Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	know_v	lord_n	sin_n	2,663	5	4.6166	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07198	Two sermons, preached at the Kings court, this Ianuary, 1620 Concerning Davids adultery, and his politick practices. By Francis Mason, Archdeacon of Norfolk, and Chaplain to his Maiesty in ordinary.	Mason, Francis, 1566?-1621.	1621 (1621)	STC 17600; ESTC S112434	36,020	128

Vrias but it seemeth he perceived that this could hardly be done without the loss of moe Neither did hee write to David concerning this point but understanding that it was the Kings pleasure that Vrias should die he was resolute to perform it thogh the exployt should cost him an hundred mens lives Here it may seeme by Ioab that Captaines are sometimes too prodigall of the lives of their souldiers We read that Abner sayde to Ioab Let the young men arise and play before us So hee accounted fighting but a play and a sport Now though Captaines should be courageous in a good cause yet they must love and tender the lives of their souldiers If any man say that it was not David and Ioab which kild Vrias but the sword of the children of Ammon Let him consider the frame of a clock and he shall see how one wheele mooves another wheele and that another wheele and that the hammer and so the stroake is stricken but the cause of all this motion is a certaine secret weight or poyse which hangeth in a corner and is not seene As for example in the story of Naboth Naboth was condemned to death there the stroake was stricken the hammer that gave the stroake was the iudge which gave the sentence the wheeles that moved this hammer were the false witnesses the wheeles that moved these wheeles were the Nobles and Elders of Iezrael but the secret waights that set all these wheeles a going were Achab and Iezabel So Achab and Iezabel were the principall agents which mooved the men of Iezrael and they the false witnesses and they the Iudge and thus poore Naboth was put to death So in this present story Vrias was slaine there the stroake was stricken the hammer that gave the stroake was the sword of the children of Ammon the wheels that mooved this hammer were the souldiers which first made an hot assault and then suddenly retyring left Vrias to the sword of the enemies The great wheele which moved these lesser wheels was Ioab who so ordered the battell And the secret waight that mooved this wheele was David the first moover and cause of all the motion O David David What hast thou done Knowest thou not that innocent blood hath a cry yea and a loud and a shrill cry and what doth it cry but vengeance vengeance Let all men take heed of this crying sinne if it bee done never so secretly the Lord will finde it out If it bee in the forrest the tree of the forrest shall cry vengeance vengeance and the leaves of the tree shall answere it If in the fielde the beast of the field shal cry vengeance vengeance and the bird of the ayre shall answere it If in the house the stone out of the wall shall cry vengeance vengeance the ioynt out of the timber shal answere it Where ever it be the whole frame of heaven and earth shall cry vengeance vengeance and hell shall open her mouth and answer it And doth secret murther crie for vengeance and hath not open murther the same cry Yes vndoubtedly And heere I must needs taxe a vice which formerly in this kingdom hath much raigned amongst Nobles and gentlemen If they received any word of disgrace they would presently challenge one another to the field revenge their owne quarrels and trye it out with the point of the sword not without great iniurie to the King and his Lawe whom the Lord hath made revenger of wrongs yea to the King of kings for vengeance is mine and I will repay sayth the Lord. Should Subiects thus goe to single Combates for private quarrels Is this courage Is this valour No no it is nothing else but rashnesse and folly If you would be truly valorous then reserve your selves for your Prince and your Countrey for Christ and for his true Religion This indeed would argue a noble courage and a generous spirit But these private quarrels are most lamentable O how many fathers by these ungodly means have bin made childlesse how many children fatherlesse how many wives have lost their husbands how many Gentlemen whose auncestours have beene principall studs and pillers in their Country have by those desperate combates ruinated themselves and their posterity O miserable incounters wherein the very Conquerours gaine no other garland but shame and confusion either to lose their lives by order of Lawe or to forsake their owne Countrey and so to live in perpetuall exile with anguish and vexation of spirit O happy therfore and thrice happy be the Lords Anointed who set out that gracious proclamation against Duels so much tending to the glory of God and the good of this kingdome Here I exhort all such as desire to enioy a quiet conscience that they take heed of this crying sin For if there be no other to accuse the murtherer