Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	great_a	life_n	1,451	5	4.1995	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07203	Contentment in Gods gifts or some sermon notes leading to equanimitie and contentation. By Henry Mason parson of S. Andrews Vndershaft London	Mason, Henry, 1573?-1647.	1630 (1630)	STC 17604; ESTC S102845	26,914	126

Lord and of thine own have we given thee 1 Chron. 29.14 And if all the good things which we have already bee the gifts of Gods free bountie then in all reason wee should rather give thankes for what we have thē grudge for that which wee want With this consideration Moses repressed the murmuring of Korah and his company Seemeth it but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the Congregation of Israel to bring you neare unto himselfe to doe the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the Congregation to minister unto them And hee hath brought thee neare unto him and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee and seeke yee the Priesthood also Numb 16.9 10. And so if any shall murmur for want of greater prefermēt I may say unto them in the phrase of Moses God hath done well for you already he hath put you into a calling among his people in which yee may live like honest men and by seruing God therin may obtaine eternall life Is this but a small thing will nothing content you unlesse you may be Counsellors or Barons or Iustices or some great Commanders And if any grudge for want of greater wealth I may say God hath given you competent meanes ye want not bread and water to feed you nor clothes to hide your shame And thinke yee this but a small thing will nothing content you unlesse yee may have a Gentlemans Lands or an Aldermans wealth And againe if any shal repine for want of more health and strength of body I may tell them God hath given you your life and preserved you many daies and continued unto you your senses and memories And seemeth this but a small thing will nothing please you unless ye may haue the strength of a souldier And the like may bee said of all other the like cases so that if any grudge for want of greater or better gifts God may challenge him as a neglecter of greater mercies then hee is any way worthy of 3 Such men should cōsider that God bestoweth his blessings as with great difference so with much wisedome and mercy And 1. with much wisdome because hee so ordereth them as that each one serveth for the good of another so that it is far better there should bee some Artificers and some Labourers and some Servants then that all should be Gentlemen or Officers of State And 2. in great mercle because hee hath not onely given us the use of other mens gifts but also because hee doth fit us with those gifts for our selves which are most convenient for our condition Wee reade of the great householder and this householder is the Lord of heaven that having called for his servants that he might deliver to them his goods to trade with hee gave to one five talents and to another two and to another one and to every one according to his several ability Mat. 25.15 which speech implyeth thus much that he that received one talent was not able to imploy two to his Masters profit and hee that received two was not able to deale with five for every one had his measure according to his ability And the meaning of this parable is to teach us that God dealeth so with us in disposing of his gifts Hee storeth his servants with gifts according as hee seeth they are fitted to use them For example Hee giveth to some men great wealth and much riches as hee did to Abraham and Iob and to others much honour and authoritie as he did to Ioseph and Daniel and to others much strength and valour as hee did to Sampson and Ieptah and this hee did in great wisdome and mercy because hee saw these men were fit to doe good with these gifts Iob. 29.12 13 15 16. 31.16 17 19.20 as namely Iob with his wealth fed the poore clothed the naked made the widowes heart to reioyce c. And (a) Gen. 41 56 57. 47.25 50.20 Ioseph by his authoritie was a meanes to save much people alive And (b) Iudg. 15 18. Sampson by his great strength wrought great deliverance for Israel And so now a dayes when God giveth wealth and honours and strength unto men wee may well suppose that he had made those men able to use these gifts to good purpose saving that men out of their corrupt hearts doe many times pervert the right use of Gods gifts And so on the contrary God giveth to some men but little wealth and hee hath reason for it because if they had much they would abuse it to pride or to oppression or to hinder themselves in holy duties To others he giveth a low or a meane place among their Neighbours and it is because if they had a place of authority they would abuse it either to serve great mens turnes or to oppresse poore men in their causes or to do iniustice to their Neighbours And to others God giueth a weak constitution and a sickly body and it is because if they had greater strength they might abuse it to intemperancy or unclean lusts or would take occasion by it to grow presumptuous of long life carelesse of heaven and salvation or to challenge the field upon everie idle quarrell Now if in such case God deny us these things of the world because he meaneth us more good by the want of them then we could have had by their use then we have great cause to blesse God as for giving the other good things which we doe enioy so for denying us these seeming good things which we did desire Thus David did It is good for mee saith he that I have beene afflicted that I might learne thy statutes Psal 119.71 and so should every one of us think and say It is good for mee that I am a private man that so I may serve God and bee free from the tentations of greater places and it is good for me that I have a meane estate that so I may serve God without the cares and distractions that great riches do bring with them And It is good for me that I have a sickly body that so I may remember mine end and prepare for my departing out of the world And so in all other cases if wee doe not neglect our owne mercies that state is best for us which God doth allot unto us and if our provision had been better in the world our condition might have beene worse toward God Thus much for the first use of these Doctrines 2 The second is Vse 2 Wee may learne hence how to price and esteem the gifts of other men namely that wee acknowledge their due worth and value wheresoever or in whomsoever wee finde them For if God doe distribute his gifts in such manner and with such wisedome as hath been shewed then either to deny them where they are or to debase them below their worth were no better then to thwart God in an especiall