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	life_n	soul_n	5,160	5	5.5664	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05967	A caueat for cold Christians. In a sermon preached by Mr. Paul Bayne ... Wherein the common disease of Christians, with the remedie, is plainly and excellently set downe for all that will vse it	Baynes, Paul, d. 1617.	1618 (1618)	STC 1628; ESTC S101118	16,065	32

things and courses seeme lesse tastfull while they are continued especially while we neglect to take paines with our hearts that we may come to the thankful vnderstanding of so great benefits and on the other side to the prudent obseruation of our wants whether wee looke at the inward frame of our soules or at any dutie which we performe Thirdly we see that the more we goe to the perfection of any thing the more difficulty we finde now when wee come to meet with hardnesse there wee are ready without strength ministred to slack our endeauour and thinke with the sluggard Better an handfull with ease then farre more with disquietnesse Fourthly the diuell by sinnes of time and persons among whom we liue much weakens our loue through the abundance of iniquitie loue shall waxe cold Sometime the example of others like a backe-byas drawing vs from the precisenesse of our care in some duties in which wee endeauoured before to walke with God otherwise the scoffing and iniurious spightfulnesse of wicked ones making vs affraid to shew our loue as we would and should with liberty beseeming Euen as a damp puts out a light so this fog of sin suffocates and smothers the lightsome blaze of loue though it cannot quench it throughout in vs. Lastly the diuell commonly fastens vpon vs a spirituall security and fulnesse when we are somewhat proceeded whereas wee should forget what is passed and being secure and full we watch lesse against such things as by little and little quench the spirit in vs. Vse Now seeing this is the condition of Christians in good estate it must bee as a glasse to vs wherein we may behold our frailty Did these when now they were gone on farre in grace did they then giue in and decline though it be the state of some onely yet it must breed a holy terrour in vs all making vs listen to the counsell Let him that stands take heed lest he fall Especially we must be carefull because wee liue in the last times wherein this cold fit growes a popular disease the loue of many shall waxe cold through abundance of iniquity Now as liuing where some bodily contagious disease raigneth we will looke to our selues more carefully so we must proportionably bee circumspect for our soules that they bee not infected by this common contagion Some thinke that when we teach that true loue where it is once there it is euer and so of true grace there is opened a window to security and we make men warrants to liue as they list but there is no such matter while we teach that they may fall into such languishing sicknesses as will make their conditions seeme a liuing death rather then otherwise Were the conditions of our bodies immortal yet such as on any mis-diet might contract painfull and fearfull sicknesses should wee then haue cause to be secure cast away all care of dieting our selues so it is in our soules though this life of loue is eternall yet it is subiect to such languishing maladies without the greater care taken that none of vs in this respect can want a sufficient spurre to incite our diligence I will deferre a further word of exhortation to the next instruction Marke then as these fell away in their loue so the Lord challenges them for it as a thing much displeasing his Maiesty and dangerous to their soules Obserue hence Obseru 2 that coldnesse and remisnesse in the courses of such as are religious much offend God God accurseth such as doe his worke slothfully though he bid them sheath their swords in the blood of others and the luke-warme Christian that is neither hot nor cold the Lords stomacke beares not To lend the clearer light to the doctrine we must first know what this sinfull remisnesse is secondly why it is so displeasing and harmefull For the first a man is not to thinke all that a remisse course here challenged which comes short of some more powerfull and fruitfull straine in his course of life which he hath passed For there are degrees of diligence and the least well accepted with God Euen as an industrious husband hath some seasons wherein his labour is double to that it is ordinarily and yet his course is at no time idle so a spirituall good husband may on occasions be lifted to such powerfull endeauour which he hath not continuing with him at all times and yet be farre from this sinfull remisnesse Secondly it is not a remisse feeble weake walking which proceedeth from a spirituall faintnesse in vs being vnder many tentations for euen feeble and remisse actions in this season are no small labour of our loue and most acceptable to God we must not goe all by quantity A sicke man may shew more labour and tire his feebled strength more in doing that which in two houres might bee dispatched then a sound man can shew in a whole dayes worke For though the sound man doth more in quantity yet he doth lesse in proportion then the sicke so farre the sicke is from being idle Euen as the rich men that offered though they gaue more in quantitie then the widow yet she did more in proportion if her ability be considered then they all It therefore not being a comparatiue remisnesse which may be so termed in regard of more extraordinary bestirring our selues nor yet a feeble remisnesse what remaines but that it should bee such a remisnesse as commeth from spirituall sloth caused in vs by lusts which we haue in some degree entertained Forwhē lusts do get the vpper hand so ouer vs that we striue not with them but goe on in them though they eat out the life and power which we felt in our courses and make vs that we can be well enough though we feele not our communion with God in that measure we were wont this is euer ioyned with a sinfull falling from the loue in which we walked Now the reason wherein this comes to be so offensiue Reason is taken from Gods coniugall loue which makes him holily iealous of the loue of his people What doth a louing husband take so grieuously as the finding want of loue in his spouse as to spie the hart of her withdrawne that it is not as it was heretofore toward him and it is harmfull to vs by causing sometime outward chastisement as sloth in scholers seruants forceth correction from gouernors by causing vncessantly a wasting of the life of grace in vs. For as fier not blowne goes out so this loue when we are growne cold and remisse dies away fals into a dangerous swoune which makes our states not a little frightfull This then being a thing so displeasing and hurtfull Vse we must examine our selues how it is with vs whether we haue not taken some spice of this cold If wee would apply our consideration nationally what doth the Atheisme the meere brood of Arrians the swarming of Papists the drunkennesse vncleannes of these time proclaime but that