his own cōscience will accuse him Hee may for a time have a slumbring cōscience but when it wakens it will torment him We read of one Bessus who had kild his owne father of a time hearing but a Swallow chatter he caught the truncheon of a iaveling and did fling at it with wonderfull violence And being demanded why hee did so hee answered Did you not heare this wicked bird accuse mee as though I had killed mine owne father Whereupon hee was examined and confessed the fact So Cain when hee had killed his brother thought that every one that met him would kil him Such is the nature of an accusing cōscience He that hath shed innocent blood hee will think that the very ground hee goeth on is embrued with blood that his garments are besprinkled with blood that his fingers distill with blood If he heare two talke he will think they whisper of blood If hee wake hee will thinke of blood And if he sleep hee will dreame of blood And verely if Davids conscience had not beene benummed hee would have thought that every bird had chattered Vrias that every winde had whistled Vrias that woods and mountaines had sounded Vrias and that the Eccho had redoubled Vrias Vrias But now David to his other sins addeth dulnesse and hardness of heart Thus poor Vrias is taken away a man vertuous and valorous cōmendable in his life honorable in his death For he died fighting in the forefront of the Lords battell and the face of his enemies Whereby hee is now dispatched out of the way hee will bee no more hinderance or obstacle unto them and therfore let us now see what course they take When newes came to Ierusalem that Vrias was slaine the woman she mourned with what minde I know not but the Text testifies that she mourned Which we may conceive to have been in this or the like manner O Vrias my husband my sweet husband Vrias How long this mourning lasted I dare not define The Wiseman saith Seaven dayes doe men mourne for him that is dead If Bathshebah mourned no longer it was very fitting

the Princes of the tribe of Iudah grandfather to Bezaleel the cunning workman Now it came to pass that when Moses held vp his hands Israel prevailed but when his hands fell downe Amalec prevailed And when his hands were heavie Aaron and Hur rowled a stone and hee sate thereon and they stayed vp his hands on the one side and on the other so his hands were steddy till the going downe of the sunne And even so should David have done hee should have holden up his hands for the hoast of Israel and in so doing both Aaron and Hur that is both Priest and People should have assisted and supported him Yea this may teach vs all our dutie in the like case When Iosua fights against Amalec when the Arke of God is in danger when Iudah and Israel when our brethren that are pillers in the Church of God are up in armes though we our selves be safe at home though wee bee far from dint and danger though wee feare not the roaring of the Cannon nor the push of the Pike yet wee may not follow sinfull pleasures with David but holde up our hands with Moses Yea in such a case it behooveth Moses Aaron and Hur Prince Priest and People to holde up their hands and to pray to the Lord For much availeth the prayer of a righteous man if it be fervent The third circumstance is that David lay then at home in peace plenty and prosperity yea as it is commonly holden in idleness and ease But wherein consisted this idleness I finde three reasons rendred First because hee lay at home in the time of the warres but wee must consider that the life of a King is worth ten thousand of ours and therefore not to bee endangered without great necessitie Secondly because hee lay upon his pallat in the afternoone but we must consider that a King is troubled with cares for the Common-wealth which make him wake when other men sleepe and therefore such rest and repose may sometimes be requisite for him Thirdly because he had leasure to walk upon the top of his house and to view the Citie but it were hard to denie that honest recreation to a King which is permitted to every common person How then was hee idle or no Truely these three points do not of necessitie convince him of sinfull idleness yet because all these three things now concurred and there followed such fowle events as commonly proceed from idlenesse therefore both ancient and late Writers comparing the antecedents with the consequents doe commonly impute his adultery to sinfull idlenesse and this we may imbrace as a most probable opinion Then mark I pray you when David fell Not when he was a poor Shepheard following the Ewes not when hee fought the Lords battels against the Philistines not when hee fled before the face of Saul but when he raigned peaceably at home from Dan to Bersheba when he had atchieved many and great victories abroad and had almost conquered all his enemies when he had inlarged his Dominions was inriched with abundance of gold and silver then and not before he gave himselfe to chambering and wantonnesse And heere let us observe the unthankfulness of David who