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	lord_n	sin_n	1,503	5	4.9511	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13251	A sermon preached at the funerall of that painfull and faithfull seruant of Iesus Christ, Mr Thomas Wilson in his owne church at St Georges, in Canterbury the 25. day of Ianuary. In the yeare of our Lord God 1621. By William Svvift, preacher of Gods Word, at St Andrevves, within the citie of Canterbury.	Swift, William.	1622 (1622)	STC 23546; ESTC S101737	17,400	32

b 2 Tim. 3.12 all that will liue godly in Iesus Christ shall suffer persecutions And c 1 Pet. 4.17 that Gods iudgements begin at his owne house d Prov. 3.11 My sonne sayth Salomon despise not thou the chastizinges of the Lord for the Lord will correct such as he loueth This is a sentence of great note and vse in the Scripture I find it recommended by Christ to the Church of the e Rev. 3.17 Laodiceans and also by the Apostle it is pressed home to the Hebrewes with this amplification f Heb. 12.5 seeing that God chastneth whom he loueth and scourgeth euery son that he receiueth if a man be without all corrections whereof sayth he all are partakers this immunitie and freedome causeth suspition in deed Heb. 12.8 that the same man cannot be the true child of God I deny not but that afflictions and the crosses of this life may be counted tentations and they that with patience beare them of such it will be sayd in the last day g Luk. 22.28 These are they that haue continued with me in tentations and I appoint vnto them a kingdome And out of question Afflictions are great tentations but not the greatest great afflictions are great tentations but not the greatest of all The greatest of all tentations sayth a learned Father is never at all to be tempted which he groundeth vpon that saying to the Hebrewes that he which is without all corrections is a h Heb. 12.8 Bastard and no sonne The holy Disciples of Christ through the midst of these afflictions found a passage to Gods kingdome We must Act. 14.22 say they through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of God If any man should inquire the way to that Citie towards which he travelleth if it be truly answered him thus That the onely way to the same is through many Deserts steepie Mountaines after that he must passe by dangerous waters and then by rough wayes and the like This passenger going on in his travell hee findeth most pleasing delightful and smooth wayes and therein no cause of feare or discontent Will he reioyce in this Nay hath he not cause by these pleasant passages to suspect that he hath vtterly lost his right way Even so fareth it with a Christian that is bound for the kingdome of God Christ Iesus hath giuen vs the markes of the way not ease pleasure profit or the like The false way that man who aboundeth in all these may iustly feare that he is cleane out of the way The true markes of the way to the Citie of God the new Ierusalem Markes of the way to the Citie of God by the report of Christ are these a Ioh. 16.20 Weeping lamentations sorrowes b Luk. 21.16 trechery of friends c Luk. 21.17 hatred of the world d Math. 23.34 persecutions e Rev. 2.10 the Prison f Ioh. 16.2 Excommunications g Ioh. 16.3 death martyrdome and the like If in these thou haue thy portion in this life comfort thy selfe for therein thou hast the markes of the true way before thee When as the Wise-men came from the East and sought after Christ they had the starre for their guide of whom it is thus written h Math. 2.10 When they saw the starre the marke of their way they reioyced with an exceeding great ioy Even so the Saints and holy Martyres being well taught and grounded in the truth and bound for the kingdome of God when as in their passage they met with those markes whereof Christ before speaketh they were full of ioy in all their tribulations singing of Psalmes clapping of their hands kissing the stake for by these tokens and markes they were well assured that they were in the very high way leading to the kingdome of God But let me in the next place minister some instructions to such as are vnder the afflictions of this present life Necessary instructiōs given to such as are afflicted It is very necessary that the afflicted doe vnderstand who it is that hath smitten them The Lord smiteth a Hos 6.1 Come sayth the Prophet let vs returne to the Lord He hath spoiled vs He hath wounded vs c. b Iob 33.16 Elihu did truely answere Iob That all corrections are sealed of God Ascribing the same to God as being his owne absolute proper act and deed c Amos 3.6 Shall there be evill in a Citie sayth the Prophet Amos and the Lord hath not done it If the d Math. 10.30 hayres of mans head be numbred as Christ himselfe testifieth yea and these shall not perish without the will of God then certainely greater evils cannot fall vpon man without Gods permission Ascribe not then thy mishaps to Fortune So doe the Heathen that know not God nor wrangle too much about secondary causes When as the complaints came to Iob against the e Iob 1.15.16.19 Shabeans and the Chaldeans who had taken by violence all his Cattell away from him And of a great wind that came from beyond the Wildernesse that smote the foure corners of the house which fell vpon his Children and killed them IOB knew all these to be but Gods agents and vsed not so much as any murmuring speeches against them but being assured that God hath a stroke in all the afflictions of this present life very wisely and truely answered in these words f Iob 1.21 The Lord hath giuen and the Lord hath taken away and blessed sayth he be the name of the Lord. It is also very necessary that man vnder these chastizements doe vnderstand that his sinnes haue prouoked God to these evils Sinne the cause of Mans troubles For when as g Iudg. 13.1 Israel continued to commit wickednesse in the sight of the Lord the Lord deliuered them into the handes of the Philistimes fortie yeares Had it not beene for sinne Man had never tasted of sorrow God may truely say as much to all such as groane vnder the burden of afflictions as Paul did to those that were in the ship with him h Act. 27.21 You should sayth Paul haue harkned to me and not haue losed from Candie so should you haue gayned this hurt and losse So if man in the state of Innocency had harkned to the voyce of God and not transgressed his law Gen. 3.6 by eating of the forbidden fruit If he had remained in obedience to the great God of heauen these afflictions and crosses and sorrowes of this life had beene altogether prevented Here is a necessary caveat also to be given to all afflicted that they accuse not God of iniustice God in afflicting men not vniust for concerning thine afflictions be they what they are thy sinnes haue deserued much more And yet take this with all for thy comfort that the afflictions of this present life are not alwayes iudgements Afflictions sometimes but tryalls but sometimes are

