Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A14795
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Spare-minutes: or resolved meditations and premeditated resolutions. Written by A.W.
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Warwick, Arthur, 1604?-1633.
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1634
(1634)
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STC 25096; ESTC S102697
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27,998
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212
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another in honour and yet the highest want a glory There though one Starre differs from another in glory yet in the fullnesse of glory they all shine as Starres Heere the greatest may want there the least hath enough Heere all the earth may not bee enough for one There one heaven is enough for all LORD let me rather be least there without honour heere then the greatest heere without glory there I had rather bee a dore-keeper in that house then a ruler in these tents WHen I see the heavenly sun buried under earth in the evening of the day and in the morning to finde a resurrection to his glory Why thinke I may not the sonnes of heaven buried in the earth in the evening of their daies expect the morning of their glorious Resurrection Each night is but the pastdayes funerall and the morning his Resurrection Why then should our funerall sleepe bee other then our sleepe at night Why should we not as well awake to our Resurrection as in the morning I see night is rather an intermission of day then a deprivation and death rather borrowes our life of us then robbs us of it Since then the glory of the sunne findes a Resurrection why should not the sonnes of glory Since a dead man may live againe I will not so much looke for an end of my life as waite for the comming of my change I See that candle yeelds mee small benefit at day which at night much steeds mee and I know the cause is not because the candles light was lesse at day but because the daies light is lesse in the evening As my friends love to mee so mine to my friend may bee at all times alike but wee best see it when wee most need it and that not because our love is then greater but our want Though then I welcome a courtesie according to my want yet I will value a courtesie according to its worth That my fortunes need not my friends courtesie is my happinesse should my happinesse sleight my friends courtesie 't were my folly I See that candle makes small shew in the day which at night yeelds a glorious lustre not because the candle has then more light but because the ayre hath then more darkenesse How prejudiciall then is that ambition which makes mee seeme lesse then I am by presuming to make mee greater then I should bee They whose glory shines as the sparkes amongst stubble loose their light if compared to the Sonne of glory I will not seat my selfe higher then my place least I should bee disgraced to an humility but if I place my selfe lower then my seat I may be advanced to the honour of friend sit up higher I had rather bee exalted by my humility then be brought low by my exaltation I See that candle which is as a sunne in the darkenesse is but as a darkenesse in the sunne the candle not more lightning the nights darkenesse then the sunne darkning the candles light I will take heed then of contention especially with great ones As I may bee too strong for the weaker so I must bee too weake for the stronger I cannot so easily vanquish mine inferiors but my superiors may as easily conquer mee I will doe much to bee at peace with all men but suffer much ere I contend with a mighty man I See when I follow my shadow it flies me When I flie my shadow it followes mee I know pleasures are but shadowes which hold no longer then the sunshine of my fortunes Least then my pleasures should forsake mee I will forsake them Pleasure most flies me when I most follow it IT is not good to speake evill of all whom wee know bad it is worse to judge evill of any who may prove good To speake ill upon knowledge shewes a want of charity to speake ill upon suspition shewes a want of honesty I will not speake so bad as I know of many I will not speake worse then I know of any To know evill by others and not speake it is sometimes discretion to speake evill by others and not know it is alway dishonesty Hee may bee evill himselfe who speakes good of others upon knowledge but hee can never bee good himselfe who speakes evill of others upon suspition A Bad great one is a great bad one For the greatnesse of an evill man makes the mans evill the greater It is the unhappie priviledge of authority not so much to act as teach wickednesse and by a liberall crueltie to make the offenders sinne not more his owne then others Each fault in a leader is not so much a crime as a rule for error And their vices are made if not warrants yet presidents for evill To sinne by prescription is as usuall as damnable and men run poast in their journey when they goe to the divell with authority When then the vices of the rulers of others are made the rules for vices to others the offences of all great ones must needs bee the greatest of all offences Either then let mee bee great in goodnesse or else it were good for mee to bee without greatnesse My owne sinnes are a burthen too heavie for mee why then should I lade my selfe with others offences To speake all that is true is the property of fooles to speake more then is true is the folly of too many Hee that spends all that is his owne is an unthrifty prodigall Hee that spends more then is his owne is a dishonest unthrift I may sometimes know what I will not utter I must never utter what I doe not know I should bee loath to have my tongue so large as my heart I would scorne to have my heart lesse then my tongue For if to speake all that I know shewes too much folly to speake more then I know shewes too little honesty IT is the ambitious folly of too many to imitate rather greatnesse then goodnesse They will sooner follow the example of their Lord then the precepts of their GOD. I will alway honour greatnesse I will onely imitate goodnesse and rather doe good without a patterne then commit evill in imitation 'T is better to bee saved without a president then to bee damn'd by example THere is no security in evill society where the good are often made worse the bad seldome better For it is the peevish industry of wickednesse to finde or make a fellow 'T is like they will bee birds of a feather that use to flocke together For such commonly doth their conversation make us as they are with whom wee use to converse I cannot bee certaine not to meet with evill company but I will bee carefull not to keepe with evill company I would willingly sort my selfe with such as should either teach or learne goodnesse and if my companion cannot make mee better nor I him good I will rather leave him ill then hee shall make me worse TO teach goodnesse is the greatest praise to learne goodnesse the greatest profit