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
A56991	The wise virgin, or, A wonderfull narration of the hand of God wherein his severity and goodnesse hath appeared in afflicting a childe of eleven years of age, when stricken dumb, deaf and blinde through the prevalence of her disease, yet upon her wonderfull recovery was heard at severall times to utter many glorious truths concerning Christ, faith, and other subjects : to the wonderment of many that came far and neer to see and hear her / by James Fisher ...	Fisher, James, minister of the Gospel in Sheffield.	1653 (1653)	Wing R1004; ESTC R204524	88,491	208

I pray you trouble me not with the Physician But speaking to her father she said Wil you not I beg of you that I may have no other Physician Jesus Christ will be my Physician for my grave is better for me then to be here Again Lord reveale unto me what is the cause of this affliction what sin it is that lies unrepented of sins of omission or cōmission or what sins soever they are Lord reveal them to me and pardon them all and give me repentance for them with many such words which are not remembred Again O Lord I beseech thee look upon me with pitty and compassion Lord do not forget me but think upon me Again Oh my sin is the cause of it Oh teach me to say as David It is good for me that I have been afflicted Again Good Lord look upon me with ●tty and compassion and enable me to bear ●y hand Lord mitigate these pains which ●e upon me Lord pardon all my sins and ●emove all these afflictions which are upon ●●y body if it seem good in thine eyes Again The Lord hath in mercy looked on 〈◊〉 in his pitty and compassion I hope I shall ●ot be from my Christ long Come Lord Je●us O come Lord Jesus come quickly Then she comforted her self with Jobs ●ase that though he sate on the dunghil ●craping his sores with a potsheard and though God gave Satan power over his body yet not over his soul and though his wife tempted him to curse God what a wicked woman was that what a wicked woman was that said she yet his soul was precious in Gods sight Then musing with herself she uttered herself thus by way of Question Why did God create man for his glory Quest Why doth he afflict his children for their good Quest Why should we desire to die when we are in afflictions seeing the grave praiseth him not and seeing it is for Gods glory to live Again she said Come to me all ye children and I will gather you as a Hen gathereth her Chickens and you shall sing Halleluiahs in Heaven with Christ and all his holy Angels Again Happy are they who appear for Christ for they shall appear with him in glory Again at another time she said that nobody knew what troubles she had gone thorough in reading the Word and Prayer by reason of evil and wicked thoughts and that she was glad sometimes to leave off reading and to go to prayer and said I have sought to God many times with teares which nobody knew of to help me against unprofitable thoughts but now she had got the victory thorough Christ and then she laught This I conceive was the cause of those sad fits of weeping whereof I made mention before of which she could not or at least Satan would not suffer her to give any account These and many other sweet expressions fell from her in those seven or eight dayes which yet are forgotten none thinking then to have presented this story to publick view and whether these things be related in the order they were uttered I 'le not affirme but this I may say they are set down as neer as could be in her own words without any additions and this many credible witnesses will testifie And that you may be induced the rather ●o credit this be pleased to take this character of this childe that before this extream weak●ess fell upon her she was observed to be ve●y frequent in private Prayer and her mo●her being exercised with long weakness she would read by her out of such good books ●s there were in the house and her mother observed that she would read with much affection so that her mother thought and said she hoped that her heart was taken with the things which she did read the childe would say Mother forsooth is not this a good sentence if you please I will read it over again she was noted to be a very loving tender-hearted and affectionate childe to all and especially she manifested it in many pregnant expressions to her mother in her sickness After this May the first or second she was freed from that extremity of pain her disease much varying and she was stricken all over stiff all her parts being extended as if stretched forth and if any one lifted up her arm higher or lower there it would fix where they set it and so buckle any joynt of her hand and it would stand as it was set thus she continued for 17 dayes and never spake word neither did she take any thing but they washt her mouth with beer or water several times in a day It was noted that when any did speak to her concerning any thing of the World or of any particulars which as a childe she had delighted in she would then shew discontent but if they discoursed of heavenly matters then she shewed no signes of discontent but seemed to