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	speak_v	word_n	2,711	5	3.7885	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45344	A sermon preached at Mercers-Chappel, on the 13th of January, 1688/9 by Timothy lord bishop of Oxford.	Hall, Timothy, 1637?-1690.	1689 (1689)	Wing H444; ESTC R42065	24,800	45

but they rose early and corrupted all their doings The ordinary word the Greeks used for punishment was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies Example because there is not a punishment on one but it should be an example to all so the publick putting away a Wife that was found faulty is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make her a publick example Cambyses fley'd off the skin of a corrupt and warping Judge and spread it over the Seat of Judgment for his Successors to tread on that so it might be a continual Monitor to them to avoid injustice God will not endure a succession in wickedness and to prevent exemplarity reproves many in this way to give a check to the boldness of others in sin How often his methods in all these ways of Reprehension have been used with us I leave it to your selves to judge and how often we have defeated them God well knows and will judge us for them which leads me to a second branch of my Application I mean from a Doctrine of Reproof to descend to a Second Vse of Reproof 2. When we compare God's Precept with our Practise What bad Comments are they on so blessed a Text We may well cry out with our Country-man Linacre Aut hoc non est Evangelium aut nos man sumus Evangelici Either this is not Gospel or we are not Gospellers We ramble dreadfully from the Text the meanest Preacher may easily keep closer to the Sense of it than the generality of Professors do to the Practise of it Instead of taking this wise and honest course of fraternal correption we have used our selves to an accursed and odious way of fraternal defamation Two Beasts walk much up and down which Diogenes advised the Emperor to avoid being malignant biters the tame beast the Flatterer and the wild beast the Slanderer As the Jews conspired against Jeremiah so do many against their Brethren and Neighbours saying as they Let us smite them with the tongue let us devise devices against them If to Rail and Lye Censure and Revile to Misreport and Misrepresent were fulfilling the Commands of God and paying our Duty to our Brother if they were Rules of Behaviour and Conversation the generality of men might chime in with that young Gentleman in the Gospel and say after him All these have I kept from my youth upward They hate their brother in their heart and shew it in these following ways 1. By industriously searching out what is culpable and blame worthy in them on purpose to disgrace and reproach them Of this the Psalmist complains They search out iniquities they accomplish a diligent search It is a sad sign and indication that malice is boyl'd up to a great height in mens hearts when they are so inquisitive and studious to find out articles of impeachment against their Brother and proud as they who have obtained great spoil when they have made a fresh discovery of some crime in him 2. Men discover their hatred of their brother by tempting him to the commission of that sin which they design to make matter of objection against him Thus the malicious Pharisees did their utmost to cause Christ to offend if it had been possible urging him vehemently and provoking him with all their little artifices to speak of many things that they might accuse him They asked him many a captious question to make him an offender for a word 3. Their hatred is manifested by magnifying and aggrandizing their Brethrens faults swelling and improving every Mole hill to the size and bulk of a Mountain With their viperous and poysonous breath they blow up every bubble which at first was but a drop of Water stuft with a small vapour to the dimensions of a large Globe Some think themselves excusable herein if not commendable as thereby discovering their zeal against sin which never can be made to appear sufficiently sinful But let such beware lest upon scrutiny it should be found a bitter zeal having more of malice at the bottom than any true concern for God's Glory or their Brethrens good 4. And Lastly Men discover their hatred of their Brother by mentioning their failures and infirmities with some secret kind of rejoycing and pleasure What self-satisfaction do many take and without any uneasiness can hear a discourse of twice the length of any Sermon if the subject affect the reputation and good name of their nearest Neighbours A sad sin tho little laid to heart Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly This renders a Man like the Devil himself and transforms him into an Angel of darkness this involves us in the guilt and breach of many a Commandment Five of the second Table are often at once violated That Honour we should give to our Fathers our Governours and Superiours is with-held We are also dipt in Blood and guilty of Murther for he that hates his Brother wishes he were not Hatred extends it self to the extirpation and non-existence of the thing hated and therefore it is Heart-Murther thou dost kill him in thy thoughts tho for many external considerations thou art restrained from padling in his Blood with thy hands thou art loth to be hang'd for thy Fact. A Rape also is committed on his Name and thou canst not excuse thy self from a reductive breach of the seventh Commandment As for the eighth and ninth they are apparently broke Thou art a notorious Thief and Robber Your Brother 's good name is by Solomon preferr'd before precious Oyntments Oyntments in ancient times were a special part of the Royal Treasure of Princes When Hezekias in ostentation of his Royal Wealth and the Magnificence of his Treasures would shew the Babylonish Ambassadors his choicest Collections among the chiefest things there are reckoned in the Inventory the precious Oyntments Some tell us out of Pliny That there were Oyntments in the Apothecaries Shops of that value so great was the Riot and Luxury of those times that every Pound amounted to more than Twelve Pounds of our Money if they rightly compute the value of the Roman Peny A great rate surely if we consider the time wherein he lived about 1500 years since He had been a notorious Robber who should steal any considerable quantity of such costly Ware. And is not He a worser Thief injuriously and feloniously takes his Neighbour's good Name from him which is by the Wise Man adjudged to be better than any Oyntment consisting of the most costly Ingredients Let us have no fellowship with these Slanderers Tale-bearers and Whisperers but rather reprove them which we then effectually shall do when we will not allow our selves to be Receivers to these Thieves nor Abbettors of these Murtherers by setting our Ears open to these Calumniators and Detractors The Tale-hearer is the great Patron and Encourager of the Tale-bearer Receive not stoll'n Goods and you 'll spoil the Thiefs Trade What great difference is there to be found betwixt