Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
cause_n according_a grace_n work_n 1,598 5 6.0605 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A01281 Englands sicknes, comparatively conferred with Israels Diuided into two sermons, by Tho: Adams. Adams, Thomas, fl. 1612-1653. 1615 (1615) STC 114; ESTC S100411 68,934 100

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

health and he now stands surer by his first fall Such is the greatnesse and goodnesse of God such his power and mercy concurring that it workes health out of sicknesse good out of euill There is an infinite Good but not an infinite euill For the Good cannot by any meanes be diuerted into euill but the euill may be converted to good By the conspiracie of Iewes Gentiles Iudas Deuils against Christ is our saluation wrought From the horridst and most vnnaturall treasons God hath aduanced his owne glory aduantaged his childrens security We labour of three diseases birth life death all these are cured by those three answerable in Christ. Our vncleane birth is sanctified by His so pure from the least spot of sinne Our transgressing life is reformed by the vertue enformed by the example of His. That tyrannizing wounding Serpent Death hath the sting pulled out by His death that we may embrace him in our secured armes The Conquerour of vs all is conquered for vs all by Him that foiled the Gyant in his owne denne the Graue Thankes be to God which giueth vs the victory through our Lord Iesus Christ. Oh death where is thy sting Oh graue where is thy victory This is our insultation and holy triumph Prouided euer that He be beleeued of vs that hath thus relieued vs. Beleeue and feare not A good conscience is neuer faild of a good confidence of a good consequence Hence ariseth the soules sanity What can indanger in dammage this health no losses to the estate no crosses to the flesh The spiritually-sounde man values all the fortunes of the world lesse then the freedome and health of the mind Hee that wants this armour is wounded by euery blow of affliction Other security is but a shield of waxe against a sword of power They cannot chuse but feare euen where no feare is and testifie their inward guilt and sicknesse by their pale and trembling lookes Timida nequitia dat testimonium condemnations semper praesumit saeua perturbata conscientia Fearefull wickednesse giues testimony of it owne damnation and the troubled conscience imposeth and presumes to itselfe terrible things but the health of faith is health indeed yea this health is life a life Angelical a life Euangelical whether for obedience or peace inspired spirited sealed assured by the word of Truth Which is life to all that find it and health to all their flesh No feare shall inuade him no troubles inuolue him so that he cannot be extricated For the feare of the Lord tendeth to life and he that hath it shall not be visited with euill His innocency may speed in the world as deserts in a lottery be rewarded with a blank But he in whom he affies shall put the marrow of health into his bones distill the sap of grace inio his spirit Low in the world lowly in himselfe in his estimation who sees not that the clambring goates get vpon rockes and promontory places whiles the humble sheepe feed in the bottomes and deiected vallies Onely one day the Sheepe shall bee aduanced aboue the Sunne and starres and set in heauen with Christ when the goates shall be cast downe to the depth of depthes Rich Diues was well enough knowne to the world yet nameles in the sacred Records So we brand our sheepe let the Goates goe vnmarked God sets his seale on his chosen Nouit qu● sui sunt lets the wicked run without his cognisance Thus different is the state of Gods seruants and the worlds slaues They thinke none sicke but wee wee know none sicke but they If equall crosses befall vs both our estate is soone descried Wee differ as the Cammell and the Camomell the one is stunted the other thriues by his burthen Afflictions that so scatter them and loosen the ioyntes of their vaine hopes doe more knit and consolidate our healthes As soone as they take themselues it is as easie to proue as to reproue their diseases Though I confesse in the dayes of their Iouialty hee hath greate wisdom that can make them sensible of their sicknes Were Solon nay Salomon aliue to declare it they see t not ' they will not feele it If the want of health were perceiued how amiable admirable would the benefit appear Gratior est saint as redita quā retenta vix aliter quā perdendocognoscimus Returning health is more welcome then if it had not beene lost We scarse know what health is but by the want Let others spend their times wits treasures to procure health to their bodies which I embrace when it is offered and would not loose by my owne errors giue mee a sound and cleare conscience and let mee not want this health till I enuy theirs 2. Thus hauing enquired what health is leauing a while the consideration therof as it is in it selfe let vs descend into it as respectiuely casting an oblique eye vnto that which is diuers from it or aduerse to it There is a significant and lightfull demonstration or commentarie which one contrary nature giues to another when they are diametrally opposed The day would not seeme so cleare if the departing Sunne should not leaue night to follow it The foile addes grace to the Iewell It no lesse then glorifies learning that the malitious tong of ignorance barkes at it He knowes the benefite of heate that hath felt the sharpenes of a freezing colde If there were no sicknesse to trouble vs health it selfe would be thought sicknesse The very enmity of these repugnances helpe the beholders iudgement eyther to embrace or reiect them Euen their opposition is an exposition of their natures deformity darknes sicknesse sinne all those priuatiue corruptiue destructiue things which as they had no creation from God so giue no direction to the good yeeld by a sober meditation an vnwilling lustre to those vertues graces and happy habites against which they vaunt their contrariety That if any lewde vaine ill iudging worse affecting mind shall still loue the desolation of sinne rather then the consolation of spirituall health it may appeare to bee not because this obiect is not wretched but because hee is blind and bewitched There is a twofolde Sicknesse incident to man 1. in sinne 2. for sinne The former of these is only spiritual the latter is not onely corporall but sometimes spirituall also and of all the Vials of Gods wrath holden to the mouth of miserable men by the hand of iustice it is the forest when sinne shall bee punished with sinne and the destitution of grace shall permitte a lapse to impenitency 1 The Sicknesse in sinne is double according to the cause which is a defect either of right belieuing or straight liuing a debility of confidence a sterility of good works lacke of faith wracke of charity These effects or rather defects are produced by two errors in our Soules diet the one excessiue the other deficient 1. By Fasting too much from Christ 2. By feeding too much on