give attention Then her Convulsion fits were grown to greater extremity the disease working with strange varieties causing several motions and postures and then at somtimes she had those stiff fits or congelations and then she did utter those sweet sayings afterwards set down and when she grew limber she gave over speaking Here I shall briefly note some things and then set down her speeches 1 She spake not but in a stiff fit or very rarely and then but a word or two and she continued speaking from May the 19 until June the 21 1652 beginning usually about eight of the clock at night and so continued with some little intermission between every sentence to speak for two houres or more and then ceased until the next night about the same time She did speak some things in the morning or sometimes in the afternoon but so very seldome and then she was limber all over but then there were strange workings of the Convulsions twisting her fingers writhing her neck drawing her mouth to her ear 2 It was observed that sometimes in those stiff fits wherein she spake she would change her countenance and look very sadly and frowningly and it was conceived by those who beheld her that then she was under some temptation because the next thing she spake after such frowning fits was alwayes something against Satan that roaring lurking lion and then she would smile and look very cheerfully 3 The manner of her coming into those stiff fits was with beatings of her hands upon her breast and she had sore Convulsions and then of a sudden she had all her parts extended and then she smiled and then they knew that she would speak presently she lay upon her back and had the most sweet amiable cheerful coūtenance that ever I beheld excepting one or two frowning fits in a night all the time of her speaking She had also rejoycing fits clasping her arms and laughing sometimes and sometimes she spake when the Convulsions drew her mouth awry and when she spake sometimes her speech was lower

will stand for ever October 10. Lord renew us vvith thy grace that vve may be fit to come to the School of Christ to learn the lesson of faith Lord cast out the old man that he may not take root that vve may become nevv livers and vvhen that old man is cast out labour to dravv neerer and neerer unto Christ Take heed you live not in a known sin for if you live in a known sin and wallow in sins even as a sow doth wallow in the mire it is dangerous Lord Lord that which I know not teach thou me and I will learn Let us search the secrets of our hearts lest there be any weeds scattered amongst them Wait and be patient whatsoever the Lord pleaseth to lay upon you as patient Job in all his afflictions he was patient When one came and told him that all his Children vvent to feast at their elder Brothers house and the house fell upon them he said It is the will of the Lord why should not I be contented The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be the Name of the Lord and his wife came to him and bade him curse God and die then he said Oh thou foolish woman shall we receive good at the hands of God and shall we not receive evill then there came another to him and told him that his goods were all gone and devoured yet Job was of the same minde that he was before and said The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be the Name of the Lord and Job was patient in all his afflictions and was confirmed that his soul was precious in the sight of the Lord. Lord cast down Satan that Serpent and chain him up that he may get no power over my poor soul Lord humble these proud hearts of ours that are so blowne up with the pride and vanities of this world if we did but look into and examine our hearts we should not please the flesh so as we do but whil'st we are in the flesh we are apt to follow the lusts of the flesh Oh let us labour for that Holy One that Holy One that Jewel that precious Jewel that Jewel of our Heavenly Father that Jewel of all Jewels Oh what can a Christian heart desite more then a Christ then a crucified Christ Oh if we can but gain Christ we have all we have all Oh that we had but hearts to conceive the preciousnesse the sweetnesse and holinesse of that Beloved that Christ Oh that we could but have Christ set upon our hearts aright Oh let us glorifie him in all things all honour and glory be given to him to whom it belongeth October the 11th Lord pull back that subtile Serpent he is so subtile that he is alwayes seeking in corners to devour my poor soul but he cannot my Christ is stronger then he and when he seeth that he cannot get power over the childe of God then he goeth away murmuring and repining Faith hope and charity and the chiefest of these is charity charity is love is love in Christ faith is a gift of Christ and hope is hope to gain Christ Oh let us pray for faith and all other good graces that are necessary for us and let us pray earnestly unto Christ that he may pray for us in Heaven and if he pray for us we shall be sure to be heard Let us cast our care upon the Lord in all ca●amities for he hath bid us cast our care upon him and he will care for us October