when he should have beene praysing God for so many and so great blessings neglected his dutie and dishonoured his Maker Wherefore all you Courtiers which live in wealth and ease in pomp and braverie you that dip your foot in oyle and swimme in streames of gold you that inioy all pleasures which Sea or land may afford or the wit of man can possibly devise you that keep the key of natures closet and have the sunne alwaies shining upon your Tabernacle take heed in the name of God take heed lest Satan tempt you For you may see by this example of David that whom adversitie cannot bend prosperity can breake And thus much of the time To come to the fourth point How was David thus inveigled and intangled with the subtilty of sinne Truly by little and little Consider therefore I pray you how sinne steales upon a man by degrees First hee was idle Secondly in his idlenesse hee had a wandring eye which glancing upon a woman as shee bathed her selfe delighted to behold that beautifull obiect Thirdly hee did not onely looke but lust after her Fourthly in his lust he made a curious inquirie to know what she was Fiftly when he knew he sent for her Sixtly when shee came he tempted her and finally he committed folly with her These are the steps which lead to the den of death The first steppe was idlenesse and therfore let vs beware of idlenesse and resist the beginnings A burning torch when it begins to languish if it stand still is quickly quenched but if it be shaken it will recover and receive new inflammation even so the torch of Grace is extinguished by idlenesse but honest imployments do kindle and increase it A running water will keepe sweet when a standing poole will putrefie even so laborious industry will keepe the soule pure but idlenesse fils it with iniquity Now though idlenesse be the mother of much mischiefe yet especially of fleshly lusts Quaeritur Aegystus quare sit factus adulter In promptu causa est desidiosus erat That is it is demanded how Egystus became an adulterer the cause is soone rendred he was idle And if the question be how David became an adulterer the fathers will give you the like answere that it flowed from the fountaine of idlenesse Therefore take heed of idlenesse it was one of the sinnes of Sodome The second step to his fall was a wandring eye which rowling up and down did glance vnawares upon Bathsheba the bright as shee was bathing her selfe and was sodainly rapt with the admiration of her beautie neither was hee satisfied with a glance but as it is most likely hee fixed his eye and gazed upon her again and againe Well it is too plaine what David did Now let us consider what he should have done and what is all our duties to doe in the like case As Ioachim the Priest charged the inhabitants of Bethulia to keep the passages of the mountaines for by them there was an entrance into Iudea so I exhort all men to looke to their hearing and seeing for those are the passages of the mountaines lest by them the divell like Holofernes get entrance into the heart Secondly seeing so little a sparkle can kindle so great a flame seeing so much mischiefe may arise from the glance of an ey and such glances are hardly avoidable by the wit of man therefore let vs all pray to God that he wil be in our eies and in our looking Lord turn thou away mine eyes that they doe not behold vanity Thirdly if thy eye glancing thou feelest thy selfe ravisht with admiration or surprized with affectuous delectation then go out of the place or remove thine eye to an other obiect Gaze not upon the beautie of a woman

David and Bathsheba To begin with the woman After a while she perceives that she had conceived with child and now shee feares lest the world would take knowledge of her lewd demeanor because her husband had bin so long from home Now therefore though secretly she begins to weepe to mourne and to make lamentation Here is a glasse for all women to looke in even Bathsheba the beautifull She that of late gave her cōsēt to lascivious dalliance now shee se'eth her owne folly now shee is cloathed with shame as with a garment Those radiant and sparkling eyes which so darted love into the eyes of David are now all bebleared and beblubbered with weeping the teares run downe her blushing cheekes she wrings her hands shee rents her goulden haire and with all possible speed she sends unto David saying I am with child as though shee should say ô wretch that I am now my sin can be concealed no longer the matter is plaine my very body will shortly bewray it I carrie my accusation about me on the one side I feare the shame of the world on the other the danger of the Lawe but ô how shall I looke my poore Husband in the face You you were the cause of all this and therefore to you I make my moane alas alas what shall I doe So shee that of late had no regard of conscience is now tormented with an accusing conscience and she that before was not ashamed to sinne now she is ashamed lest her sinne should be knowne But what sayd David to all this for now he is put to