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
A30598	The rare jewel of Christian contentment wherein is shewed, I. What contentment is, II. The holy art or mystery of it, III. Several lessons that Christ teacheth, to work the heart to contentment, IV. The excellencies of it, V. The evils of murmuring, VII. The aggravations of the sin of murmuring / by Jeremiah Burroughs.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.	1649 (1649)	Wing B6103; ESTC R32016	217,805	276

Egyptians had a tower built likewise besides the advantage of the rocks and of the hills there was a tower built for their further strengthening and there the people of Israel were an unarmed people yea not only by the tower but they were over against Baal-zephon I remember in the last Exercise I shewed you what Baal was and what several Baals there were that the Heathens worshiped for their gods a general name it is sometimes for any other Idol This Baal-zephon it was a god that they worshiped upon this ground they had an Idol set in that place at the going out of Egypt that was to watch those that were to go out for so zephon comes of zuri speculatus est the god was to watch was to stand and watch any run-away-servant or any people that did go out of Egypt without any leave they trusting in this Baal that he would stop them and stay them and he was set in that place for that very purpose and thereupon his name was Baal-zephon As Conjurers by their magick arts will have their spels spirits that shall stop men in such a place they shall not go out of such an orchyard or such a yard where they come in So the Egyptians had there by their magical arts they got as it were a Spel a Baal-zephon a god to stop people in that place where they would have them stopped that is the meaning of this name of the Idol Baal-zephon So that you see what a strait Israel was in upon their going out of Egypt they were got before the Sea the Egyptians had all their strength behind in a hole of rocks and a tower and their god to stop them altogether so that they themselves made sure of them and said that they were intangled in the land of the wildernesse Being in those great straits their hearts began to fail them they began to be extreamly troubled and in a most greivous distemper of spirit they were coming and chiding with Moses and said to Moses in the 11. vers Because there were no graves in Egypt hast thou taken us to die in the wilderness wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt We had rather we had continued in Egypt still What! Brought to these straits these extremities such a perplexity as we are now in would to God we had bin in Egypt this was the baseness of their spirits they would rather be under vile bondage than endure any hazard then be put to any straits and difficulties It is the baseness of the spirits of many at this day amongst us because they see that those waies that have bin taken by the Parliament brings some troublesom difficulties some straits they cry out of the times I would to God we were as we were before we were well enough before we were quiet enough before we never knew what such stirs as these meant before now we are brought into these perplexities I this they have brought us into thus they are ready to murmur repine Oh unthankful unworthy generation men women of vile spirits that shall do so It was a speech of Cyrus speaking unto his souldiers The Historian hath this expression of him It is the part of a true valiant man either to live honourably or die honourably one of them but that is the part of a base coward rather to live basely than to die honourably rather to be under any base servitude than to be in any hazard of their lives though perhaps their lives may be saved too I remember Philo tels us even of women for in these times the publik cause of the Kingdom suffers exceedingly much by the timorousness of the spirits of women that being in danger of their enemies of being brought into bondage by them they took their children and threw them into the rivers with these words You shall not serve we had rather see you die than be slaves I commend not that fact that it was wel done but to shew what a spirit the heathen women had to see their children die rather than have them bondslaves Indeed what were our lives worth were they worth having if we return to our bondage again The utmost of the danger is our lives the killing of our bodies yet we hope God will preserve them too but suppose the worst it is but death but if our lives should not be hazarded now and if through base cowardice we should decline the Cause of God surely our lives would not be worth taking up the living after that manner we are like to live in that bondage unto these Cavalliers notorious wretches blasphemers of God himself that would make our lives worth very little nay your children perhaps to be brought up in Popery and to hold a candle to a masse-Priest at the Altar that may be the imployment of your children if so be that they should live But these people being now in this extremity and manifesting so much passion being in a distemper Moses as the Captain of the Lord comes to the people and speaks bravely to them incouraging of them saith Moses Fear not but stand stil and see the salvation of the Lord stand still the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 state it signifies to settle and compose to be in a setled condition it is a reflect word upon our selves so the Learned know that it is to work upon our selves to form signifies so it is as much as if he should say Do you work upon your own hearts to get your hearts to stand still work upon your hearts to do that work arguments upon your spirits and never leave working until you have wrought your hearts into such a frame as that you may stand stil be quiet At first even the dearest servants of God wil find their hearts to shake in time of hazards and extremities but when they come to work upon their spirits to bring arguments to lay to their hearts there they get some advantage that their hearts grow quiet quickly For that we have a notable text in the example of David in the 62. Psalme saith David there in the 1 and 2. verses Truly my Soul waiteth upon God from him cometh my salvation hee onely is my Rock and my Salvation he is my defence I shall not greatly be moved Mark he begins to exercise Faith and he saies he shall not greatly be moved as if he should have said I confesse I cannot say but that my heart is somewhat stirred I am somewhat afraid and I feel some working in my spirit but I hope I shall not greatly be moved he fals a working upon his heart more and considers of his innocencie and of the mischievous device of the ungodly how long will ye imagine mischiefe against a man ye shall be slain all of you then again in the 5. verse My soul waite thou onely upon God for my expectation is from him he only is my Rock And then he repeats the