the 12th Come all you that are a thirst and drink freely of the Spring-well-water of life and you shall never thirst again My Christ hath pull'd back Satan that lurking roaring lion that goeth about to destroy my poor soul but if God bid him be gone he must be gone my God will pull him off me I hope if you watch not to him as well as he watcheth to you he will flatter and deceive you as he wou'd have done our Saviour Christ if he had had that power but he had not that power when he set him upon the Pinnacle of the Temple and shewed him all the Kingdomes of the World and the glory thereof and said All this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me if we do not look unto his corners he will get and command power over us as he thought to have done over our Saviour Christ when he said unto him If thou be the Son of God cause these stones to be made bread Lord open the eyes of the blinde that they may see clearly into the errours of sin Depend upon the Lord in all your extremities and calamities and when his appointed time is come he will release you Cast your selves into those armes of love and he will be your Saviour October the 14th She rejoyced very much and then had an exceeding great and long conflict and then she rejoyced again and said My Christ hath vanquished Satan that lurking roaring lion that goeth about to devour my poor soul but he cannot but he cannot come neer it My Christ is stronger then he My God doth but let him step in to make me relie more upon him Lord humble these proud ignorant and carnall hearts of ours that we be not led away with this world and the vanities in it and let us not taste of them for if we taste of them they will enter into us more and more if we could but taste of the sweetnesse of Christ we shall be tied unto him more and more and flie back from the world and desire him more and more Then she had another great rejoycing fit and stretched out her armes and said Let us stick close to that Holy One and he will stick close to us but if we sit loose from him he will sit loose from us Take heed of living in a known sin for if you live in a known sin it is dangerous for if you live in a sin you know you are guilty of it is dangerous ô look back unto your selves and labour truly to repent lest your sins be hardened and God turn his back of you for if they once be hardened it is hard to get them off again Take heed you live not in knovvn sins as drunkennesse lasciviousnesse blasphemy and keeping of evill company and all other vices labour to repent of them and say Lord that which I know not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will do so no more October the 15th Let us hunger and thirst after that Holy One and not follovv the vanities of this vvorld as we do the vanities of this world of abomination and sin Let us labour to forsake sin and this vvorld and all things that are therein and stick close unto Jesus Christ that Holy One and not be like the svvine that regard acorns more then pearls

her if the Devil did not go about to destroy her Yes said she It was asked Who conquered those Temptations she said Jesus Christ the Devil goeth about to destroy us with his Temptations but I hope they will not be laid unto our charge but to the charge of him from whence they came At another time she was asked why Christ had conquered Satan she answered For his own Names sake and for my sake At another time I being with her did ask her whether she thought that God would recover her strength by his immediate power as he had begun or by the use of means She answered me very solemnly I do believe that God will raise me up by his immediate power without means h.e. Physick Then I asked her if she did not desire that means might be used She answered that she had oft prest her selfe to be willing to use means but yet she could not finde her heart made willing Then I asked why she desired to be willing to use means She answered Because her friends desired it and for their satisfaction Then I asked her what ground she had to believe that God would raise her up by his immediate power She answered Because God did not make her willing to use the means though she had oft desired it of him and if he would have her use means he would make her willing and then she had heard of that Providence how God shut up her teeth whilest the Physician was in the House from the eighth of September till December about three moneths and she further said that she thought that God would not that the Physician should have any one part of the honour of raising her to health but he would have all the glory to himselfe At another time I spake thus to her Cozen Mattee you told me that you did believe God would raise you up by his immediate power he hath done much for you but yet you have many reliques of weaknesses upon you Will you endeavour to act faith upon that power of God She answered It is my desire but I have nothing but what is freely given me of my God One night when they were undressing of her one told her she had no shoes for they had given all her clothes and wearing things to some poor children not expecting her life and her