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	way_n	2,901	5	4.3688	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27259	Psychomachia, or, The soules conflict with the sins of vain glory, coldnesse in professing Christ, envie, photinianism (of the last resurrection), ingratitude, unpreparednes to meet the Lord, revenge, forgetfulness of God : pourtrayed in eight severall sermons, six whereof were delivered at St. Maries, and Christ-Church in Oxford, and two at Sherburn in Glocestershire / Henry Beesley ...	Beesley, Henry, 1605-1675.	1656 (1656)	Wing B1691; ESTC R13325	163,090	260

speaks evill for good Psal 35.12 Nothing for Gods seed and his rain but the weeds and bryers of sin nothing after his pains in planting fencing digging Is 5. pruning but wild and sower grapes those of murmuring and repining Deut. 33.6 But haeccine reddis Domino it was Moses exprobration to the Israelites do ye thus requite the Lord and I fear it may be said to us Christians that are as deep in Gods benefits as ever they were but that so it may not be said let each of us endeavour for his part and put in with David for a particular thankfulnesse that what he said in his own person we may every one say in ours what shall I render Our third particular Particu ∣ lar 3 I that is David and David in a threefold respect 1 as a more benefic'd man 2. a parricular man 3. a righteous man in each of these respects to be thankfull and we in each 1. As a benefic'd man endowed with more favours and deliverances then others and so more engaged to thankfulness too Gloria umbra virtutis est Sen ep 79. for ever as the benefits are so must the gratitude be for as glory is said to be the shadow of vertue and this for one reason that it increaseth as vertue doth which is as the body that makes it so thankfulness is the shadow of bounty and should grow in proportion as the benefits do that look how great the one so great should the other be also Neither may any man here think himself excused from a larger measure of thanks because his outward blessings are not so eminent as anothers for not any of us all but if we did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as St. Basil speaks look down on that which is beneath us and compare our own good with that which is some way worse in others we should find great cause of thankfulnesse and to say that of the Pharisee in a very good sense Lord I thank thee that I am not as this man not hereby to magnifie our selves but to glorify God in his blessings which is by acknowledging them for As Rigaltius reads it Lib. de poenitentia Non verecundae sed ingratae mentis indicium est beneficia tacere divina Leo. Ser. 1. Non est ista verecundia sed inficiandi genus Sen. negat beneficum qui beneficium non honorat It is Tertullian he denieth the Giver that does not honour the gift and Ingratae mentis est saith Leo to conceale Gods benefits is not so much modesty as ingratitude a way with that modesty that prejudices Gods glory The second respect considereth David and with him every one beside as he is a particular man who having received particular benefits is obliged eo nomine unto a particular thankfulnesse For besides those benefits in common whereof all do partake alike every man hath those by himself for which by himself he is to be thankful which our Saviour did intimate unto us after his curing of the lepers when but one of the ten returning to give thanks Luke 17.17 he enquireth after the rest where be the nine would excuse none from the dutie Nor is this to be done in private onlie with our selves but in publick also with the whole congregation that God may reap no lesse of us then he did of old in Davids time Psal 28.9 that in his Temple every man speak of his honour None must be dumb in this Quire Any ones silence doth injure the consort that the Musick is not full Every one should lend a voice unto the Anthem of Gods praise and all little enough Every one should but every one cannot that is not as David in the third respect Basil in Psal 32. that is a righteous man for so he telleth us Psal 32. praise is comely for the upright for none but them and for them comely will not fit well with a perverse or crooked heart no more then a straight shooe with a wry foot and 't is as uncomely in their mouthes too Ecclus. 15.9 saith Ecclesiasticus praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner so no where comely for such as they And hence it was that when the devils would have blazond our Saviour he straitly forbad them Mark 1.25.34 Acts 16.18 would have none of their praises And the like did St. Paul to the spirit of divination would not suffer the most high to be dishonoured with such vile commendations And therefore Saint Basils advice would do well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil ibid. c. let us be ambitiously careful to avoid all crookednesse in our doings and rectifie our soules as a straight rule that becoming upright indeed we may be fit for the praise of God for without that no praising of him Which the Church most wisely considering hath taught us by prayer to prepare our selves thereunto both for the cleansing of our hearts to conceive Gods praise and for the opening of our mouthes to utter it The former