Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	stand_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	31	3	8.3904	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19498	A holy alphabet for Sion's scholars full of spiritual instructions, and heauenly consolations, to direct and encourage them in their progresse towards the new Ierusalem: deliuered, by way of commentary vpon the whole 119. Psalme. By William Covvper ...	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.	1613 (1613)	STC 5926; ESTC S108977	239,299	430

men hate the precepts and commandements of Gods law they are so contrary to the disposition of his corrupt nature that as the Apostle affirmes sinne takes occasion by the commandement to worke in man all manner of concupiscence for without the law sinne is dead and man his corrupt nature is the more bent vnto euill the more it bee for biddē but grace comming in to renue nature it works a loue euen of the commandements of God as being most holy in themselues most profitable for vs and that our felicity stands in a conformity with them Quicken mee Of this petition See verse 25. 37. 40. And out of Dauid his earnest frequent repetition of this petition let vs learne how spirituall things are to bee sought with a feruent affection It is pitty to see that the things of this world are sought so incessantly as if they were hardly obtained or being obtained were able to fulfil all our necessities or yet could continue and abide stil with vs wheras things pertaining to the life to come are sought in so cold a manner as if it were nothing to get them or being gotten they could doe vs little good or at least were not to continue with vs. Oh that we could rectifie our desires in this point and learne to seeke most excellent things with our best and most excellent affections and that we could alway remember these three things first it is vncertaine if we shall obtaine worldly things when wee seeke them next granting we do it is most certain that they will not fulfill our necessities and thirdly albeit they were able so to doe yet can they not continue with vs. Let vs therefore make choise as Mary did of the best part and couet as the Apostle counsels vs those gifts which are most excellent VER 160. The beginning of thy word is truth and all the iudgements of thy righteousnes indure for euer HEere is a commendation of Gods word from the truth and righteousnes thereof Some reade the words so as if Dauid should say the word of God hath beene true à principio from the very beginning of the world Some reade this way Ab ipso limine veritas tua conspicua est in verbo tuo in the very entry of thy word thy truth is manifest and some Caput verbi tui veritas this is the excellencie and great prerogatiue of thy word the very head and garland of it is verity This perswasion is the mother of all obedience to the word of God and it begets also such a comfort in our souls as no trouble nor temptation is able to ouercome Saint Peter calles the word of God a most sure word And the Lord himselfe calles the promises therof The sure mercies of Dauids house Wee may say with the Apostle We know whom we haue beleeued The Lord will not faile his people according to his word so shall it be vnto vs. And all the iudgements Here Dauid shewes what sustained him against the delay of iudgement vpon wicked men to weet a meditation of the eternall righteousnes of Gods iudgements He considered with himselfe that the righteousnes of God was not for one age but for all neither yet for one sinne only but for all then looking to by-gone iudgements executed vpon the wicked he collects that albeit for the present they were spared yet at length they would be punished seeing Gods iudgements are euerlasting And this should serue for a warning to wicked men of this age that the Lord who hath punished the wickednes of other ages before wil not let the impiety of this age escape vnpunished When the iudgements of God are executed then all men acknowledge Verely There is a God that iudgeth righteously in the earth Yea faithlesse men are amazed when hee strikes and forced to confesse that it is his hand but before the iudgement come to belieue that it will come is an argument of true faith So Noah mooued with reuerence prepared the Arke And Salomon saith A prudent man sees the plague before it come and hides himselfe in time God giue vs this wisedome SHIN VER 161. Princes haue persecuted me without cause but mine heart stood in awe of thy words IT hath pleased the Lord to teach vs not only by his word but by the exāples of others his seruants who liued before vs. For this cause hath hee registred the obedience of Noah the faith of Abraham the patience of Iob the meekenes of Moses the zeale of Dauid that we also should be zealous of those graces for which they receiued so honourable a commendation of God It is a great patience to sustaine iniurie from any wicked man but the greater the person be that persecutes vs the greater is the temptation whereof see verse 23. Onely now it comes to be enquired How can Dauid say that he was persecuted without cause seeing in all troubles which can befall vs if wee rightly examine our consciences we shall still finde within our selues causes which haue deserued sharper corrections 1. The answere is that Dauid here is not comparing himselfe with God for hee knew that in Gods sight no man could be iustified and none can say vnto him thou hast striken me without a fault but here he compares himselfe with men to whom hee had giuen no iust cause of offence It is true Saul pretended great causes against Dauid that hee was an enemie both to his life and crowne but Dauid not only by his words doth purge himselfe but by his deeds declare the contrary For when hee might haue slaine him hee spared him both in the caue and in the campe Thus we must also distinguish betweene causes pretended by euill men and those which are indeede But mine heart stood in awe of thy word Dauid renders not euill for euill but ouercomes euill with good Though Princes who should bee fathers and protectors of people should degenerate into oppressors and persecuters Is it lawfull for that to shake off obedience to refuse their tribute or to murther their persons Shall we become godless Atheists because they are becom faithless tyrants No no we see men truely religious doe practise no such vnrighteousnes This may tell vs from what spirit proceeds the Romish doctrine which not only permits but commands the deposition of Kings the loosing of subiects from their obedience yea the murthering of their persons It cannot be from that good spirit wherewith Dauid vvas inspired Princes persecuted him and he might haue slaine them as his seruants counselled him to murther Saul God saide they haue closed thine enemy into thine hand but he would not for his heart stood in awe of Gods word which told him as there he answered his men that it was not lawfull for him to touch the Lords anointed Againe we see heere an example of the constancy of Gods children no winde of temptation can remoue

