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	suffer_v	suffering_n	2,047	5	9.4271	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07608	A treatise of mental prayer· In vvhich is briefly declared the manner how to exercise the inward actes of vertues by Fr. Ant. de Molina Carthusian. Whereunto is adioyned a very profitable treatise of exhortation to spirituall profit. VVritten by F. Francis Arias of the Society of Iesus. Togeather with a dialogue of contrition and attrition. All translated out of Spanish into English by a Father of the Society of Iesus.; Exercicios espirituales. English	Molina, Antonio de, d. 1619?; Sweetnam, John, 1581-1622.; Everard, Thomas, 1560-1633.; Arias, Francisco. aut; Haller, Richard. Breve apuntamiento acerca de la contricion. English. aut; Wilson, John, ca. 1575-ca. 1645?	1617 (1617)	STC 18000; ESTC S112795	94,576	370

merits which he gat with them as if for him only he had suffered And so thou oughtest to cōsider this one thing which was so indeed that when Christ suffered he had thee as present in his memorie as if thou hadst beene there really present he had also present before his eyes all thy sinnes and that he set his eyes vpon thee and said with great loue and tendernes For thee o man and for thy sinnes I suffer this and I suffer it willingly for thy saluation and remedy of thy Soule with great desire that thon profit thy selfe by it and know certainly that if for thee only it were necessary to suffer all this and much more I loue thee so dearly that it is sufficient to suffer for thee alone And this being so it is most iust that euery one take to himselfe that which Christ suffered and make account of it so did the glorious Apostle S. Paul when he said I liue in the sayth of Christ Iesus who loued me and dyed for me §. IIII FOR WHY 1. THE fourth circumstance is to consider For VVhy that is for what cause our Sauour suffered all this The President who gaue the sentence after he had very well examined his cause did affirme thrice that he found no cause at al either to condemne him or giue him any punishment and indeed it was so that he had not any fault for he was most innocent not knowing what sinne was neuer did harme to any but good to all so that the cause being well examined it is found that there was no other of his part but his bounty and mercy and those bowels of infinite charity with which he tooke compassion of the misery of men who were all condemned to eternall death and had no possibility to be deliuered from this sentence And all that he suffered was only to do good vnto men to deliuer them from the euills of their offences and from eternall paynes which they deserued for them without any necessity profit or interest of his part 2. And conformable to this you must consider very well as you meditate any thing that our Sauiour suffered that he suffered it of his owne free will might haue excused it if he would and he would not but suffer so great payne and torments only for our good This is the cause which was of his part for which he suffered to wit his bounty his mercy his charity and loue but of our part there were our sinnes the cause of his suffering And so when you meditate how they apprehended our Sauiour accused him besett him spit vpon him whipped and scourged him with all the rest consider that thou art the cause of all that and that they be thy sinnes that accuse him and abuse him and giue testimony vnto the processe that he may be iudged to death and put vpon the Crosse §. V. OF VVHOME THE fifth circumstance is to consider Of VVhome he suffered that is who be they that inflict those paynes vpon him and in this we must cōsider the points following 1. First that he suffered of his owne Chosen and Elected people of whome he in particular was Lord and King to whome he had been promised so many yeares since whome he brought out of Captiuity of Aegypt with so great myracles and prodigious wonders to whome himselfe gaue the Law written with his finger whom he sustayned fourtie yeares with bread from heauen to whome he gaue the Land of Promise whome he honoured so much as to take flesh of their linage and came in person to preach vnto them and teach them 2. The seçond that he suffered of them to whome he had done so great good and giuen so many benefits raysing their dead deliuering their possessed during their diseased and conuersing amongest them with such loue and beneuolence 3. The third that he suffered of his cruell enemyes who for the space of two yeares had sought his life and to dishonour him would haue drunke his bloud so great was their hatred and detestation towards him and to these he cōmitted himselfe willingly to the end they might vse him at their pleasure 4. The fourth that he suffered of most vile base Vassales of no account at all without any shame measure or any other respect for doubtles they who did torment him were the publike executioners who were wont to punish the malefactors if it be not that perhaps the Chiefe Priests did commit this to some base seruants of their owne that they might torment him with the more cruelty Of him that gaue him the buffet saith S. Iohn the Euangelist that he was a seruant of the High Priest and so we may thinke others were also who tormented him But howsoeuer wee see they were base fellowes and slaues very poore and abiect for they parted his poore garments in foure parts