Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bring_v	good_a	know_v	2,039	5	3.4458	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66978	A funeral sermon, occasioned by the death of Mrs. Jane Papillon late wife of the very worthy Thomas Papillon, Esq; first preached July 24. 1698. and now published at his request. By John Woodhouse.	Woodhouse, John, d. 1700.	1698 (1698)	Wing W3462; ESTC R220039	22,486	67

must render it I must do it as I can because I can do it no better Viz. Oh the Blessednesses of that Man not Blessed Adjectively and in the Concrete but Blessednesses Substantively and in the Abstract not Blessedness in the Singular Number but Blessednesses in the Plural and O the Blessednesses A compleat Complication of them in that Soul that lives in Christ walks in him and dyes in him and though Philologers are not certainly agreed Whether it be a Noun Substantive or Adjective Plural containing all kind of Felicity or an Adverb or Interjection Well is it for that Man Happily is he Provided for Yet they seem agreed that which soever it be and one they generally think it must be it hath the force Habet affluentiam omnium bonorum vel omnium bonorum aggregatione perfectus Modis omnibus accumulate beatus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 multum gaudens Others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à vehementiore gaudio of a Pathetick Joyful Acclamation and then they come much to one as the Learned Drusius hath it He is abundantly and every way blessed beyond Expression I have the rather Noted this because the Seventy Translate the Hebrew Word which we render Blessed by the very Original Word in my Text which Philologers derive from Words importing Great Joy Joy unspeakable and as I may say full of Glory It does denote that a Soul in Christ when he dyes shall have such a Blessedness and Joy such a fulness of Joy and Pleasure that he shall neither want nor wish for more But not to stay upon the Name which was to lead us into the Thing Let us see what we can say of it And O! how gladly would I commend the Blessedness of this State to you that I might commend this Dear and Blessed Jesus to you Verily Sirs you could never set so light by this Jesus as you do if you did but know the Worth of him if you knew your Need of him and what you should have by him If I fail in this I shall avail you little The dead that dye in the Lord are blessed Which does denote First A Separation a Removal of all that is Evil and Distressing There shall when thou dyest in the Lord be a Separation from all Evils Natural and Moral that are so great a part of thy Distress here Every one feels the Evil of Afflictions every one can complain of this Plague of the Heart every one hath his own Body of Sin and his own Burthen I do not know any is without one you do not feel mine nor I yours but I feel one and you another Oh! what a Complaining World is this Sickness Pain Calamity Losses of Relations Crosses on the one Hand and Moral Evil which is the greater Evil on the other Hand the Evil of Sin Dwelling and Working in us The Tender-hearted Soul that hath a new Nature in it that is set against Sin hath a very tender Sense of the Evil of that Sin that dwells in it and is an implacable Enemy to it I am sure it made Paul pour out more Complaints than all his Stripes and Stoning Irons and Imprisonment did Where do you hear him complain how adverse how miserable soever his Case was as he does on this Occasion O wretched man that I Rom. 7. 24. am who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death Sin fate uneasie upon his Spirit tho' it was not Reigning and Allowed but Unallowed and Hated Well Soul bear up if thou be but heartily come to Jesus if thou art but one of those that are willing to follow this Lamb whithersoever he goes I can tell thee Good Tydings of Great Joy it cannot be long e're thy Blessed Jesus will deliver thee from all this thy Anguish Vexation and Miseries shall all be done away All thy Sweat thy Labours shall cease all Tears be wiped from thine Eyes and all Sorrows done away with the Causes of them and though thou art now conversant with a Sluggish and Sleepy and Hypocritical Heart thou knowest not what to do with it thou bringest it to Ordinances and God in them to better it and this without any great and good Effect hitherto Bear up Soul this Holy Jesus hath undertaken for thee thou art in him and thou shalt dye in him from henceforth thou shalt not feel the Temptations the sinful Workings of a Naughty Heart Oh! that will be a Joyful Change to a Holy Soul that is under the Tender Sence of these things here This is one part of the Blessedness as it denotes an Abolition of and Separation from the Evils of this Life both Natural and Moral from that of Affliction and that of Sin which tho' it be rather Negative than Positive yet it is that without which positive Blessedness cann't be enjoyed None can be fully happy with so much Misery hanging about him and pressing upon him Methinks therefore it should be Joy to Holy Souls to wait for and expect such a day when Sin and Sorrow shall be fully done away and shall be known no more for ever Secondly I must tell you it does denote A fruition of the most felicitating Good the best Good that the Soul is capable of the Blessed God that Summum Bonum that the blind Heathens fought after so long to so little purpose Eustachius in his Excellent Ethicks and our other Masters in Ethicks when they write of this tell us that Felicity or Blessedness is either Objective or Formal Objective Felicity denotes no more but God the Object but Formal Felicity denotes more Some kind of Union to Communion with and Injoyment of this Felicitating Object and this is as it were to be made one with it They commonly place it in two things give me leave to put it in three or four 1. It lyes in the Contemplation of this delightful Object 2. In a Delightful Love of it 3. In a Participation or Enjoyment of it 4. In a Contentation in it When the Soul shall be let into this State it will be a State of Possession and Fruition which as far as I can understand is imported in these four Words First Knowledge or Contemplation The People of God shall know him in another manner than now they do It is called Seeing of God and the Beatifick Vision What sensible Views God will give them to gratifie their Bodily Eyes when they are re-united to their Souls we cannot tell tho' it seems rational to think all our Powers even the lowest of them shall be suitably employed but it will be an intelligible or an intellectual Vision a rational Discovery of the Excellency of this God and his Christ which gives Rise to this Happiness which the Spirits made perfect shall be everlastingly employ'd to view and contemplate with intense and pleasurable Applications of Mind I dare not herd with those bold Presumers that dare to determine whether it be the Divine Essence that is thus view'd immediately or some Created Glory flowing