we have before the Commandments cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy holy Spirit that we may worthily magnify thy holy name The latter at the beginning of our service having Davids warrant for it O Lord open thou our lips Psal 51.15 and our mouth shall shew forth thy praise To the doing of both we receive his assistance and obtain that of himselfe which we offer unto him who is the object of our thankfulness as he was of Davids Jehovae to the Lord. Particular 4 And to whom more fitly the thanks Qui molem istam verbo quo jussit ratione quâ disposuit virtute qua potuit de nihilo expressit in ornamentum majestatis suae Tertul. Apologet. then to him that gave the benefits who by his word commanding by his wisdome disposing by his power effecting brought the mafs of this world out of nothing for the glory of his Majesty and doth continually from the treasures of his bounty sustein the whole family of heaven and earth For being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St. Cyril stileth him the ever-flowing fountain of all goodnesse and beneficence he never ceaseth to defund on his world of creatures Psal 19. Psal 148.10 and to refresh them with the streames of his mercy whose glory not only the heavens declare but every creeping thing of the earth be it it never so despicable and if men should hold their peace the very stones would immediately cry out against our ingratitude And yet strange it is to see how many have failed in this duty of praising the Lord The Gentiles so much for their part that they praised any thing more then him They changed saith St. Paul the glory of God into an image made like to beasts Rom. 1.23 and a Felis Cunis Lupus pro Deo sunt adorati Leo voraeor hominum Anguis Dreco Et erubesco referre jam etiam

that it is no less than blasphemy for him so to do That let believers sin as fast as they wîll there is a c Abusing that place of the Prophet Zech. 13.1 1 Cor. 15.33 fountain open for them to wash in No wonder if these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle termeth them evill Sermons or communications corrupt good maners not so intended perchance by those that thought they could not amplifie enough the exceeding riches of free grace Concionibus suis depravant ii n. qui de venta peccatorum propter Christum deque justitia in Christo multa praedicant de agenda verò ex Dei voluntate atque imitatione vita deque sanctificatione spiritus quo ad opera bona regeneramur aut nihil admodum aut perpauca Rivius in epist ante lib. de stult mortal unless they decryed the morall law But yet occaisoned by their doctrine which talking much of the pardon of sinne and of righteousness in Christ said little or nothing of ordering our life according to the will and pattern of God or of sanctification through the Spirit whereby we are regenerate and made new creatures to walk in good works Eph. 2.10 And wrought accordingly in their disciples who using liberty for an occasion to the flesh Gal. 5.13 and turning the grace of God into wantonnesse Jude v. 4. See that excellent prefa●e in the F n●n translation of h de K. m● F●●m Mr. ●hepherds Sincere Con●ert make Christ thereby a cloak for their vices or with reverence be it r●peated no other then a dishclout to wipe them clea● from their impu i●ies For so it may be rightly judged by their f uit● when to borrow t●e ●h●r●e from Salvian a Non sufficiunt enim multis c●nsuetud●●a●●i ●eat●s n n s fficiunt ●●es ●apinae cal●mniae c. nisi blasphem â fu●iosa●●● mentium manus in●iciant etiam in De m 〈◊〉 de Gub. l. 4. Many not or●●ent with customary sins as st●ife rapine fraud a●u●tery c ar bold to strike at God himselfe setting their mouthes against the heavens P 94. ve●● 5 6 7. and sayi●g with their blasphem●us leaders suitab y to such horrid actions yet the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Iacob regard it moreover b Hoc enim ad crimina nost●a addimus ut cum in omnibus ●ei simus etiam bon●s nos sanctos esse credamus ac sic in nobis cumulentur imquitates offensae etiam praesumptione justitiae lib 3. maxima siquidem a●●●satrix est hominum noxiorum usurpat●ix innocentiae arregantia lib. 4. adding this to to their crimes that being filled with all unrighteousnesse Rom. 1.29 yet they repute themselves for Saints and godly persons and so accumulate their offences with a presumption of sanctity which makes their c Criminosior enim culpa est homstior status-Nos qui Christiani Cath●lici dic mur si simile aliquid Barbarorum impuritatibus sacimus graviùs erramus Atro●iùs enim sub sancti nominis professione peccamus ubi sublimior est p●aerogativa major est culpa Ipsa enim errores nostros religio quam profitemur accusat c. Ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 si post lavacrum niger effectus sum si eos qui nondum purgati sunt splendidiores cerno Naz. Orat. 2● guilt so much the greater that Ty●e and Sidon nay the Mahumetans that are m●re true to their fa●se Prophet d In nobis Christus patitur opprobrium in nobis patitur lex Christiana maledictū aestimari itaque de cultoribus suis potest ille quic litur Salv. l. 4. Et ideò hoc ipso deteriores sunt qui meliores esse deberent non enim probant quod fatentur impugnant professionem suam moribus suis magis en●m damnabilis est malitia quam titulus bonitatis accusat reatus impti est pium nomen lib. 4. than many Christians to their Saviour shall rise up in judgement against these Christians and shal condemn them that are so much worse than heathen by how much they shou●d be better as having known the way of righteousnesse and yet neverthelesse by their vitious lives stain the dignity of their profession cause the way of truth to be evill spoken of and the name of God to be blasphemed Against these floods of ungodliness these torrents of Belial fit for the tears of mourning Gildas it is more difficult now than ever to m●ke resistance when those that should help to withstand the mischief labour rather to promote it as to save a ship from the rage of a tempest when the Mariners are at difference among themselves and assist unto its perishing Nazian Orat. 32. Neither am I so much a stranger unto or a flatterer of my infirmities as to conceive any such possibility in these poor essayes of mine which though they have already passed the criticall eares of the Masters of Assemblies Eccles 12.11 acknowledge themselves far insuffic●ent for a business of this nature which all the tongues of men and Angels are not able to effect but onely the voice of that great God who commands the wind Mat. 8.27 28. and Sea and they obey him yet as sometimes e Non tantus ego sum ut vos alloquar veruntamen Gladiatores perfectissimos non tantum magistri sed etiam idiotae adhortantur de longinquo ut saepe de ipso populo dictata suggesto profuerint Tertul. ad Mart. skilfull fencers may be admonished from the ignorant standers by to award a danger so it may fall out by the grace of God whose strength is perfected in weakness that this my weak labour shall not be altogether in vain in the Lord though it be but to bring one bucket of water toward the quenching of this flame Or howe-ever f Sin autem id non provenerit hoc ipsum infructuosum saltem non erit quod prodesse tentavi c. Salvian praefat if that succeed not yet this will be some comfort to me that according to my small talent I endeavoured to do good The conscience whereof is recompence enough for the utmost ambition of Your poor Servant in the Lord Jesus H. B. The Titles and Texts of the severall SERMONS SErmon 1. St. Pauls glorying in his infirmities 2 COR. 11.30 If I must needs glory I w●ll glory of the things which concern m●ne infirmities Serm. 2. The Rulers faintness in confessing Christ JOHN 12.24 Neverthel●sse among the chief Rulers also many bel●eved on h●m but c. Serm. 3. The envious eye MAT. 20.15 Is th●ne eye ev●l because I am good Serm. 4. The last Resurrection 1 PHIL. 3.21 Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body Serm. 5. Thankfulness for Gods benefits PSAL. 116.12 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me Serm. 6. Preparation of Gods way JOHN 1.23 He said I

man might better have said it of this age Sene●a Epist 106. literarum intemperantia laboramus when most are for that which St. Paul termeth Oppositions of science or the science of opposition 1 Tim. 6.20 and few for the conscience of Christian duties to informe the head with curious notions not reforme the life by true repentance Divinitie for the form thereof is in every womans mouth to be arguing or rather * verse eodem babling the Apostles word in the highest and deepest mysteries Gods secret decrees can not escape them they make but a shallow of that great deep and can found it to the bottom but for the power of it when all is done it is but talke a zeale that vapours out in words and thus Religion in effect becomes a Comedie or an art of pure dissembling the discourse whereof hath so filled the world Sir W Ralegh preface as it hath well neare driven the practise of it out of the world But if St. Cyprian may be heard nihil prodest verbis proferre virtutem factis destruere veritatem it availeth nothing to build religion with our tongues and destroy it with our deeds to professe a beleeving on Christ with our mouths but in works to deny him So it may be done no lesse Ioh A●nd de vero Christ l. ● c 9. 2 Pet. 2.22 and such there were of whom the Apostle St. Peter and Jude do both complaine ungodly men that turned the grace of God into wantonesse and so denied the Lord that bought them Nay such there be in this last age the the lawlesse libertine that transformeth Christian liberty into carnal licentiousnesse and returneth to his wallow Z●ch 13.1 because of the fountain that Zechary mentions opened for sin and for uncleannesse the presumptuous Predestinarian that holds himselfe to be in Christ without feeling any change in himselfe by repentance from dead works and that have he but faith Heb. 6.1 live how he list he can not chuse but be saved Now what is this else but Ethnicum agere sub nomine Christiani To walk as other Gentiles walke Eph 4.18 in the vanity of their minds being alienated from the life of God! nay worse then these if the judgment of Salvian may be credited atrocius sub sancti nominis professione peccamus we offend more hainously being invested with a sacred Title the higher our prerogative is so much the greater is our fault for the very religion that we professe helps to aggravate our sin and to make it much more sinfull