Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	absence_n	absent_a	hurtful_a	14	3	10.7414	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11012	Lectures, vpon the history of the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of our Lord Iesus Christ Beginning at the eighteenth chapter of the Gospell, according to S. Iohn, and from the 16. verse of the 19. chapter thereof, containing a perfect harmonie of all the foure Euangelists, for the better vnderstanding of all the circumstances of the Lords death, and Resurrection. Preached by that reuerend and faithfull seruant of God, Mr. Robert Rollocke, sometime minister of the Euangell of Iesus Christ, and rector of the Colledge of Edinburgh.	Rollock, Robert, 1555?-1599.; Charteris, Henry, 1565-1628.; Arthur, William, fl. 1606-1619.	1616 (1616)	STC 21283; ESTC S116153	527,260	592

Christ His Resurrectiō from the dead Alwayes what euer hath bene the cause of his absence wee may perceiue that he was depriued of that grace and presence of the LORD which the rest who were met together found Whereof we learne this lesson That whosoeuer doe absent themselues from the assembly of the LORDS Sainctes from these holy meetings whereinto the LORD hath promised His owne blessed presence they procure no small skaith and damage to themselues they depriue themselues of some grace and comfort that the LORD ministers to them that meet together What euer be the cause of thine absence it cānot be but hurtfull to thee albeit all causes of absence be not alike hurtfull for if thou be absent by negligence the lesse is thy danger and losse but if wilfully and vpon contempt thou absentest thy selfe then not only depriuest thou thy s●lfe of grace and comfort but also thou procurest the wrath of GOD vpon thee for the contempt of His blessed ordinance Therefore if wee would bee partakers of the grace and blessing that the LORD hath promised to these holy assemblies we should postpone our priuate adoes and the cares of the world vnto these Holy exercises and we should embrace that counsell of our Sauiour Seeke first the Kingdome of Heauen and His righteousnesse and all other thinges shall bee ministred vnto you Matth. Chapter 6. verse 33. The man that makes this his first and his chiefe care to seeke the Kingdome of God when he hath gotten it hee will finde by experience that there is nothing necessarie for the sustaining of this present life that shall be inlaking to him It is a foolish thing to be too carefull for these worldly things for if thou seekest first the Kingdome of Heauen all these things will be caste● to thee Nowe to come to the preaching of the rest of the Disciples to Thomas it is said The other Disciples said vnto him We haue seene the Lord They preach to Thomas the Lordes Resurrection for the benefite they had receiued themselues in Thomas absence they willingly communicate to him they knewe and they sawe that the Lord was risen they tell this to Thomas as they beleeued so they wished and desired that hee should beleeue also This Example of the Apostles we ought all to followe When the Lorde communicates any spirituall benefite to vs we should not keepe it close to our selues but wee should bee carefull to communicate it to the well of others And thus doing we need not to feare that the grace shall be empaired and grow lesse No by the contrarie this communicating of the grace and vsing of the talent that the LORD hath giuen vs is the hie and readie way to augment the grace and to reape profite of the talent that wee haue receiued Albeit thou hast taken great paines and spent much time with the losse of some worldly goods to attaine to grace yet that should not make thee the more sparing in communicating it to others It is the Lords will that thou giue it to others freely chearfully and liberally Therefore trie and examine whether thou wilt be willing and carefull to communicate to others the grace that God hath giuen thee and if thou findest this then thou hast a good conscience and if thou findest it not thou hast no matter of rejoycing because thou doest not that which the LORD requires at thine hands When the Disciples haue informed Thomas of the Lordes Resurrection looke howe Thomas takes with it What is his part In a word hee beleeues not their report His incredulitie was very vvonderfull for albeit hee vvas compassed vvith such a cloud of witnesses of faithfull witnesses of eye-seeing witnesses yet he beleeues not Apparantly euery one of them who had seene the LORD course by course had tolde him of the LORDES