Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	anger_n	angry_a	just_a	1,601	5	7.4510	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26714	Instructions about heart-work what is to be done on Gods part, and ours, for the cure and keeping of the heart, that we may live in the exercise and growth of grace here, and have a comfortable assurance of glory to eternity / by that eminent Gospel-Minister Mr. Richard Allein, author of Vindiciæ pietatis.	R. A. (Richard Alleine), 1611-1681.	1681 (1681)	Wing A994; ESTC R19556	262,157	306

for Iniquity and that will limit and moderate your sorrow for your affliction Why dost thou take on so for losses in thine Estate for thy lost Friends and Relations Thou hast greater matters then these to trouble thy self about thy sins are the losses of thy Soul Think when thou art mourning over thy worldly crosses as sad as it is without how is it with my Soul Is there not sin upon my Soul Is there not Guilt upon my Soul and let out thy sorrows so much upon the sin of thy Soul that thou mayst have none to wast upon the sufferings of thy Body Restrain thy Tears for thy afflictions thou wilt need them all to be spent upon thine Iniquity O Friends if you were concerned for your Souls as much as you should if you were sensible of the mischiefs and miseries that sin is bringing upon your Souls this would make all the sufferings of this life to be as light and little things 6. For our anger The Government of our anger is that which especially is meant by ruling our Spirits in those two Scriptures Prov. 16.32 He that is slow to anger is better then the mighty and he that ruleth his Spirit then he that taketh a City Prov. 25.28 He that hath no rule over his own Spirit is like a City that is broken down and without walls The Objects of Anger is Evil the Limits of Anger are these 1. Be never angry with God Some persons are so fretful that none can please them are apt to be angry with every one that hath to deal with them There 's no scaping their anger but by shunning their Company and having nothing to do with them Men cannot please them and God cannot please them they will be angry with their Maker when his Providences towards them are any thing cross to their Humours or their Interest they are angry at God angry at his Providences So it was with Jonah when God smote his Goard that he had given him for a shade Jonah was in a pett angry with God and justified himself in his anger I do well to be angry Jon. 4.9 Some Foolish Persons if it be dry Weather when they would have it Rain if foul Weather when they would have it fair they are angry they frett their Hearts rise and murmur and repine against the Providence of God And so when the wicked are exalted and flourish and themselves are oppressed and brought low Men are apt to frett and murmur at Divine Providence that thus orders it Thence is that Caution Psal 37.7 Fret not thy self because of him who prospereth in his way that is fret not against God because of him that he lets such wicked ones to prosper Let God alone in his way whatever he doth in the world keep silence to the Lord and fret not murmur not against him To be angry with the Wind or the Rain or the Flouds or the Sun when we suffer prejudice by them yea or to be angry with the irrational Creatures that serve us with our horses or oxen or dogs when they do amiss this is often anger against God Some are such Fools that if their horse stumbleth or their Ox sluggeth or their dog barks or takes what he should not they are such fools as to be angry with them irrational Creatures are not the Objects of your anger you may strike your Horse or goad your Ox or beat your Dog but hee 's a fool that will be angry with them Some are such fretful fools that they 'l fret and chafe at senseless and inanimate creatures which they use how do Gamesters fret and chafe at their Cards at their Dice when they run not for them how do some Tradesmen fret at their work when it fadges not aright when their yarn breaks when their cloth shrinks when their Sythe or Knife will not cut or cut their fingers or their legs or hit upon a stone or the like some such there are that will be angry with their work will fret at their Sythe or their Knife or their Yarn c. These you may reckon amongst the first-born of Fools and the folly of such anger is not the worst that is in it there 's Prophaness in it too anger against these creatures is anger against God 2. Be not soon angry with men He that is slow to anger is better then the mighty Prov. 16.32 Some persons are so touchy that 't is hard to keep them quiet like tinder or Gunpowder that will catch fire of every spark a wry word or look nay their own jealous thoughts will set them on fire every little thing will provoke them this is an evil and sore disease that is hardly cured You whose temper this is know that it is your misery 't is a miserable temper to be of such a froppish touchy Spirit you that are such you had need to pitty the cases of those that dwell with you Look upon thy self as a Briar or a Thorn hedge and know that the fault lies not in them thou art angry with but in thine own angry heart 3. Be not angry without a cause Mat. 5.22 He that is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment The only just cause of Anger is sin Eph. 4.26 Be angry and sin not and that you may do so be only angry against sin We may be angry against wrongs or abuses against our selves but it must be upon this account that these wrongs against our selves are sins against God Be not angry without a cause and be not angry for every little cause Christians must be patient and bear much it must be a great thing that must provoke them to anger Do not pick quarrels one against another and make anger where there 's no cause of anger and do not quarrel for trifles that any wise man would rather despise then be provoked with 4. Be not long angry Eph. 4.26 Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath Eccl. 7.9 Anger resteth in the bosom of fools Of the several sorts of tempers that are among men some are soon angry and soon pacified This though it be an evil yet it s a more tolerable evil let it not justifie you in your touchyness that your anger is quickly gone to be soon angry is your sin though not so great because you are soon pleased Do not allow your selves in this temper little sins must be carefully avoided Others are slow to anger and swift to pacification Hard to be provoked easie to be pacified This is the best of Tempers this is that meek and quiet Spirit which is of great price in the sight of God This man is a Moses Moses could be angry and was angry to a great height when he saw Israel become Idolaters but yet this Moses was the meekest man upon earth This meek temper is the most desirable of all tempers even for our own sakes every man that is a wise-man would if it be possible be a