possessing all things but mark what he saith it is As having nothing but it is Possessing all things He doth not say as possessing all things but possessing all things it is very little I have in the world but yet possessing all things So that you see a Christian hath cause to take complacency in Gods hand whatsoever his hand be The Eight thing in Contentment it is In Gods dispose Submitting to and taking complacency in Gods dispose That is the soul that hath learned this lesson of Contentment looks up to God in all things looks not down to the instruments or the means as such a man did it and it was unreasonablenesse of such and such instruments and the like barbarous usage of such and such but looks up to God a contented heart looks to Gods dispose and submits to Gods dispose that is sees the wisdom of God in all in his submission sees his soveraignity but that that makes him take complacency it is Gods wisdom the Lord knows how to order things better than I the Lord sees further thā I do I see things but at present but the Lord sees a great whil hence and how do I know but had it not been for this affliction I had been undone I know that the love of God may as well stand with an afflicted estate as with a prosperous estate and such kind of reasonings there are in a contented spirit submitting unto the dispose of God The last thing is This is in every condition It may be in some things you could be content You shall have many will say if my affliction were but as the affliction of such a one I could be content yea but it must be in the present affliction that is upon you We use to say There is a great deal of deceit in Universals in the general come to any man or woman and say Will not you be content with Gods dispose Yes say they God forbid but we should submit to Gods hand what ever it be you say thus in the general it is an easie matter to learn this lesson but when it comes to the particular when the crosse comes sore indeed when it striks you in the heaviest crosse that you think could befall you what saith your heart now Can you in every condition be content not onely for the matter but for the time that is to be in such a condition so long as God would have you to be content to be at Gods time in that condition to have such an affliction so long as God would have the affliction abide upon you to be willing to stay and not to come out of the affliction no sooner than the Lord would have you come out of it you are not content in your condition else to be content meerly that I have such a hand of God upon me and not to stay under the hand of God that is not to be content under every condition but when I can find my heart submitting to Gods dispose in such particular afflictions that are very hard and very greivous and yet my heart is quiet here is one that hath learned the lesson of Contentment Contentment it is the inward quiet gracious frame of spirit freely submitting to and taking complacency in Gods dispose in every condition That is the discription Now in this there hath been Nine several things opened 1 First That Contentment is a heart-work within the soul 2 Secondly It is the quieting of the heart 3 Thirdly It is the frame of the spirit 4 Fourthly It is a gracious frame 5 Fiftly It is the free working of this gracious frame 6 Sixtly There is in it a submission to God sending the soul under God 7 Seventhly There is a taking complacency in the hand of God 8 Eightly All to Gods dispose 9 Ninthly In every condition every condition though never so hard though continue never so long Now those of you that have learned to be Content have learned to attain unto these severall things the very opening of these things I hope may so far work upon your hearts as First That you may lay your hands upon your hearts upon this that hath been said the very telling of you what the lesson is I fay may cause you to lay your hands upon your hearts and say Lord I see there is more in Christian Contentation than I thought there was and I have been far from learning this lesson I indeed have learned but my A B C in this lesson of Contentment I am but in the lower forme in Christs school if I am in it at all but these we shall speak too more afterward but the special thing I aim'd at in the opening of this point is to shew how great a Mystery there is in Christian Contentment and how many several lessons are to be learned that we may come to attain to this Heavenly disposition that Saint Paul did attain too SERMON II. PHILIPPIANS 4.11 For I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content WEE have made entrance you may remember into the Argument of Christian Contentment And have opened the words and shewed you what this Christian Contentation is that it is The inward quiet gracious frame of Spirit freely submitting too and taking Complacency in Gods dispose in every condition And therein came to this last thing In every condition Now we shall a little in large that and so proceed 1 Submitting to God in what ever Affliction befalls us for the kind 2 For the time and continuance of the Affliction 3 For the variety and changes of Affliction Let them be what they will yet there must be a submitting to Gods dispose in every condition First for the kind Many men and women will in the general say that they must submit to God in affliction I suppose now if you should come from one end of this Congregation to another and speak to every soul thus Would not you submit to Gods dispose in what ever condition he should dispose of you too you would say God forbid it should be otherwise but we use to say There is a great deal of deceit in generals In general you would submit to any thing but what if it be in this and that particular that is most crosse to you Then any thing but that we are usually apt to think that any condition is better than the condition that God doth dispose us too now here is not Contentment it should not be only to any condition in general but for the kind of the affliction if it be that which is most crosse to you God it may be striks you in your Child Oh if it had been in my Estate saith one I should be content perhaps he striks you in your Match Oh saith he I had rather have been strucken in my health and if he had struck you in your health Oh then if it had been in my trading I would not have cared but we must not be our own carvers

