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	soul_n	spiritual_a	1,721	5	6.6792	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33955	A cordiall for a fainting soule, or, Some essayes for the satisfaction of wounded spirits labouring under severall burthens in which severall cases of conscience most ordinary to Christians, especially in the beginning of their conversion, are resolved : being the summe of fourteen sermons, delivered in so many lectures in a private chappell belonging to Chappell-Field-House in Norwich : with a table annexed, conteining the severall cases of conscience which in the following treatise are spoken to directly or collaterally / preached and now published ... by John Collings.	Collinges, John, 1623-1690.	1649 (1649)	Wing C5305; ESTC R24775	174,484	300

his soule out of his body Another time hee cryes O spare a little give me space that I may recover strength before I go from hence and be no more and again Take me not away with the wicked One while David is troubled to see the wicked flourish like a green Bay tree and himselfe like a withered tree without a leafe another time hee is not troubled at it but can as well trust God when he sends to Nabal for almes as when he sits at his Kingly Table and yet his faith was alwayes true Faith may be interrupted that the pulse of it cannot alwayes beat alike and yet while there is life the pulse of Faith beates though by reason of some sicknesse in the soule the pulse may beat more faintly and deadly then at other times Corruptions though they are never wholly the Christians Masters yet they may be their Masters sometimes more then others the minde may be more clouded with earthly thoughts the tide of passions may bee higher and the stream of Lusts greater the body may be sometimes sick and lesse active and yet living So the soule may be sick and Faith act more weakly then at other times yet Faith may be alive Fifthly Thou mayest not so fully and equally rely upon some promises as upon other and yet truly rely upon all It is a truth that the true beleever closeth with every promise but it is also true that the best Beleever findes a great deal of difficulty more for his soule to close with and rely upon some particular promises then upon others and a beleever shall finde if he be put to it that it is harder to rely upon God for his promises for this life then for his promises for eternall life God hath made promises for this life Earth is made over by Indenture to the Saints as well as Heaven Mat. 6. 32. God hath made promises of protection in times of danger of sufficiencie in time of peuury now a Christian will finde it harder if he be put to it for want of bread to rely upon Gods feeding promises then upon his promises for eternall life O it is hard for a poor creature to trust God for bread and water Hence comes distrusting and distracting care hence covetousnesse and earthlymindednesse in Gods own people And if a Christian be surrounded with swords and be in the midst of dangers it is a hard thing now confidently and without feare to rely upon Gods shield and buckler and trust himselfe within the Castle of his providence I am confident when David manifested such an evident distrust of Gods promise for protection of him 1 Sam. 27. 1. he did not at all distrust God for saving of him we read not a word of such a distrust Now I conceive the reason of it may be two-fold First Because here the flesh is sensible and concerned in it Dangers are obvious to sense The eye sees swords and trembles it sees present dangers but it sees not that speedy reliefe which the promises hold out it must be the spiritually enlightned eye of the soul must see that Elisha's man could see the mountain about Elisha full of charrets and horses but it was onely Elisha himselfe that could see the power of God assisting and defending Elisha was faine to pray before his man could have the scales fall from his eyes to see that Now for beleeving those promises where flesh and sense have a share and a present share the soule will finde it hard for though the flesh will never help the soule in relying and resting upon any promise yet it will hinder the soul very much and very often I appeal to any of you whether you have not found it an easier thing to rely upon a promise for salvation and strengthning and quickning grace which meerely concerns the soule then when you have been in some bodily straights you have found it to rely upon the promises for succour and support and deliverance As take a married man that hath a minde to the warres possibly the man is a very valiant and couragious man and values his life at as cheap a rate as any but his wife cryes and keeps a stirre that if hee were single though the designe were the same and the danger the same yet hee findes it ten times more hard then if hee were to goe a single man So the soule married to the body is ten times more troubled to close with a promise and venture into thickets of a danger by the bawlings and fearings of the flesh then it would be if it were to act single in statu separato or then it doth when it acts clearly for it self There is also a second reason may be given of this viz. Because wo may have more cause to feare Gods fulfilling his promises for this life and for temporall mercies in this life then it hath or can have to feare his promises for spirituall mercies and for eternall life The soule that findes an heart changed and walkes with God can give no reason why it should not beleeve Gods spirituall promises I meane the promises for spirituall mercies and his promises for eternall life What reason canst thou give why thou shouldest not beleeve Gods promises for pardon of sinnes What because thou art a backslider The promise is made to such Hos 14. 