meek man none would be a fury but a Fool. Meekness of Spirit is the way to get every mans love and good opinion and the way to our own ease and serenity of heart Frowardness and fretfulness is its own punishment what vexations and galls are such Persons to their own hearts and what a reproach and a by-word and an odium are they to others Others are easily provoked and hardly pacified a little spark will kindle a fire but many waters will not quench it A soft answer saith Solomon Prov. 15.1 turneth away wrath In some 't will but in others neither soft nor hard words will do it no contending no stooping no yielding no loving obliging words or carriage will stop the current till time hath a little allayed and worn it out This is a wretched temper and next to the worst soon angry and long angry Others are soon angry and never pacified The grudge of their hearts is a cancer in their breasts there it corrodes and frets but will not be cured These are Devils incarnate 't is the malice of the Devil that is implacable malice That 's the 4th limit not long Angry 5. Restrain the sinful effects of Anger Such as are 1. Angry looks we read Prov. 25.23 of an angry countenance an angry look is either a furious look the fire of the heart sparkling out at the eye or a sowre and sullen a dogged or discontented look 2. Angry words as reproachful words Mat. 5.22 Racha or thou fool calling names Liar Theef Varlet Knave or railing and bitter words words dipped in Vinegar or Gall spoken on purpose to irritate and provoke 3. Distances and Estrangements Keeping aloof refusing society with those we are angry with I 'le do him no hurt but I 'le never have to do with him more there 's an angry resolve Never talk you are not angry whilst this fruit of it distance and estrangement continues 4. Revenge When the grudge lyes burning within and watching to do him an ill turn or to be even with him as they usually express it Revenge is the intending endeavouring or doing hurt to such as offend us to satisfie our malice and wrath We may right our selves upon those that abuse and wrong us either in our Estates or our Names in just and honest ways and in such cases where God or Conscience or the honour of Religion does not call upon us to suffer wrong and pass by or put up abuses we may right our selves in case of wrongs but never out of Malice to satisfie our wrathful hearts Some wretched spirits there are that in some trifling offences that are offered them could pass them by but only for the satisfying their malice their wrath must be satisfied This if it be a righting of thy self yet if that which puts thee upon it be the malice of thy heart this is a revengful righting of thy self how often do some men speak at such a rate not so much that I do regard the thing but I scorn to be abused Well these are the limits to bound your Anger Be not angry with God nor any of his Providences be not sinfully angry with men not soon angry not angry without a cause not over angry where you have a cause not long not implacably angry lay aside an angry look restrain an angry tongue and beware of meditating revenge let not there be a secret grudge remaining which will make revenge sweet to thee Now because this is a great peice of the Government of the heart and of great difficulty I shall direct you to some means for the bringing it about 1. Prize seek and maintain your peace with God 1. This will find you other work to do then to mind every little offence that comes athwart you The wrath of God is as the roaring of a Lion Whilst you are in fear of that or caring how to escape it you will not mind the barking of a Dog or the hissing of a Goose What hast thou nothing else to take up thy thoughts then these trivial things its an ill sign 't is a sign thou mindest not God as thou shouldst nor thy soul as thou shouldst when thou art so apt to be in a pett at every little thing 2. Your breaking peace with men is your breaking peace with God Art thou sinfully angry with thy brother or with thy husband or thy Wife take heed God is angry with thee Psal 18.26 With the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward You that are given to frowardness study that Scripture and tremble Canst thou stand before an angry God wouldst thou that God should carry it as frowardly towards thee as thou catriest it towards others wouldst thou see such a frowning face wouldst thou hear such words of fury from the Lord against thy Soul thou must look for no other from him if thou carriest it thus frowardly to thy Friends Mind your peace with God more be more solicitous about the taking up that deadly Controversie that hath been betwixt him and thee and prevent the raising of new quarrels with God and then we should have fewer quarrels one with another Is it peace betwixt God and thy Soul is all fair and friendly betwixt him and thee methinks thou shouldst bear any thing then from men Is it not peace betwixt God and thee Is that great work yet to do Is there such a weighty concern lying upon thee Is thy Peace with God yet to make What a foolish wretch art thou to disturb thy self with these little matters 2. Totally espouse the interest of God and renounce the interest of this Self and Flesh It is this self that is the make-bate and the rise of all our quarrels If you would know no other interest but the interest of God you would never be angry but where you should be angry you would only be angry with sin against God If you had renounced your felfish and fleshly interest you would never take its part nor take up the Cudgels on its side all our carnal anger it is but our taking part with carnal self any thing that 's spoken or done against thy self anger must be called up to revenge this quarrel Be more zealous for the interest of God and these quarrels of self would cease 3. Know that a pettish angry disposition whilst it remains unconquered will make thee a briar and a thorn to whatever company thou art in Yea and 't will make every one else seem to be a briar and thorn to thee What wouldst thou have people say there dwells a wasp or an hornet there goes a briar or thorn take heed how you come near him least you be scratch'd or stung If you would not make every one else to seem a briar and thorn or wasp to you then kill this wasp in your own bosom If people would but study more their own ease and the calme of their own hearts and to be freed from those troublesome boylings and burnings of their own Spirits they