there may be some excuse for ignorance the chief of sinners as he calls himselfe obtayned mercy to nomine because he sinned ignorantly in unbelief 1 Tim. 1.13 but contempt of wilfull sin will not find such easy pardon Scienti non facienti saith St. Iames Iam. ● 17 To him that knoweth to do good and doth it not it is the encreasing of his sin consequenly of his punishment to be seen by the Servant that knew his Lords will and did not accordingly Luke 2.47 It is that which Nacianzen so passionately bewailed under the person of such wretches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 woe unto me that ever I was cleansed if after my cleansing I am fouled againe Orat. 24. if I see those Heathen that are not baptized cleaner and purer than my selfe It is no more than St Peter warranteth It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousnesse 2 P●t 2.21 then after they have known it to tu ne away Too many such Apostates there be among us that for every trifling circumstance are so ready to part with Christ for a momentany flash of sensuall pleasure for a little dust of shining clay G Parisiens de Moribus cap. 4. Act. 3.14 for a vaine blast of popular praise which is all one as with the Jewes to dery the Holy one and the just and preferre a Barrabbas any wicked lust before him This is worse yet then we can charge our Rulers withall we can not blame them for staining their profession with a vitious conversation all their fault was not confessing for fear of men what they beleeved concerning Christ not that perchance they were utterly dumb or speechlesse that way but because their confession was not free and ingenious the Evangelist brands them for non professours as a point of abatement in the praise of their faith Calvin h c Wherein had they been rightly grounded at their first entrance thereinto Augustin on the place they would have profited so well as to have conquered the love of humane praise to have fixed their glorying with St. Paul in the Crosse of Christ and to esteem all the pompe of the world beneath it * Ad hoc enim et ipse dominus Crucem suam ubi eum dementia superbae impietatis irrisit in e●rum qui in illum crederent frontibus fi●it ubi est quo dammodo sedes verecundior ●t de nomine ejus fides non erubescat Augustin ibidem for to this end our Lord was pleased for the confounding of proud impietie to consigne his Crosse on the forehead of his servants on that very part which is as it were the seat of shame facednesse in token that they should not be ashamed to confesse the faith of Christ crucifyed and manfully to fight under his banner against sin the world and the Devil And such was the zeale of the primitive Christians the noble Army of Martyrs and Confessors whose heart was warmed with the reaking bloud of Christ they thought nothing to much to loose or suffer for the Testimony of his truth Multò avidiùs t●nc mortyria gloriosis mortilus quaerebant quam c. Sulp. Sev. lib. 2. seeking more earnestly the glory of Martyrdome then the most ambitious to aspire unto the height of wordly glory It is that which may exercise our thoughts in wondring how they should suffer what they did with so much chearfulnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sozom. lib. 1. cap 1. as though it had been in other bodyes considering they had no more to move them thereunto then what we reckon our selves to have that is a good Captain to lead and encourage them a righteous cause to prompt and embolden them a gracious God to relieve and succour them and a glorious Heaven to receive and reward them But what shall we think then of these poor s ules that wanting all these yet endured no lesse torments such as we find in the Heathen Martyrologie as Zeno Socrates Anaxarchus c that sealed such leane and barren truths as Phylosophy taught them with the expence of their dearest blood Hac non sine causa dominus in seculum admisit so thought Tertullian Tertullian ad Marty●●s these examples God permitted to be in the world not without some speciall providence but either to exhort us in this our day or to confound

us in the great day if we feare to suffer for saving truth what they affected for lying vanitie But here there is some c●use to fear that if our courage were to be layd with theirs in the ballance it would be found much too light Indeed we have no present occasion to make experiment of our valour in this kind living under no Pagan Princes or persecuting Tyrants N●n ●nim sunt Pagani principes n●● T●●anni persecutores non sang ●●●●●lorum fundit ●r nec fides s ●●●●●i●s comp●obatur Salvian de Gu●● lib. 3. such as might summon us to a bloudy tryall to attest our faith by suffering for it Nay on the contrary not to confesse Christ in some sort now is all the danger lest we should suffer that which amounteth unto a putting out of the Synagogue but yet however there is matter enough to exercise our Christian fortitude there be some things as odious to the men of this age as the name of Christian was or could be two Jew or Gentile Mr. Her●us fi●st sermon on the Eunu●h ba●ti●ed 1 P●● 4 4. as namely for a man to make conscience of his way●s to walk more circumspectly then the common sort to be strict in those things wherein others take more libertie and not