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	speak_v	word_n	1,386	5	3.9429	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13019	The righteous mans plea to true happinesse In ten sermons, on Psal. 4 ver. 6. Preached by Iohn Stoughton Doctor in Divinity, sometimes fellow of Emanuell Colledge in Cambridge, late preacher of Aldermanbury, London.	Stoughton, John, d. 1639.	1640 (1640)	STC 23310; ESTC S117842	148,853	302

into a compendious mould so as it might have gone along with the other time prevented me and now I shall resolve not to inlarge it but to deliver it in the same compasse and with the same brevitie I then intended partly because I finde some weakenesse which makes me not altogether fit to inlarge much and partly because what ever may seeme to be defective or short in this place there will be sufficient opportunity in the next Point to bring it in wherein wee shall treate of the possitive part of happinesse wherein it lies indeede if it doe not lie in these worldly things to make us happie 2. Application 2. There be but three things in generall which I intend to inferre by way of Vse and Application out of the consideration of this divine Truth The first shall be for Instruction The second for Reproofe The third for Exhortation which are indeede the most generall heads which may helpe to regulate and guide our practise to which all Application tends 1. Instruction 1. For Instruction briefely to touch upon that for that is not the thing that I intend 1. It may convince the errour of worldly Philosophers Wee may here receive a good principle by which we may convince all the erronious conceits which men are ready to fasten upon and which doe fasten upon men many times ere they are aware wee may see here the broad and wide errour of all Philosophicall fancies concerning happinesse Convince the errour of worldly Philosophers Augustine reckons up no lesse than 288. severall opinions of severall learned Philosophers that placed happinesse one in one thing and another in another thing every one being different and opposing one another every one contradicting what others had said and being confident of his owne But as the Apostle speaks of the Romanos in the like cause Rom 1.22 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. The conceit of their owne wisedome and their ambition made them fooles i. e. even befooled them and they grew infatuate And indeed this is a point that it is not to be expected that the conceit of naturall reason or the naturall light of a man should ever be able to guide a man steadily to No marvell that they did speake like blinde men like drunken men and runne in a labyrinth in a misse maze and were not able to get out of it having not the lanthorne of the light of divine revelation to lead them out It is not worth the while to speake particularly of them I shall content my selfe onely with a briefe touch of them We see all the opinions of Philosophers all their knowledge cleane out of the way yea and the wisedome of all naturall men is too shallow by farre and all naturall abilities to come to shew steadily wherein true happinesse lies If nature could have done it then the learnedst wits and wisedome might happily have found it out But they could not they groped in the darke as the Sodomites when they were strucken with blindnesse groped to find Lots doore so they groped to see if by any meanes they might finde out happinesse but they had not light enough to doe it In the second place to mention that which is not so farre out of the way wee will not meddle here now with Philosophers Godly professors 2. It may convince the errour of godly Professors and of those that pretend to Christianitie and have more than naturall men being alienated from them in their principles yet even among them will appeare a great deale of the reliques of that wound by that blow which our nature received by our fall In this I shall bring the application nearer to our selves Wee may see here our blindnesse in this by the experience of all Christians and in some degree of the best sort too Who is there that doth not place too much in these worldly things that hath not too high an esteeme and makes too precious account of them and doth not retaine many times in his minde and nourish too some secret thoughts at least that there is some extraordinary vertue in those things to make a man happy There be many caracters that doe evidently discover the reliques of this disease that it is not fully cured even where grace begun his worke But I shall better touch on this afterward and shall therefore passe it now 2. Correct our judgements concerning the happinesse of Others It may rectifie our judgements concerning the happinesse first of others secondly of our selves 1. Of others We may learne to judge what is true happinesse and who are the happy men And if we will doe this aright wee must not doe it Populari trutina not weigh it in the ballance of the world but come to the ballance of the Sanctuary and weigh things there by which it will appeare evidently as out of this truth that wee have named and treated on who are happy and who not We should not thinke those the happy men that have either the excellency or the confluence of these worldly things As when I see a man suppose one that hath a very great estate and hath plenty of all in this world Suppose he hath with that many perfections of body as beautie and strength Suppose hee with all this hath many excellencies of minde that hee is pregnant in understanding and admirable in many such abilities We are ready as Samuel was in the cause of David wee are ready to mistake the true happy man and to set the crowne of happinesse upon the wrong head as he was ready to powre out the Oyle upon Eliah the eldest sonne and a goodly man and least of all though upon poore little David that was an out cast and abroad in the field as a Shepheard and this man Eliah was a Gentleman a Gallant home with his Father and hee keeping his Fathers sheepe but God placed the crowne upon him though as I said Samuel was ready to mistake And we are ready to doe so in this cause that wee now speake of But now this point will and should helpe to rectifie and guide our hands aright in placing of the crowne of happinesse and it teacheth us not to measure by worldly things not to count those the happy men that are the darlings of Fortune that are lulled asleepe in the lap of the world and are dandled there and have all plenty and abundance of worldly things Our owne happinesse 2. This may rectifie our judgements concerning our owne happinesse in this the deceit is more dangerous As this will helpe us to judge of others so of our selves wee should not therefore if wee will be true to this Point and doe remember it well be in danger to blesse our selves and sooth up our selves as though wee were in estate of happinesse when things goe smoothly with us I besech you to remember this present point and keepe the truth of it in your minds that it may be a charme

