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	sin_n	will_n	3,206	5	6.5361	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51408	Debts discharge, or Some considerations on Rom. 13. 8. the former part. Owe nothing to any man, but to love one another Being an endeavour to state that case of conscience, and designed to perswade all men to get and keep out of debt as much as may be. By C.M.	Morton, Charles, 1627-1698.	1684 (1684)	Wing M2821; ESTC R216839	27,084	67

Debts Discharge OR SOME CONSIDERATIONS ON ROM 13.8 the former Part. Owe nothing to any man but to love one another Being an Endeavour to state that Case of Conscience and designed to perswade all men to get and keep out of Debt as much as may be By C. M. The wicked borroweth and payeth not again Psal 37.21 The borrower is servant to the lender Pro. 22.7 Post Tringita Dies a Judice Constitutos Debitor non solvens vinctus compedibus atque in nervo tradebatur creditori qui eum domi ceu Jumentum cogebat operari quoad sibi satisfactum esset In Legib. 12. Tab. ut refert Aulus Gellius LONDON Printed for Tho Cockerill at the Three Legs in the Poultry over against the Stocks Market 1684. The CONTENTS THe Context opened of dues to Magistrates Page 1 Of Debts the Distribution into proper Lawful 4 proper Unlawful 4 Metaphorical 4 Lawful shewed from The nature of the Contract 5 Necessity and Expedience 8 Scripture Commanding to lend 10 Commending the Lender 12 Allowing Usury 13 Pauls and other good mens Debts 16 Mutual borrowing is Brotherly kindness 17 Unlawful its Debtors Careless their Causes Not considering Estates 19 Suretiship lawful and unlawful 19 Creditors rebuked 24 Treacherous 26 Proud 27 Presumptuous and Covetous 28 Concomitants Sin and the cause of Sin 29 Sorrow from Disgrace and Disturbance 30 Advice to men In debt General to all 35 Special to some Sureties 38 Heirs and Executors 39 Corporations 45 Out of Debt to avoid Sodomiticals Pride 48 Idelness 50 Fulness of Bread 52 Covetousness 54 Vain confidence 56 Metaphorical Debts especially of Law 57 ERRATA PAge 19 line 22. for compound read become bound page 45 line 27. for oblatum read ablatum Page 48 line 10 for Halter read Halser Page 49 line 8. for houses read horses Page 59 line 7. for rendes read renders Debts discharge OR Some Considerations on Rom. 13.8 the former Part Owe nothing to any man but to love one another THE Apostle having in the 12. chap. discoursed of divers Ethical Vertues he comes in this 13th to treat of some Politicals particularly of Obedience to Governors from v. 1. to 7th and of common Justice to one another from 7. to 11. In the former he presses Subjection by Arguments drawn from the Fountain and Streams of Government 1. The Fountain thereof is Gods Ordination v. 1. No power but of God The powers that be are ordained of God Whence he infers this corollary Therefore they that resist Government resist Gods Ordinance and receive to themselves Judgment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not only of men but of God whose Ordinance ●s violated by them v. 2. 2. His second Argument is taken out of the Streams the use and Benefits of Magistracy which are according to Gods Ordination praise and encouragement of good works and a terror only to those evils our own or others which might hurt us And therefore it is said He is a minister of God unto the for good v. 3 4. From both these Arguments he infers a necessity of subordination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 5. Wherefore we must needs be subject and that not only for wrath for fear of punishment by humane laws whereby the vilest men are some way impelled or restrained but for conscience sake as genuine Christians who acknowledg this subjection necessary by Divine Precept and therefore readily comply with such Magistratical commands as they judg agreeable to the Will of God usque ad aras This practical judging according to the rule of Conscience Gods holy word is necessary for conscientious obedience and a modest enquiry into the Reasons of Superiors commands doth no more derogate from the Dignity of the commanders than examining Doctrines in matters of Faith does from the Preachers of the word which this very Apostle commands often and commends in the Bereans as a noble industry He proceeds to shew why men do or ought to pay tribute v. 6. For this cause pay you tribute also for they are Gods Ministers For this cause namely Conscience Because Christ commands it Matth. 22.21 And because they are Gods Ministers He subjoins another Reason enforcing even natural conscience by common equity if there were no Christianity in men and that is Attending continually upon this very thing namely the Ministry of God for your good according to their afore-noted Constitution Now as express Law and common Reason require provision for the Ministers of Worship to carry on their service and maintain their persons they who attend on the Altar must live of the Altar so the same Law and Reason requires support to the Ministers of Justice whose publick Service and honourable state necessary thereunto cannot be maintained without an answerable common contribution He concludes this discourse of Magistrates and passes over to the other branch common Justice with a general Exhortation Render therefore to all their dues v. 7. To the Magistrates their Tributes Customs Fear Honour and to all others their proprieties and due debts be just to all be behind-hand with no man if you pay it not it still remains due right never rots You are still debtors in equity which I would not have you be says God by the Apostle Owe nothing to any man but love In the Words there is mentioned a twofold debt one that is incumbent only upon one party and this is debt proper the other is reciprocal and incumbent on both Love love one another which is a debt metaphorical 'T is the proper debt aes alienum of which we intend now more fully to discourse This in the present prohibition seems absolutely and universally forbidden nothing not to any man Prince or Subject high or low But if you look back to v. 7. Render to all their dues That hints to us a limited sense in which I conceive it must be understood Not that to be in debt is absolutely and in it self unlawful but such a wilful owing is forbidden as detains anothers due without his free approbation and consent that renders it not when it is required of him Seeing therefore the matter admits of a distinction of lawful and unlawful owing we shall treat of both that the case of conscience may be more fully resolved And first of lawful Debt 1. Debt is lawful in it self for it is one of the species or kinds of contract founded on mans dominion over his own proprieties namely that between Lender and Borrower which may be thus defined A contract wherein one that has full dominion of money or any other thing valuable by money placeth it for a time in the hand and for the use of another only for his profit In which 1. Full Dominion It signifies a compleat right and propriety in a thing or a sufficient trust committed by such a Proprietor and both the Proprietor and Trustee must have an actual power and capacity prudently to dispose of it Therefore Children under age or years of discretion mad-men under distempers men of