amongst them 5. The fifth that our Blessed Sauiour suffered of all kind of people Gentiles and Iewes of great and small of the principall of the cōmon sort all it semeth concurred against him and those who six dayes before had done him so great honour receiuing him with palmes and crying out that he was King of Israël now they perswade themselues that all his myracles were deuises craftes and that he pretended to vsurpe the Kingdome and now they desire to haue him crucified and that the thiefe and homicide Barabbas should be set free 6. The sixt that he suffered of his owne Disciples which was not the least of his payne to see that the Disciple whome he had taught so long and brought vp vnder his wing and done him so many good turnes should sell him betray him to his enemies and another Disciple whome he had honoured about the rest making him Head of the Church that he should deny him publickly with an oath and that all the rest should forsake him and runne away leauing him in the hands of his enemies And finally he suffered euen of his owne mother for although the most Blessed Virgin Mary had no fault at all but very great merit in being present at the passion of her sonne yet with her presence she did increase greatly his griefe payne in so much that he would haue suffered them double not to haue seene that which his mother suffered and notwithstanding he would passe all this that our redemption might be more copious although so greatly to his cost and cost of his most Blessed Mother §. VI. HOVV THE sixt circumstance is How he suffered in the which there be three poynts to be considered 1. The first that he suffered with exceding great charity in so much that although the works he wrought were so excellent and great and so excessiue the paynes he suffered yet we must rather ponder the manner how he suffered them then what he suffered For how much soeuer it was he suffered far greater was his charity by the which he was prepared to suffer much more if it had

veniall sinne and I will deny nothing to any one who shall aske me although it be needfull for my selfe and so in like things 4. God giueth him a desire to content our Sauiour in all things he must not be content to propoūd it so in generall but come in particuler to cōsider But in what can I content him In fullfilling better my profession being more obedient to my Superiours more obseruant in all things of the Religion in giuing good example to my brethren in performing those things that obedience commands me which more diligence and deuotion in louing my neghbours from my hart in seruing them with great charity and in procuring to giue them content in whatsoeuer I canne for Gods sake and propound to do all these things with constancy 5. God giueth him a desire to go forward in vertue see presently Well what is it that hinders me And he shall find that selfe loue hindreth him and too much affection to himselfe his slouth negligence in the exercise of vertue his selfe will not hauing mortified his senses and appetits and many other thinges which eueryone in himselfe will find by experience Then to propound to amend al this and euery thing in particuler And in the same fashion he must make actes of all the rest of the vertues particularizing of them according to his manner of proceeding and marking all wayes the thing he hath most need of to put there most force 6. But marke well that these particuler actes be not made so that they deuert him from his prayer occupying his imaginatiō in framing the things which he must do or the persons with whome he is to conuerse For in this there must be much regard that in such sort he attend to that which is vertue that he distract not his thought to things that be impertinent and not to the purpose in this sort this exercise is the most profitable that is done in prayer for all prayer is ordayned to reforme bad customs and perfect vertues and this is not gotten with such efficacie in the generall acts as descending to the particuler 7. For it is a thing very easy for a man to desire yea and to propound with himselfe purpose to be humble and temperate in generall and as it is easily purposed so it is easily left But where the profit doth consist is to come to the particuler and make the acts as is before said And afterward when he shall make the examine of his conscience see how he doth fullfill those purposes to amend that which is wanting and desire grace of our Sauiour to fullfill it CHAP. IIII. Wherin briefly is repeated and declared all that is aboue said BECAVSE it is of great importance for those who begin to pray to learne and know how to discourse of the circumstances which they are to cōsider and to excercise the affects which they gather out of them that they may the better be kept in memory and all that we haue said before I thought it would be of great profit and commodity to reduce it all to a briefe Summe as followeth A Summe of the generall circumstances which may be considered in the mysteryes of Christ our Lord. §. 1. 