be usefull neither shall we bee able to maintaine the maine Current We must therefore take off our affections from other things weane our affections from the world from the pleasures from the honours from the riches of it for every one of these like unfruitfull boughes under boughes flourish at the root of the tree and grow up to the prejudice of the maine tree for as much as they draw the sap and nourishment away from that and starve the tree it selfe like Ivie about the Oake the Ivie groweth about it but the Oake fares the worse as one said of the Child at nurse the Nurse fares the worse for the childs sake the Nurse pineth and wasteth when she nourisheth and cherisheth her child the child drawes her so much downe that it leaves her but leane and so in this case if wee let our affection loose let them out upon any thing besides God in an inordinate way it doth exceedingly abate and weaken our affections towards God They who would preserve the fire which is on the hearth can hardly do it if the Sunne beames doe shine upon the hearth for they will extinguish and put it out so it is in this case our hearts will grow exceeding cold towards God and all the fire of holy affections will moulder away if these worldly things seeme glorious in our eyes and seeme beautifull they will steale away our love and steale away our affections and draw away our hearts from God That is the thing that should be taken heede of it is a thing that Christians should alway be carefull of that the feare of other things doe not eate out the feare of God nor the love of other things do not make a damp and quench the love of God and choake the growth of it we must take heed of that Care to chase in these 2 But then as we should take heed to chase away other things that would bee prejudiciall to these holy affections So we should take care to chafe in these holy affections to keepe them alwayes warme to nourish and to cherish them If you would keep in your fire you must supply it with fire what ever few ill will serve to keepe in this fire of heavenly love and heavenly feare in the full heat and full brightnesse you must be chary how you withdraw that fire and carefull rather to feede that fire And so much the more tender care should bee had of this because you must know that it is with those holy affections as it is with noble and generous plants which are in our country but exotique and brought hither from another soil out of other countryes the country is not so kindly for them being but a step-mother to them and a little unkindnesse of the ayre will soone nippe the blossomes if wee have not so much the more care of them in watering of them and cherishing of them Now all grace and all holy affections are but exotique plants they came from heaven and they descended from thence and they are farre more by a great deale rigorous and odoriferous in heaven because they are there in their proper native soile in the blessed Saints and the blessed Angells they are neere God neare to the fountaine of life and heate and there is more vigour and sweetnesse in them But alas we are farre a fonte caloris and this world is but an unkinde mother to these plants a step mother to them though a mother to other affections and therefore they will easily dye if there be not an especiall care taken of them to rub and chafe these to keepe perpetuall life in them by so much the more diligence and by the use of all meanes that may preserve and perpetuate it So much in generall 2 Now more particularly Particularly I shall present a few rules of direction especially to the last of these generalls how we may keepe holy affections in warmth but very briefely Constant Application 1 Constant application of those things that are of force for the chasing in which cause a begetting and preserving of these holy affections As for example wee heare many things out of the Word of God we reade many things out of the Word of God and other good writings which doe conduce exceedingly to inflame and warme the heart and affections with a holy love and to make the heart soft with a holy awe and feare of God Now wee should never read or heare those things but wee should lay hold on them and labour to chafe them on our hearts and demonstrate the use of them if wee have but the bare naked cold theorem and speculation wee doe but strangle the birth child in the wombe if wee read them and heare them and neuer chafe them in by application to warme the affections so that all those things that wee heare or reade wee must chafe them on our affections by applying them to our affections and by holding of them to the affections and keeping the warmth with it Vigilent Caution 2 Let there be vigilant caution over out hearts to observe both our full and our wane when our hearts are full and high in holy affection observe cautiously what useth to raise them so what experience what arguments prevaile most to advance and mount the soule like Eliah his fiery Charriot sparkling with holy affection and mounting us to heaven as sometime a man is as it were in heaven when he is elevated in these divine affections observe very narrowly and marke very carefully what are our vehicula our fiery Chariots that carry us up to heaven and make use of them apply them ponder on them And againe observe our wane and declining for a Christian hath not onely his spring tide when affections over-flow and carry him sweetly But he hath also his low tide the motions of the spirit of God are not ordinary rara hora brevis mora as Bernard said rare and dainty are the tasts of Gods spirit and many times a Christian is at low water at ebb in his affections observe now and marke and see how comes this declining what aileth my poore soule to wither and my affections to droope and hang downe the head observe whether it bee not my neglect of the Ordinances my neglect of duty and whether it bee not some sinne that lyeth upon mee that God doth estrange himselfe and hide himselfe thus that the pipes that should bring in water are cut off by the Key I meane the conveyances of Grace observe I say what causeth this wane what it is that hinders and watch against that pry often into thy heart meditate on thy wayes and keepe a vigilant eye bee very suspicious watch continually to make full discovery unto thy soule what doth advance or what doth hinder you in the way of these holy affections and take heede of the one and take care of the other that is the second thing 2 Vse frequent excitation and stirring up of