his shifts Truly hee sheweth himselfe a notable spectacle of humane frailty for he had a greater care of his credit then of his conscience he was more afraid of the shame of the world then he was of the displeasure of Almighty God and therefore he did palliate his sinne to avoid the shame but he did not repent to avoid the displeasure And so much of the first motive His second motive was the danger of his darling for by the Law of God the adulteresse was to be put to death and therefore lest shee whom hee loved so tenderly should lose her life and that by his meanes hee bends all the strength of his wits to conceale the matter Hitherto of the motives now I come to the meanes that is his politike practices His first policy was to cloake the matter by a false imputation for which purpose Vrias the husband was to bee called home from the campe to the end that he cōversing with his wife might be supposed and reputed the father of the childe Wherein David did not only sin against God and his owne soule but moreover hee intended three notorious iniuries the first against the poor babe the childe begotten of his owne body which by this means he would have disclaimed and renounced even before it was born the second against Vrias to whom he would have obtruded a child by fraud imposture the third against the heirs of Vrias which by this plot might have been disseised and defrauded of their inheritance Here was wisedome I confesse but it was the wisdom of the serpent there wanted the simplicity of the Dove Such was the wisedom of Pharaoh who said Com let us work wisely when hee intended to oppresse the children of God Such was the wisdome of Ieroboam who to establish his Kingdome erected a standard to Idolatry by setting up two goulden Calves in Dan and Bethel This was wisdome but not according unto godliness Wisedome did I say or rather folly for how can that be called wisdom when men are wise to doo evill but to do good they have no understanding And I dare be bold to say that the wisdom of Achitophel the wisdom of Matchiavel and all wicked wisdom howsoever it seeme angelicall howsoever it shine and glister in the eyes of the world yet in true judgement it is nothing else but meer folly for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome and therefore where there is not the fear of God there cannot possibly bee any true wisdom David himselfe could somtimes say I understand more then the ancients because I keepe thy precepts Wherfore if a man would be truely wise Let him fear God and walke in his precepts This is wisdome according to godliness which will make a man wise to salvation And as this is the wisdome of every private man so herein likewise consisteth the true wisedome of Kings and Kingdomes of States and Common-wealths For as Moses said to Israel Keep the statutes iudgements of the Lord and doe them for this is your wisedome and understanding in the sight of the nations which shall heare all these statutes and say Surely this great nation is a wise and an understanding people Even so I say to you Let all your wisedome be according to godliness let all your policie be ioyned with pietie in all your consultations aske counsaile of the Lord let the God of Iacob be present chiefe President in all your parliaments and then surely hee will blesse this Land and the nations shall see it and say Surely this nation of Great Brittaine is a wise and an understanding people But to proceed in the story The messenger is gone Vrias is sent for he is come to the Court brought to the King who asketh him how Ioab did and how the people did and how the wars prospered and after kinde communication he gave him a courteous dismission Goe home to thy house and wash thy feet and there followed after him a favour from the King a messe of meate no doubt dainty and delicate that hee and his wife might make merry together But for all this courtly and cunning invitation Vrias went not home to his wife but slept at the gate of the Kings palace Which David understanding sends for him againe and thus expostulates the matter with him in friendly manner d Camst thou not from thy iourney why then didst thou not goe downe unto thy house Thus David pretended great love and friendship unto Vrias whereas in truth hee intended onely to make him a cloak for their iniquitie And is not this the fashion of the world at this day Many will pretend great loue and friendship unto a man when if the truth were known it is onely to serve their owne turnes and in relation to their owne private endes and purposes Hitherto wee have seen Davids courteous invitation and friendly expostulation now let us hearken unto the answere of Vrias He said unto David The Arke and Iudah and Israel abideinaents and my Lord Ioab and his servants are incamped in the open fields shall I then goe home to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife As thou livest and as thy soule liveth I will not doe it First let us cōsider what is meant by this that the Arke aboade in tents And it seemeth to