1. THE principall circumstances be six signified by these words VVho VVhat For whome For what Of whome How and the declaration of them is this The first circumstance VVho is he that suffereth That it is Iesus Christ God and Man in as much as he is God he is the Eternall Word of his Father second person of the most B. Trinity which created all things and conserues and gouernes them and whome all serue and obay In as much as he is man he is King and vniuersall Lord of all that is created to whome all creatures owe obedience and subiection According to his body he is conceiued by the holy Ghost and so is the most beautifull and perfect of all men that God created and the most delicate and sensible of all that euer were or shal be According to his soule he is full of grace charity and of all vertues and giftes of the holy Ghost full of meruailous science wisdome by which he seeth and knoweth most perfectly euery thing that is were or shal be and that most holy soule is full of glory and blessednes Beside this he is a great Prophet a most holy man who made such excellent sermons and wrought such great miracles whome all people had in great veneration and esteeme 2. The second circumstance VVhat is that which he suffereth That they were the greatest torments paynes and griefs that euer were suffered in the world ioyned with most grieuous iniuries scoffes and mockeries and besides that which he suffered outwardly it was far more that he suffered inwardly in his soule in the inferiour part of it First for the representation al the sinnes of the world particulerly those of that people in putting him to death Secondly by reason of the knowledge he had and the memory of all the soules that were to be condemned and especially of those that be Christians Thirdly by reason of the liuely representatiō that he alwayes had of the griefs of his passion by the which he alwayes suffered them altogeather interiorly Fourthly for the most bitter griefs and panges which he saw his most holy Mother to suffer the which he selt more then his owne with these foure nayles he was crucified all his life and tormented interiorly with them 3. The third circumstance For whome doth he suffer That is for all men generally as well enemies as friends and for those who are actually accusing of him tormenting and killing him and for thee thy selfe so in particuler as if only for thee he suffered which if it had been necessary he had charity inough and more then inough to suffer for thee only and had thee so present in his memory all thy sinnes as if for them only he had suffered and such desire he had that thou mightst profit thy selfe 4. The fourth circumstance For what cause he suffereth That is only for his owne goodnes and mercy and his infinite Charity to deliuer men from great Euills from which none but himselfe could deliuer them and to do them very much good not hauing any need of his owne part nor profit at all but of his owne will and liberality And of mans part the cause of his passion were all our sinnes these were they which did torment him crucifie him and bring him to death 5. The fifth circumstance Of wome he suffereth First of his owne chosen people of whome he was King and naturall Lord and whom he had honoured so much taking flesh of their linage Secondly of those to whome he had done so many and great benefits Thirdly of most cruell enemies who did deadly hate abhor him Fourthly of most vile villaines discourteous without all kind of pitty or good respect Fifthly of all kind of people Gentils Iewes great

for this I say as if God had wholy forgotten al the other seruants he had in that people being offended with Salomou and with them and desirous to punish them for the great enormit yes they had committed he said to Salomon Scindam Regnum tuum dabo illud seruo tuo c. I will rent thy Kingdome and will giue it to thy seruant notwithstanding in thy dayes I will not do it because of Dauid thy father Out of thy sonnes hand will I rent it nor will I take away all the Kingdome but one Tribe I will giue to thy sonne because of Dauid my seruant 13. And to King Ezechias who was sicke and looking to die he sent to tell by the Prophet Isay as followeth Ecce sanauite c. Behold I haue healed thee the third day thou thalt go vp to the Temple of our Lord. And I will adde vnto thy daies fifteene years also out of the hand of the King of Assyria will I deliuer thee and this Citty and will defend this Citty for mine owne sake and for Dauid my seruants sake Who is able to declare worthily that which is discouered in these heauenly testimonies concerning this point how much God doth esteeme a man eminent in vertue who doth greatly abhorre all sinne whatsoeuer and much loue all works of iustice is very humble and patient in iniuries very diligent in deeds of charity and wonderfull zealous of the glory of God seeing that he taketh himselfe to be so much honoured by one of these that he giueth him his Name calling him his God and not to displease him leaueth the execution of his iustice against a whole Kingdome and is pacified with his prayer and in a certaine manner doth make subiect vnto him the very lawes of nature to do with his creatures that which pleaseth him and doth for him alone that he doth not for many iust men that doe serue him vnperfectly and he being infinite and eternall Maiesty and man but a creature made of nothing by his only will he doth vouchsafe in a certaine māner to make him equall to himselfe saying I will defend this Citty for mine owne sake and for Dauid my seruants sake How much they doe import and help the Church who do serue God and profit in vertue CHAP. III. ALBEIT all iust men and seruants of God who liue in his grace do help the mysticall body of the Church because