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	time_n	3,131	5	3.5997	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80566	Cordiall councell, in a patheticall epistle: first written to an eminent professor of religion, for the seasonable preventing of a relaps. Which proving efficacious, is again revised, enlarged, and published for the good of others. As being applyable to many thousands, whose practise is neither answerable to the Gospel, their Christian profession, nor the millions of mercies they have received. By R. Junius.	Younge, Richard.	1645 (1645)	Wing C6283; Thomason E274_16; ESTC R209892	13,437	14

CORDIALL COVNCELL IN A PATHETICALL EPISTLE First written to an Eminent Professor of Religion for the seasonable preventing of a RELAPS WHICH PROVING EFFICACIOVS IS AGAINE REUISED ENLARGED and published for the good of others As being applyable to many thousands whose practise is neither answerable to the Gospel their Christian profession nor the millions of mercies they have received By R. Junius The back-slider in heart shall bee filled with his owne waies PRO. 14. 14. As they did not like to reteine God in their knowledge God gave them over to a reprobate minde to doe those things which are not convenient ROM 1. 28. Thy wisedome and thy knowledge hath perverted thee ISA. 47. 10. Yee looked for much and loe it came to little and when ye brought it home I did blow upon it c. HAG. 1. 6. 9. My sonne if sinners intise thee consent thou not walke not thou in the way with them refraine thy foote from their path PRO. 1. 10. 15. London Printed by Tho. Paine and are to be sold by James Crump in little Bartholomewes Well-yard 164● CORDIALL COVNSELL IN A PATHETICALL Epistle written to an Eminent Professor of Religion For the seasonable preventing of a Relaps Curteous Sir IF you aske why I take this paines turne to Levit 19. 17. Heb. 3. 13. If for a president take that of Photion who when a friend of his would have cast himselfe away suffered him not saying I was made thy friend to this purpose And he that loves not such a friend hates himselfe Or is a foole for he that is a friend to our faults is no friend to our selves I confesse one maine motive to induce me was I called to remembrance the invaluable good which redowned to my soule by meanes of a poore mans plaine full free faithfull and timely admonishing of me And is there not a cause of my uttmost endeavour when you that have knowne the way of righteousnesse and had for some time escaped the polutions of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Doe againe seeme to be intangled therein and turne from the holy commandement If you demand wherein I answer what is it other when you will be drawn to the Taverne by every idle Solisiter there be detained whole houres yea many houres in drinking even against your stommake constitution of body against your judgement the checks of your own conscience the motions of Gods spirit the earnest dehortation of your godly friends and many vowes to the contrary though you much abhor and condemne it To the spending of your money wasting of your precious time abusing the creatures which thousands better then you want wounding of your good name impayring of your health prejudice of your peace discredit of the Gospel and Professors thereof the stumbling of weake ones the incouraging of indifferent and unresolved ones the forestaling and hardning of your Asociates and all other enemies who know or heare of it Is this according to the Apostles rule 1 Thes 5. 22. Abstaine from all appearance of evill Is this to hate even the garment that is spotted by the flesh Iude 23. Is this becomming one who is so strict touching Ceremonies one who out of tendernes separates from our publique Assemblies Yea to speake plainely is not this to straine out a Gnat and swallow a Cammell Admitt men tearme you an Hypocrite for so they will doe what can be said in your defence Is not this to resemble the Priests Scribes and Elders who intending to murther the Sonne of God yet feare to be defiled with the touch of Pilates pavement Consider of it seriously and tell me if you can where or in what part of Gods word you find a warrant for your so doing for where is no precept there is no promise If we want Gods word in vaine doe we looke for his ayde We may trust him we may not tempt him Our heavenly father hath promised to give his Angels charge over us to keepe us in all our waye● Psal 91. 11. That is in the wayes of obedience or the wayes of his commandements but this is one of the Devils wayes a way of sinne and disobedience and therefore hath no assurance of protection And miserable is that man who in unwarrantable actions is left to his own keeping for wests and strayes are properly due to the Lord of the soyle even the God of this world 2 Cor. 4. 4. So long as we hold the tenure of obedience we are the Lords subjects and if we serve him he will preserve us Neither need we vex our selves with cares as if we lived at our owne cost or trusted to our owne strength but when a man is falne to the state of an our-law or rebell the Law dispenseth with them that kill him because the Prince hath excluded him from the benefit of his protection And indeed why do we pray not 〈◊〉 be led into temptation if we lead our selves into it If we will not keepe our selves from the occasion God will not keepe us from the sinne and if God doe not keepe us we cannot be keept we cannot we will not choose but fall Ob. But you have set bounds to your selfe beyond which you will not passe Ans It is hard for the best man to say how farre he will be tempted If one will put himselfe into lewd company he cannot promise to come forth innocent How many have falne into a fashion of swearing scoffing drinking out of the usuall practice of others Yea when once a man gives himselfe over to be the companion of vice in the end he becomes the very slave of vice And little doe you know or consider the insinuative power of evill or the treachery of your owne heart in receiving it or the importunity of wicked deceivers in obtruding it you will be the worse for their society and perceive it not for no man proves extreamely evill on the suddaine but through many insensible declinations doe we fall from vertue Satan workes men by degrees and not all at once to the height of impiety David at first was so tender of conscience that the lap of Sauls garment greived him to the heart but giving way to his own corruptions and Satans temptations to what a heigth of sin was he risen At first he only loosed the raines to idlenesse from idlenesse he proceedes to lust from lust to drunkennesse from drunkennesse to murther c. And how many have declined from a vigorous heate of zeale to a temper of luke-warme indifferency and then from a carelesse mediocritie to all extremity of debauchednes and so of hopefnll beginnings have ended in incarnate Divels Frequencie in sin takes away the sence of sinne as a man may looke so long upon the Sun that he shall become blind and not sensible of any light it hath Oh how the soule that gives way to sin is gayned upon by custome and when once crusted over with custome no hope of

