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	lord_n	people_n	4,203	5	4.5705	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15797	The sincere preacher prouing that in whom is adulation, auarice, or ambition, he cannot be sincere. Deliuered in three sermons in Dartmouth in Deuon, vpon I. Thes. 2. 5.6. By Walter Wylshman, Mr. of Art, and minister of the Word there.	Wylshman, Walter, 1571 or 2-1636.	1616 (1616)	STC 26058; ESTC S114199	31,536	100

vngodly so riches is not euill in the heart sanctified Goods then with godlinesse is no hindrance to sincerenesse but mistrustfulnes with much or little riches breeds neither soundnesse nor sincerenes A second vse is that such people as in their owne knowledge and consciences perceiue their Pastors to be faithfull and freest off couetousnesse these should giue great credit to their doctrines for sincerenes In the eleuenth of the Acts it is recorded that when the Church vnderstood that a great number at Antiochia beleeued and turned vnto the Lord they sent Barnabas vnto them who when hee was come and had seene the grace of God in the sincerenesse of his heart he was glad saith the text and exhorted all that with purpose of heart they would cleaue vnto the Lord Where the holy Ghost sheweth that his so holy exhortation had a great and a blessed effect for much people ioyned themselues vnto the Lord. And what was the cause that should moue this people thus to ioyne vnto the Lord it is there noted that he was a good man and full of the holy Act. 11. 24 Ghost As if hee should say his goodnesse and sincerenesse was of great force to moue them to turne vnto the Lord. So we reade of Herod though otherwise a proud Prince and prophane yet when hee heard Iohn Baptist hee did many things Mark 6. 20. 21. and heard him gladly And what was the cause that should moue him hereunto the holie Ghost noteth the cause that it was Iohus sincerenesse For Herod feared Iohn knowing that hee was a iust man and an holy and reuerenced him so that those that will not reuerence their sincere Preacher are more prosane then wicked Herod was And yet behold the proteruitie of these times wherein all for the most part hate to be reproued because they haue no hearts to be reformed who like the peruerse Galathians count him Gal. 4. 16. their enemie that tels thē the truth The reason whereof our Sauiour yeelds namely that hee that euill Ioh. 3. 20. doth hateth the light neither commeth to the light lest his deedes should bee reproued So that the most profound are esteemed the most profane euen monstrous persons Zach. 3. 8. as signes and wonders Isai 8. 18. the most conscionable thought to bee most contentious Ierem. 15. 20. But what doth this bewray but that the whole body is dangerously sicke and out of order euen as a man in a feuer whē the gall hath dispersed it selfe ouer the stomacke findes no good taste or relish of the best meates and as the sluggish sleeper in the lethergie holds him his greatest foe that is his best friend in awaking him so it fareth with those poore soules that are most sicke with sinne they would goe to perdition in peace and cannot abide to be roused out of their sinnes Therefore wee haue great cause to pray with Dauid to establish vs with right and free spirits that being spirituall we may be able to discerne all things as they are we may loue soundly them that deale sincerely and haue them in 1. Thes 5. 13. singular regard for their workes sake Finally seeing that couetousnes is so great so grosse and so generall a sinne let euery man betimes examine his own soule whether it haue taken any hold in his heart for assure our selues their liues are miserable and their ends damnable as Phil. 3. 19 S. Paul saith that liue and dye in this sinne And therefore seeing the danger is so great and yet the sinne so common neede haue we euerie one of vs to pray to God with Dauid to encline our hearts vnto his Psal 119. 36. testimonies and not to couetousnes Which that wee may doe wee must labour to get that blessed gift of contentatiō that the holy Ghost Heb. 13. 5 exhorteth vnto saying Let not your conuersation be in couetousnes but be content with that you haue for hee hath said I wil not faile thee nor forsake thee A notable example of this vertue we haue in the Apostle Paul who had learned in whatsoeuer state hee was therewith to be content Phil. 4. 11. 