with their good works and prayers they obtayne spirituall fauours and gifts by which sinners are conuerted and iust men are maintained yet men that haue gone forward and be perfect in vertue are in this respect of singular profit and vtility For although all iust men be liuing members of the Church children of light neuertheles those other be as the eyes in a mans body and as in this world the greater starres of the firmament and the sunne moone that be as the eyes light of this corporall world 2. So doth holy Scripture call them in sundry places S. Paul to the Philippians sayth In the middest of a crooked peruerse generation among whome you shine as lights in the world And our Lord Iesus Christ declared vnto S. Iohn that the starres which he held in his hand were the Prelats and holy Doctors whome there he doth call Angells of the Churches for that these men of excellent vertue with their learning and principally with their example doe awaken and wonderfully animate all others to the loue of vertue In so much that only one of these is able to conuert a whole Citty and Kingdome keep the same in the feare of God which the example of those who be neither hoate nor could neuer doth for although on the one side they eschew all mortall sinnes yet on the other if a man see them commit of purpose such things as are euidently sinnes but not mortall and that they be carelesse to do works of pennance and charity they moue him very little to the loue of vertue Wherfore to raise vp those who are fallen into mortall sinne there is necessary for the most part an example of great power and efficacy and to inflame those that be cold is necessary an example that hath great aduātage ouer them And because this example is found in those men who haue profited in vertue hence it is that they do so much moue their neighbours and that God doth vse them as fit instruments for so great works 3. So doth S. Gregory say that the examples of holy Fathers do help vs excedingly to the renouation of spirit because by viewing and considering the workes of holy men we be inflamed to the loue of vertue and our hart doth cast of her luke warmnesse prouoked thereunto by the imitation of Saints An excellent testimony of this truth is that which holy Scripture doth recount in the Booke of Iudges It is there set downe how the children of Israel did for long time after the death of Moyses keep themselues in the seruice of God but at length did forsake and depart from the same and the cause of this is said to be for that whilest there were amongst the people auncient and graue men zealous of the glory of God who had seene the meruails that God had wrought with the people they were with the learning and example of these men kept in the feare of his diuine Maiesty but these being once dead the people forth with forsooke God because they wanted men renowned in vertue who with their words and examples might maintaine and prescrue them 4. Besides this a worthy restimony of the same truth is that which holy Scripture doth set before vs in the fourth booke of Kings to wit that when Ioas raigned in Hierusalem forty yeares in the beginning therof he was a good King and did walke vprightly in the sight of God and all the people remained in the seruice of the true God and it is said that the cause of this their good was that there liued in Hierusalem a holy-Priest named Ioiada who in his life time held with his doctrine and example both the King people in the scruice of God but as soone as he was dead departed the King swarued from the truth the people forsooke their God 5. This is then that profit so admirable that Gods good seruants do in the cōmon wealth and in the vniuersall Church of the faithful All iust persons who liue in Gods grace although they haue but little vertue are liuing stones of the Church of Christ and do help the building of this house and spirituall Temple of God and the conseruation of the same as S. Peter telleth vs but good men that goe forward in vertue are the pillars of this building which next after God they do beare vp and maintaine and keep the same vnited with the corner stone and head of all the building which is Christ the Captaine Prince of the whole Church and so doth holy Scripture

that which was wrought Thus much S. Gregory By which words is easily vnderstood how greatly it importeth all those that serue God that they procure to go forwards and profit daily in vertue and goodnes 3. But yet how necessary a thing this care of going forward is to all those that serue God and how assured the daunger is of turning backe and how disposed those be to vndo themselues who haue not this care S. Bernard doth declare very cleerely saying in this māner We haue not heere a Citty of aboad it is necessary that either thou mount vp or go downe if thou attempt to stand still it is impossible thou fall not It is most certaine that he is not good who is not willing to be better And where once thou beginnest to loath to become better there also it is that thou leauest to be good And in another place he saith So will I liue to my selfe sayst thou and remaine in that whereto I haue attained neither doe I suffer to become worse nor desire to become better Thou dost then desire that which at all cannot be But if thou stand still when Christ doth runne thou dost not approach neere to Christ but dost remoue thy selfe further from