tryalls of thy faith loue obedience patience and constancie in the true service of God If therefore thou find the hand of God to be heauie vpon thee inquire by a strict examination of thy selfe Referred to examination what the cause thereof should be If thy owne Conscience shall informe thee of thy loue to God How this may be done and his true worship and of thy holy desires to please Cod and that thou strivest daily against the corruptions of thine owne heart and the like then out of question thy afflictions are but tryalls But if vpon examination thy Conscience shall intimate vnto thee a great neglect of many holy duties and that thou liuest in some sinnes not as yet repented of then doe thou wisely suspect the worst that by these afflictions layd vpon thee haven doth chalenge thee for the same Therefore my counsell vnto thee is this Counsell not to be reiected or refused of any If vpon inquirie thus made as thou findest thy selfe to stand with thy God if thou takest these afflictions to be tryalls exercise all Christian patience vnder them but if for thy sinnes then hasten forward an vnfained reformation and let me answere thee with CHRISTS wordes in the Gospell i Ioh. 5.14 Sinne no more lest a worse thing come vnto thee To shut vp this poynt The finall cause of the affliction of the Saints the finall cause of afflictions of Gods elect is this namely Gods purpose by them to bend not to breake yea where he bendeth he never breaketh Elihu answered Iob truely that the marke that God aymeth at by those afflictions that he sendeth vpon his owne is k Iob 33.16.17.18 to open the eare of man to cause him to harken vnto his word And that thereby he may cause man to turne from his owne enterprise and that he might hide the pride of man And by these corrections he intendeth to keepe backe his soule from the pit and that his life should not passe by the sword To this well agreeth that saying of Paul l 1 Cor. 11.32 We are chastned of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world And thus much of the first part of my Text. The second Aphorisme followeth which is this The second Aphorisme That all the afflictions of this present time although they be many and great yet are not to be compared to the glory that shall be shewed vnto vs. I count sayth the Apostle c. The Rhemes Testament readeth it thus I doe thinke that the afflictions of this present time but to thinke leaueth it to vncertaintie The originall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Statuo Beza Repeto Zuinglius Arbitror Trimelius Existimo vulg latin is better by learned Interpreters translated thus I count c. As if the Apostle should haue thus sayd I haue summed vp together all the sorrowes and afflictions of this life having first examined every particular I count what I finde for by experience I know what they are namely that they will not hold weight with that glory that shall be revealed to the Saints in the life to come Non sunt paria sayth Beza Non sunt paria Beza Pares passiones Trimelius If you put them all into the Balance they will proue too light much like to that of Iob m Iob 6.2 Oh that sayth he my griefe were weighed and my miseries were layd together in the Balance for it would be heavier then the sand of the Sea c. Even so if all the troubles of this life were balanced with heavenly ioyes they would proue much lighter then the same Which Metaphor the Apostle also vseth in his Epistle to the Corinthians n 2 Cor. 4.17 Our light afflictions sayth he which are but for a moment causeth vnto vs a farre more excellent and an eternall waight of glory When as Paul was taken vp into Paradise he speaketh of himselfe that he there heard o 2 Cor. 12.4 Beza 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ineffabilia verba sayth the Latin translation Words not possible for man to vtter No doubt but it was a more harder taske to expresse what was then seene I meane the glory of God then to vtter those words that were spoken vnto him Saint Peter calleth the ioy of Heaven begun here on earth p 1 Pet. 1.8 Gaudium ineffabile You doe beleeue and reioyce sayth he with ioy vnspeakeable and glorious If heavenly ioy in the heart of the Saints when as it is but begunne while it is but in the bud when man hath but a little taste of the same by the worke and operation of the Spirit of God be Gandium ineffabile that is vnspeakable ioy how vnable is man to expresse the perfection of it even that glory sayth my Text that shall be revealed vnto vs. Saint Paul also to the Corinthians doth much magnifie this glory but he explaneth it not q 1 Cor. 2.9 The things sayth he which eye hath not seene neither eare hath heard neither came into mans heart are which God hath prepared for them that loue him Yea he proueth the truth hereof by Scripture r Isa 64.4 according sayth he as it is written but not explaining the excellencie of this glory by reason or demonstration The Prophet Dauid also ſ Psal 45.1 whose tongue was the pen of a readie writer yet neither by pen not by his tongue was he able to expresse this glory but in generall termes t Psal 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life In thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore And againe u Psal 36.9 With thee O Lord is the well of life and in thy light we shall see light c. But beloued I marvell the lesse that the Prophets of God and Apostles of our Saviour Christ haue passed by the description of this glory which we hope for in the life to come and without any particular illustration of the emminencie thereof when as the Lord Christ himselfe praying to God his Father for this glory to be given vnto his Church calleth it onely x Ioh. 17.5 that glory which himselfe had with his Father before the world was but he explaineth it not We shall all then know and not before what this glory is when as in the life to come it shall be revealed vnto vs that is when we are in the actuall possession of it For as he that sate vpon the white Horse spoken of in the Revelation y Rev. 19.12 On whose head were many Crownes Simile had a name that no man knew but himselfe So no man knoweth the excellencie of this heavenly ioy or the glory thereof but he himselfe onely that is crowned with it Brethren for my part I haue had but little time to meditate vpon this Scripture but had I had much longer time I should not