returning And what doe those agents for the Divell drunkards aime at or practice more then the art of debauching men as what will they not doe or spend to make a sober man a drunkard Yea let but a religious man fall into their company as a purse of money may fall into a stinking privie how will they wind him in to drinke by little and little How will they conspire to provoke his unwilling appetite with drunken healthes And in case they can never so little prevaile O then they will sing and rejoyce as in the division of a spoile and brag that they have drenched sobriety and blinded the light and ever after be a snuffing of this Taper Psal 13. 4. And is it not a faire credit for you and the Gospel that they should boast when you are gon that you make great scruple of praying with them but none of being drunke with them That you have a good mind to please God but a greater to please the world Good sir remember your vow in baptisme confirmed againe at your first conversion and often renewed at the Lords table and in time of affliction Remember what Christ hath done for your soule and whether you were not divorc't from the world when married to him It is not for such as have given up their names to Christ and weare his Livory to consort with or conforme to the fashions of the world much lesse to her leude customes Or if they doe the more emminent the person the more notorious the corruption both in respect of others and themselves For In regard of others better many Israelites commit Adultery or Idolatry then one David or Solomon For many Iewes to deny Christ was not so much as for one Peter Yea if all the Cities of the world had done filthily it were short of this wonder The Virgin daughter of Sion is become an harlot Isay 1. 21. And likewise in respect of themselves For their sinne is and their punishment shall be greater The more glorious the Angels excellency the more damnable their Apostacie If Iudas prove a villaine how mischeivous is his villanie If the light become darkenesse how great is that darkenesse Yea if that we call vertue turne into vice the shame is triple And as the sinne of such is greater so shall their punishment be if they apostatize Iulian and Lucifer had beene lesse damned if the one had not beene a Christian and the other an Angel of light However men live or dye without the pale of the Church a wicked professor shall be sure of plagues Ob But I was never yet distempered with drinking nor I hope ever shall be neither are those drunkards which you tax me with but loving friends and customers Ans They that tarrie long at the wine are drunkards in Solomons dialect Pro. 23. 30. He that drinkes to much for his purse too much for his calling and occasions too much for his health and quiet of body or mind he that drinkes more for lusty or pride or coveteousnesse or feare or good fellowship or to drive away time or to still conscience then for thirst is a drunkard in Gods account whose law extends even to the heart and affections Mat. 5. 28. And know this that you shall give an account for every Idle peny and houre you spend and for every cup of drinke you spoile or wast Besides little doe you know what will be the event for of all other sinnes this sinne and coveteousnesse which I take to be the maine roote or cause of it in you increaseth with age Nor did I ever know one once falne into it ever get out of it Which makes St. Austine compare it to the pit of Hell out of which there is no hope of redemption I confesse a drunkard may have many good purposes to forsake his sin as I have knowne some both purpose and strive against the same yea detest and bewaile it yea indent with himselfe and his friends to relinquish it but never knew one get the mastery of it For let him but meet a companion that holds but up his finger he followes him as a foole to the stocks and as an Ox to the slaughter house having no power to withstand the temptation Oh the difficulty of disposessing a drunken divell And no marvell for besides that by a long and desperate custome they turne delight and infirmity into necessity so that without wine they are sicke having by a kind of frequency made other mens physicke their naturall food And bring upon themselves such an insatiable thirst that they will as willingly leave to live as leave their excessive drinking Wine takes away the heart Hosea 4. 11. Yea drunkennesse beastiates the soule and spoiles the braine overthrowes the faculties and organs of repentance Againe by it the spi●it is quenched Ephes 5. 18. and the body of sinne with its lusts strengthened If the Divell comes in the Holy Ghost will goe out and then what should hinder a man from running head long to hell When the belly is fild with wine Satan may stampe in that heart the fowlest sinne But lust will admit no deniall Pro. 23. 29 to 35. You shall rarely see a man continent that is not abstinent I need not tell you how Satan and those two ungracious daughters prevailed with righteous Lot when he was drunke though he never intended either drunkennesse or incest Nor how your predecessor fell into that sinne of adultery for I dare say and you will not deny it that his drinking was the maine and only cause of his drabbing which hath beene the case of many noted professors that I could name And take heed for I feare it exceedingly least God give you over to adultery as you give your selfe over to drunkennesse Nay hath he not told you already what he will doe if you continue to provoke him by what he hath done As why hath he given you over to this sottish and sordid custome of resorting to and consorting with these base places and persons for seldome or never doth God give any of his over to this more then brutish sinne but some particular provoaking cause went before it 2 Sam. 21. 1. Shall I guesse what that cause is from what I have observed in others of your temper mind it seriously for I shall goe neere to strike that veine from whence arises all your distemper God hath endowed you with strength of braine sweetnesse of nature and other eminent parts great blessings I grant being well used but if the mind doe not answer they were better mist for these especially the first not seldome prove by accident strong barres to keepe the owners out of heaven 1 Cor. 1. 18. to 30. and this hath made you proud even to the dispising of others Yea parhaps to depend more upon your gifts then the givers aid And to stand more upon the praise of men then the favour of God 1 Sam. 15. 30 Iohn 12. 42. 43. Whereupon he hath left