Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	affliction_n	great_a	sin_n	1,620	5	5.2580	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07204	The cure of cares or a short discourse, declaring the condition of worldly cares; with some remedies appropriated unto them Penned for the use of all, but is most proper for such as be distressed. By Henry Mason parson of S. Andrews Vndershaft London.	Mason, Henry, 1573?-1647.	1627 (1627)	STC 17605; ESTC S102308	30,687	60

complaine For say that God hath stricken us with sicknes yes but hee might justly have stricken us with death Or hee hath laied losses and wants upon us yes but hee might have left us without any ragge to our backs or crumme of bread for our bellies or a dropp of water to relieve our thirst Or hee hath suffered men to oppresse us and hale us into prison yes but he might have given way to the Devill to set upon us and hurrie us into hell And finally whatsoever wee suffer yet it is a great deale lesse then wee have deserved and then God might have laied upon us if he had rewarded us according to our sins And hence wee may have a good meditation for our comfort For in what distresses soever wee bee yet wee may bee glad that they are no worse And if our crosses seeme grievous to bee borne wee may cheare our selves in the Apostles words (c) 2 Cor. 4.8 9 Wee are troubled on every side yet not distressed wee are perplexed but not in despaire persecuted but not forsaken cast downe but not destroyed When Hezekiah considered this hee praised God for it (d) King 20.19 Good said hee is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken and Is it not good if peace and truth bee in my dayes which is as if hee should have said God might justly have laied this punishment both on mee and my children and his mercie it is that doth spare mee in mine owne person and deferre his judgment till afterward And the Church in the Lamentations (a) Lam. 3.22 It is of the Lords mercies that wee are not consumed because his compassions faile not And so considering that all our crosses are farre lesse then our sinnes and that God hath mingled much mercie in our afflictions wee have great cause to blesse God that our sufferings are so casie when our deservings have beene so badd 5 Fiftly and lastly Meditat. 5 amidst our solicitous cares for the world we may thinke whether we have not greater cause of taking thought for our soules which yet doth seldome and little trouble our mindes For example say we have lost our goods or offended some great man or endangered our liberties and lives and this filleth us with anxietie and care Yea but have wee not lost some measure of Gods Spirit or offended the Lord of heaven and endangered our soules and salvation And where is the thought that we take for these things This Meditation may either serve to shame us for our worldly mindednes and that wee have so much care about these transitorie things or it may serve to worke in us a greater care for our soules and if that once bee increased our care for the world will in a like proportion be decreased with it These be the Meditations with which if we busie our selves when occasion shall require they may help to avert our minds from musing on our worldly griefe and may mitigate those cares that doe too much possesse our hearts And thus much may serve for this third rule which is to meditate on such things as may perswade to patience and equanimitie IIII. Rule 4 A fourth and last rule is that in all our pensive thoughts wee goe to God for comfort and still unloade our cares into his bosome by praier and supplication For if wee cast them upon God God will ease us of them Nor will any man think that hath not tryed it how much this course may availe to the quieting of a distracted soule and that either because having done his dutie hee may comfort his heart with the conscience of it or because having referred himselfe to Gods mercie hee may well hope that God will support him But what ever the reason bee certaine it is that Hannah gained great ease by it It is said of her (a) 1 Sa. 1.6 7 8 that being upbraided by her adversarie for her barrennesse she wept and did not eate and her heart was grieved Here was her care and thought-taking for want of children But then (b) ver 10 11. in the bitternesse of her soule she went and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore Here Hannah cast her burden upon the Lord and unloaded her cares into his bosom And then thirdly it is added after all that having done her prayers (c) ver 18. she went her way and did eate and her countenance was no more sad Where wee may see that shee had no sooner prayed but she was cheared she had cast her burden upon God and that cased her heart And so if wee by hearty prayer cast our burden upon God that will bee a readie way to unburden our selves And therefore when cares take hold on us in stead of musing wee should fall to praying And then (d) Philip. 4.7 the peace of God which passeth all understanding will preserve our hearts and mindes through Christ Iesus These bee the Rules it now remaineth to applic and make use of them for our selves And that wee may doe two waies 1 If wee have any cares upon us alreadie wee have hence direction how to worke them out and that is by opposing them as they do arise and by diverting our thoughts upon better objects and by considering what end the Lord maketh of such occasions and lastly by unloading our cares into Gods bosom by supplication and prayer And if thus wee finde not present ease yet wee must still waite for many have missed of help because they have made too much haste Of Abraham wee heard before that hee tooke his sonne and the knife and the wood and the fire and went his three dayes journey that hee might sacrifice his sonne where God had appointed and after hee had gone all the way and staied all the time and was now at the last cast of killing his sonne then and not till then hee found Gods help in the topp of the mount But now suppose that Abraham either wearied with the journey or ouercome with griefe or despairing of future help had turned back againe after a dayes journey or two Or say hee had sate himselfe downe at the foote of the hill and with impatient cries had bemoaned his uncomfortable condition what may we thinke would the issue have beene Sure it may well bee supposed that by detaining his sonne he might have lost him but certaine it is that by staying at the foote of the hill he had not found God in the topp of the mount And so if wee make too much haste and will not expect Gods time wee may outrunne Gods providence and faile of his protection and mercie But if wee holde on in using the meanes and resting on Gods worde wee shall in the end finde the Proverb to bee true In the mountaine will the Lord be seene 2 If dangers bee towards and when are they not wee may hereby learne how to prepare for them and how to arme against them that they may not affect us with immoderate cares when they come And that is that wee setle our selves aforehand so to deale in all our occasions as the wise husbandman dealeth in his businesse He diggeth and dungeth and ploweth and soweth and when hee hath done his daies worke betaketh himselfe to his nights rest and leaveth the growing of the corne and the ordering of the weather to Gods care and providence And so should wee resolve to doe For example thus If sicknesse shall befall us wee will goe to the Physician for counsell and use such druggs and diet as may bee convenient and provide such Attendants as may supply us with necessaries and this is as the sowing of our seede and when this is once done then we have done our dayes worke and therefore will laie our selves downe in peace and let God alone with the issue in whose hands only it is And the like course wee should resolve upon in all other the like cases if wee shall bee slandered by foule mouths undermined by cunning heads oppressed by potent neighbours endamaged in our worldly estates or whatsoever other crosse wee shall meete with wee will first sow our seede and then take our rest first use good meanes and then trust God with the successe and hee that hath promised help before wee did aske will not faile to peforme it when wee thinke not on it And if thus wee prepare our selves before the crosse commeth wee shall be the more free from cares when it is come For nothing is more availeable then courage in such cases and a resolution aforehand will by Gods help make us stedfast when the storme is upon us nor will God bee wanting to afford us his help if wee bee not wanting in using of the meanes For that belongeth to us also which was spoken to Solomon Vp be doing 1 Chron. 22.16 and the Lord will bee with thee Now the God of all mercie and goodnesse guide our hearts in the doing of our duties and blesse our labours with successe and comfort and so free us from cares of the world that we may serve him without distraction all our dayes Amen FINIS