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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	communion_n	true_a	2,382	5	5.8226	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12995	A curse become a blessing: or, A sermon preached in the parish church of S. John the Baptist, in the Ile of Thannet, in the country of Kent, at the funerall of that vertuous and worthy gentleman Mr. Paul Cleybrooke Esquire. By William Stone preacher of Gods word: on Tuesday, September 17. 1622	Stone, William, preacher of Gods word.	1623 (1623)	STC 23288; ESTC S106188	46,107	88

nor learne nor at no hand admit any other iudgement of matters than that which they haue receiued from this wicked world But let them looke to it they that now follow the world and build so wholly vpon the likings of the multitude shall hereafter perish with the world For the friends of the world must fare as the world doth Oh how much better were it to iudge otherwise than the world doth than now to agree with this present euill world and in the life to come to partake of her plagues Vse 2 Secondly this serues excellently to direct vs to iudge aright of matters To shew vs the rule of iudging aright We must not presently like and commend a thing because men generally doe like it nor we must not presently condemne that which most men doe dislike For as our Sauiour saith Luke 16.15 That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God As namely the counterfeit holinesse of the Pharisies So then there be some things that God abhorres which men highly esteeme of And thinke the like on the contrary that there be some things againe which men despise which God highly esteemes of as holinesse puritie instancie in preaching the Word in season out of season powerfull applying of the doctrine and such like Now therefore if we will iudge aright wee must learne what things be approued with God and make account of them and what things he disapproues and dislike and condemne them and neuer regard the iudgements of men to the contrary Vse 3 Thirdly is the right iudgement of things to iudge of them as God doth See that thy iudgement of matters do agree with Gods Then if we beleeue this as our duty is it cannot possibly be but that we shall make more account of the iudgement of God concerning all things than most men doe and accordingly will we giue diligence not only in vsing the meanes whereby to haue our iudgements to agree with Gods iudgement but also in learning what things be in esteeme with him that wee also may haue the same in like esteeme with vs and esteeme all other things which hee esteemeth not as drosse and dung howsoeuer the same be in esteeme with the world Vse 4 Fourthly this truth serueth for the comfort of the children of God Comfort against contempt and discredit for iudging of matters as God doth against the contempt and losse of credit in the world for making much of some things which God esteemeth but the world regardeth not and for setting light by some other things which God esteemeth not but yet the world doth admire and highly commend them Thus it often commeth to passe through the peruerse iudgements of men and their selfe-pleasing and selfe-will that vertuous and godly people shall be lightly regarded and out of credit euen for regarding that which the most care not for and for not regarding that which they admire But be not discouraged For as long as thy iudgement doth agree with the iudgement of God and theirs doth not thy iudgement is better than theirs And as much contempt and losse of credit as thou bringest vpon thy selfe by this meanes with the world so much honour and good credit thou winnest with all them that doe truly feare God And the time will come when thy iudgement shall be approued and theirs reiected Consider of it and take comfort THE OCCASION OF this meeting NOw as touching the occasion of this our meeting this first I say that that which the Holy Ghost doth here teach vs to hold of the death of the Saints in generall Christian charitie doth binde vs to conceiue concerning our worthy brother departed in the faith of Christ For if the death of Gods Saints be precious in his sight and our assured hope be that he was one of his Saints why should wee not conceiue assured hope that his death was precious and that his soule is blessed Now that charitie bindeth vs thus to conceiue of him I will make it manifest For besides that there is no euidence to the contrary and charitie euermore iudgeth the best wee haue also sufficient euidence wherupon to conclude according to the iudgement of charitie that he liued and died a Saint I say according to the iudgement of charitie For as the iudgement of certaintie belongeth vnto the Lord so the iudgement of charitie belongeth vnto vs that serue the Lord. Let vs therefore take a briefe view of such fruits according to which alone being charitably interpreted true charitie doth iudge I say of such fruits and signes as haue appeared both in the time of his health and also in the time of his sicknesse vntill his death First then Mr. Cleybrooke was 1. A zealous professor of the true Faith to beginne with his Religion he was neither Popish nor Schismaticall nor any way factious neither was he a Neuter or Nullifidian which is too common a vice but a professed Protestant and an open Professour of the true faith of Christ Neither was he a cold or lukewarme professour as many are who haue no care of Religion but a forward and zealous one one that had his Fathers name written in his forehead Reuel 14.1 as the faithfull are described in the Reuelation For hee would make it appeare vpon euery iust occasion of what Religion hee was and without feare of any man maintaine the truth and such points of euery mans dutie as belong thereunto Neither could hee endure to heare it trodden vnder foot nor any to bee spoken against for maintaining thereof 2. A great reuerencer of Gods Name He