Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A12799
|
The Christian sword and buckler, or, A letter by D. Sprint to a man seuen yeares grieuously afflicted in conscience and fearefully possessed by the Diuel very comfortable and commodious to withstand the assaults of Sathan.
|
Sprint, John, d. 1623.
|
1623
(1623)
|
STC 23108.2; ESTC S4917
|
8,136
|
22
|
THE CHRISTIAN SWORD AND BVCKLER OR A Letter sent by D. SPRINT to a man seuen yeares grieuously afflicted in conscience and fearefully possessed by the Diuel Very comfortable and commodious to withst and the assaults of Sathan LONDON Printed by B. Alsop for Samuel Rand and are to be sold at his shop at Holborne Bridge 1623. THE CHRISTIAN SWORD AND BVCKLER SIR I am not vnmindfull of your Letter though by occasion of busines I haue beene let I commend your care to seeke comfort from the ordinance of God that is his 1 Thes 5. 14. Ministers who are commaunded of God to comfort the feeble minded Esa 10. â— â— and to speake comfortably to Hierusalem and to cry vnto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquitie is pardoned As Christ was annoynted so are his Ministers appointed to preach the Gospell to the Luke 4. 1â— poore deliuerance to the captiue recouery of fight to the blinde and to set at libertie such as are brused Wherefore seeing you haue entreated me helpe I will by Gods assistance satisfie your desire Your case was strange to be holden as a creature sencelesse for seuen whole yeares But others also haue beene holden with the like Nabuchadnezar Dan. 4. 29. King of Babell was turned out a grazing among beasts 7. yeares yea Gods children haue beene far worse afflicted as that Daughter of Abraham was for 18. yeares bound of Sathan The man Luke 13. 16 40. 5. whom our Sauiour cured had beene diseased 38. yeares which are far aboue the distance of your sicknes wherefore you ought not to thinke the worse of your selfe for nothing hath befallen vnto you but that which appertaineth 1. Cor. 10. 13. vnto man Nay you ought to comfort your heart in your affliction for as you know the sender which is God and the cause which is your sinne So now you know your deliuerer and the cause which is his mercy for it is the Lord who killeth and 1. Sam. 2. 6. maketh aliue bringeth downe to the graue and raiseth vp And by how much greater your crosse hath beene by so much the greater was your deliuerance The mighty power of God vpon your body and his rich mercy on your soule hath the more appeared that so the more he might be glorified and your heart comforted for you may argue thus The Lord might haue in iustice destroyed me yet hee hath in mercy spared me the Lord might haue chosen whether hee would haue deliuered me or not But in great mercy he rather chose to deliuer mee The Lord might haue left mee my health and withdrawne his grace from me and giuen â—he ouer to the power of Sathan But hee hath restored my health and vnderstanding and renued my Grace Hereby I see God dearely loueth me which I could neuer see if I had not thus beene afflicted How should I hence forth distrust his prouidence doubt of his promises dispayre of his mercy why would I not rest assured and secured of his present and perpetuall loue to imbrace me his mercy to pardon me his prouidence to defend me his goodnes to compasse me and to worke all euils for my good Therefore my soule returne vnto thy rest for Psal 116. 7. 8. 9. 12. 13. the Lord hath been beneficiall to thee he hath deliuered my soule from death and mine eyes from teares my feete â—ooâ—â— falling I shall walke before the Lord in the land of the liuing what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits I will take the cup of Saluation and call vpon the name of the Lord. The Lord was ready to saue mee Psa 38. â—0 therefore I will sing my song all the dayes of my life in the house of the Lord. Thus may you comfort your selfe yet measure not Gods loue so much by your deliuerance as by his grace which nature gaue you not nor hath God taken away For as afflictions are no certaine tokens of Gods anger so deliuerance is not alwayes a token of his fauour For he gaue the Isralites their desires but he sent heauines into their soules God may in mercy lengthen Psal 106. 15 our afflictions in iudgement make an end of it The table of the wicked Psal â—9 â—â— is a snare vnto them and their prosperitie their ruine but it is good for Gods Psal 119. 7â— children that they haue beene afflicted that they may learne his statutes godlines is Gods best portion which is 1. Tim. 6. 6 4. 8. great gaine and is profitable for all things hauing the promises of the life present and of that which is to come Wherefore proue the grace that is in you and to measure the loue of God vnto you Try what godly griefe you haue for sinne what vexation at your wants what feare of God what faith in Iesus Christ what loue of Gods children what delight in the word and Ministery what desire of the grace you lacke what feruency in prayer what chearefulnes in praysing God what care of well doing and readynes to doe the will of God what patience in suffering crosses from God and reproofe from man what holy Meditations what gracious speeches what diligence in your calling what dutifulnes to your superiors what purpose of heart to cleaue vnto the Lord these are the sparkles of Gods Image the fruites of his spirit the effects of his grace the assurance of his election the certaine tokens of his presence For 2. Cor. 1. 5. 2 the Lord is with vs whiles wee are with him and he draweth neare vnto â—â—m 4. 8. vs when we draw neare vnto him Now touching the temptations of Sathan that doe trouble you perceiue when God hath done with you the Diuell taketh you in hand God afflicteth your body and the Diuel your soule But as God brought you from sicknes to health So thinke that God can bring you from temptations to victorie that being prepared by affliction in Soule and body you may both serue him in this life and liue with him in the next Euery temptation of a Christian is a ground of strong consolation because Sathans onsets argue that wee are none of his for the Dragon strikes not at his owne souldiers for Kingdomes Reu. 12. â— deuided are at an end but at Mychaell and his Angels If Christ Math. 12. 25 had not beene the Sonne of God hee would not so fiercely haue affailed him Warryors neuer besiege nor batter Cities they haue woone so Satan seekes not the soules he hath deuored he rageth most at those he cannot get Reuel 12. 13 14. 15. 17. and is most busie with those he hath least to doe when this strong man keepeth his Pallace in mens soules the Luke 11. 21. things that he possesseth are in peace and when he is restrained and muzzeled by the power of God hee rageth at the persons and roareth in the conscience of Gods deere Children your temptations come not