without the knowing consent of the true owner and this is no other than theft in the Court of Conscience tho the Courts of Judicature may call it only a cheat But if men have no conscience to be awakened by these considerations let them think of one Motive from their worldly interest and that is That they that defraud others may expect some time or other to be defrauded themselves for if you have not been faithful in that which is an other mans who shall give you that which is your own Luke 16.12 3. Another sinful Debtor is the proud borrower who would seem to be richer than he is only to live high and make a bustle in the world Such scorn their own condition wherein Gods Providence has put them and are discontent with him for his allowance But this wicked pompous way of living by the just judgment of God and the righteous sentence of humane laws commonly even in this world ends in misery when the ruffler in his youth shall in or before his age lye and rot in a Goal and his bones as 't is called make dice to the disgrace of his name and memory 4. The last I shall at present mention is the presumptuous and covetous borrower I put them both together because they are usually conjoined These are such as have stronger fancies than judgments Vehement inclinations without due consideration of possible not altogether improbable events These without sufficient reason promise to themselves mountains of advantage and therefore stretch their credits to the utmost to satisfie their rapacious desire or gratifie their humour Such are the high adventurers either in trade or game far above what their stock will bear in case of a disappointment These do highly tempt and provoke God and it is very usual in his holy Providence to cross such confidences and blast their great projects and designs and to make them see tho oftentimes too late their egregious folly their folly at least if there be no knavery in the bottom in their all-coveting and all-losing Now all these kinds of debt careless treacherous proud presumptuous and covetous are sin and the cause of sin 1. Sin either as they tempt God or wrong men when there is not care or intention to pay The wicked borroweth and payeth not again Ps 37.21 The Providence of God indeed does by losses extraordinary sometimes disable an honest man but then he always wills and endeavours and if after enabled does actually make full satisfaction 2. The cause of sin for debts are often the occasion of lying boasting breach of promise c. And sometimes grievous oppression of the poor the tears of Widows and Orphans that have been wronged will rise up in judgment against some of those debtors And thus much for the sin of debt for which it should be conscientiously avoided 2. The sorrow of debt is another evil for which we should studiously avoid it and carefully endeavour to owe nothing to any man The sorrow is commonly on the account of disgrace and disturbance 1. Disgrace 'T is a base thing to be a needless debtor Sometimes it is a kind of theft as is before noted and this is a sin that carries shame along with it The thief is ashamed when he is found Jer. 2.26 So are such debtors when their broken condition is discovered Sometimes if it be not theft borrowing is a beggary which is also shameful to an ingenuous mind 'T is but begging the profits of the loan at least and if they intend not to pay 't is begging the loan it self Many such gentlemen-beggers there are and some of them are impudent but tho they put off modesty they cannot long keep off shame when men shall baulk and be as shy of them as themselves are of their Creditors Besides there are many odious and infamous vices that bring men to an indigent and borrowing condition unfaithfulness may forfeit a gainful trust idleness may waste a fair estate and profuse prodigality Riot Whoredome Gaming c. may soon absorp and devour great Revenues Now when men by these or such like crimes do come to want and borrow their former wickedness more than their present want will be taken notice of and pointed at by the most See say they this man that was once in a prosperous condition and so might still have continued had he been wise or honest see what his ungodly courses have brought him to On this account I conceive were those Words of the unjust steward Luke 16.3 I cannot dig to beg I am ashamed I cannot dig as not used to hard labout to beg ashamed lest men should upbraid me with my former state and scorn and laugh at my folly This kind of Poverty of all others is that which verifies the saying of the Poet Nil habet paupertas Durius in se Quam quod ridiculos Homines faciat 2. Disturbance of mind and great incumbrance of thoughts how to save repute and discharge obligation It is so usually in all men for that debt hath in men the resemblance of guilt the guilty conscience for instance of a murderer dogs and haunts him wherever he goes is always afraid of vengeance Every one that sinds me shall slay me says Cain Gen. 4.14 presents to his imagination frightful specters and every man he meets as an avenger of blood Very much like this are the debtors thoughts embroil'd he fancies every one that knocks at door a Creditor every stranger he meets a bailiff and if his cloak hitch accidentally in a Tenter-hook he presently is ready to cry out as the story goes At whose suit Yea sin and debt are so near a kin that the Holy Ghost according to the Syrian Idiotism expresses one by the other Matth. 6.12 And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors which Luke records thus ch 11.4 Forgive us our sins for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us Thus in express words sin is called debt Sometimes in Parables as that Matth. 18.24 c. Where God is set forth as a great King calling his Servants to account the great sinner as one that ought him ten thousand talents the desert of sin by being bound and sold v. 25. Repentance by falling down worshipping and prayer v. 26. Pardon by loosing and forgiving him the debt v. 26. Thus it is to the generality of men a trouble like the conscience guilty of sin But more especially is it grievous and perplexing to ingenuous persons who have any honesty and modesty in them they are vexed and ashamed to think that they should live to any others hindrance or damage but whether it trouble them or no 't is a lamentable case and to be debtors is used in Scripture as an expression of a miserable and distressed condition thus Davids poor followers are set forth as a sort of out-law'd persons 1 Sam. 22.2 Every one that was in distress and every one that was in debt They are not sui