Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	apostle_n	faith_n	word_n	1,525	5	4.2834	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51702	An offer of farther help to suffering saints, or, The best work in the worst times wherein the necessity, excellency, and means of preparation for sufferings are clearly evinced, and prescribed : in which, as in a glass, the people of God may see how to dress themselves for death, or any other suffering to which the Lord shall call : added as an appendix to the Sufferers mirrour.	Mall, Thomas, b. 1629 or 30.	1665 (1665)	Wing M334A; ESTC R232064	84,072	143

fail thou failest with it and as thy Faith is so art thou Consult all this Cloud of Witnesses and see if thou canst find a man among them that did not atchieve this Victory by his Faith Had they not all been run down by the furious assaults of temptation and instead of a Cloud of Witnesses been so many Pillars of Salt and Monuments of reproach and shame to Religion if their Faith had failed in its trial CHAP. VII Wherein the necessity and usefulness of Christian fortitude in order to sufferings is evinced with a brief account of its nature and the means of attaining of it THe next Grace which concurs to the compleating of our actual readiness for sufferings is Christian Fortitude or holy courage which must say in thy heart in a time of danger as Elijah once did As the Lord lives I will shew my self This also is a choice part of your preparation work In this Grace our Apostle was eminent When he was told Bonds and Afflictions waited for him he could say That none of those things moved him Acts 20.24 yea when he was to appear before the Lion Nero and not a man would own or stand by him yet he stands his ground resolving rather to die on the place then dishonourably to recede from his principles and profession 2 Tim. 4.16 17. He set the world with all its threats and terrours lower then it set him Oh how conspicuous was this Grace in all those Heroes that have past on before us And if ever you hope to stand in the evil day and be fetched off the Field with honour you must rouze up and awaken your courage for God And the necessity thereof will appear upon these four considerations 1. Because the success and prevalence of Satans temptations in the hour of persecution depends up-upon the fainting and overthrow of this Grace Wherefore doth he raise persecutions in the world but because such terrible things are fitted to work upon the passion of carnal fear which rises with those dangers and makes the soul as a tumultuous Sea This is it he aims at Neh. 6.13 This is a multiplying passion that represents dangers more and greater then they are and so drives the soul into the very net and snare laid by the Devil to take it Prov. 29.25 The fear of man brings a snare which was sadly exemplified in Abraham Gen. 12.12 and divers others of the Saints If he can but subdue this Grace he will quickly bring you to capitulate for life and liberty upon the basest and most dishonourable terms therefore the preparation of this Grace is so exceedingly necessary 2. Because this is the Grace that honours Jesu● Christ abundantly when you are brought upon the stage for him There is a great solemnity at the suffering and trial of a Saint Heaven Earth and Hell ar● Spectators observing the issue and how the Saint● will acquit themselves in that hour We are made 〈◊〉 spectacle saith the Apostle The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are set as upon a Theatre in public● view 1 Cor. 4.9 God Angels and Saints wait to see the glorious triumphs of their Faith and Courage reflecting honour upon the Name and Cause of Christ Devils and wicked men gape for an advantage by their cowardise Certainly very much lies now upon the Christians hands Should he faint and give ground how will it furnish the triumphs of Hell and make Christs enemies vaunt over him as if his love ran so low in the hearts of his people that they durst not adventure any thing for him or as if notwithstanding their brave words and glorious profession they durst not trust their own principles when it comes to the trial But if now they play the men and discover an holy gallantry of Spirit and resolution for Christ how will it daunt the enemies and make them say as Marcus Bishop of Aretheusa made out of Julian's Nobles present at his torments to say concerning him We are ashamed O Emperour the Christians laugh at your cruelty And how will God himself rejoyce and glory over them as he once did over Job when he fetch'd him with honour off that first Field Job 2.3 Still he holdeth fast his integrity 3. Your own peace is wrapt up in it as well as Gods glory Is it nothing think you to be freed from those Vultures and Harpyes that feed upon the hearts of men at such times Surely God reckons that he promiseth a very great mercy to his people when he promiseth it Prov. 1. ult Psal 112.7 When Borromaeus was told of some that lay in wait to take away his life it troubled him not but he said An Deus est in mundo pro nihilo What is God in the world for nought And like to this was the answer of Silentiarius in a like case Si Deus mei turam non habet quid vivo If God take not care for me how do I live Oh this is it that brings you to an holy quietude of Spirit in times of confusion and distraction which is a choice mercy 4. Your magnanimity is of special use to other Saints who are following you in the same path of sufferings If you faint it 's like the fainting of a Standard-bearer in an Army You bring up thereby an evil report upon the Cross of Christ as the first Spies did upon the Land of Canaan And a like influence with that it is like to have on your Brethren so that there is a necessity of improving this Grace also before you can say with Paul you are ready 2. But what is this Christian fortitude and wherein doth it it consist I answer briefly It is an holy boldness in the performance of difficult duties flowing from Faith ●n the call of God to it and his promise to us in ●he discharge of it And so you have the nature of it in these four ●articulars 1. It is an holy boldness not a natural or sinful ●oldness arising either from the natural constitution or evil disposition of the mind 2. It is exprest about duties for truth not error ●erem 9.3 for the Interest of Christ not of the ●esh 3. The season in which it appears is When duties are surrounded and beset with difficulties and dangers Dan. 3.16 Dan. 6.10 4. The Fountain whence it flowes is Faith and that as it respects the command and call of God to duty Acts 16.10 and his promise to us in the discharge thereof Josh 1.5 6. And this Grace stands opposed both to the fear of man in the Cause of God Heb. 11.27 and to Apostacy from the Truth for fear of suffering Thus briefly of the nature of it 3. In the last place I shall lay down some Rules for the promoting and improvement of it and so finish this Chapter Now there are ten Rules heedfully to be observed for the breeding of holy courage in the breast of a Saint in evil times And the first Rule is this Rule 1 Get