Father said there was a Shoe-maker in the Town but he was a Quaker she asked what that was it was answered he was one that sleights Ministers and Gods Ordinances She replied she would have no Quakers Shoes then At another time the same thing being discoursed of and she giving the same answer her Sister Hannah who was very tender of her and had prejudiced herself with her care of her and of her Mother in their weaknesses asked her if she knew what the Quakers were She answered They are such as are above Onances for then she could not pronounce many words her speech being gradually restored to her her sister said What mean you she answered I shall make you understand they are such as slight Gods Ministers whom he hath sent to preach his Word Another hearing of this discourse did ask her why she would have no Quakers shoes did she think there was any errours sewed up in the seames of the shoes she answered No but saith she they say I am a Quaker and to convince them that I am not I will have no dealings with them Many other such passages there were but I forbear to adde more She continued pretty well and with much cheerfulnesse of spirit and the Lord was pleased to make her meat and sleep comfortable to her but she had no use at all of her legs but was carried to bed and from bed untill the 21th of December which day she being in bed about 9 a clock at night her Father being in the room she told him she felt strength come into her legs he asked her How she said It trickled down and came into her thighs knees and ancles like warm water and so continued a quarter of an hour and after that working was past her Sister Hannah took her up and set her upon her feet and she stood by her self without holding which she had not done for three quarters of a year before having had no use of or strength in her legs and when she was laid in bed again she fell into extremities of hot and cold fits four or five severall times one while as if she had been dipped in hot water and again suddenly as though she had been dipped in cold water and presently after she was very ●ick and vomited and that being over she had much pain in all her joynts and in great extremity from the head to the feet then at an instant she said I praise God I am now as well as ever I was in my life I am neither sick nor have any pain Then her Mother spake to her Ah Childe now thou understandest how suddenly the Lord hath given thee thy limbs even so suddenly did the Lord give thee thy senses and thy speech but then thou wast not able to apprehend it Oh said she how shall we be ever able in any measure to extol the Name of the Lord in praises that are due unto him for all his mercies to us I desire that the Lord would be pleased to perfect my heart and frame it as he will be pleased to accept of it for I have cause to praise the Lord more then others seeing the Lord is pleased to take notice of me more then others Her Mother said Childe is not thy minde full of the apprehensions of the Lords wonderfull dealings with thee Yes said she but I cannot expresse it so largely as I desire to do but I hope the Lord will help me ● can do nothing of my self but I may say with the Apostle Paul I can do any thing through Christ that strengthens me Then her Mother said What are we poor miserable Miscreants that the Lord should make choise of a childe of ours to hold forth so much of his power and glory She answered It is not any worthinesse that is in us but it is the Will of the Lord the Lord saw It good in his all-seeing Decree for he had decreed before I was born that it should be so Her Mother said Oh my unbelieving heart would never yield to think that there would be such a glorious end of this affliction Ah Mother said she the Lord hath done above your faith what cause have we to praise him The 22th of December when she rose in the morning she said she could go but we were afraid to trust her strength it being so long a time since she had any use of her legs yet she desired leave to make triall how she could go and she went up and down the room beyond all expectation and the Lord

eyes but with our spiritual eyes we shall Oh what a good God have we that never slumbers nor sleepeth but watcheth over his poor servants Come my Disciples take up your crosse and follow me and you shall be saved I will be your God and you shall be my people O Lord I desire to wait till my glass be run for I long to be in Heaven with thy holy Angels rejoycing Those that hunger and thirst after Jesus Christ let them come and drink of the water of life and they shall thirst no more and when Christ their life shall appear then they shal appear with him also in glory Come unto me in time of trouble and I will save and deliver you Come my people enter in at the gates of Heaven and I will guide you in it My soul O Lord watcheth and watcheth till the glass be run to be in Heaven rejoycing with the holy Angels for ever Labour for Jesus Christ what are we without Christ we are but as a lump of clay or lead full of corruption and without the Spirit of God Oh Good Lord work a thorough work in us that we may be like thy holy Angels in