him and thou oughtest to feare that which Dauid saith Behold those that with-draw themselues o Lord from thee shall perish I here be S. Bernards words 4. And although it be true that not straightway when one leaueth to profit in vertue he loseth the goodnes he had to be vertuous nor the grace to be in Gods seruice yet as we haue said he disposeth himself to lose the same and to signify the great daunger in which he standeth to loose it and how neere he is to fall S. Bernard saith that not to go forward is to cease to be good and that is to fall And also he speaketh in this manner because that negligence and carelesnes to go forward although it be not in the very beginning a mortall sinne which taketh away all goodnes and grace yet is it in part to leaue to be good and it is a certaine kind of fall This is that which holy Fathers do say of the great domage that not going forward in vertue and the seruice of God doth worke in him who hath begon to serue God but yet goeth not forward 5. Neither doth holy Scripture leaue to tel vs the great daunger in which these retchles men do liue and how neere they be to fall lose whatsoeuer they haue gotten In one place it saith Qui mollis est dissolut us in opere suo frater est sua opera dissipantis He that is slouthfull and carelesse in his worke is the brother of him that scattereth abroad his works The sense wherof is that he who profiteth not in forwarding the good he begonne and procuring to do with due diligence and perfectiō the good works he taketh in hand is like to one that destroieth all the good he had wrought For as this man loseth it wholy so that other is in daunger and disposition to lose it And in another place the same Scripture saith Slouthfullnes bringeth sleep and a negligent soule shal be famished That is as S. Gregory doth well declare the same that as slouth fullnesse is cause why the body sleepeth without necessity and negligence in labouring is cause why a man indureth hunger and wanteth what is necessary for his sustenance so slacknesse and coldenesse in good life and in going forward in Gods seruice cometh to cause in our soule a spirituall sleeping that maketh it as it were insensible for al good things and want all spirituall repasts comforts and liuely desires of heauen and suffer hunger of earthly consolations 6. This is another domage very great indeed which the negligence of a mans owne profit doth worke in the soule for that it maketh it lose all affection and comfort of heauen and that now it taketh no pleasure neither to thinke nor to speake of God nor hath any tast of recollection and prater or reading of deuout lessons nor hath sauour in spirituall and vertuous exercises but it powreth it selfe out altogeather in desires of temporal things and seeketh contentment in reading and hearing things that be curious in speaking of things that be vaine and in recreating the senses with exteriour things whence easily it cometh to giue consent to such faults as wholy separate the same from al friendship and grace of God 7. This is that so dreadfull punishment which Christ threatned to one of these retchlesse persons in the Apocalyps saying I would thou wert cold or hoate but because thou art luke warme and nor cold nor hoate I will begin to vomite thee out of my mouth Hoate he heer calleth him saith S. Gregory who is diligent and feruent in good life and cold him who hath not forsaken mortall sinne but yet giueth great hope that he will forsake it and luke-warme he calleth him who hath begonne to serue God but yet liueth remissely and endeauoureth not to profit and go forward in goodnes 8. And his meaning is that albeit if we regard the grieuousnes of the fault that of the cold is greater then that of the luke-warme yet the daunger of the lukewarme is in a certaine manner greater which is if we consider that which falleth out to these men in time to come for of him that is cold and in mortall sinne there is great hope that he will be perfectly conuerted to those do incurre who be retchlesse to go forward in the seruice of God and in the good life they haue once begonne and it is a iust punishment of their ingratitude For as it is thankfullnesse to vse wel gifts receaued and to profit by them and hath for reward that the mercifull hand of God with great largenesse and liberality doth increase and multiply the gifts and graces as we haue said so not to vse well the gifts receaued nor to profit by them is very great ingratitude and hath for iust punishment of God conformably to the grieuousnes of the sinne to take from him the fauours succours gifts which for his mercy he gaue him euen to bereaue him of all in the death iudgment which must be done vpon him to deliuer him to the paines that his vnthankfullnesse hath deserued which is the chastisment that is to be giuen to the vnprofitable seruant frō whome his Lord tooke the talent which he had giuen him and cast him afterwards into euerlasting darknesse How the Care of going alwaies forward in vertue is conuentent for al the seruants of God not only for those that begin but also for those that haue profited much and are perfect CHAP. VI. IT might seeme to some one that the necessity and obligation of going forward pertained only to those who of new begin to serue God and that such as were much aduanced might excuse themselues from this necessity but it is not so for it pertaineth to