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	love_n	love_v	4,041	5	6.5654	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02702	Hezekiahs recovery. Or, A sermon, shevving what use Hezekiah did, and all should make of their deliverance from sicknesse. First preached, and now published by Robert Harris, pastor of Hanwell	Harris, Robert, 1581-1658.	1626 (1626)	STC 12836; ESTC S120679	31,744	59

if I will heale my selfe I am raking in a channell whilst I am contemplating Gods excellencies I am in a garden of spices pardon me if I preferre this to that and in case I forget my owne name to magnifie Gods and be content to receive a scar that many may escape a wound hold mee excused it suffices mee that wisedome is satisfied As for wilfulnesse which will not yeeld to truth because t is wedded to fancy and passion and ignorance which names vertues and vices from the event they are unsatisfiable Me thinks this conclusion should content modesty If at any time in any thing I have given offence I humbly crave a par●on where none is given none will bee taken by the charitable For the rest I say with that Angelicall man let them be honest it sufficeth though I bee as a reede 2. Cor. 1.17 as a Reprobate 2. Cor. 13.7 And now my worthy friends let mee proceede in my exhortation Should I not love you I were not a man for your love to mee hath exceeded all desert and expectation and all the while some by occasion of your call have gamed more by my poore labours than I can possibly loose I have no reason to repent me of this acquaint ance but more abundant cause of blessing God and loving you only whereas I could not here to fore in person correspond as was fit let me at least in writing make that expression of my love that I am able before I goe the way of all flesh Now what expressions can be expected from a Preacber but praiers praises exhortations c When you dyed I prayed for you as I could now you live I rejoice with you and call upon you to sing with me And whereas as t is well noted we usually are best when worst and live best when wee dye fastest I call upon you as upon my selfe to remember your selves and not only cast as the Heathen teaches how to hold your owne but rather to exceed I ever dealt freely with you let me not now alter Famce saith that London is as couetous as proud as wanton as secure as ever I cannot beleeve it it is almost impossible that so great a judgement so gracious a deliverance should so soone be buryed Alas London thou hast as yet scarce buryed thy dead the noise of bels the cry of parents the scrichings of thy widdowes are not yet out of thine cares the grim face of death stands yet in thy sight thy bloudy wounds are scarcely stanched as yet If thou couldst forget judgements thou canst not bee unsensible of Gods mercies and thy change If London should yet doe not you Beloved let others security bee your feare others impenitency your sorrow and the lesse others take to heart Gods great Gods remarkeable workes by so much the more doe you improve the same to all holy purposes More would I say to you but that I have prevented my selfe in my more publique exbortation both that and this more privately spoken out of my speciall relation and affection to you I now commend to your serious consideration and Gods blessing who alone can speake to the heart beseeching him who therefore threatens that hee may not smite to give us cies to see plagues afarre off and hearts to profit by lesse that we may not feele plagues yet seven times more yet seven times worse than all yet felt Lev. 26. Amen Hanwell March 20. Yours ever in the Lord ROB. HARRIS GEntle Reader I entreate thee correct these faults being the most materiall with thy pen. In the Epist pag. 1. l. 8. read our p. 4. l. 9. for here r. fure ib. in marg r. servi In the Serm. p. 16. l. 23. r. no more p. 22. marg r. Videatur p. 26 l. 11. r. Noble Hezekiah p. 29. marg l 8. to r. quod p. 33. l. 11. r. finnefull povertie p. 41. marg r. Tacuimus p. 42. marg for vol. r. Reg. p. 43. l. 29. r. much HEZEKIAH'S RECOVERY ESA. 38.9 The writing of Hezekiah King of Iudah when hee had beene sicke and was recovered of his sicknes LO heere a double condition and behaviour of King Hezekiah 1. he was ficke and then he prayed 2. he is recovered and now he gives thankes Our businesse lyes in this latet part which is made up of these two 1. an Inscription 2. a Description of the Song The Description presents unto us the parts of it 1. an aggravation of Hezekiah's former misery 2. an amplification of the present mercie The Inscription acquaints us 1. with the author of the Song King Hezekiah 2. with the nature of it a Poem written 3. with the argument of it a Song of thankesgiving for the removeall of sicknes restoring of health And first to the first the passage is cleer sick Hezekiah prayes c. Sicke Hezekiah prayes found Hezekiah sings as comfort succeeds his crosse so praises his prayers Hence this After prayers praises Prayers and prayses do not so enterfaire that they can never be separated neither is there anie necessitie of premising pertitions to each particular thanksgiving onely in a generalitie this is regular when we have removed afflictions by prayer we should welcome deliverances with songs So much was 1. established by Law Levit. 3. 7. after sacrifices of pacification followed sacrifices of payments and thanksgiving 2ly ratified in the Gospell It s a generall Canon Is any afflicted what if Let him pray Is any merry what then Let him sing T is not unlawfull to pray in mirth to sing in miserie ordinarily but t is simply necessarie in afflictions ro be prayerfull in the midst of mercies to bee thankefull and to entertaine severall conditions with different behaviours Hereof is it that the Apostle S. Paul doth so often linke prayers and thanksgivings together as who would say when the one is put over you must passe to the other So much 3ly upon particular occasions is 1. prescribed by God 2. practised by his Saints Particulars will not bee needefull to men who know the generall course of Scriptures So much 4ly S. Iohn foretels and in a sort undertakes for sucoceding ages in his Revelat. What singing there should be after persecutions by Heathenish Rome hee foretels in his fift chapt what there was Eusebius reports especially in his last booke Againe what songs should follow upon the Churches deliverance from Rome Christian or other whether seducers or persecutors S. Iohn fore-prophesies time partly hath alreadie and more fully will hereafter discover So much 5ly Education and Reason taught Heathens and must perswade us For first if wee looke to God he is as the Prophet saith worthy to bee praised 1. all excellencie is his therefore all honour saith reason in Philosophers 2. All Religion is due to him therefore all thankes which is a religious act for to the highest Maiestie is due the loweft subjection and that is Religion which subjects the soule