to run with them into the same excesse of riot this the Apostle expresly notes to be an occasion for the Christians to be evil spoken of by the Gentiles cap 3. v. 16. having nothing else to accuse in them but their good conversation in Christ and this hath ever been cause enough for the righteous to be hated sojourning as they do in Mesech Psal ●10 95 in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation esse jam inter nocentes innoxium crimen est c. Among vitious persons to be vertuous is a crime saith S. Cyprian Cyprian Epist secunda lib. 2. W sdom 2. ●5 not to imitate evil mem is to offend them They in Wisdome are not ashamed to professe it He is grievous unto us even to behold him for his life is not like other ●ens His wayes are of another fashion he upbraideth us with our offending the law Such an upbraiding is the good vers 12. innocent life to corrupt and depraved manners Peccantium frontem etsi not verbis tamen ipsa vita genere dissimi●i verberat Cur en●m sint aliqui intempestivè boni qui corruptis m●rib●s pu●licis convitium bo●o vivendo facia●t ● lactantius lib. 5. cap. 9. it is Lactantius the pious mans life though his tongue be silent rebukes the offendor not to have fellowship with the works of darkness is to reprove them In regard hereof Eph. 5 1 the mocks and floutings of gracelesse persons may beare the name of persecution by the authoritie of St Paul so terming the carriage of Ismael toward Isaac which though it were no more then mocking that we read of Gen. 21.9 The Apostle stileth it persecution G●l ● 29 and applyeth it to the state of the Christian Church Nun quam deest tribulatio persecutionis si nunquam deset observantia pietatis le● s 8. de quad as then it was Even so it is now was so then and will ever so be so long as there be any borne after the flesh they will be presecuting those that be borne after the spirit there is no avoyding it 2 Tim. 3.12 All that will live godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution Vis probare verum esse quod dictum est incipe piè vivere in Christo Aug. in ps 5● more or lesse it is part of the Crosse that Christ left to be the portion of his Disciples Rev. ●3 ●0 Here is the patience and the fa●th of the Saints if we that profess our selves to be Christians 1 Pet. 4. ●6 and ● 17 can be content to suffer as Christians that is for well doing and glorifie God on this behalfe not regarding what we may loose in credit favour or preferment not reckoning of the reproach V 14. or scorn that can be cast on us for the name of Christ this will testify that we are Christians indeed and not falsely so called All which we promised and much more at our first entrance into Christianitie cum ad hanc sectam utique suscepta conditione ejus paecti venerimus as saith Tertullian Tertullian ad Scap. when by solemn oath and couenant we engaged our selves upon this warfare to continue Christs faithfull Souldiers unto our lives end 2. Tim. ● 3. Where is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then the Apostle speaks of the enduring hardness as good Souldiers of Iesus Christ 2. Sam. 6● 20. Acts 17. when every small affront appals us the scornes of Michal the Athenians mocking quencheth the smoaking flaxe of our zeal makes us ashamed of our forwardnes in the profession of religion nay see the perverseness The fore head of brasse in the acting of sin is more tender then flesh in defence of Christ can suffer his name to be dishonoured with horrid blasphemie his body all torn and mangled afresh with cursed oaths his truth empaired with impious absurdities and never once open their mouths in his just vindication Toward these baptized Atheists Clem strom 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Clemens speaks unchristing our Saviour what lyes in them and unchristning our holy profession we are it must be confessed too patient In zeale to the glory of God Babylon hath exceeded Sion we want that decree of Nebuchadnezzar Mr. Hooker Eccl. pol. lib. 5. Dan. 3.29 the fury of this his wicked brood hath the reines too much at libertie the venom of their poisoned hearts breaketh out at their mouths to the anoyance of many others Now what is this else but as one sayes well to shew our selves Gods against God R●legh and slaves towards men to side with flesh and its corruption against Christ and his spirit and how shall we think to looke him in the face when he shall come in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels Mark 8.38 Rev. 6.26 but even call to the mountaines to fall on us and to hide us from the wrath of the lambe Knowing therefore this terrour of the Lord we perswade men 2 Cor. 5.11 those that have reason to be perswaded not to eclipse the bright Sun-shine of his truth with earthly affections not to be ashamed of confessing that which with all our study we endeavour to know and in knowing whereof we account our chief felicitie Not to make religion a cloake for the weather to put off and on upon occasion as will best sute with our worldly ends I but to count Godlinesse our greatest gaine 1 Tim. 6.6 what ever we loose by it in outward respects P●● 3.8 to esteem all things else in the world but losse and dung for the excellencie of the knowledge of Jesus Christ E●● 1.14 Not