but God expects that every day you should turn over a leaf in your own hearts you will never come to get any skil in this Mysterie except you study the book of your own hearts Marriners they have their books that they study those that will be good Navigaters and Scholers they have their books those that study Logick they have their books according to that and those that would study Rhetorick and Philosophy have their books according to that and those that study Divinity they have their books whereby they come to be helped in the study of Divinity but a Christian next to the book of God is to look into the book of his own heart and to reade over that and this will help you to Contentment these three waies 1. By the studying of thy heart thou wilt come presently to discover wherein thy discontent lies when thou art discontented thou wilt find out the root of any discontentment if thou doest study thy heart well many men and women they are discontented and the truth is they know not wherfore they think this the other thing is the cause but a man or woman that knows their own heart they will find out presently where the root of their discontent lies that it lies in such a corruption and distemper of my heart that now through Gods mercie I have found out It is in this case as it is with a little child that is very froward in the house if a stranger comes in he doth not know what the matter is perhaps the stranger will give the child a rattle or a nut or such a thing to quiet it but when the Nurse comes she knows the temper and disposition of the Child and therefore knows best how to quiet it so it is here just thus for all the world when we are strangers with our own hearts we are mightily discontented and know not how to quiet our selves because we know not wherein the disquiet lieth and indeed when we are strangers to our own hearts we cannot tell how to quiet our selves but if we be very well verst in our own hearts when any thing fals out so as to disquiet us we find out the cause of it presently and so quickly come to be quiet So a man that hath a Watch and he understands the use of every wheel and pin if it goes amisse he will presently find out the cause of it but one that hath no skill in a Watch when it goes amisse he knows not what the matter is and therefore cannot mend it So indeed our hearts are as a Watch and there are many wheels and windings and turnings there and we should labour to know our hearts well that when they are out of tune we may know what the matter is 2 This knowledge of our hearts wil help us to Contentment because by this we shall come to know what is most sutable to our condition As thus a man that knows not his own heart he thinks not what need he hath of affliction and upon that he is disquieted but that man or woman that hath studied their own hearts when God comes with afflictions upon them they can say I would not for any thing in the world have been without this affliction God hath so suted this affliction to my condition and hath come in such a way that if this affliction had not come I am affraid I should have fallen into sin a poor country man that takes Phisick the Phisick works and he thinks it will kill him because he knows not the ill humours that are in his body and therefore he understands not how sutable the Physick is to him but a Physitian takes a purge and it makes him extreamly sick saith the Physitian I like this the better it doth but work upon the humour that I know is the matter of my disease and upon that such a man that hath knowledge and understanding in his body and the cause of his distemper he is not troubled or disquieted So would we be if we did but know the distempers of our own hearts carnal men and women they know not their own spirits and therefore they fling and vex upon every affliction that doth befall them they know not what distempers are in their hearts that may be healed by their afflictions if it please God to give them a sanctified use of them 3 By knowing their own hearts they know what they are able to manage and by this means they come to be Content the Lord perhaps takes away many comforts from them that they had before or denies them some things that they hoped to have got now they by knowing their hearts know this that they were not able to mannage such an estate and they were not able to mannage such prosperity God saw it and saith a poor soul I am in some measure convinced by looking into mine own heart that I was not able to mānage such a condition A man desires greedily to gripe more perhaps than he is able to mānage and so undoes himself as countrey men do observe that if they doe over-stock their Land it will quickly spoyl them and so a wise Husband-man that knows how much his ground will bear he is not troubled that he hath not so much stock as others why because he knows he hath not ground enough for so great a stock and that quiets him so many men and women that know not their own hearts they would fain have a prosperous estate as others have but if they knew their own hearts they would know that they were not able to mannage it if one of your little children of three or four yeers old should be crying for the coat of her that is twelve or twenty yeers old and say why may not I have a coat as long as my sisters If she had it would soon trip up her heels and break her face but when the Child comes to understanding she is not discontented because her coat is not so long as her sisters but saith my coat is fit for me and therein takes Content So if we come to understanding in the School of Christ we will not cry why have not I such an estate as others have the Lord seeth that I am not able to mannage it and I see it my self by the knowing of mine own heart You shall have children if they see but a knife they will cry for it because they know not their strength and that they are not able to mannage it but you know they are not able to mannage it and therefore you will not give it them and when they come to so much understanding as to know that they are not able to mannage it they will not cry for it so we would not cry for such and such things if we knew that we were not able to mannage them when you vex and fret for what you have not I may say to you as Christ saith you know not of what spirits you are