subject let me in the name of God ask you what is there that hath been yet done upon you what is there that hath been added to your holy love to your holy desires and joys fears and griefs are there any little sparkes added to you do you love God a little more then you did do you desire after him a little more strongly are your fears of sin your fears of temptations to sin your grief and sorrow for sin a little encreased Is there any abatement of your love to the World of your worldly desires and joys Is there any allay of your fretful angry passion Who of you can say I thank God these words have not been spoken to me in vain I thank God I find this World taken down a little lower I do not love it so well nor desire it so much nor I hope shall ever again seek it so earnestly as I have done are you any thing the more in fear of sin or greiv'd for sin are you in hope that your anger shall henceforth not be without a cause nor above or higher then its cause nor ever last as it has used to do Friends consider in the name of God consider What is there nothing done are you as cold in your love to God as hot in your love to the World as much without fear and greif for sin as if none of all this had been spoken The Lord be merciful to us what shall become of such hearing What serves this Preaching for what serves this hearing for Doth God take pleasure or can you take comfort in your coming together to hear and being a little affected with the word whilst 't is preaching or speaking some words after of your approbation and liking what you have heard when yet the Word doth not work nor leave any standing and abiding impressions upon you It s vain to commend a Sermon in words if the fruit it brings forth commend it not The best commendation of your food is by your eating it and maintaining your health and gathering strength by it O Friends that 's the commendation we would have of our preaching and the only commendation that we can take comfort in that our word reacheth its end that there is some sign of our ministry upon your hearts and in your lives that we may say concerning you as the Apostle concerning the Corinthians 2 Cor. 3.2.8 Ye are our Epistle and are declared to be the Epistle of Christ written not with ink but with the spirit of the living God Those are the best Sermon Notes that are written not with ink and paper but by the Spirit of the living God in the fleshly tables of our hearts These are the best Sermon Notes and these are the best commendation of our preaching Now pray friends consider I do not ask you what there is written of these Sermons in your note books but what is there written of them in your hearts Is there any thing more of the love of God of desires after God of fear of sin c. written or begotten within you Had I ability and opportunity of personal converse with you I should be willing to deal with you in private hand to hand and to ask you these questions man by man but to supply that defect of speaking personally and in private to each one of you take what I speak in my publick Ministry as if it were spoken to thee in particular and I were dealing with thee hand to hand Though thou canst not give me thine answer yet fail not to give answer in thine own heart when I ask thee whither thou hast gotten any more love to God any more desires after God any abatement of thy love to the World any more fear of Sin c. Answer thine own Conscience in this particular I must substitute thy Conscience in my room and let Conscience take thine Answer Speak every man of you i● your Consciences how do you find it is there any th●ng done upon you by these words or is there nothing 〈◊〉 what do you think of all your hearing these words if th●re be nothing done if there be as much love to the World as little love to God or fear of Sin if there be the same touchiness the same pettishness the some angry distemper as if you had kept you at home all this while and never heard any of all that has been said Are not you ashamed are not you afraid that these words of the Lord should have no effect upon you Beloved I have preached to you in hope I have hoped for fruit I have hop'd for some change for the better upon you in all these respects O set your hearts unto all these words remember what you can and recover what you have forgotten look up to God look up to God and pray this prayer to him Lord let the things that have been spoken be written Let them be written not with ink and pen but by the Spirit of the living God not in a book or paper but in the fleshly table of mine heart Look up to God for his help and determine in your selves to set your hearts to it to follow after this blessed Order and Government of your hearts Study within your selves how to get up your affections to things above to get loose your hearts from the World and things below be not content to be thus dead in your hearts towards God thus alive towards the World nor be content to wish for more of the divine love to wish you could abate towards this world but in good earnest make it your business and study so to do Might we once bring you to this that while we are labouring with you in the Word and Doctrine you would labour with us in the Lord to work your hearts to an affectionate compliance with our words if you would be stedfast and unmoveable and abounding in this work then there would be hope that neither our labour nor yours should be in vain in the Lord then should we look to see the death of these Worldly loues and lusts and a spring of the divine love and life and joy and glory this earth and flesh under foot and the Spirit of Glory and of God resting upon you Put on therefore in the fear of the Lord set you close to this Heart-governing-work quicken strengthen encourage your hearts herein with these words Yet further the Government of the heart stands 4. In suppressing all manner of evil and exciting and maintaining the good that is in your hearts There are in the heart as there are in a Kingdom two parties the evil party and the good party The evil party are the Rebellious Lusts of our hearts the good party are the Graces of God The Government of the Heart is to be as the Government of a Kingdom for the suppressing the evil and the encouraging and upholding the good The evil Party are the lusts of the Heart Pride Envy Malice Covetousness c.