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

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50488	A funeral sermon preached upon the sad occasion of the death of that emiment and faithful servant of Christ, Mr. Thomas Rosewell who departed this life February the 4th : and whose remains were interred February th 19th. 1691/2 / by Mathew Mead.	Mead, Matthew, 1630?-1699.	1692 (1692)	Wing M1554; ESTC R20429	28,985	38

second time without sin unto Salvation 1 Thess 4.18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words And thus I have done with this Subject But there is another Subject which I would speak a little to Tho it is not my custom to speak of the dead yet it is pity so much learning and worth so much humility and modesty so much vertue and grace so much service and usefulness such persecutions and sufferings for Christ should be concealed But I shall pass all this by having no Authority to take the Commission out of the hand of his good works Prov. 31.31 they are to praise him in the gates and not I. And therefore whereas the manner is to shew the bright side of the deceased I shall shew his dark side viz. the troubles of his mind in his last sickness and which were as one of his Physicians informs me much occasioned by it Nor should I speak of this but that I understand there are some who have made it a matter of scoff and reproach which argues great ignorance of the person and great prophaneness of Spirit That he was for some days under great darkness about his state and great troubles of mind by reason of the hidings of God is true But what of this doth it make the goodness of his condition questionable is it any new and unheard of thing hath it not been so with the best of the Saints of God Read but the 77th Psalm and consider Asaph's case I remembred God and was troubled V. 3. A 4. V. 7. V. 8. V. 9. and my spirit was overwhelmed Thou holdest mine eyes waking I am so troubled that I cannot speak Will the Lord cast off for ever will he be favourable no more Is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise fail for evermore Hath God forgotten to be gracious Hath he in anger shut up his tender Mercies What desponding Language is this which speaks great trouble of mind and great darkness of spirit and yet Asaph was an eminent Saint of God And so was Heman and yet what dreadful troubles and terrours was he under read the 88th Psalm throughout and you will see what a condition he was in what doubts and fears what clouds and darkness what discouragements and despondencies he was under V. 14 V. 15. Lord why castest thou off my Soul why hidest thou thy face from me I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up while I suffer thy terrours I am distracted Thy fierce wrath goeth over me V. 16. thy terrours have cut me off What amazing terrours did he lye under And it seems to have been thus with him not for a few days but all his days I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up And hence some have thought that his Sun arose in a Cloud and set in a Cloud and yet a man of great grace And this was David's case and that not once but often and some times for a long while together Psal 13.1 How long wilt thou forget me O Lord how long wilt thou hide thy face from me And Psalm 89.46 How long Lord wilt thou hide thy self for ever shall thy wrath burn like fire And yet who a man of greater holiness then David Act 13.22 A man after God's own heart And was it not thus with Job See Chap. 13.24 25 26. Wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thine enemy wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro wilt thou pursue the dry stubble for thou writest bitter things against me And Chap. 19.6 Know now that God hath overthrown me Verse 8. He hath set darkness in my paths Verse 11. He hath kindled his wrath against me and counteth me one of his enemies And yet Job was the None-such of his day for holiness God himself says so Job 2.3 There is none like him in the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evil Therefore this is no new thing How often have we known such things in our own experience or at least known or heard of them who have And that not among private Christians only but among the Ministers of Christ and such as have been like him who was lately yours persons of great grace and great usefulness such as Mr. Peacock Mr. Perkins and others which I could name Men famous in the Church of God in their days and yet full of darkness and distress of Conscience upon a sick and dying Bed And as this is no new thing for the Children of God to be thus exercised so it is no new thing when the hand of God is upon them to have the mouths of profane ones open against them It was so with David Psal 69.26 They persecute him whom thou hast smitten and talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded And it was Job's case too tho in his Prosperity he was honoured of all even of them that were old Chap. 29.8 yet in his Affliction he was the scoff even of them that were young Chap. 30.1 9 10. They that are younger then I have me in derision And now I an their Song yea I am their by-word They abhor me and spare not to spit in my face Because he hath loosed my cord and afflicted me they have also let loose the bridle before me And this is a practice not only impious and ungodly but inhumane and unnatural Not only grace but good nature and common ingenuity teaches us to pity them that are in Misery To sorrow at anothers joys or rejoyce in anothers sorrows are affections more becoming Devils then Men especially then Christians And therefore I shall pass this by as not worth the noticing That which I judge more worthy to be considered as being more for instruction and advantage is the reason of this dispensation of God Quest Why doth God deal thus with his People why doth he at any time hide himself and leave them under such darkness and discomfort Answ That is Answer sufficient which Elihu gives to Job in the 12th and 13th Verses of this 33d Chapter God is greater then Man he giveth not account of any of his matters Rom. 9.20 Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of the Earth But yet the Scripture holds forth several Reasons of these Dispensations of God And therefore I shall not speak of that dusky honour and melancholy disposition which many times by distempering the Body disturbs the Soul too which follows bodily temper filling it with doubts and fears and inclining it to suspect the worst in every case But I shall rather speak of the spiritual Causes of such darkness and trouble of mind 1. God may act herein to shew his Prerogative and absolute Soveraignty over Man None can deny him a liberty to glorifie himself in his own way and by what methods he pleaseth God never wants a cause where