以故 at the beginning of the sentence

Question

I am wondering if the following translation is correct?

以故使炳夏搜送刊行文集，則歸報以不得，極可歎也。

This (以故) caused 炳夏搜 to pursue publication of the collected essays, thus there will be no payback, which is extremely pitiful.

(EDIT) Here is the sentence in a context:

...此文若出，必有一場紛紜，以增斯文之厄，不是小事也。再昨招宋炳夏商量, 又更審其祖考所撰行狀，則記先老爺雅言，以為孔子之後集群儒而大成者，朱子也。其功多於孟子云云。若於大學，果有如言者之說，則其雅言豈有如此之理耶。以故使炳夏搜送刊行文集，則歸報以不得，極可歎也。

The passage comes from a letter by Korean Conffucian 宋時烈.

Answer 1

以故使炳夏搜送刊行文集，

Expand the sentence:

[以此之故]致使(宋)炳夏搜尋並遞送刊行文集，[以此之故] = 源由於此 - 果有如言者之說，則其雅言豈有如此之理耶。