Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	reason_n	see_v	1,882	5	3.4169	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03425	The king's request: or, Dauid's desire A sermon preached at the last generall fast holden at Yorke, the 21. of Aprill last. By Phinees Hodson Doctour of Diuinity, and Chancellour of the Metropoliticall Church of St. Peter-Yorke.	Hodson, Phineas, d. 1646.	1628 (1628)	STC 13551; ESTC S104137	19,311	38

heauen but thee and I desire nothing in the earth with thee Ps 73. Not onely nothing aboue him but nothing with him His flesh may faile so may his heart yet so long as he may looke vpon this beauty Thou art saith he to God the strengh of my heart and my portion for euer the 26. verse Yea from the sight of this beauty was it that the Apostles flesh did in a sort faile that it did not faile for he desired to be dissolued and to be with Christ and the Church in the Cant. was so farre rapt in this contemplation of this admirable heauenly beauty which she saw in our blessed Sauiour that impatient of delay and as she after professeth sick of loue Cant. 2. she requests in the first of Cant. Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth And now saith Saint Augustine Aliud desidera si maius si melius si suavius inveneris if hauing felt such pleasure such delight if hauing seene such comelinesse such beauty as the good pleasure of the Lord manifested vnto thee in the forme of a Sauiour and bringing saluation vnto thy soule doth represent vnto thee goe to and loue something else if any thing be greater be better be sweeter Yet all this while we doe not see him face to face but once we shall and know him as wee are knowne In the meane time this is our comfort that as S. Augustine saith though we cannot so see him though there be not here Potestas videndi yet here there is Gratia promerendi ut videre possimus and though we see him not here in glory yet here wee see him in grace and no man beholds him face to face in the next world that by grace beholds not his beauty in this therefore our Prophet desires of God in the ninth verse of this Psalme that since he would so gladly behold his beauty it would please God not to hide his face from him Onely let me exhort you that while you seeke this beauty and make it your Primum you neglect not deceiuing your selues as a way to it to promooue the beauty of the Church and Common wealth which principally consists in order and vnitie For these two make decency which is beauty for that which is beautifull is decent and that which is decent is beautifull and neither of these can be without order and vnitie Hence the Apostle as if all beauty were in order Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14. and last And indeed order and vnity which is nothing but explicite order are the outward beauty the beauty of the body of the Church the inward beauty or the soules is holinesse that 's it makes her all glorious within But that beauty wee cannot so well discerne as beleeue it 's onely seene of God because the residence of it is in the heart and vnlesse we in some measure pertake of that beauty and bee gracious by it in the eyes of God by being holy as he is holy he will neuer shew vs his owne beauty for they must be beautifull themselues in some measure that enioy such a beauty as his is therefore the spouse in the Cant. 8.6 would be set as a seale on Christs heart that if it were possible the print might not more resemble the seale then shee her Sauiour And indeed this is the prime feature that takes him this is that beauty that wounds his heart Cant. 4.9 when we thus looke vpon our Sauiour wee ouercome him Cant. 6.4 for this aboue all things makes his desire towards vs Cant. 7.10 and there 's no surer possession we can haue no greater conquest we can make then by possessing and speeding by the desire of those wee conquer and possesse Feare keepes good quarter but it 's onely by the rod remoue that and we recoile but desire yeelds all and alwaies If his desire be to vs we doe ouercome him and all his by that conquest all his blessings all his pleasures all his graces all his ioyes are enfeofed and estated vpon vs. Then get holinesse the beautie of holinesse 1 Chr. 16.29 for that 's it is so attractiue so strong so preualent But whilest you labour for this inward beautie you must take care likewise for the outward For though holinesse make her glorious within yet if we neglect vnity and order her cloathing will not not be as is fit for the Kings daughter and for his Spouse that is the chiefest of ten thousand of wrought gold and Needle-worke She may be beautifull and yet want her ornaments wherewith she should be dressed And I doubt not but when our Sauiour in the fourth of the Canticles brake out into that admiration of her Behold thou art faire my loue behold thou art faire thine eyes are like the Doues and so passeth to her haires and her teeth and her lips and her necke and her breasts hee tooke pleasure euen in these outward ornaments of Order and Vnity which are nothing else but vnanimity and vniformity And in expresse tearmes we haue order which is vniformity when he compares her teeth to a flocke of sheepe in good order the second verse of that Chapter there 's vniformity And when a multitude of men like haires on a Virgins head are well set the first verse and are all like one entire body there 's vnanimity When the Churches lips are like a thread of Scarlet there 's vniformity And when her talk is comly both in the third verse there 's vnanimity for where it 's crossing there 's no vnity This is her necke built for defence Let the holy Church of God be beautified and guarded with vnanimity and vniformity and they will be to her as a thousand Shields and as all the Targets of the strong men Cantic 4.4 I must confesse that of late whatsoeuer our inward beauty hath beene we haue wanted the outward both in Church and state And surely I see no great cause to hope for amends in the Church at least in these parts where with many nothing but singularity is accounted sanctity whilest men hold of this man and of that man of this Church and of that Church and yet by no reason by no authority can be brought to see that they are carnall though the Apostle concludes against them strongly as conuinced when one saith I am Pauls and another I am Apolloes 1 Corinth 3. are ye not carnall And for the State we cannot but acknowledge the diuisions in it whilest by the practises of some louers of themselues the Prince hath beene rent from the people and the people from the Prince as hath appeared by those distractions in the highest Court the onely meanes to ingratiate Prince and people one to another When the bed entertaines iarres betweene man and wife what shall reconcile them when the mercies of men are cruell what can soften them and when the house of Vnity and Order the Fountaine from whence it should flow and streame