12. and therefore he saith I can be abased and I can abound euerie where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry to abound and to haue want This which Paul practised is soone said but not so soone done That wee therefore may after his example be content in euery state of life and shunne this foule sinne of couetousnesse let vs consider of these preseruatiues First set before our eyes the commandement of God that saith Thou shalt not couet not thy neighbours house only but not any thing that is his For looke what is sinne to take in the sight of man is sinne to wish in the eyes of God but in mans sight it is sin to take any thing that is thy neighbours for it is against the law of nature that wils thee to doe as thou wouldest bee done vnto and against the law of iustice that commandeth to giue euery man his due Therefore saith God thou shalt not couet any thing that is thy neighbours be it neuer so little it is too much to couet and though hee can spare it God will not spare thee for wishing it and though it bee not much wherein thou offend'st yet the Maiestie of God is great whom herein thou offend'st therefore thou seest there is no warrant at al to couet Againe consider that though a man haue that which hee doth couet yet it cannot profit him vnlesse God blesse it The Israelites saith Dauid coueted flesh for their lusts and God gaue them their desire with their desire he gaue them flesh but hee sent leannesse withall Psal 106. 15 into their soules so many are sicke with Ahabs disease proposing to themselues if I had such a dwelling then I should haue content if such a liuing thē I should haue no want But consider I pray you may not this be a fond and false perswasion may not God crosse thee in thy wished-for dwelling with vnwished for diseases in thy body and with torturing horrour in thy conscience and then thy dwelling will not delight thee and thy couering will not content thee And as for riches thou maist drinke in gold with Balthazar and see with him Dan. 5. thy doome and downfull grauen in the walles of thy palaces that may more quaile thee then thy gold and wine can comfort thee Therefore Dauids counsell is worthy Psal 62. 10. 11. where he aduiseth saying If riches encrease set not thine heart vpon them Why for three reasons first for God spake once or twice and I heard it that power belongeth to God As if hee should say Nothing hath any power to do a man good but only God Secondly to thee O Lord belongeth mercie noting that nothing procureth pitie and mercie but onely God and that a man is loued and kindly entreated it is

who no doubt at first was a man of many good parts he forsooke all to follow his master Christ preached the Gospell and wrought miracles as well as any of the rest but once inamoured with the flowring white-thorne of riches and eagerly catching after it his heart was pricked with the thorn that lay hid in these flowers in such sort as that it swelled and festred in him vnto death bringing him vnto a most fearfull and dolefull downefall at the last And good reason for the couetous man is vniust against God against man against himselfe against his wealth Against God for hee doubteth and denieth his prouidence and preferreth earthly trash to God that should be his heauenly treasure Against man his neighbour in keeping all vnto himselfe whereas God hath made him but a steward not a Lord thereof to dispense vnto others Yea he doth not onely keepe his owne from him but by force as a Lion and by fraud as a Fox he wringeth and wresteth his neighbours wealth to himselfe and therefore Syrake calleth the defrauder Ecclus 11. 32. Iam. 5. 4. of the poore a man of blood And S. Iames willeth such cruell cormorants to weep and howle for the hire of the labourers crieth against them c. He is vniust against himselfe for he doth euen sell himselfe to the diuell for wicked gaine and like a sumpter horse beareth burthens to the diuell all his life time that in the end of his daies hee may bee thrust into the dirty stable of hell with a gald backe and a wounded conscience Whereupon Syracides saith well There is nothing worse ●●●lus 10. 9. then a couetous man why art thou proud O earth and ashes there is not a more wicked thing then to loue money for such an one would euen sell his soule and for his life euery one is compelled to put out his owne bowels agreeing with which is Salomon He that is greedie Pro. 1. 