Dauid vnto the Sanctuary of God and with Abaeue to our Watch-towre where we may looke out and see what hath bin the miserable ends of the wicked and we shall say they buy full deare their short and perishing pleasures for their prosperity is their ruine VER 53. Feare is come vpon me for the wicked that for sake thy lawe LEast it might seeme out of the former words that Dauids comfort stood in the destruction of the wicked by the execution of Gods iust iudgements vpon them he addes this that their impiety was the cause of his feare and griefe and that he was partim iratus quòd legem Dei contemnerent partim dolens quòd ipsi perituriessent This is the meekenesse and loue which the godly carie euen toward those who haue offended them they are touched with a commiseration of them not so much for any wrong done to themselues as for the euill they see their enemies incurre by wronging them Nam qui fortior est non proprtam dolet contumeliam sed aliena peccata et in sua iniuria lapsum alterius ingemiscit As a louing father offends at the contumelious words hee receiues from his frantique child not so much sorrowfull for the wrong done to himselfe as for the disease of his child which for●…eth him to speake that vvhich he should not so godly Dauid Dolebat non quia contemnebatur sed quia lex Dei relinquebatur eorum qui hoc faciebant damnū dolebat quòd Deo perirent Hee was afraid and grieued at the sinnes of the wicked who scorned him not because he was contemned but God was offended nor yet for any losse he suffered by their sinnes but for the harme they did vnto themselues The impietie of wicked men is here described to be a forsaking of Gods law thereby letting vs know what is the weight of sinne The law is holy good contayning in it a most perfect rule of righteousnes and therefore the forsaking of it cannot be but a very high crime And sure it is many of this age are guiltie of it in regard of their deeds how euer it be that in regard of their words they will not hold with it but when God shall iudge thē what euer liking of the law they pretend in word they shall be found indeed forsakers of it VER 54. Thy statutes haue beene my songs in the house of my pilgrimage HE still insists in a commendation of the word of God frō the comforts which hee found in it in the time of trouble Naturalists refresh themselues in their griefes with profane Ballades and Songs but these increase guiltinesse and consequently griefe but mitigate it not As to Dauid hee protests hee sought his comfort in the word of God worldlings count it a melancholique subiect but he found ioy in it let men in this take heede vnto themselues Dauid was a man after Gods owne heart that is approued of him and they who count that to be a wearines which hee found to be a refreshment how can they haue this comfort that they are also approued of God Againe see how the Lord in his wise dispensation attempers himselfe to our infirmities Our life is subiect to many changes and God by his word hath prouided for vs also many instructions and remedies Euery crosse hath his owne remedy and euery state of life his own instruction Sometime our griefe is so great that we cannot sing then let vs pray sometime our deliuerance so ioyfull that wee must breake out in thanksgiuing then let vs sing If any man among you bee afflicted let him pray if hee be merie let him sing Prayers for euery crosse and Psalmes for euerie deliuerance hath GOD by his own Spirit penned vnto vs so that now wee are more then inexcusable if wee faile in this dutie In the house of my pilgrimage Vatablus expounds this of his banishment among the Philistims that vvhen hee vvas put from his natiue Countrey and kinred and all other comforts failed him that then the word of the Lord furnished matter of ioy to him And indeed the banishment of Gods seruaunts may cast them farre from their kinred and acquaintance but it chaseth them neerer to the Lord and the Lord neerer to them Proofe of this in Iacob when hee was banished and lay without all night in the fields he found a more familiar presence of God then he did when he lay in the Tent vvith father and mother But wee may rather with Basil referre it to the whole time of his mortall life Omnem vi●…am suam peregrinationem vocare arbitror So Iacob acknowledged to Pharao that his life was a pilgrimage and Abraham and Isaac dwelt in the world as strangers S. Peter therfore teacheth vs as Pilgrims to abstaine from the lusts of the flesh and S. Paul to vse this world as if we vsed it not for the fashion thereof goeth away Many waies are wee taught this lesson but slowe are wee to learne it Alas what folly is this that a man should desire to dwell in the earth when God calleth him to be a Citizen of heauen Yet great is the comfort wee haue of this that the houses wherein we lodge vpon earth are but houses of our pilgrimage The faithfull Israelites endured their bondage in Egypt the more patiently because they knew they were to be deliuered from it If the houses of our seruitude were eternall mansions how lamentable were our condition but God be thanked they are but wayfaring cottages and houses of our pilgrimage Such a house was the womb of our mother if we had beene enclosed there for euer what burden had it been to her what bondage to our selues Such a house will be the graue of the which wee must all say with Iob The graue shall be my house and I shall make my bed in the darke if vvee were there to abide for euer how comfortlesse vvere our estate But GOD be praised our mansion house is aboue and the houses we exchange here on earth are but the houses of our pilgrimage happy is he can so liue in the world as esteeming himselfe in his owne house in his owne bed yea in his owne body to be but a stranger in respect of his absence from the Lord. VER 55. I haue remembred thy name O Lord in the night and haue kept thy law THis verse containes a new protestation of his honest affection toward the word of God Wherin first let vs mark his sinceritie he was religious not onely in publick but in priuat for priuate exercises are the surest tryalls of true religion In the publique oftentimes hypocrisie caries men to simulate that vvhich they are not it is not so in the priuat for then either doth a man if hee make no conscience of Gods worship vtterly neglect it because there is no eye of man to see him or otherwise if hee