Heaven Now my Christ is come again oh that I could hold him fast and not let him slip from me Oh Lord give us thankful hearts to thee who hast given us Jesus Christ thy dear Son to take our sins upon him all our sufferings are nothing in comparison of Jesus Christs sufferings he suffered the death upon the Cross for us Lord take away these stony hearts of ours and give us new hearts and take away these thorns out of our hearts and give us thankful hearts that we may be ever thankful unto thee for all thy good gifts that thou hast bestowed upon us May the 24th Lord give us Jesus Christ for without Christ we are nothing but like lost sheep that are gone astray Take heed that the temptations of Satan overcome you not lest he cast you into hell Not into our eares Oh Lord but come into our hearts and take away these stony hearts of ours and give us new hearts How good is thy Word O God! how good is thy Word ground it not in our heads O Lord but in our hearts Pull back Satan that roaring lion which goeth about seeking whom he can devoure and to cast him into hell oh follow not his wayes nor steps for in them there is nothing but blasphemy and lying but follow Christs steps and there will be rejoycing for ever Before that Christ take you up into Heaven he will give you full assurance of himself and lock you up in his cabinet and keep you from that hunting roaring lion If he conquer me he will cast me into hel-fire but my Christ will not suffer him to touch me my Christ is stronger then he he will not let him prevail against me My body is but wormes meat in the grave but what care I for my body so that my soul be in Heaven with my God and his Angels Seek for Christ and you shall finde him hunt for him and he will be found of you Strait is the gate that leadeth to Heaven and few there be that finde it but wide is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go therein The afflictions of the body are nothing but the soul is a rare jewel when both body and soul are afflicted then there is cause of sorrow but pray to God that he may support your souls O take my soul into thy protection for if both body and soul should be gone then all is gone but when they are in thy hands then they are safe then there is no cause of sorrow but of rejoycing and singing Aalleluiah for ever Trust in God walk in Gods way the more you walk in Gods way the more he will give you kis assurance Get into Jesus Christ for in him there is joy and comfort and no cause of discomfort If we could but get one touch of the sweetness of Jesus Christ it would ravish our hearts so that we would strive to get nigher and nigher unto him Oh what a good God have we who would not trust in such a God let us but eye God and he will eye us and the more we look unto God the more will his power be exalted in us What if a man have not onely part but the whole World yet he can never be satisfied and a poor soul that onely hath a desire after Christ cannot be contented but when a poor soul hath gained all Christ then it is satisfied A poor soul will be alwayes hungring hungring hungring and thirsting till he have gotten all Christ then he will be satisfied and say he hath enough How loving and gracious is our God that doth all things in wisdome and mercy and for our good in pitty and compassion Oh how happy a thing it is and joyful for ●o see when a poor soul is going to Heaven and Christ sayes Come poor soul come ●ome and I will lock thee up in my Cabinet and keep thee from sin and Satan He is an everlasting God stick close to him and he will stick close to you As many as I love I rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent When we are in affliction Christ is all in all but some in their afflictions are apt to say that God hath forgotten them but whom God loveth he correcteth and afflictions are but to make us stick closer to God that it may be for our good and comfort Let us sing praise to our God and be thankful let us not turn back from him and he will not turn back from us Whom God loveth he correcteth in mercy Correction is good for poor souls it maketh them stick closer to Christ and that they may know him the more both for his own glory and their own good every way As the Father calleth his childe when he hath done amiss and asks why he doth so and gives him correction so God he gives his children correction but it is for their good and comfort God scourgeth and whippeth his children but he will not give them one whip nor one lash more then is for their good Just is God in all his dealings he neither slumbreth nor sleepeth but is diligent and carefull in watching over his poor children Let us give him praise for all his mercies lest he turn his blessings into cursings Labour for Jesus Christ stick close to Jesus Christ and he will stick close to you he will never forsake you till you have him you can never be satisfied Labonr to follow things according to Jesus Christ for if we gain Christ we gain all When all helps fail Christ will never fail you he will never forsake you Let us labour to get into Jesus Christ that we may be like the Angels in Heaven and let us bend our mindes to