out to the whole Land is in iealousie and combustion what can the fruit or effect be but confusion And thus it hath beene but blessed be God that of late hath giuen vs cause to hope for better things and that God that put it into his Maiesties heart to call a Parliament so blesse it and continue peace and vnity in it as with one heart and one hand they may ioyne against the enemies of Religion and the State to the glory of God the honour of his sacred Maiestie and the safety of his Kingdomes What if hitherto the cloudes and stormes of contention haue intercepted those rayes of comfort which otherwise might haue cheared vs and made vs strong against all forreine assaults feares and haue enabled vs to haue supported the weake hands of our confederates and allies that haue fainted vnder the burthen of the common enemy Yet let vs not be discouraged It 's Gods method many times in matters of moment to proceed by contraries Thus he began So was Eue cursed before she had the promise of blessing Thus he went on So was Sarahs wombe dried vp before he made it fruitfull Gen. 18. Yea thus hee continued So hee made Ioseph a bondslaue before he brought him to honour And hee must himselfe in a Basket a leaking Boat God knowes be cast into a Riuer Ex. 2. that must carry Gods people thorow the red Sea Could any thing be more crosse then to thinke that that childe that in a basket was ready to sinke should carry so great a people through a Sea and yet dry-shood You see in my Text Dauid longs and faints and prayes and importunes and sets his rest vpon it as his only blisse before he can be admitted to dwell in Gods house to behold his beauty And this is our hope and I am persuaded my trust is not in vaine that God in this course hath beene pleased to make strife and distraction the ground and foundation of that beauty of vniformity and vnanimity which shall henceforth commend and grace this Church and State Thus did our blessed Sauiour out of the infidelity of Thomas worke faith thus did God cause Iohn Baptist to spring out of the barren wombe of Elizabeth And surely then shall we begin to haue assurance that God hath not forgotten to be gracious when out of the former seeds of faction and diuision hee shall cause the beautifull fruits of loue and vnitie o grow O how good and comely a thing is it for brethren to dwell together in vnitie this is it makes vs beautifull and comely and commends vs to Gods affection Therefore if Saint Paul will vouchsafe to entreat those he may command this shall be it That they speake all one thing that there be no dissention that they be knit together in one minde and in one iudgement 1 Cor. 1.10 And if Saint Peter will haue one thing remembred aboue all the rest hee will bring it in as a parting blow whereof they must take speciall knowledge Friends bee yee all of one minde 1 Pet. 3.8 and in the second to the Philippians after he had contested with them and coniured them by whatsoeuer was deare vnto them If any consolation in Christ if any comfort of loue if any fellowship of the spirit if any compassion and mercy what of all this fulfill my ioy This was the vtmost of his ambition the period of his desires wherein would he haue his ioy fulfilled what would doe it That yee be like minded hauing the same loue being of one accord and of one iudgement And what was the end of this his serious importunity that nothing be done through contention or vaine glory which are like the breaking in of waters that cannot be staied If God haue beene long angry with his people and once begin to be reconcil'd why then They shall be my people and I will be their God and I will giue them one heart and one way Ier. 32. yea this was our Sauiours prayer last before his passion as Saint Iohn records it that they may bee all one Ioh. 17. Euen so Lord Iesus let vs be all one in our affections and deuotions that with one mouth we may praise God Rom. 15. all one in iudgement that wee may proceed by one rule both in things pertaining to Religion and gouernment Ecclesiasticall and by one rule in ciuill matters and things pertaining to the common good and the maiestie and honour of the King and State That this whole Kingdome being as a Citie that is at vnitie in it selfe nay as one family nay if it were possible as one heart wherein reason season'd with religion gouernes and commands like a iust and a potent King and the affections yeeld obedience like so many humble faithfull dutifull subiects the whole Nation may be a Nation after Gods owne heart and with confidence say with the Spouse in the Cant. My well-beloued is mine and I am his So shall we enioy Gods beauty and he take pleasure in ours So may the temporall fruit by the mariage of King and people in a happy bond of loue and vnitie be anew brood of Kingdomes for men and women being married begat men and women like themselues But Prince and people happily ioyn'd if they beget it must be kingdomes like themselues by a new propagation and enlargement So shall the spirituall fruit be such by this beauteous coniunction that so many of vs as are thus ioyned shal be his children and adopted for heires euery heire a King to reigne with our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ in the Kingdome of his Father which the Lord grant for the same his deare Sonnes sake to whom with the holy Ghost bee all glory and praise for euer and euer FJNJS