4. Is it because thou hast an hard heart the promise is made to such Ezek. 11. 19 20. But now come and ask the soule when dangers are at hand and the soul is ready to mistrust Gods protecting promises here the soule will tell you Alas I have been a backsliding creature and though the sins and backslidings of Gods people be no sufficient reason to warrant the soules distrust for salvation yet there is a great pretence of reason that the soul hath from hence why it should a little fear Gods wonted dispensations of temporall mercies to it for this is a sure rule that although when God hath elected and justified any he hath made a sure promise they shall never again be cast out of his eternall favour and love yet for their sins he will let them know his anger by withdrawing his temporal dispensations of love and mercy in relation to which are the promises of protection and temporall mercies given to chasten them with the rods of men and with the stripes of the children of men 1 Sam. 7. 14 15. See an experience of this in in David when he had backsliden so far as to commit those two great sins of Murder and Adultery 2 Sam. 12. David testified his repentance and Nathan said to him the Lord hath put away thy sinne thou shalt not dye v. 13. but the sword should never depart from his house v. 10. his wives should be given to be defloured by his Neighbour v. 11. The childe should die v. 15. Now though that David could not reasonably because of this backsliding distrust Gods promise for the pardon of his backsliding yet

19. 11. By the judgement of the Lord David was made circumspect And Thirdly if we consider that the Christian is not self-opinionated He cares not for false glasses and is more apt to behold his graces in a diminishing then a multiplying glasse the sincere Christian concerning himself is as ready to miscall a mountain a mole-hill as the hypocrite is to misjudge every mole-hill a mountain almost as ready to miscall his good evill as the other to nickname his evill good And for the third Branch of the Doctrine That as it is the duty of Christians to be sensible and groan under the defect of Faith so it is their duty and they will not stand still but strive and pray for an increase of it Much reason might be given for that too As First From the nature of the spirit of God that worketh and dwelleth in them Faith is the spirits work 1 Cor. 12. 9. Flesh and blood never revealed it Now the spirit is a quickning spirit 1 Pet. 3. 18. It is life Rom. 8. 10. Now where there is a principle of life there will be growth It is a working spirit that phrase we have often The spirit which worketh in you c. Now the spirits work is not to undo what it hath done but to work further and more Secondly If we consider The end of the Christian in the acting of all his graces Phil. 3. 13. The Apostle expresseth it fully Perfection is his butt he knows he must draw his bow with all his strength and his arrow to the head if he means to reach the butt and he shall not hit it neither The Christians voice is Heb. 6. 1. Let us go unto perfection It is the hypocrite sets himself bounds in Religion and sayes hither will I go and no further And to adde no more Thirdly The Christian knows that the more he hath of Faith the more he hath of Christ he knows that there is a depth of sweetnesse in Christ that can never be ●adomed something more to be understood when he understands as much as he can of him when the soul hath as much as its narrow hand can grasp of him whole Christ is too big to be enclosed in mortall arms Now the soul knows that Faith is the hand must squeeze that essence of sweetnesse the arm that must claspe him and he knows that the longer his arm of Faith is the more he shall graspe of him though he shall never be able to comprehend immeasurable Christ Eph. 3. 