1● of gaine would take away the life of the owner thereof and by a consequent his owne too who must go for a recompence of his neighbors life Finally hee is vniust against his wealth for hee hideth it and depriues it of the end wherfore it was ordained suffereth it to corrupt and his garments to be motheaten as Saint Iames saith and therfore no maruell if the wrath of God come vpon such And thus much for the foulnesse of this sinne of couetousnesse Now I descend to the fourth circumstance of my diuision which is that no Minister ouercome with this sinne can deale sincerely My reasons are these First euery Minister is or should be the messenger of the Lord of hosts This heauenly Master and earthly Mammon cannot be serued of one and the same seruant together saith our Sauiour for they are Mat. 6. 24. contrary one to the other therefore that Minister that is ouercome with couetousnesse is fallen from Christ as was seene in Iudas cannot be faithfull vnto him Againe Mat. 13. 2. the deceitfulnesse of riches and the cares of this world choke the word saith Christ Hence I thus reason where the word is choked there the conscience is clogged where the conscience is clogged the heart is corrupted where the heart is corrupted that man is not sincere therfore the couetous Preacher is an vnsincere Preacher For euen as all beasts that go with their breasts on the ground were accounted abominable by the law of Moses so are euit 11. 42. all those bee they Ministers or others whose hearts are as it were soddered vnto the earth And here hence is it that the diuell vsed this as the last but not as the least engine to foyle Christ himselfe in tempting him saying All this will I giue thee thinking with the Poet Auri sacra fames quid non which certainly preuaileth much where grace gardeth not Therefore wee reade Reuel 12. 4. That the diuell the great Dragon drew the third part of the starres of heauen with his taile and cast them to the earth and no maruell if hee thus striue to preuaile for if he once corrupt the shepheards it is an easie matter to consume the sheepe It is not therfore without good cause that our Apostle doth so much striue heere to cleare himselfe of all coloured couetousnesse for h●d he been couetous he could not be sincere for couetousnesse and corruption are alwaies companions as was seene in Balaam who louing the wages of vnrighteousnesse as Peter stiles 2. Pet. 2. 15. it though he protested that if Balak would giue him his house filled Numb 22. 18. with gold and siluer yet hee could not nor would not speake more or lesse then the Lord commanded him yet for the loue of that wicked gaine he not only went though first forbidden of the Lord and after gaue wicked counsell to Balake as Iosephus reports for his gaine Ioseph Josephus Flauius Antiquit. Iudaic. lib. 4. cap. 6. The vse therfore of this doctrine is first to teach vs who are like to proue sincere Preachers and who not The Scribes and Pharisies saith Christ deuoured widowes houses vnder a pretence of long prayer these Pharisies haue their followers the Papists who through couetousnesse make merchandise of all that they doe They sell the vse of time of meates and of mariages they sel their Masses and their prayers and their pardons and purgatorie and heauen it selfe they make mony of Peter and of Paul of the Apostles and of Martyrs and of Christ himselfe These no doubt are they of whom Saint Peter speaketh through couetousnesse shall they with fained words make merchandise of 2. Pet. 2. 3. you and therefore these men cannot in their doctrines bee sincere Come we vnto others that through desire of greatnesse count gaine to bee godlinesse ioyning house vnto house and Church vnto Church if these should appeale with our Apostle to Gods record I feare mee they would make their faults broad to their consciences And certainly doubt is to be taken of such mens sincerenes for how shall they teach others to bee sincere that are not sincere themselues Yet heere wee must take heede that wee doe not count al to be couetous that aboūd in the vse of earthly riches for it is not the hauing of riches but the trusting in riches that makes one couetous as our Sauiour expounds Mark 1 ● Ecclus 13. 25. it Therfore saith Syrach Riches are good to him that hath no sinne Else we shall condemne holy Abraham Iob Dauid Salomon and such like who were marueilous rich and nothing the worse for their riches whereas retchlesse carelesnesse and profuse prodigalnes is a sin against nature for hee that shall not in an vpright and holy manner prouide for his owne is worse then an infidell Tim 5. yet we must not so trust in riches as that without these we mistrust Gods prouidence and promises As pouertie therefore is euill in cclus 13 25. the mouth of the