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	word_n	2,991	5	3.7261	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A73880	The holy love of heauenly vvisdome. With many other godly treatises Newly set forth, perused, and augmented by the author. Translated out of French into English, by Tho. Sto. gent.	Du Vair, Guillaume, 1556-1621.; Stocker, Thomas, fl. 1569-1592.	1594 (1594)	STC 7373.4; ESTC S125323	170,458	458

foretold of the afflictions that should light vpon poore Ierusalem It is euen I that so often haue announced her misery and stirred her vp therewith vnto repentance but as my spirit of prophesie hath done her no good in her obstinacie no more hath it also done me For I my selfe am ouertaken with the common destruction as well as the rest For when the wrath of the liuing God commeth vppon a people it ordinarily cutteth downe the corne with the tares and darnell and bindeth vp as it were in one sheafe both the good and the bad For he hath suffred me sith it is so his pleasure to be led into a darke place of abode and hath bereaued me both of day and light I was confined and limited into a fearefull and darke prison where I saw neither sunne nor moone I may very well say that he hath borne an hard hand vpon me and that his grace was turned into an implacable indignation which had neither ease nor end Bet. He made me waxe old before my time my skinne wrinkled with sorrow and griefe my flesh fell away and my bones payned me as if they had bene broken in pieces Now the long continuance in prison made me thus feeble for I saw my selfe closed vp as I had bene walled in round about geuing me nothing but gall to feed on and torment to exercise my selfe withall But vnderstandest thou where they shut me vp verely euen in more obscure and darke places then those wherein the damned soules are Gimel What Must I haue such wide walles to keepe me in and must I haue such bolts and shackles at my heeles for feare of running away But alasse God was not pleased only thus to confine and limit me in such an hidious prison but after that the gates and windowes were shut he also closed vp his cares when I called vpon him In so much as that my soule was captiued as well as my body and was depriued of that sweet comfort which she was wonted to haue with God her comforter And this in very deed was the thing that astonyed me when as I sawe all my hope cut off at once For all my hope and trust was in God for when I had lost his fauour I then right well felt that I was in very deed a prisoner and that I had vtterly lost all my directions and that I was shut vp within a wall farre stronger then any stone or brasen wall for all the prisons in the world are nothing so cruell vnto a man as to be without the grace and fauour of God Daleth For he that should meete with an hungry Beare in the middest of a wildernesse could nor be in greater danger then my selfe nor he that should meete a roaring Lyon hunting after his pray could not be more afrayd then I. For I sawe my selfe vtterly vndone not knowing what way to take For the wrath of God cut off the way from me in euery place it went out more speedily then any Lyon and layd on farre more stoutly then any Beare and then what resistance was I able to make and what else remayned for me but vtterly to despaire Thou wouldest verely and properly haue sayd that God had bound and set me vp as a Butt for him to shoote all the arrowes of his fury at me He. He drew out of the Treasure of his wrath as out of a well furnished Quiuer his arrowes of affliction and torment where-with he shot mee through and through brake in sunder my loynes euen as a man would breake a dogs backe with a great leauer O poore miserable broken backt wretch that I am I am pulled strayned ioyn● by ioynt and am left a laughing stocke vnto the whole world They made songs of me which they song euery day in the open streetes God gaue me most bitter drinke and made me very dronke with wormewood wine Vau. Alasse what a kinde of entertainement call ye this he made me eate bread that was halfe flintie and my poore teeth were brokē with these dayntie morsels And me thought I was very well when as my bread was halfe ●noden with ashes and in the end I grew very impatiēt for my soule could neither abide the present miserie wherein I was nor yet hope for any better hereafter to come and so descryed she her selfe so that the ayd which I looked for at Gods hand was lost in very deed all my hope was cut off that side I must no more make accompt of his grace for hee hath brought me sith it so liketh him vnto the end both of my miseries and also of my dayes Zain Neuerthelesse I straightway tooke my selfe with the manner said Our alasse poore Ieremiah canst thou tell what thou doest Is this all the benefit which thou hast reaped by thine afflictions haue not thy teares and bitternesse of thy sorrow otherwise mollified thine heart canst thou benefit thy selfe no whit by the remembrance of thy miseries past that thou mightest be humbled so as thy humilitie might entreat the iustice of God and con●ure his goodnes In the end I came to this and in reuoluing all these discourses in my brayne I began to rayse vp againe mine hope which the greatnesse of my sinne had vtterly benummed Het And thus I sayd within my selfe the Lord hath yet shewed me great fauour and grace in that he hath not vtterly cast me off but hath geuen me my voyce to call vpon him for mercy For a man shall at last finde alwayes pitie and compassion in him if so be he will patiently attend his good pleasure and leysure The Sunne neither riseth nor falleth but it seeth his mercy His goodnes spreddeth it selfe ouer all the earth neyther is there any corner thereof which beareth not his marke And furthermore I say that the Sunne shineth not but to be seene and to cause to see O Lord our God how great is thy goodnes how assured is thine ayd how certaine is thy word and how infallible thy promise As for my selfe I wil trust in none but in thee and if so be I may haue thy grace and fauour for my portion I care for none of the rest My soule is fully resolued hereof and do feele it say vnto my conscience that she putteth all her trust in thee and layeth vp her saluation in thy hands Thet. How can she do better For God neuer halted with them which put their trust in him for at one time or another either early or late he hath shewed them that his goodnes is infallible and that the hart which seeketh it findeth it farre or neere and that the soule which desireth it obtaineth it either soone or late We must therefore wayt for it patiently and not murmure if God come not vnto vs at the first call let vs hold our peace and let him do it and he will in the end do that which she shall see to be most for his glory most necessary for our saluation For great

