Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	opinion_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	29	3	8.7714	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10933	A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie lectures; since collected, and diligently perused, and now published. For the benefit generally of all such as desire to grow in faith and repentance, and especially of them, who would more cleerely vnderstand and make vse of the worthie examples of the saints, recorded in diuine history. Penned by Richard Rogers preacher of Gods word at Wethersfield in Essex.	Rogers, Richard, 1550?-1618.	1615 (1615)	STC 21204; ESTC S116353	1,044,012	830

And if we be not sufficient of our selues hereunto then take wee aduice of those that be wiser then we For the which purpose Salomon saith Without counsell thoughts come to naught but in the multitude of counsellors there is stedfastnesse So we must bee sure that speciall care bee vsed as I haue said that when great and waighty businesse is imposed vpon vs all possible regard be had to see it well brought to passe and gone about This lesson being ill learned of Peter Christs beloued Apostle may warne vs by the exceeding danger that befell him thereby to put it better in practise For when Christ told him of a most waighty matter namely that hee should denie him Peter most sleightly regarded it answering rashly without consideration that he so little feared that which Christ told him of that he was ready to goe to prison and to death with him and so resting in his bold answere and deceiueable confidence that he had of his owne strength for want of aduised deliberation he fell into the sinne that his Master foretold him off and by a very small occasion denied him indeed and so his example is set downe and left to vs to learne wisedome thereby Moses did otherwise and farre better for when he was told that he must be sent to Pharaoh by the Lord to doe his message vnto him which seemed to him ouer difficult and waighty yet considering thereof aduisedly when he saw it was imposed vpon him by the Lord hee stouped to it fitted himselfe for it accordingly and well discharged it and prospered And let these two examples bee duely weighed and regarded of vs though contrary the one to the other and the more vrge vs to practise this doctrine and otherwise let vs not maruell that we thriue not in our waighty attempts if God be not reuerently harkened vnto in his watchword and warnings and as it is most meet duely attended vpon of vs. And this for the generall Now particularly let this teach vs that in doing those actions which specially tend to the glory of God we haue an eye also to the good of our brother Let vs carrie our selues so in our zeale toward God that in the meane season wee neglect not dutie toward men neither cause our loue towards our brethren to bee called into question This is to build in heauen and pull downe as fast vpon earth Ehud heere did farre otherwise It was highly commendable in Paul and became him well that he desired King Agrippas conuersion without enioyning him with that benefit his owne bands And it becommeth vs to be so wisely feruent in Gods cause that yet wee would not willingly hazard the safety liberty credit wealth and welfare of others by our zeale and suffering for it nay rather if there because redeeme their freedome by our owne damage and detriment Many are of this preposterous opinion that because they thinke themselues strong enough to vndergoe trouble and reproch for the Gospell and a good cause therefore they looke that all other zealous persons should doe so too and are ready to censure them sharpely who are not as they themselues seeme to be not regarding their weaknesse who not finding themselues fit to beare the burthen should bee pitied in that behalfe or else they thinke that it is a discredit to their good cause to suffer for it alone and thus they winde them into a dangerous snare with themselues by drawing them to promise and vndertake that which they be vnfit for Whereas we reade that some of the ancient and some of our late Martyrs who wisely and charitably tendring the peace and good of their weake brethren resolued to beare the brunt themselues and counselled them to prouide for their conscience by flight from persecution if they felt not themselues fit to goe vnder it For the rest looke in the next Sermon THE ONE AND TWENTIETH SERMON WHICH IS THE FIFTH ON THE THIRD CHAPter of the booke of IVDGES OF Ehud it followeth still of his conueying away the men when the Present was deliuered that all inconuenience might bee auoided on both parts of whom let vs learne not onely to bee warie that wee bewray not secrets vndiscreetly to any which hee wisely preuented by sending them away and therefore much more not to many But also as he did so let vs doe it agreeing with the rule of charity namely that if danger trouble or sorrow must needs ensue and follow by doing such things which wee goe about and must needs take in hand yet let our care be that the trouble bee no more to any then it must needs be nor the danger or heauines take hold of no more then must of necessity haue their part therein As Ehud saw the burthen lay vpon him hee might if hee would haue laid it vpon other beside himselfe but that in no wise hee would doe but sent the rest of the company home that they might be out of danger Which thing I well remember our Sauiour also most carefully practised and that with no lesse tender loue and kindnesse toward his weake Disciples For when the Priests and Iewes with their band of souldiers came to apprehend and take him they telling him when he demanded of them whom they sought that they sought him hee answered them If ye seeke me let these meaning his Disciples goe their way and the reason of that speech was that they might escape danger Much like to both these examples was the doing of the Shunamite in the second booke of the Kings For when her child was dead which the Prophet Elisha obtained of God for her shee hauing none before and shee knowing and beleeuing that it should be restored to life againe vnto her when she had talked with the Prophet and made her moue and complaint vnto him which shee saw shee might doe and yet returne home againe the same day what did shee thinke wee Surely this shee locked vp the dead child in the Prophets chamber which shee had perswaded her husband to build for him in their owne habitation to rest at when hee passed by and made his death knowne to none lest trouble and sorrow should thereby haue been caused to the whole family and neighbours thereabout and by faith had the child restored aliue vnto her againe The griefe and care for it must needs light on her and she sustained it her selfe and would haue no other to sorrow for it or be troubled about it But our sinne about this thing is great that when wee might with a little trouble to our selues free and ease many other yet wee raise and procure it to other also yea and wee bee not satisfied vnlesse they smart as well as we So farre are we off from regarding other and from seeking their peace who would liue peaceably by vs. As for example it is commonly to be seene how many rough and boysterous husbands grieue and disquiet both wise and family