3. Hee is the first spring and author of good all excellencie and honour is invested in him and derived from him and therfore must returne to him Rom. 11. ult 2. If we consider the thing it selfe thankes is due after mercies received and wee cannot withhold it without many incongruities first as is implied Religion is violated which tels us that wee 1. owe to God all possible service 2. that thanksgiving is a speciall worship wherin we transferre all honour from creatures to God Psalm 50. ult 3. that wee are no lesse bound to acknowledge Gods workings in our praises than his willingnesse in our prayers 2. Charitie is violated which bids us love an enemy much more a God to blesse those that curse much more those that blesse us to overcome evil with good much more to answer goodnesse with goodnesse Indeed kindnesse by the rules of friendship love in the Heathens judgements doth challenge eyther recompence if we deale with our matches or acknowledgement where the distance is great the greater this the greater that Now betwixt God us the distance is infinite and if t were possible our love thankfulnesse should fill up that distance and extend it selfe into infinitenesse On the other side not to bee as forward with our praises as prayers argues base selfe-love and servilitie and makes it appeare that wee love not God but his gifts nay in truth that wee secretly hate him For wee begrudge no man the praise of his kindnesse but whom wee eyther envie or hate now God is above the reach of our low envie and therefore our lothnesse to acknowledge him proceeds from our inbred enmity against him when of the twaine wee had rather denie his grace than yeeld our selves beggars and dependants 3 Iustice is violated we owe God thankes 1. in point of Law and covenant T is our profession our promise our cheefage and rent that is due to him so that the Orator spake not over when he intimated that Ingratitude was a kinde of Unjustice For what more unjust than to detaine against all desert and covenant Gods right 2. In point of moralitie and honestie in manners wee must reciprocate with men much more with God nor can he be an honest man who is not ashamed to be an unthankfull man 3 If wee compare the dueties no reason but we should be as full of thankes as prayers 1. I am sure we have as many mercies as crosses comforts in present and reversion as wants 2. All our sorrowes and afflictions are deserved all our comforts undeserved if that must not weaken our prayers surely this must greaten our thankes 3. Thankfulnesse will become us as much as beging nay as the Prophet adds as much benefit vs as much comfort us Thankefulnesse holds old mercies and wins new yea greater thankfulnesse is a surer evidence of love and sinceritie than prayer and no lesse a cause than a signe of joy if not senior to prayer in the world yet of more lasting at least of more excellencie in the world to come Once it is at least as needfull for us to give up praises as prayers for these reasons First we are for certaine as forgetfull of the consolations as of crosses nay more because we are more sensuall than intellectuall and fullest of self-selfe-love Secondly we are as likely to miscarrie in prosperity as in adversitie unlesse the one bee sanctified by thanksgiving as well as the other by prayer As Crosses without prayer will embitter us so Blessings without praises will swell us and make us giddie unlesse wee allay our wine with some of this sugar thankes I meane which is sweet in it selfe most comfortable to us and more acceptable to God than sweetest Wines or Incense Well we heare what should be now by way of reflection le ts doe two things whereof the first is fee what wee have done Prayers and praises should sucoced each other as day doth night summer winter what say you hath it bin so The truth is when I cast my thoughts backward unto publick proceedings I find what doth somewhat comfort mee I finde first that after publicke humiliations in 88. our most happy Queene was most publicke and solemne in her thanksgivings next after our deliverance in 1604. Nov. 5. a set time appointed for solemne praises thirdly after deliberation had some thanksgivings added to our publick prayers But when we looke into private passages alas wee are all too blame we goe to God in our distresses as Turkes use to goe to their Mahomet or others to their Ladie by troupes and Caravans but when we be delivered we returne like those Lepers in the Gospell scarce one in ten in twentie in a hundred To speake sooth most of us have small reason to glorie in our praiers they be too faint too few too much overrun with pride unbeleefe but in thankesgiving wee are starke naught worse than naught first we will not see wood for trees mercies for blessings when wee cannot tell how to looke besides them we will not fall upon them in our thoughts wants we see and so are still craving favours wee will not see and so are never thankfull When speech is of crosses wee have all crosses in body crosses in soule crosses in estate crosses in friends our life is made of crosses when of mercies we can finde none about house no money in purse no corne in barne no comfort in the house no friend in the world wee see no land nothing but sea Secondly when wee see wee will not speake when we fall upon crosses wee are cloquent beyond truth we adde we multiply we arise in our discourse like him in the Poet I am twice thrice miferable nay ten times nay twentie times nay a thousand times miserable But when it comes to mercies we speake of them as malefactors doe of their faults yeelde no more than what can be extorted from us or proved against us as if we were loath to peach God or our selves Or if thirdly wee say any thing it is rather to set up our selves than God and the sacrifice is intended to our netts witts providence more than to Gods mercie in truth we serve our selves in praises as Ignorants doe in prayers they set up flesh and estalish merit under a colour of prayer and wee under a flourish and varnish of God be thanked vent our pride and stroke our selves The worst unthankfulnesse is when men love not to be beholden to God Or lastly if some thing bee said that 's all for little is done True thankefulnesse stands in a reciprocation of affections actions Wee should returne love for love and service at least for kindnesse but wee doe not so It fares with us as once with Israel the care which tastes words as the raste doth meats was so filled with choler that they could relish no comfort Exed 6.9 whilest Moses and Aaron spake and our thoughts bee so sowred