good counsell that sometimes omitting all other vices we bend our selues wholly against that sin which troubleth vs most because if once wee haue quelled our master-sinnes the Deuils great Leaders and Champions it will be the more easie to chase away the rest And for this cause in the performance of this worke of Examination a speciall care must bee had against these great Commanders that they scape not away in the throng CHAP. IIII. Of the maner to be obserued in this worke or how a Christian should proceede in examining of himselfe THe matter being declared the next thing to be considered is the maner for direction wherein two things are in the beginning to bee noted 1. That in all workes of this kinde Note 1 the maner is much-what to be regulated by the matter and the end For Examination in what kind soeuer it be being a searching or enquirie after something that we desire to know is alwaies to be so performed as may best serue for the bolting out of that truth which we search for And as the matter whereof the question is and the end for vvhich the enquirie is made and the discouerie which is desired in this worke doe differ and disagree so the manner of proceeding in making the search will be different and vnlike it selfe as the things whereto it is applyed doe require As for example if the Goldsmith be to try his metall hee vseth the touchstone and the fornace because these are the proper meanes which his arte doth teach for finding out that which hee desireth to know And if the Carpenter be to try his worke that he hath framed whether it be agreeable to arte fit for vse he vseth his squire and line and compasse because they beeing applyed to his worke will shew how well it is fitted for the purpose And so in like maner if a Physician be to try the state of his Patient hee looketh vpon the vrine feeleth the pulse and obserueth the symptomes And if a Iudge be to examine a suspected person he questioneth him about circumstances and examineth him vpon such interrogatories as may entangle any man that meaneth by glozing shifts to obscure the truth Thus in examinations men follow that course which is suteable to the matter and peculiar for that end whereto it is referred 2. That Examination Note 2 as heere it is intended being a discussion of a mans life for discerning his spirituall state is a kind of indiciarie proceeding as hath beene shewed (a) Cap. 2. alreadie And therefore looke what course Iudges doe hold in their Sessions or at their Assises the like course will be fit to be held in this worke Now in their Sessions this is the course They first enquire into the facts of men and that enquirie is made by the testimonie of witnesses and other proofes that may shew what their deedes haue been and secondly when they haue found out the truth of the fact then they goe to the rule of the Law and that beeing laid to the fact directeth the Iudge to giue sentence according vnto right And so in these Sessions kept in the conscience and held for the ordering of our soules we haue two things to enquire after the one what our actions and facts haue beene so farre forth as they concerne our spirituall life And for finding out thereof our best proofe is the testimonie of our owne conscience which is as good as a thousand witnesses if our selues corrupt it not And the other is how well these actions doe agree with Gods Law which is the Law that bindeth the conscience and concerneth the soule that thence wee may learne what to iudge of our life how farre forth it agreeeth with Gods Law or swarueth from it These two things being first noted in generall for more particular direction it must bee further considered that this comparing of our life with Gods Law may be done two wayes wee may either beginne with Gods Law and first see what it doth requite at our hands and thence proceede to our selues and question with our soules how and wherein wee haue obserued or transgressed those rules Or secondly we may beginne with our selues and enquire what our doings are and then goe to Gods Law that we may learne what to iudge of such workes If we begin with Gods Law then we must doe two things First wee must get a competent knowledge of Gods Law that wee may know in some measure what each precept doth require of vs and what the meaning is of all such Cōmandements as concerne our practice the summe whereof is contained in the Decalogue or ten Commandements For as an vnskilfull man is neuer the neerer for a line or rule if he haue not beene taught the Carpenters trade nor knoweth not the vse of these things no more can a Christian be any whit the better for hearing or hauing of Gods Law to direct him vnlesse he know the meaning of it and can tell what vices are forbidden and what vertues are commanded in euery Precept Whence it followeth that they which haue neuer bin trained vp in the grounds of Religion nor haue not the knowledge of their Catechisme cannot possibly goe about this so necessary a worke with any dexterity or profit to their soules Secondly when a man hath learned in some good sort the meaning of the Commandements then in the second place he is to go through these Commandements one by one and in each of them to consider what sinnes are there condemned and what duties are there enioyned and herevpon still to question with his owne heart And haue I committed this sinne or Haue I neglected that dutie or If I haue kept the precept for the matter yet haue I not broken it in the maner of performance or in the intention of my minde And thus wee may proceed when wee beginne with Gods Law But if we begin first with our selues then wee may hold this course first after some competent knowledge of the Law which is euer presupposed in this worke we must take a view of our life or of so much of it as then we are occasioned and purposed to examine and consider from time to time and from one moment to another how we haue beene busied in what sort we behaued our selues in it and what haue beene our deedes words and thoughts that deserue scanning and heereupon still to question with our selues vpon euery worke that admitteth such a question what therein hath beene done amisse or how we haue transgressed in the matter or in the maner or in the end or in any circumstance In which kinde that we may proceede the more orderly and vnderstand our selues and our estate the more distinctly we must not passe ouer things in the