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	know_v	reason_n	2,948	5	4.7939	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62263	The felicity of a Christian life by Hierome Savonarola.; De simplicitate Christianae vitae. Liber 5. English	Savonarola, Girolamo, 1452-1498.	1651 (1651)	Wing S779; ESTC R7937	21,807	82

and deviations which seem to be in them more then in other things yet certainly it cannot be denied by any wise man but that he hath over them and over all and over the least as much as over the greatest Because Providence in every Thing is so much the more perfect and more excellent by how much it further extends it self and taketh care of more Things seeing then that the Providence of God must be acknowledged the most perfect of all it must also of necessity extend it self to all Things it must leave nothing unprovided for it must overpasse nothing We observe also in all causes a naturall and vehement inclination as it were to govern and perfect their effects as for example in bruit beasts what an admirable and great care have they of their young ones Seeing therefore that whatsoever good is in the second causes they have it from the first to which they do all naturally desire so much as may be to assimilate themselves it is manifest that the first and generall cause of all things as it were a Common Parent must have a great and exact care over all particular effects seeing he is the cause of all Beside if God hath not providence over humane affairs what is the reason is it because he cannot or because he knows not how to govern them or lastly because he will not none of these can be imagined of God For shall we think of God that he cannot or knoweth not how to execute that which man both knoweth and also is able to do and if but a good man who hath ability and skill to order affairs is also ever willing of his own part to do it shall we think of God who is most able most skilfull and wise and also insinitely good that he should be lesse willing Again if God Almighty had not care of humane affairs why hath he given man such a naturall instinct and inclination to worship him God and nature we use to say do nothing in vain We conclude therefore that it is an argument onely of madnesse or a distempered mind to say There is no God or that God is but hath not providence or care over us men and that it is the part duty of a wise man not onely to know but continually to consider that there is a Governour over the world who hath the same particular providence over men that he hath over other naturall Things that is to conduct guide them all by due means unto their proper and last ends And because it is his property to dispose All Things sweetly he guideth every one of them to their ends in such manne as is most congruous and agreeable to their severall natures and man in particular Freely according to that liberty of his will which is naturall to him From whence it is also that among men some are good and some are evill The good are they whose life is agreeable to reason conforming themselves to such Illuminations and Inspirations as they have from God in all things studying and endeavouring to please him The evill are those who follow not reason nor observe any rectitude or regularity of life If therefore the Divine Majesty hath providence over humane affairs and be Just as he is he must certainly have determined with himself both to reward the good and to punish such as be evill But this we see not done at least not exactly not particularly in this life therefore we must confesse some other life to come wherein the rewards of the Just and punishments of the wicked shall be more eminently seen Which if it be so how much doth it concern us to please God by a good life And seeing as we have elswhere shewen that there can be no better life then the Christian life is it is to no purpose for us to seek any where else how to live or how to please God for a life so led cannot be without its due reward cannot be frustrated of that happinesse which is promised to it if it could there were no life sure of happinesse for the life of Christians in many respects sheweth that God hath peculiar providence over them and therfore if their faith were not true neither could their life so much be governed by it nor would God sufter them long in that errour whose Goodnesse it is to Illuminate those which are Good and right of heart and to harden and leave in blindnesse onely those which are evil If therefore These Things be so let us believe in Christ and let us live Christianly for so doing as is manifest by what hath been said we cannot perish but must be happy in this world and in the next After a man hath by this first consideration prepared himself and is resolved to do what he can to attain Christian life the second Precept to be given him is this viz. That he seriously consider what that thing is wherein Christian life doth as it were essentially consist which is the grace of God I mean that grace which as we touched before doth justifie make a man good in the sight of God For we observe some men as soon as they begin to have a desire of living Christianly they presently apply themselves to the Ceremonies of religion and performing them exteriourly they imagine all on the sudden that they are become exceeding good Christians with which vanity many deceive themselves pretending to be Christians but falsly being indeed a foolish lukewarm yet very arrogant sort of people Men indeed looking onely on the outside praise what they see but God beholds the heart and sayes to these men as our Saviour said to the Pharisees ye are they who justifie your selves before men but God knows your hearts for many times that which is of high esteem with men is abomination before God He therefore that desires indeed to live Christianly let him endeavour with the utmost of his power to obtain the grace of God not resting til by some good signs arguments he can probably persuade himself that he hath obtained it And because the Grace of God is given in and by the Holy Sacraments to all those who devoutly and worthily come unto them let him prepare himself in the second place to receive the Sacraments with the best disposition and diligence he can In particular If he be a believer but yet not Baptized let him prepare himself and come to the Sacrament of Baptisme with atrue sincere Faith and good Intention If he be already a Christian but guilty of sins let him come with true Contrition pure Confession and perfect Satissaction and submit himself to the Sacrament of Pennance and thereby also devoutly sit himself for the Sacrament of the Eucharist and in this course let him persist constantly untill by some good conjectures he find that he may have obtained the Grace of God Now the best of that sort especially for beginners seem to be these viz. if he find in himself