16 17 18. This makes him alwayes complain of his dwarfishnesse that his hand of Faith is not big enough and his arm of Faith is not long enough he cannot get in so much of Christ into his soul as he would do this makes him pray for an increase of Faith and so often complain of the shortnesse of his arm he cannot beleeve as he would This makes him say with our Apostle here Lord increase my Faith I come now to the application and here is matter of Consolation and Exhortation For all Christians 1. Cons especially those that are most sensible of the weaknesse of their Faith There have been and are more dwarfs besides thee Christian Perfection is a white was never hit the best archers come an handfull short It is indeed the mark at which every one ought to levell his arrows but all the souls of Christians like the arrows of Ionathan have flown some over into glory some short some on this hand some on that none hath hit the mark Be of good comfort Christian weak Faith is Faith little ones are true children of the Father that casts none away that comes though creeping to him Heaven hath room for babes as well as men A childe may pull the latch of heavens door and go in and be welcome to the knee of the King of Glory to the bosome of him Isai 40. 11. Who feeds his flock like a shepheard and carries the lambs in his bosome Jesus Christ hath his arms full of tender sucking lambs or at least that were so upon the earth The youngest Christian if he be an heir is of age to take up his land in heaven nonage is no bar The Garden of God hath more slips then old stocks in it now indeed they are become stocks but here they were but tender slips while Christ took them up out of the land of grace and transplanted them But Secondly E●hor Is it so that the best of Christians have but a weak Faith in comparison of that perfection we ought to aspire to and that it is the duty of Christians to be sensible of it and pray and strive against it Let us all then look upon it as our duty Let us pray Lord increase our Faith Let us strive after that we shall never attain to even perfection Heb. 6. 1. Now here many directions might be given The first I will give shall be to remove those things which hinder the growth of it as scruples cavillings c. From hence shall I take my rise for a subject which with the blessing of God I do intend for some time to insist upon to satisfie the souls of some poor Christians in those scruples which may perplex them touching this grace of Faith The removing of which will not a little conduce to the increasing of this grace in their souls I will begin with the first And here though I spend many Sermons I trust I shall not be tedious having intended to make it my work in these Lectures to satisfie doubting Christians in cases of conscience and to begin with those which concern this radical grace at which the Devill bends so much of his force and malice Therefore wouldest thou grow in Faith Direct 1. remove those scruples which hinder the beginning and progresse of Faith in thy soul There are two notes of a weak Faith in a gracious soul 1. A sence of no Faith 2. A fear of a false Faith First A sence of no Faith Many a soul doth beleeve that perswades it self it neither doth nor ought to beleeve you shall often meet with Christians and especially in the beginning of their conversion that will cry out O they cannot beleeve nay what have they to do to beleeve Faith were but a presumption in their soul if they could hatch it up Or if not so Secondly Yet you cannot make them think that they do beleeve no Faith and they are strangers c. Now as it is in the diseases of the body the cure is scarce wrought untill the cause be first discovered and removed so it is likewise in the troubles and disquietments of the soul we shall scarce be able to remove them out of the souls way unlesse we first finde how they came there and if we can but truely understand the cause we shall easily remove the effect In generall we must know these complaints are to be understood concerning the Acts of Faith I dare not or cannot or do

the soule yet it layes hold if Christ will not save me saith the poor soule sure I am nothing else can to him I will go and me thinks it goes as the Messengers of Benhadad to Ahab 1 King 20. Behadad there had wrong'd Ahab and through the help of God his Army was routed and Benhadad was glad to hide himselfe in one of Ahabs Townes in an inner Chamber and sends to Ahab his servants v. 31. said to him We have heard that the Kings of the house of Israel are mercifull Kings let us put sackcloth on our loynes and put ropes about our heads and go out to the King of Israel peradventure he will save thy life so they did and said Thy servant Benhadad sayes I pray thee let me live And he said is he yet alive he is my brother the men catcht his words and they said Thy brother Benhadad and he said Go and bring him and accordingly he came and Ahab took him up into his Charriot So it is with the poor soule when the soule hath fought against God by sin the Lord overthrowes it by desertion yet it lives but dare not be seen so openly it is hidden under the dark cloud of desertion it squilks as in an inner chamber it is sensible how it hath deserved death yea ten thousand deaths But the li●e of grace being yet in the soule it sayes within it selfe I have heard that the King of Heaven the Lord Iesus Christ is a mercifull Christ come therefore I will send my Messengers of Faith and Prayer they shall put sackcloth-upon their loynes and ropes upon their heads and go out to the Lord Iesus Christ peradventure he will save my soule and I shall live