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	think_v	4,338	5	3.9369	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04417	Christ on his throne. Or, Christs church-government briefly laid downe and how it ought to bee set up in all Christian congregations. Resolved in sundry cases of conscience.	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648, attributed name.	1640 (1640)	STC 14541; ESTC S107732	25,100	92

CHRIST ON HIS THRONE OR Christs Church-government briefly laid downe and how it ought to bee set up in all Christian Congregations Resolved in sundry Cases of Conscience IER. 6. 16. Thus saith the Lord Stand ye in the wayes and see and aske for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall finde rest for your soules LVKE 19. 27. But those mine Enemies which would not that I should raigne over them bring them hither and slay them before me Printed in the yeare 1640. THE PREFACE To the Reader IT is an observation as true as antient that such workes of God as are done immediatly by himselfe alone though for their excellent greatnesse farre surpassing not onely mans apprehension but even admiration it selfe yet are done by him without any rubbe or difficulty at all Such was that glorious and magnificall worke of Creation But such workes as God doth by instrumentall meanes as by man the greater they be the greater difficulties they are attended with and meet with many impediments And this is most seene in great and generall Reformations of Churches or States Even Christ himselfe The onely Potentate the Mighty God when hee came to restore and re-erect the Tabernacle of David which was fallen downe to wit his spirituall Temple or Church what opposition did hee meet withall what sweat did it cost him before hee could finish this glorious and wondrous worke In which respect the Antients were wont to say That God with his word alone created the world but it cost the life of his onely begotten sonne to redeeme the world for this was opposed by Devills and men And so it was with the type of Redemption Israels deliverance from Egypt where Gods mighty wonders and plagues upon Egypt found a proud and hard hearted Pharaoh with his blinde Egyptians obstinately resisting to the very last So in the reparation of the Temple in Jerusalem there wanted not most malignant spirits envious men is Tatnai Shether Boznai Tobiah and Sanballat who mocked and accused the Iewes to the King and by force sought to hinder the worke And therefore can wee wonder when in the proceeding of so great a worke of reformation as we see begun in our dayes nothing inferior all circumstances considered to that deliverance from Egypt or to the restauration of religion after Babylons captivity difficulties and impediments both great and many have and doe interpose themselves which when wee see wee should not be discouraged for discouragement in such cases is an argument and consequent of a mind too much relying upon outward meanes which while they prosper they are as a good gale filling the sayles of our hope to attaine the wished Port. But when an adverse winde begins but to whistle a little up we are afflicted and are ready to cast away our hope being left as a ship without an Anchor floating and without a rudder driven with every winde ready to bee split on every rocke or shelfe But in such a case we must as in the first place look up unto God the great master of the winds yea and mover of the mindes of the violent men So herein behold and observe the beaten wayes of the Lord how hee is pleased in all such great works to suffer himselfe and his people to bee opposed And this he doth for speciall reasons as to shew forth the deepe wisdome of his providence in circumventing his adversaries to crosse and thwart them even in those great and good workes which himselfe will have to be done and certainly purposeth to accomplish which he calleth them unto and commandeth them to doe that so he may take them off from trusting in the outward meanes though never so faire and might teach them still and stedfastly to trust in his helpe in his strength in his faithfulnes and not to cease to call upon him and depend on his promise who will certainely save and fully answer the prayers of his people and in the happy issue of the work that his glory may in all shine forth the more clearely when nothing shall be left in man to glory in but that we may give all the honour and praise of the worke to him alone Againe in all such great workes of generall Reformation especially of Religion the difficulties prove to be the greater by how much the vices and corruptions to be purged out as we see in naturall bodies are and have been of longer continuance and such also as have received strength under pretence at least even from the Lawes themselves and by universall consent of the whole State Nor only this but there is also in our natures a kinde of Antipathy against that purity and power of Religion which ought to be the maine end that all true Reformations should aime at And besides all this although the corruptions be so grosse and of so high a nature as they proclaime themselves intollerable grievances no longer to bee borne but doe by a kinde of necessity presse to a Reformation yet there stands so great a gulfe in the way as untill it be removed or so made up as to be made passable it will be found no easie matter to compasse so great a worke Now this gulfe is ignorance and that of a long standing contracted partly through a generall security and sloth and partly through the want of meanes while through the subtilty of the Prelates and cowardise of their inferiors the Light hath been put under a Bushel So as though the sense of our Aegyptian burthens hath at length let us see in a great measure our misery yea and though God in his great mercy hath put into our hands such an opportunity of Reformation even armed with a kinde of necessity to worke it Yet how unresolved are many men of the manner and measure of this Reformation and what God requires at our hands herein Yet can we not be otherwise perswaded but that all good men would joyne together quickly to goe through with this great worke did they but apprehend it to bee as well a matter of Conscience as of grievance For which cause I have in these straits of time thought it one part of my duty which I owe unto Christ and to his Church to propound and briefly to resolve as God hath enabled me some important Cases of Conscience which hoping they may conduce to the furthering of the great businesse now in agitation concerning Religion I have adventured most humbly to recommend unto the serious consideration of this most just sage and grave Senate as to which not only I but all the people of the Land doe owe our best service and for whose happy successe of all their grave Counsels we are all bound daily and that in a more than ordinary manner to solicite as we still doe the throne of Grace that the Spirit of Christ may be abundantly poured forth upon this most Noble Assembly in all wisdome and understanding and in all