low as the Learned Grotius does that their Good Works Nay add the Influences they shall have on others shall follow them be notify'd to them with Sweetness and Joy in the Reflection upon them I say though this be true it is not all because I find Holy Men shall have a Recompence according to what they have done Christ hath told us He that giveth a Cup of cold Water in his Name shall not lose his Reward O holy Soul I tell thee to thy Comfort that many of those Works of Piety and Charity that have made thee to abhor thy self for the Meanness and Imperfection of them where the allowed Hypocrisie of thy Heart spoiled them not these shall be set in an acceptable View And therefore that Soul must needs be blessed that hath been doing and getting Good in this imperfect state and now shall be crown'd with a Recompence according to what it hath done tho' not for it in a Meritorious Sence And then shall you discern the difference between him that is righteous and him that is wicked him that serves God and him that serves him not Ma● 3. ●● And thus much for Explication To show what it is to Dye in the Lord for him or interested in him what you are to understand by Blessed both as to Name and Thing and for Confirmation shewing what Reasons and Evidences there are in the Text that such shall be so blessed and must needs be so Time calls me to the Application Is it so my Friends Come St●● up your Thoughts a little Is it 〈◊〉 that They are blessed that dye in th● Lord That the dead that dye in th● Lord as well as those that dye fo● the Lord are blessed from henceforth Blessed in the Removal of all Ev●● in the Enjoyment of all such Good● Felicitating Good such a Good in suc● a manner that is beyond Expression● beyond Conception and full of Glory Is this that which belongs to ever● one that dyes in Jesus that they re●● from their Labours and their Work● do follow them How Easie and Natural would the Application of it b● to our Deceased Friend a Person 〈◊〉 that Excellent Spirit one that w●● so early in Christ a young Disciple one that walked so closely with Christ● in the Course of a Useful and Well● ordered Conversation one that di● drive on Designs for live to him as well as in and upon him and one that took so much care with so good Effect to clear up her Evidences and Title to him in whom she lived and in whom she hoped to dye But how Natural and Easie soever this might be I must restrain my self wholly in it since if I should speak but what I know I should militate against the settled Opinion of the Dead declared to me and often to others against Elegies and Funeral Encomiums as things that seldom do good but often harm and against the Desires and especial Directions of the Living which I have a just Deference for who know her Works praise her in the Gates and know she 's above our Praises and also in some Degrees against my own Sentiments and Ordinary Practice as you know and therefore being herein restrained let 's try if we can make any other Improvement of it if not to the Honour of the Dead yet to the Advantage of the Living And pray let not any of you tha● stand so uneasily here have cause to say when you go away Well I have got no good by this Providence by this Sermon I have heard the Funeral Sermon of a very Useful Person a good Woman who lived desired and dyed greatly lamented but I am never the better for it I know here is one thing wanting that we cannot have in our Assemblies that is very affecting to many the sight of the Deceased's Hearse and that we do not follow them to the Grave and see them laid in the silent Dust and left there which often begets very serious Thoughts how certainly we must shortly follow after them and be used as they are used And tho' these Thoughts wear off too soon with the most yet they have some Influence for the time and give the Word deeper Impressions on the Hearts of Careless Professors However under all the Disadvantages we labour let you and I joyn let 's do our Parts ot make some good use of this Useful Doctrine and this Doleful Providence First By way of Information Secondly By way of Exhortation Thirdly By way of Consolation As Time will permit First Then is it so that They who dye in the Lord are blessed do rest from their Labours and have their Works thus following of them First See here a High Demonstration of the Divine Good-will to such Souls It was an amazing Kindness God should employ his infinite Wisdom in Contriving a way to raise up fallen Man to himself by Jesus Christ to fit and succeed Means of Grace to bring them into Christ to make them meet for his Blessedness Oh! but what was it to admit them into it fully and satisfyingly to possess them of it and that too when Death had done its worst What Dye and yet be blessed this had need be told from Heaven that it might gain Credit What to Rest from their Labours and receive Recompence of their imperfect Works who cannot read Matchless Love in all this and who that lays it to Heart can choose but adore it and study to make Returns for it Canst thou repent of any thing thou hast done and suffered for him that hath so loved thee Canst thou think any thing too hard too Self-denying he puts thee upon who will treat thee thus Some of thy Work is now thy Wages but who can tell what thy Reward shall be when fully possest Oh! the Kindness this springs from Oh what manner of Love is this Labour to love as thou art loved Secondly See here a Demonstration of the Wisdom of these Holy Souls that live in Christ that live to him that they may dye in him and be blessed by him Let the foolish World that makes light of Christ that prefers present perishing Trifles to a Saving Union to him and Interest in him put the Brand of Fools and Fanaticks upon them for making so much adoe about these Matters yet these Men shall shortly see and say your way was not your Folly but Wisdom was with you tho' they themselves had played the Fool and shall have Cause and Leisure to tear and torment themselves for ever for this their Folly Nay Madness of Folly in neglecting this Blessedness and abandoning the way to it Lift up thy Head O thou Revil'd Soul that which these Men call thy Folly shall be found by God and Men by bad as well as good Men to be thy truest Wisdom that on which thou mayest justly value thy self under all the Contempt they pour upon thee Abide by thy Wisdom tho' Fools call it Folly better be called a Fool than be one to