Resurrection and first Marie Magdalene who got this honour first to see the LORD after His Resurrection hath witnessed to Thomas that she saw the LORD and spake with Him Next the other women who did meete with Him as they were returning frō the graue testifies the same Thirdly the two disciples who were going from Ierusalem to Emmaus informed him that they did meete with Him in the way of the conference they had with Him Fourthly Peter to whō also y e Lord had appeared stroue to perswade him and last the whole number of the Apostles and the faithfull there assembled testified with one voyce that they had seene Him and spoken with Him yet Thomas is nothing mooued with all these speeches their witnessing makes not him to beleeue he remaines still in incredulity This example of Thomas telles vs that all the outward meanes that can be vsed all the testimonies of the worlde the testimonies of the most faithfull most godly most wise of the eye-witnesses will not mooue the heart of a man to beleeue will not perswade him of any point of doctrine necessarie to Saluation if there bee no more What then will make a man to beleeue Nothing but the Spirit of IESVS CHRIST it must be He that must witnesse vnto our heartes what is the will of GOD concerning vs it must be Hee that must take away the vale and illuminate our darke soules it must bee Hee that must open our heartes as Hee opened the heart of Lydia and make vs to beleeue If this Holy Spirit of CHRIST bee not present a man will not beleeue his owne eyes his owne senses will not perswade him We sawe the trueth of this before in the rest of the Disciples when the LORD stood in the middes of them when they sawe Him with their eyes when they heard Him speake face to face they beleeued not While as Luke sayes the LORD opened their vnderstanding that they might vnderstand the Scriptures Luke Chapter 24. verse 45. This doctrine would bee well marked because it serues to decide a controuersie that this day is betwixt vs and the Papists The controuersie and question which is betwixt vs and them concerning the chiefe and principall witnesse and judge First of authenticke Scripture Next of true interpretation of particular places of Scripture that is How shall a man knowe that this Scripture that wee haue and wee reade and vse dayly is the very worde of GOD and not the worde of any creature And againe Howe shall a man knowe what is the true meaning of any particular place of Scripture and whether this or that sense of the word is to bee receiued The Papistes affirme that the chiefe and principall witnesse judge both of the one or the other is the Church they say y t we could not be assured that y e Scripture is authenticke y t it is y e very word of God except y e church affirme it so to be likewise they say y t we cannot be assured of y e right meaning of any place of y e Scripture except it be by y e testimonie of y e same Church they teach

from the hope of the glorious returning of the Lord Iesus againe to Iudge the world There is nothing that furnishes such joy to the faithfull soule as this hope does Indeed it is true the Lord giues vs other grounds of consolation while we are heere namely He giues vs His Spirit to counsel guide vs through al the difficulties of our pilgrimage the joy that the faithfull finde in His presence is very great He giues vs Faith also to cōfort vs whereby in some measure presently we feele the presence of Christ His spirituall graces in our soules but except with y e Spirit Faith we had a hope y t the Lord Iesus should returne againe in His own time in glory we could not haue solide joy consolatiō for if in this life only we hoped in Christ had no hope y t He would returne againe in glory raise our mortall bodies frō y e dead thē as y e Apostle saies of all men we were most miserable 1. Cor. 15.19 why shuld not y e hope of this returning cōfort our soules make them to rejoyce for at His returning we look hope for y e glorifying of these our bodies for eternall life Paul sayes That frō the heauens we look for the Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like vnto His glorious body Philip. 