vnto the honor and seruice of God This purpose of yours I must needs confesse proceedeth from a most godly hart and a very good forecasting meane to bring vnto you in your owne particular cause some quietnes of mind and peace of conscience which I suppose to be one of the greatest benefits which wee can any way looke for But it would sore grieue me to be bereaued of so sweete and deere companie and so great hu●… vnto the common weale You shoul● beleeue me in my poore opinion doo maruellous wrong both vnt● your countrey and to your friends and euery man is to seeke his om●… benefit but yet so as that it be no● to the hurt of another For wee an● not borne heere in this world fo● our selues and besides we are bu● the lesser part of the whole an● therefore binde and tye your self● vnto the great and principall part thereof with most straight bonds which allow vs not to withdraw● our selues in this dangerous se●son without violating and breaking both the bonds of charitie an● also of godlynesse And yet for al●… this I would not haue you thinke that I will gaynesay or yet diminish the commendation which Sa●… Basile and so many auncient Fathers and my selfe with them haue geuen vnto solitarie life for I greatly commend it yea and I loue it it may be too well But I wish you did loue it as they doo and vppon the selfe-same considerations and not for any discouragement the rather to auoyde the thwart and tedious dealings of a ciuile life then for to followe the pleasure that is in contemplation Followe if you please the examples of the auncient Fathers but followe them with that wisedome and moderation which they doo Beleeue mee if you will it is now no time for their example of life to call such men as you are vnto solitarie life For monasticall life came not in in a troublesome time ne yet for such men as whose wisedome and fidelitie was necessarie vnto the gouernment of the weale publicke Neyther doo wee see that in the fyrst beginning of the Christian Church although it was euerie manner of way and with all sorts of troubles and afflictions tossed and turmoyled that the Fathers withdrewe them selues into the deserts and solitarie places there to serue God quietlie But their liues beeing full of actions and those publicke also hindered them to establish the Churches to discipline the people to conserue the peace and vnion 〈◊〉 cities and prouinces and to ferue f●… examples of modestie and tempera●… vnto the whole world But when as th● Christians had full libertie and a●…rance and that the Emperours a●… chiefe Gouernors had embraced th● Religion and kept the same vnder th● couert of their armes and power an● fauored such as made profession therof the peace then of it being established and the common weale being able as it were to be maintained of 〈◊〉 selfe vpon the good and sure found●tions which so many wise and holi●… personages had before layd it wa● permitted vnto great learned men to enioy the sweetnesse of solitarie life But of what age were they when they thus did Forsooth it was euen the when they had spent the strength of their yong yeares in the gouernment of the ciuile life and in worldly affaires amongst men And about this age and after this manner did Saint Basile and Saint Ierome withdrawe them selues And yet notwithstanding when as the necessitie of the common state required their ayd some of them were called away and enforced to enter againe into their former charge for the good of the common weale And othersome of them remained all their liues long in solitary life and it was by reason they were not thought competent and necessary men about those affayres which then were eminent And to say truly what man is able to abide to see during the tempest when as the billowes rowle most hye the sea fometh most furiously the winds blow most outragioufly the most expert pylots leaue the helme vnto passengers to fall to their sleepe For so long as it is calme euery man may guide the sterne for then skill is to small purpose and ignorance doth no great hurt But so long as the storme continueth the direction and wisedome of him that gouerneth is seene vppon whose direction and wisedome alone hangeth the liues of all those that are embarked with him Now your studie age and experience haue brought vnto you great sufficiencie and ripenesse of cournsell and your wisedome and sinceritie haue made you in such sort affect the cōmon weale of your councountrey as in deed you ought so th●… you haue thereby gotten your self such credit amongst your natura● country-men as the time yee● deth and affoordeth for honest me●… to haue For with what pretene can you any way abandon the common good of your countrey It ma● be you will say I am not able to abide the outrages which reigne amongst the people I can not away to see the disorder and confusion where-into all thinges are fallen Tell me I beseech you doth this agree with the words which I haue heard you oftentimes speake that ou● Countrey is in the stead of our Father and Mother and to this effec●… it is called Patria by a name the deriuation whereof signifieth a Father and the feminine termination signifieth a Mother as conioyning them both in one word an● signifying Patrie and Matrie both together Put the case that a Father should waxe mad and be out of his wits vppon whome would you bestowe the care keeping and ouersight of him would you not say vppon the Children Now if the Children would excuse them selues and say that hee had punished in●uried and beaten them and therefore would not take it vppon them would you not finde fault with them and with checks and taunts enfore them to doo that dutie which both nature and charitie commandeth them Peraduenture you will ●ay that thee are two whings which withdrawe you and they seeme to excuse you for putting too your hel●ping hand and medling in and with ●hese affayres And the one is that ●t is lost labor that the pleadings of honest men are vtterlie vnprofitable and serue for none other purpose but to make them to bee ●enuyed and hated without bringing any benefite to the common●eale at all By this the wound is ●o whit the more cured and li●ertie hath ouer-much wonne vp●on reason For honest men are ●o whit bound to trauell for the ●roffit and commoditie of the common-weale but so farre-foorth as ●heyr trauell may do good and that there is thereby some hope of well ●…ing For men must deale in a State 〈◊〉 Phisitions do with their phisicke f●… they must not minister phisicke vn●… diseases that are incurable whi●… bringeth nothing else vnto themselu●… but shame and dishonor The othe● that you tell of is this that there 's a●… some things which an honest man m●… not by any meanes possible suppo●… nor dissemble Well patience