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	world_n	3,255	5	4.3685	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85674	An historical anatomy of Christian melancholy, sympathetically set forth, in a threefold state of the soul. 1 Endued with grace, 2 ensnared in sin, 3 troubled in conscience. With a concluding meditation on the fourth verse of the ninth chapter of Saint John. / By Edmund Gregory, sometimes Bachelour of Arts in Trin. Coll. Oxon.	Gregory, Edmund, b. 1615 or 16.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1646 (1646)	Wing G1885; Thomason E1145_1; ESTC R40271	96,908	160

Service of God leads us into that glorious liberty which as I conceive Saint Paul speaks of of the sons of God First I mean that liberty whereby we feel our Consciences set free from the doting scrupulosity of things unnecessary and indifferent the which perchance at some other times we may be apt to stick upon with perplexity Secondly I mean that liberty we may call it The liberty of Obedience which as it makes us willingly and freely to obey our betters cause 't is for Gods glory who hath appointed the same and ' cause 't is for his glory to do him service in it so again it makes us so free in Spirit as not to stoop to any ignoble or disgraceful servility that is with a base and cowardly heart to yeeld our approbation in any unjust indirect course because our Superiours either like or command it to call good evil or evil good for any cause whatsoever No we have a warrant for it methinks in our souls not to deny the Truth for the fear or love of the greatest or dearest one in the world for if we deny the Truth we deny him that is greater and dearer unto us then any can be besides even God himself for God is Truth saith Saint John And surely he that is in subjection to father or mother as our Saviour saith or even unto any other Creature more then unto God is not worthy of him Many times this free spirit is apt to degenerate into a firy spirit so that in stead of a moderate use of the liberty of truth towards Superiours shall we be ready to fall into a rash and disobedient humour against them Joab's dealing with King David 1 Chron. 21. 3 is a singular example to be followed in this kinde that is to be so freely faithful unto our Betters as not to flatter or back them on in that which is evil and yet not using our Liberty as a cloke of Maliciousnesse so lovingly respectful as not to contradict their power with an undiscreet and churlish impatiency Moreover this our foresaid unity and reconciliation with God crowneth our souls with many happie and rare advantages but specially in this that it maketh our spirits chearful merry and full of rejoycing a good Conscience is as a continual feast wherein we are satisfied with all good things as with marrow and fatnesse and therefore most fitly hath our Saviour named the holy Ghost a Comforter And be shall give you another Comforter Joh. 14. 16. A Comforter and truely so for how can sadnesse take fast hold in that brest where this heavenly joy and comfort doth abide Thus for a season do we flourish in the state of reconciliation flourish like an herb nourished with the dew of heaven or like the tree in Davids Psalms planted by the waters side the flowing river of Gods mercies And now And now perchance that we have spent some days Or else some weeks in these more sacred ways we must begin to take an unwilling farewel of this our happinesse for by this time that heart and courage against sin which we have got by Repentance doth flag grow lesse and lesse and decay till we are defiled therewith as before the drowzie eye by little and little falls asleep it knows not how and were it not for the awaking again 't would scarce perceive whether it had slept or no so even so insensibly doth sin creep on and so subtilly get within us that we can never almost feel it till the sting thereof hath awaken our consciences unto Repentance And then again perceiving the wickednesse of our hearts and the foul enormity of sin shall we in the bitternesse of our souls and detestation of our iniquities humble our selves even belowe the dust of the earth accounting us not worthy to be the vilest creatures under the cope of heaven that have been so wickedly perfidious against our Creator and therefore do we consider and earnestly resolve for the present if it will please him once more even this once more to forgive us this our sin surely methinks all the devils in hell should not prevail to overtake us so again for this doth always touch us neerest and trouble us most that we are so faithlesse unto God and so full of hypocrisie before him that whereas at our last Repentance we had so syncerely so heartily and so seriously promised amendment of life and also with our whole might and main to obey God and please him neverthelesse though our promise doth seem to be never so hearty and with so full a purpose yet the end and event doth shew that there is hypocrisie in it even great hypocrisie for when temptation comes and sin is at hand then do we falsheartedly and cowardly not onely not duly strive against and resist it but even basely yeeld unto it So infirm is our best ability that our Saviour hath wisely taught us to pray to God that he would not try our strength with temptation O lead us not into ●emptation But our weaknesse or rather wickednesse is yet greater not onely in so easily suffering temptation to prevail over us but also in our readinesse to joyn with it and help it forwards hugging the very first motions thereof in our brests so that we may say of our souls as David did of the wicked man Psal 50. 18 Thou no sooner sawest that thief sin but thou consentedst with him and bast been partaker c. Nay many times we do go one degree farther besides this hugging and hastie embracing of the evil motions of sin proposed unto us I say One degree farther even by seeking after temptation and inviting of outward means to beget sin within us just as those of whom Isaiah speaks that draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sin as it were with a cart-rope Well notwithstanding Though sin doth thus even dye our souls in grain Thy mercies Lord can purge out all the stain Before thee we are ' sham'd to shew our face But all our hope is in thy saving grace notwithstanding I say the unhappie discouragements of sin we shall embolden our selves to offer up in this manner our resolution unto the Lord. O merciful Father if it would please thee to passe by our iniquities and to forgive us this time sure now in good earnest we will perform our words we will certainly keep our promise and set our selves more syncerely to it then before hitherto we have promised well but now will we do well knowing verily that it is not the sudden passion of a good desire that is sufficient but the constant habit of better Obedience it is not enough to have the shew of godlinesse in our Mouthes and bare Intentions if we deny the true power and effect thereof in our Lives and Conversations We will now therefore act out our intendment in the practice of Religion whatsoever hath been past we will now certainly be altogether in good earnest there shall nothing hinder us Thus