was against such and such particular men as especially your Ministers that were most faithful and conscionable they were the fore-front they did bear the brunt and it was aimed especially against them now the case is far different when the aime of the Adversary is against particulars and not against the godly in general when it is against particulars there may be all lawful means by an avoyding and flying when it is against the godly in general then every one should stand still and keep in their waies and stations to come in and adde what strength they can to the publick cause and certainly those that shall shift then and think to fly then God may justly meet with them as we reade of Jeremiah and Vrijah Vrijah the Priest he flies in publick time of danger and he was sent for and catched and put to death Jeremiah staies and is saved But when the case is the danger of particular persons then it is nothing against this text to fly in any lawful way many people will cry out against flying by a lawful way in times of danger because they think they may shift from flying themselves and if others that are in danger should not do so they would be far enough from helping and assisting them in extremities and yet they will be crying out against it Peter Martyr I remember hath this answer to it It is just for all the world in this case as a man that hath a dangerous sicknesse upon him and the Physicians tell him there is no way but by taking such strong Physick or by cutting off a leg or a limb now he comes and pleads I will not so distrust God and be so impatient of my present pain as to take such a course to help me I 'le rather continue patient and quiet and endure my present pain and trust in God rather than put my self to any such hazard now is this man more patient than another man that will take such strong Physick or have a member cut off is it through the strength of his patience no it is rather through the weaknesse of his spirit because the other is a certain great pain and hazard and while he goes on in the use of ordinary means he hath a lesser pain with hope that he may be delivered from a greater and preserved himself So this is the Objection against flying in particular danger because the flying is a certain great suffering they that have fled have found it so now others will rather satisfie themselves to endure a little uncertain suffering than to go upon a certain great suffering and that is the very ground But that this is not against Faith at all to fly in danger when it is particularly aimed at particulars I 'le give you but a Scripture or two for that to cleer it that it is not against Faith It is remarkable we might spend a great deal of our time in this case here but I have done with it in the 10. of Matthew When they persecute you saith Christ in this Citie fly into another he speaks of particular persecution of this or that body and not of a whole Kingdom now flee say they we will be more beleeving and trust in God and not be afraid have we not a good cause and is not God with us this would argue too much fear Mark in the next words Christ speaks after he had given them liberty and commanded them to flie saith he fear them not therefore though it is the next thing he speaks of in the 28. verse and fear not them that can kill the body you see these two can well stand together that there is not fear of them that can kill the body and yet there is a flying and so Christ himself flies in the 12. of Matthew when he did but hear what Herod did to John when Jesus knew it that was when the Pharisees sought him when he knew it he did withdraw himselfe in the 12 and 13. verses And when Jesus heard of it be departed thence c. When he heard but what was done to John Christ withdrew himself and went away Therefore it may stand with faith so to avoid danger in particular Cases But now when persecution is general we are to stand still and not avoid our station The third thing in this stand still of faith is The looking up for the Salvation of God the expecting a good issue one way or other I know not how Salvation wil come but that there will be Salvation one way or other that my soul rests upon I stand not still out of stoutness of spirit or because I think I have means enough to resist whether I have means or no when I am put into the greatest extremitie yet I can stand still and look for Salvation What stand still and look for the Salvation of the Lord what talk you of Salvation might they say to Moses when there is nothing but distruction before us True if you look before you behind you and without you and within your selves there is nothing but distruction yet look up to Heaven and there is salvation stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord. I have done no more than the meer openning of the text and what is contayned in it There are these 4. Doctrinal Conclusions in the Text. 1. Doct. That when God is in a way of mercy and salvation to his people he doth many times bring them into great straights even then when he is in a way of Salvation 2. Doct. That in time of these great straights even the people of God are subject to have their hearts to be overwhelmed with trouble distracting fears and to be disquieted 3. Doct. That it is our duty to stand still keep quiet and look for Gods Salvation in the time of the greatest straights 4. Doct. That the sight of Gods Salvation coming after straights is a glorious sight to behold Stand still see the savation of God These are the 4. For the first then First When God is in a way of salvation yet he may and doth divers times bring his people into very great staits Truly this straight in the text is exceeding remarkable but I 'le shew you further how when God was about to save this people of Israel out of the Egyption bondage which is the work God hath now to do with us to save us out of the Egyptian bondage that we were in and that we were going further into after they were delivered from this straight from Pharaoh and all his host yet in the 15. Chap. you shall find the very next Chapter after they were come out of the Sea they presently wanted water to drink yea the waters were bitter that they could not drink them saith the text 15. vers The waters were bitter they could not drink them they were ready to perish for want of water As soon as ever they were delivered out of that strait mark the 16. Chap. they were in