seeke to relieue themselues by lyings equiuocations and periurie or flying if they can from comming to their answere The other thing to bee noted in these Philistims was their wise care to keepe themselues from hurt by Samson when they saw him to be a man to be feared and this they shewed herein that they set thirtie men of their own countrey as if they would haue honoured him much like Herod who pretended that he would honour Christ when he sought to kill him whereas they intended no such thing but to set them as watchmen to take heede that no hurt might be wrought by him against them And as they did by the light of nature thus prouide for their owne safetie so wee ought wisely and warily to preuent danger where it is comming towards vs and to bee wise as serpents and beware of men as well as to be innocent like doues We haue great cause in these daies to beware whom wee trust and to whom we commit ourselues by giuing credit to them Our Sauiour hath left vs a good example behinde him whereby wee may take heed how farre we commit our seiues to men For when he was at Ierusalem at the Passeouer many beleeued in him it is said when they saw his miracles that hee did But Iesus did not commit himselfe to them seeing he knew what was in them Teaching vs to be circumspect how farre wee trust them whom we doe not sufficiently know Many smart for that they are too light of credit namely for that when they heare faire words and conditions they are ready thereupon to put themselues into their hands Whereas they should know this that they who are not faithfull to God will not bee faithfull to men as Papists and loose professors It hath been many mens vtter vndoing who haue too rashly put their estate and goods into the hands of them who haue made faire shewes of trustines of friendship toward them Other haue sustained the like by their owne children hauing a better opinion of them through blind selfeloue then there was cause and trusting them with almost all that they had haue lost all through their owne folly The same I may say of vnwise and vndiscreet lenders and such as haue vnaduisedly brought themselues into danger by suertiship till with their loade of griefe they haue ended their miserable daies in prison or penurie But none are either more commonly deceiued or more to be pitied then sillie and shiftlesse damsels and maides who care not into whose hands they put themselues till they complaine and crie out that they haue not found truth and faithfulnes at their hands who promised them great matters of quietnes and liuing at ease who haue in a short time grossely broke their couenant with them by most contentious and vnquiet liuing or left them with their charge to shift for themselues of which woful persons England is full For I must say the truth that in most places there are few faithful people to be found Let vs make the more account of them that are such and for the rest I say with our Sauiour let the dead bury the dead and let them match together seeing they will needes doe so who are both of them vnfaithfull And seeing in this subtile vizard age we can hardly discerne oft times betweene one and other I meane betwixt the trustie and the deceiuer let vs with Paul pray God to deliuer vs from hauing to doe with such as haue neither faith nor fidelitie in them And so farre as by our narrow obseruation we can finde any hollownesse or falsehood in such as pretend the contrary as for others they are more easily auoided let it be a watch-word for caution in time to come All is not gold that glistereth faire words are fit to beguile euen good people whose innocencie makes them thinke that other are as themselues But with the breast-plate of righteousnesse which serueth to keepe them from being offensiue let them vse their head-peece I meane wisedome and preuention of danger that they may be defended from hurt by others All know that none lesse deserue wrong then the harmelesse yet none we see daily are more vsually beguiled and made a pray to the spoiler for want of circumspection THE SEVENTIE SIXE SERMON ON THE XIIII CHAPTER OF THE BOOKE OF IVDGES Vers 13. And Samson said vnto them I will now put foorth a riddle vnto you if you can certainly declare it me within the seuen daies of the feast and finde it out then I will giue you thirtie sheetes and thirtie change of garments 14. But if you cannot declare it me then shall ye giue me thirtie sheetes and thirtie change of raiments And they answered him Put foorth thy riddle that wee may heare it 15. And he said vnto them Out of the eater came meate and out of the strong came sweetnes and they could not in three daies expound the riddle 16. And when the seuenth day was come they said vnto Samsons wife Entice thine husband that he may declare vs the riddle lest wee burne thee and thy fathers house with fire Haue ye called vs to possesse vs Is it not so 17. And Samsons wife wept before him and said Surely thou hatest me and louest me not for thou hast put foorth a riddle vnto the children of my people and hast not told it me And he said vnto her Behold I haue not told it my father nor my mother and shall I tell it thee 18. Then Samsons wife wept before him seuen daies while their feast lasted and when the seuenth day was come he told her because she was importunate vpon him so she told the riddle to the children of her people 19. And the men of the citie said vnto him the seuenth day before the Sunne went downe What is sweeter then hony and what is stronger then a lion Then said he vnto them If yee had not plowed with my heiffer you had not found out my riddle 20. And the spirit of the Lord came vpon him and he went downe to Askelon and slew thirtie men of them and spoiled them and change of garments vnto them which expounded the riddle and his wrath was kindled and he went vp to his fathers house 21. Then Samsons wife was giuen to his companion whom he had vsed as his friend NOw followeth the third thing that was done at the marriage and that was the riddle that Samson put foorth to the Philistims there met together the which course was in great wisedome taken by Samson if it bee well considered For if the cause bee sought why Samson propounded this riddle I answere It was a pleasant whetting of their wits and ministred occasion of mirth to set them about the inuenting and searching out the meaning of it which was hard and difficult that so in the meane while they might bee kept from manifolde offendings And it was without suspition to the Philistims of any euill intended