corporall The Soule is at all parts more precious then the Body It is that principall most diuine and excellent halfe of man Dum viuisicat anima dum vult animus dum scit mens dum recolit memoria dum iudicat ratio dum spirat spiritus dum sentit sensus It is called for quickning a soule for knowing mind for remembring memory for iudging reason for breathing spirit for feeling sense when the soule is sicke all these are sicke with it The soule is compared to heauen the body to earth The heauen is glorious with Sun Moon Starres so the soule with vnderstanding memory reason faith hope c. The body like the earth whereof it was made is squallid with lusts The earth hath no heate nor nourishment but from heauen nor the body comfort but from the soule How then oh how terrible is the soules sicknes or death How indulgently should wee tender the health thereof Wee keepe our chicken from the kite our lambe from the Wolfe our fawne from the hound our doues from the vermine and shall wee yeeld our darling to the Lyons our soule to those murdering spirits which endeuour to deuoure them The Soule may bee well when the body is full of griefes but ill goes it with the body when the soule is sicke Nay euen corporall diseases are ofen a means to procure spirituall soundnesse Therefore one cals it optabile malum cum mali remedium sit maioris a happy euill which is the remedy of a greater euill Wee may say of many healthfull bodies tutius aegrotassent they might with lesse danger haue beene sicke Nusquam peius quam in sano corpore ager animus habitat A sicke minde dwels not rightly in a sound body But to find a healthfull and sound soule in a weake sickly body is no wonder Since the Soule before smothered with the cloudes of health is now suffered to see that through the breaches of her prison which former ignorance suspected not Corporall sickenes is a perpetuall Monitor to the conscience euery pang a reproofe and euery stitch reades a lesson of mortality ready euer to checke for euill or to inuite to good which duty weighed a man hath lesse reason to be ouer feareful of sicknesse then ouer glad of health The Spirituall detriment that may ensue on health is more dangerous then the bodily paine that pursues sicknes If a man feare not death what power hath sicknes to make him miserable Tolerabilis est morbipraesentia si contempseris id quod extre●um minatur Sicknesse hath little terrour in it if thou shall contemne that which it threatneth Death If it teach thee by the sight of the first death instant to preuent the fury of the second behold it makes thee blessed Such good vse may the wise Soule make of the bodies enemie I haue read it said that singulus morbus paruula mors euery disease is a little death Therefore God sends vs many little deathes to instruct our preparation for the great death The oftner a man dies the better hee may know to die well I yeelde if in sicknes we contract and narrow vp the powers of our soule and direct them as our finger to the griefe of our bodies only forgetting either that God strikes vs or that we haue first stricken God eyther flying to ill meanes or affying to good meanes more then to God our sicknesse may be deadly to body and soule too Asa was sicke but of his feete his feet stood far from his hart yet because he relyed more on his Physitians then on his Maker he died Or if there shall bee no lesse confusion and hurly butly in the faculties of the Soule then there is distemperature in the partes of the body when Reason which should be the Queene and dwell in the highest and choisest roome is deposed from her gouernement When the Senses which are the Court-guardes and the Princesses attendants that giue all admission into the Presence are corrupted when the supreme faculties which are the Peeres are reuolted and the Affections which are the Commons peruerted and all this insurrection and disturbance dethroning the Queene corrupting the Guard drawing from fealty the Peeres and the Commons from alleageance wrought by those violent passions which are refractory and headstrong Rebels hauing once gotten head Alas how far is this miserable distemper and perturbation of these spirituall parts aboue the distresse or distraction of the corporall members neither is the future perill hereof onely more full of prodigious desolation but euen the present sense is also more tetricall piercing and amazing with horror We shall finde the perplexity of this spirituall sicknesse how far exceeding the corporall if wee either compare them generally or particularly instance in any speciall disease 1 Generally The excellency of health is measured according to the Life which holds it and the dignity of Life is considered by the cause that giues it 1. The Life of the Plant is basest because it consists but in the iuyce which is administred by the earth to the root thereof and thence deriued and spred to the parts 2. The Life of the brute creature excels because it is sensitiue and hath power of feeling 3. The Life of man is better then both because it is reasonable conceiuing iudging of things by vnderstanding 4. The Life of a spirituall man is better then all the former and it hath two degrees 1. The life of inchoate regeneration and it consists in grace 2. the perfect life of imputed righteousnes conferred and confirmed by Iesus Christ 5. The Life of Glory exceedes all whereof there are also two degrees 1. the fruition of glory in soule 2. the ful possession in the vnion of the body to it These two last sorts of Life transcend the former in two maine respects 1. Because the other may die must die these haue a patent of eternity sealed them 2. Because the other haue transient causes These haue the Grace and Glory of God Now as by all consent the Life of reasonable man is better then the vegetable of plants or sensitiue of beasts so the health of man must needes be more precious and as that vertue excels in goodnesse so doth the defect exceede in miserablenesse Respect man distinctiuly as hee is a Body onely and then to bee sicke and die are common to him with plants and beastes and what suffering is there in the one more then in the other saue that as the Beast is more sensible of paine then the tree so man is more apprehensiue then the beast the bodies of all returne to the earth But man hath a soule wherein his reason is placed which fainting or sickening through sinne or the punishment for sinne there is offered a passion and griefe whereof the other are not capable Death to the rest is not so terrible as this sickenesse The goodlier the building is the more lamentable the ruine 2