3.20.21 And when it shal be made manifest we shal be made like Him for we shall see Him as He is 1 Joh. 3.2 Yea we haue greater cause of joy comfort of the hope of His returning againe thā all y e Apostles had of y e sight of His ascending to heauen in their presēce for y e ascension of y e Lord albeit it was very glorious cōfortable to thē yet it chāged not their bodies nor made thē like His glorious body but His glorious returning again frō the heauens shall change both their bodies our vile corruptible bodies and make them conformable to His glorious body Now happie is y e man who earnestly lookes waits for the blessed glorious cōming againe of the Lord to judgement for y t hope shall comfort vphold him in all his troubles distresses Now come to y t disciples part we haue sūdry things expressed what they doe y e first is after y e Angels reproued them for their standing gazing to y e heauens it is said They returned to Jerusalem with great ioy They take well with the reproofe they stay no longer gazing there but according to y e Lords directiō they go to Jerusalem to waite for y t Spirit which He promised to them they obey y e Lords cōmandemēt they obey with great joy But what made them so to rejoyce This joy proceeded partly from y e sight of His glorious ascensiō into heauē which they saw with their eyes partly frō y t which they heard by y e Angels of His glorious returning descending again out of y e heauens yet all this which both they saw heard would not haue wroght so great a joy in thē except y e Lord Iesus who was sitting in y e heauens at y e right hand of y e Father had bin effectuall in them had powerfully wroght this joy in their soules for this joy that y e holy Spirit works in y e hearts of y e Lords Elect is a sure argumēt infallible demōstratiō y t y e Lord Iesus is reigning in y e heauēs for the Kingdome of God is righteousnes ioy peace in the holy Gh●st Rom. 14.17 Now if ye will cōpare this joy which at this time they had with all the joy y t euer they had before yea euen when y e Lord Iesus was walking with them in the flesh they enjoyed His bodily presence ye shal find y t this joy surpassed by many degrees all their preceeding joy whereby we may learne this lesson that neither y e bodily presence of y e Lord Iesus augments or perfectes y e joy of y e soule neither His bodily absēce stayes or hinders any wise y t joy but y t all this joy which y e faithfull find proceedes from the effectual presēce powerful operatiō of y e holy Spirit in the soule The grosse carnal Papists think they cānot haue mater of rejoycing except in y e Lords Supper they haue y e body of Christ bodily locally present that is except y t with y e mouth of the body they eat deuoure swallow vp the very body flesh of Iesus Christ except that after that same manner they drinke His blood but vaine Papist thou deceiuest thy selfe for neither does the bodily presence furnish joy neither does the bodily absēce hinder joy but all true joy that the soule finds proceedes from the effectuall presence operatiō of the Spirit Yet to speak something further of this purpose It would be narrowly considered what could be the cause ground of this joy of the Disciples for if we looke to it by the outward appearance they had litle matter or cause of rejoycing at this time when the Lord is gone frō them Indeede when the Lord Iesus was with them when He led them out into Bethania any man might thinke they had matter of rejoycing to follow such a gracious guide but now when He hath left the earth ascended to heauen left them behind Him what matter could they haue of so great joy in their returning to Jerusalem I answere notwithstanding they wanted now the bodily presence of Christ yet they wanted not matter of great joy for in stead of His bodily presence the Lord gaue them Faith Hope Faith apprehending taking holde of the Lord Iesus sitting in the heauens in glorie at the right hand of the Father Hope waiting constantly for His blessed glorious returning againe in the appointed time to Iudgement This Faith Hope that the Lord giues vs in this pilgrimage recompenses sufficiently the bodily absence of the Lord Iesus from vs if wee haue Faith Hope we haue euermore matter of rejoycing where Faith Hope is they bring euer with them patience joy euen in the mids of all afflictiōs The Apostle Paul declares this by his own experience For the Gospels sake sayes he I suffer these things but I am not ashamed for I know whom I haue beleeued and I am perswaded that hee is able to keepe that which I haue cōmitted to him against that day 2. Tim. 1.12 There he lets vs see what made him to bee so patient vnder afflictions to wit the sense of the power of Christ which hee founde in his soule by faith by the which power hee was perswaded that Christ was able to keepe in the heauens that life which hee had committed vnto him and the hope that hee had of His glorious returning in that great day wherin the Lord should render