many Hypocrites which were its Reproach as well as Burthen Amos 9.9 10. I will sift the house of Israel among all Nations like as Corn is sifted in a Sieve yet shall not the least Grain fall upon the Earth All the sinners of my people shall die c. All the heterogeneous Stuffe that mingles and embases the more pure and noble Metal shall be separated in this Furnace In Times of Peace Professors multiply apace the Sun-shine of Prosperity breeds Professors as an hot Summer doth Flies though Heaven will be little the fuller for this strange multiplication of them And this I suppose is the ground of that saying That it 's never better with the Church then when it hath most Hypocrites in it But now Persecution like a windy day causes all this rotten Fruit to fall Lightning and Thunder is terrible weather but it purifies and cleanseth the Air Some of these seem to be very beautiful Flowers in the Field of the Church where they stand during the Sun-shine of Peace in the Pride and Bravery of their Professions and Gifts but the wind passeth over them and they are gone and their places shall know them no more To allude to that in Psa 103.16 3. As God makes them separating Times in respect of Hypocrites so are they Times of endearing the Saints to each other Never are Saints more endeared then when most persecuted never more united then when most scattered Though in Times of Liberty they will bite and devour one another yet under common Persecution they will die one for another You have two pregnant instances of this Acts 43.2 Mal. 3.17 Certainly there is something that is engaging in fellowship in the same Sufferings But there is much more in the discoveries that Persecution makes of their sincerity which it may be was before entertained with jealousie And there is yet more in the reproofs of the Rod whereby they are taught the evil of their former wayes and made to cry as Psal 79.8 Oremember not against us former iniquities 4. By these Storms they are awakened to their Duty and taught to cry more fervently Ah! what drowsie Prayers what heartless Devotions are presented to God sometimes But now they cry as the Disciples to Christ when ready to sink in the Storm Isa 26 16. O Lord in trouble they have visited thee they have poured out a Prayer when thy chastning was upon them Now they pray more humbly frequently fervently Musick they say is sweetest upon the Waters I am sure the sweetest Melody is made by the Saints upon these Waters of Trouble These few Hints may suffice to shew you the admirable Fruits which God aims at in exercising his people under afflictions and what one of these singly may not preponderate all the smart and pain they cost you And thus you see that God doth as also how and why he doth call forth his people to such hard Sufferings CHAP. II. Demonstrating the Excellency of a prepared Heart for the worst of Sufferings NOw to evince the Choiceness and Excellency of a ready and prepared Spirit to entertain and chearfully obey a call from God to the greatest Sufferings thereby to set an edge upon your Desires and quicken your Endeavours after it be pleased to ponder these following Particulars wherein much of its Excellency will appear 1. It will bring the heart to an holy Rest and Quietude in a Suffering hour and so prevent that Anxiety and perturbation of Spirit which puts the sinking weight into Affliction The more Care Fear and Trouble thou hast before a Trouble comes the more Calm Quiet and Composed thy Spirit will be when the Affliction is come indeed It is admirable to consider with what peace and holy submission Job entertain'd his Troubles which considering the kind and quality of them together with the manner in which they befell him one would think they should at least have startled and amazed him and put his Soul though gracious into a strange Confusion But you see the contrary he is very quiet and composed in his Spirit little Tumult or Disorder appears in his Thoughts but he worships God owns his Hand and submits to his Will Job 1.20 21. Whence was this Surely had they come by way of Surprize as holy as he was he could not have carried it thus but he had in the dayes of his Peace and Prosperity prepared for such a Day as this and so they neither came unexpectedly nor found him unprepared for them Job 3.25 26. I was not in safety neither had I rest yet trouble came The thing which he feared as he saith there came upon him He laid it to heart before it came and therefore it neither brake nor distracted his heart when it came So Habakkuk he stood upon his Watch-Tower i. e. recessum mentis saith Mr. Calvin his own retiring Thoughts making Observations from the Word upon probable Events Yea and seeing a Storm of Judgement gathering in the Clouds of the Threatnings he trembled in himself before it fell Cap. 3.16 17. And see what advantage this was of to him Vers 17.18 he had Rest in the Day of Trouble yea could rejoyce when all outward Staves and comforts were gone There is a double Rest in the Day of Evil a Rest of Deliverance and a Rest of Contentation it was this later that this holy man enjoyed in that Evil Day and that as the consequent of his serious Preparation But now if Troubles come by way of surprisal How amazing and ruining do they often prove 'T is a sad thing to feel Trouble before we see it and to be past hope before we have any ●fear Those Troubles saith one that find men secure do usually leave them desperate What advantage hath that Enemy to ruine you that comes upon your back and falls upon you unawares This is the misery of the careless World For Man also knoweth not his time as the Fishes that are taken in an evil Net and as the Birds that are caught in the snare so are the Sons of Men snared in an evil time when it falleth on them suddainly Eccles 8.12 Thus perished the old World But one Noah provided for the Flood and onely he with his Family preserved in it all the rest were eating and drinking marrying and giving in Marriage till the Flood came and swept them all away Matth. 24.38 Men will not use their fore-seeing Faculties but because it 's all well yet therefore they conclude it shall be so to morrow Philosophers tell us that immediatly before an Earth-quake the Air is very quiet and serene and before the great Rain falls the Wind usually lies We may not conclude Rest and Peace from the Report our Senses make to us from the posture of second Causes and yet what is there look which way you will but speaks Troubles and Distresses coming upon the World but rather we should make a Judgment from the Word upon condition of the Times for there you have the