Without question Benhadads servants went with trembling hearts and yet relied upon this as the onely meanes to save Benhadad their Master alive So the soule sends out at such a time a trembling faith and trembling prayers and yet truly relies upon Christs mercy and favour and the soule sayes to God Lord thy backsliding revolting servant sayes Let me live let my backslidings be healed let my renewed sinnes be yet pardoned Christ will say Thou art my brother and take thee into the Charret but yet thy faith trembles and thy prayer trembles And indeed there is very great reason for it if we secondly consider that the very essence of desertions is Gods withdrawing of his manifestative love from the soul that the soul though it be loved with Gods elective love in and under desertions yet it wants the apprehensions and manifestations of his love Now that which onely can keep the soule from its naturall temper of trembling is the apprehended manifestations of Christs love to it which being withdrawn the soule falls a trembling again and yet the life of grace being not extinct it still trusts yea though he kills the soule yet it trusts in him So I have done with the sixth proposition That the soule may depend tremblingly upon the Lord Iesus Christ and yet depend truly I come now to the seventh and last Proposition to shew what weaknesse and doubting may consist with true faith in the soule that I shall doe in a seventh proposition thus Thou mayest truly rely and depend upon the promises of God and upon the Lord Iesus Christ for everlasting salvation and dwell upon them and yet not be able fully and truly to appropriate and peculiarize all the promises to thy selfe and act accordingly to them at all times There are distinctions of promises and distinctions of times from whence will arise distinctions of causes which would be understood To make out this certaine truth 1. You must know that there is a distinction of promises the promises are many wayes distinguished there are generall and particular promises absolute and conditiall promises Promises that concerne some particular people as the people of the Iews and particular persons as to David and Herekiah and other of the people of God which if we should apply we should misapply to our selves I shall not meddle with all the distinctions of these promises but onely with what shall conduce now to my purpose to make out this truth I have laid down in my proposition and so I shall distinguish of two promises two wayes First They are temporall or spirituall Secondly They are absolute or conditionall First there are temporall promises which are or may be called temporall either in respect of the matter of the promise or circumstance of time limited in the promise There are some promises that were made for a certaine time and at the time expired were paid and now the bonds are cancell'd these were particular Such were many promises made to the people of the Iewes and to particular persons amongst them Now these wee must not look to peculiarize and appropriate to our selves they are done with Secondly There are temporall promises so called in respect of the things promised being things temporall for the body or estate for protection of our selves wives estates families Now for these promises thou mayst not peculiarize them and yet have true faith for salvation salvation and heaven being not the thing promised in them and besides there may be cause why thou mayest not have so good ground to rely and confidently rest upon God for the fulfilling of these promises as I shall shew you more when I come to handle the distinction of times and as I shewed you the last time in the case of David 2 Sam. 12. But secondly there is a second distinction of promises I meane of spirituall promises which it is our duty at all times to apply and rest upon yet these are either absolute or conditionall It is a note that I have before somewhere noted that the promises of Gods first mercies in a way of saving grace to the soule are ordinarily absolute I will give and I will give without any praevious conditions to be found in the soule as his promises of inlightning grace Jer. 24. v. 7. I will give them an heart to know me that I am the Lord and they shall be people and I will be their God And for the grace of humiliation Ezek. 36. 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put upon you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and will give you an heart of flesh and so for his grace by which he convinceth Ioh. 16. 8. The spirit should convince the world of sinne of righteousnesse and of judgement Now these promises are altogether absolute being the free promises for dispensations of the first graces in order to a poor soules salvation Now there are other promises of God for spirituall mercies in order to the soules salvations which are second dispensations and these are propounded with conditions as the promises of heaven for power to rely on Jesus Christ peace assurance c. Isa 55. 1. Mat. 11. 29. and again to him that overcometh will I give to drink