Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	punishment_n	sin_n	sin_v	1,923	5	9.5821	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A04859	The straight gate to heauen A sermon preached before the poore distressed prisoners in the Kings Bench common gaole, to their heauenly comfort. By William King preacher of the word of God.; Straight gate to heaven.	King, William, preacher of the word of God.	1617 (1617)	STC 14997.7; ESTC S106997	20,884	50

their side and there is nothing but crowing long before it be day and great triumphing among them before any stroke be stricken and that because we bee but a handfull of people and they a great multitude and that in a manner the whole world agréeeth with them to practise our death Thus the Diuell doth cast a mist before their eyes and leades them away from the straight Gate to heauen and brings them into the broad way which leadeth them to the bottomlesse pit of hell Therefore my deare Bretheren let vs stand fast in the word of the Lord and take héed of bending with the way that we be not carried away or bowed quite downe with the raging streame of the multitude for the sway of the world doth way downe all thinges that can be spoken out of the word of God and openeth a very wide passage into Hell Now let vs procéed to the fourth Gate into hell which is the long custome of sinne for that taketh away all sence and féeling of sinne and making it as it were an other nature vnto vs so that wee may as well alter nature as shake it off when it is thus soldered vnto vs through long custome this is noted by the Prophet Ieremy to be a very dangerous thing For hee saith Can the blacke Moore change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may ye also doe good which are accustomed to doe euill Héere the Prophet affirmeth that it is as hard to cure an old disease that is bred in the bone or to remedie a sin that hath béene hatched and brought vp with vs as to wash a blacke Moore white or to change the spots of a Leopard which cannot be without the destroying of nature And surely trye it who will hee shall finde it as hard a matter to leaue an old custome whether it be of swearing gaming lying whoring euill company or any other sinne as to wash an Aethiopian Therefore it is written Pro. 27. Though thou shouldest bray a foole in a morter among wheate brayed with a pestle yet will not his foolishnes depart from him So that as long as we are in custome with sinne the doore of Heauen is barred vp against vs. Now let vs heare of the fift gate which is the long escaping of punishment this is auouched by the wise man in these wordes Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therfore the hearts of the children of men haue set them to do euil Where he sheweth that one cause why men are so hardened in their sins is because God wincketh at them and letteth them alone not punishing them immediately after they haue sinned For if God should forthwith strike downe one and raigne downe fire and brimstone vpon another cause the earth to swallow vp the third then men would feare indéed But God taketh not that course for though he méeteth with som in this life yet he lets thousands escape and that makes them more bold thinking they shall neuer come to their answer Euen as an old Theefe which hath a long time escaped both prison and gallowes thinkes he shall alwayes escape and therfore goeth bouldly on in his thefts But let men take héed for as the prouerbe saith though the pitcher goeth long to the well yet at last it commeth broken home so though men escape long vnpunished for sin yet shall they not alwayes be freed for there will come a day of reuenge a day that will pay thē home for all Thus you sée that impunity leadeth numbers to destruction that is when men are let alone not smitten by the hand of God nor punisht by law of the Magistrate The sixt Gate is the beholding of other mens déeds for when some men that haue a wicked and vngratious life haue béene notorious sinners euen to the world ward so that euery man could poynt at them if vpon their death-bed they say a few good wordes and cry God mercy and say their prayers and forgiue all the world and so dye quietly it is maruellous to heare how the foolish people of the world will exalt them and iustifie them saying He made a very good end as any man could make and dyed as quietly as a lambe set all things in good order before he dyed Héerevpon an other wicked monstrous varlet is encouraged to sin for thinketh he such a man liued as wickedly and loosely as I or any man else and yet he made a very good end and why may not I doe so too But alasse these mens eyes are bleared for to dye quietly is not to dye godly to crye God mercy for fashion sake is not to haue God mercifull to say a few praiers with téeth outward is not to dye in the faith of Christ for many do this and yet dye miserably The last gate is hope of long life this is affirmed by our Lord concerning the rich worldling who whē he felt the world come in vppon him with full streame said hee would pull downe his Barnes and build greater and say to his soule Soule habes multa bona reposita in annos multos requiesce comede bibe oblectare Thou hast much goods laid vp for many yeares liue at ease eat drinke and take thy pastime But our Sauiour calleth him foole for flattering himselfe in security and promising vnto himselfe long life moreouer he plainly telleth him that the same night he should make a hellish and miserable end Note I pray you how Iesus Christ the fountaine of all wisedome calleth this man a foole and yéeldeth a reason thereof to wit because he gathered ritches to himselfe and was not rich in God hee had great care for this life and none at all for that which is to come So then it followeth that all such are méere fooles indéede and may bee Chronicled for fooles howsoeuer they be taken and reputed in the world which haue much care for their bodies and none for their soules great care for this life and none at all for that which is to come Wel let all such prophane worldlings as dreame and dote of long life and therefore defer the day of their repentance vnto God take héed by this mans example that they reckon not without their host and bee suddenly snatcht away in the midst of all their pleasures and iollities as Iob saith Some dye in their full strength being in all ease and prosperity their brests are full of marrow Wée see therefore how dangerous a thing it is for men to flatter soothvp themselues with hope of a long life Via arctissima the way is very straight my little flock speake thus one to another Come let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob Et docebit nos vias suas and hee will teach vs his wayes and we will walke in his paths for we will no longer follow the multitude nor walke in the wayes of