Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	king_n	reason_n	2,820	5	4.6521	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64004	The art of salvation preached first at Saint Maries in Oxford, and now published by Thomas Tvvittee ...	Twittee, Thomas, b. 1596.	1643 (1643)	Wing T3426; ESTC R32884	17,921	26

strength and ability have scorned the ministrie and made noe conscience of theft fornication heaven-daring provocations who when they came to be truly humbled and amazed have with much contrition of heart and compunction of spirit washed away the blackenesse of their sinnes and turned unto the Lord and this must needs be so for many reasons First we argue a contrario from the contrary as the Logicians say Prosperity ease and quietnesse doe most commonly dull mens devotion and draw them from God and therefore affliction and distresse must drive them to him and make them sollicitous for heaven Was it not so with Israel Gods owne peculiar people noe sooner delivered and at quiet but they forgot God nay they made hast to forget him as the word in the originall importeth Psal 106. But Lord in their trouble they have visited thee they have poured forth their prayer when thy chastening was upon them Isai 26.16 The Prodigals full pursue puts him into an itch of travailing and he no sooner receiveth his portion but he runneth from his indulgent father Luke 15. Even so it is with many the filling of their barnes their garners their purses emptieth their hearts of piety and devotion Wise Agur therefore Prov 30.8 Prayeth against this Give mee neither poverty nor riches the first clause of his petition every one will say Amen to Poverty We runne from it as from a Lyon but for riches they are prima vota cunctis notissima templis as the Poet saith the first petition in our Pater Noster is for riches yea but saith the wise man Give mee not riches and he addes the reason in the next verse Least I be full deny thee and say who is the Lord Plutarch in his Pelopidas reports that King Antigonus had once in his army a very sick lie souldier who being weary of life and desirous to dye was allwayes for most in the hottest services the Generall casting an eye of affection upon the incomparable valour of the man by his great care and cost caused him to be cured and expecting he should have beeue as forward as before findeth the contrary for now he kept a loofe and never approached any apparent Danger whereupon being demanded the reason he thus replyed O King thou art the cause before I had nothing but sickenesse diseases and paine to part with but now I have a sound body something to loose You may apply it It is true of every one of us so long as we are diseased in body or minde we distast the world we desire heaven we would be dissolved and be with Christ presently but when once we come to be cured and eased then we presently draw backe we have something to loose It is good sleeping in a whole skinne and approved discretion not to be too forward Oh the dangerous effects of worldly ease and prosperity if not attended and moderated allwayes by a religious discretion these are those Circes and Syrens Homer mentioneth which have such effacinating power as to alienate mens mindes and transforme them into very swine these are allwayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Greeke Orator calls them the occasions of evill giving men ability to be idle and a will to drench themselves in all kind of luxury These are those thorns mentioned by our Saviour in the Gospell Math. 13. and Luke 8. Whereby the good seed of admonition is continually choaked these draw men from God as we see in that young man who though he seemed desirous of heaven yet could not keepe company with Christ because of his possessions Math 19 16 23 Secondly distresse and Perplexity drive us to God because thereby we trulie come to know our owne weaknesse and infirmity when we that before vaunted of our strength in induring any thing shal be dejected by those inward distractions when those that before seemed as desperate as that flagitious Judge Luke 18 who did neither feare God nor reverence man and are as bold as if they durst grapple with lightning and confront the Majesty of Heaven shall come to sinke and almost expire under the horror and weight of a distressed Conscience for a wounded Spirit who can beare Prover 18.14 it is a burthen beyond the support of nature Thirdly as we hence see our owne weaknesse and infirmity so are we also taught the vanity of all outward and sublunary things when we can say of them as Job of his friends in his greatest extremity Miserable comforters are you all for riches availe not in the day of wrath Prov. 11.4 when honours and profits and pleasures and preferments and all things the world affordeth doe us no more good in these soule Agonies in these spirituall convulsions then a silken sleeve doth an arme out of joynt then seeing the wretched vanity of these things we now do delight and and trust in we are glad to runne out of the world yea out of our selves to fly unto the Sanctuary of Gods mercy and lay hold on the hornes of that Altar This consideration affords First matter of reproofe for all those which either through violence of passion or violence of affection goe cleane contray to this truth whereas in all distresse either of body or minde they should have recourse unto God they run from him or else adhere onely unto the subordinate helpe of outward things thus Cain thought to pacify the fury of a despairing Conscience by outward imployment by building a Citty Asa in his disease trusts in his Phisition Saul in his distresse seekes to the sound of the Harpe and lastly to the Witch of Endor thus many lay wine on their cares hoping so to sinke them and to cure these qualmes as they call them by musike and merry company but haeret lateri laethalis arundo this for a time may give some seeming ease but the wound festers the more afterwards or else as the Lord himselfe complaines in the 8 of Esay 19. They seeke unto Wizards and those that have familiar spirits that peepe and mutter whereas a People should seeke unto their God and therefore when they are hard bestead they shall fret themselves and curse their King and their God that is that which they made such account of and relyed on and they shall looke upwards as it followeth in the 17 of that Prophecy and the 7 In that day shall a man looke to his maker and his eyes shall have respect unto the holy one of Israell Secondly here is matter of confutation for all those who as holy Job long agoe complained cry unto Riches you are our hope and to the wedge of Gold thou art our confidence which place their only happinesse in outward rest and worldly prosperity which having once attained they then thinke they are arrived at the only haven of comfort and that they are highly in the favour of God whereas the contrary is evident in that he most commonly hath given a more liberall portion of these outward things to his