did so feare that glorious and fearefull name of the Lord his God that he stucke to put the paper in which he saw any of the titles of the blessed Trinitie written to any dishonourable vse 3. A diligent frequenter of religious Exercises He was a diligent frequenter of the holy Exercises of Religion and a furtherer thereof by his trauell credit money and other waies and a constant Communicant according to the order of the place from moneth to moneth Yea and when he was not able to trauell a foot to the Church he vsed helpes that he might not be absent And as he did himselfe so he caused his houshold to doe So that he and his houshold became an example of frequenting their Church and often receiuing of the Communion 4. A true friend to faithfull Preachers He loued reueren●ed and fauoured any faithfull Ministers and Preachers of Gods word And whereas double diligence in preaching is a cause why many cannot brooke the Preacher this was one special thing which drew his affection vnto him He loued Preachers for labouring painfully in the Word and Doctrine According to the Apostles rule 1 Thess 5.13 and to esteeme them very highly in loue for their workes sake As touching my selfe I doe with thankfulnesse acknowledge the greatnesse of his loue manifested towards mee diuers waies and most

For hee best knowes to distinguish betweene good and euill betweene precious and vile Wherefore if in his iudgement any thing be precious it must needs be true that it is precious indeed Put the question then How commeth it to passe and how might wee be sure that the death of the Saints is precious And the answer is giuen because it pleaseth God to account it so Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints It is not long of the Saints but of Gods meere goodnesse and mercy vnto them And because that he of his goodnesse doth so account of it therefore it is precious and not for any worthinesse or desert of their owne Neither is this preciousnesse of the death of the Saints supposed and imaginary but reall and true the Saints death is truly and really precious For although man may bee deceiued and erre in his iudgement yet it is otherwise with God It is true of man that in the errour of his iudgement hee may take a thing to be precious and say that it is so when there is no such matter onely because he doth imagine and conceit with himselfe that such a thing is precious but God cannot be so deceiued But whatsoeuer he iudgeth and pronounceth precious it is truly and indeed precious and it cannot be otherwise And thus it comes about that the Saints death is precious and vpon this ground wee are certaine of it It is precious and wee know it because the most wise God doth account and pronounce it to be precious in his sight Thus ye see the summe of the confirmation To gather profit thereby we must consider two things first what manner of argument this is secondly the application thereof to the matter in hand There be two kindes of proofes the one called artificiall the other inartificiall Artificiall proofes are such as are fetched one way or other Artificiall proofes from the consideration of the theme or matter it selfe which is proued and of their owne force or nature are able to proue or disapproue This proofe of Dauids in this place is no such Inartificiall proofes are such as are fetched from authority Inartificiall proofes either diuine or not diuine Such a proofe is this that Dauid here brings fetched from the authority of God Now this kinde of prouing of a matter by the authority of God howsoeuer it neuer touch the nature of that which is proued neither explicateth nor illustrateth it yet it begetteth in the minde the greatest credit and beleefe to the matter that may bee For no argument can be deuised so forcible to procure faith and credit to a matter as this that is drawne from the authority of God Deus per se est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For God is simply to bee beleeued for himselfe and to doubt of that which he affirmes is great impiety In this respect therefore this testimony serues for this vse for the strengthening of our faith touching the preciousnesse of the Saints death That wee should not doubt nor stagger through vnbeleefe but bee fully perswaded that the death of the Saints is precious Comfort ouer the death of a Saint How full of comfort is this to know vpon a sure ground and beyond all exception euen from the expresse testimony of the Lord God of truth that the Saints death is precious and that it is so in his sight howsoeuer the world doe iudge of it Can any thing be more comfortable to a Christian soule to cease the mourning thereof for the death of a Saint and deare childe of God Let it sinke into your hearts and comfort your selues with this meditation There is I confesse iust cause of mourning for the death of the Saints But where finde we this cause Is it in themselues Their life was holy their course is finished their death is precious their body is at rest their soule is in heauen their memoriall is blessed they shall arise to glory and bee with Christ in heauen for euermore The true cause of mourning for the Saints death In respect of themselues there is no cause of mourning But in respect of vs that remaine aliue there bee many causes For when any of the Saints die we see that all of vs bee enclosed within the curse of God because of Adams sinne and seeing that it behooueth vs to feele what we haue deserued and bee ashamed of ourselues and bee touched with the feare of Gods vengeance and bee so wounded therewith as it may prouoke vs to sorrow because of our sinnes which we haue committed Againe when any of the Saints die wee lose a helpe to the peace of our Sion I meane of our Church and Common-wealth a helpe to the Gospell a helpe in the house an intercessor to God a louing friend and a shining starre If it were a thing possible it were best for vs to keepe such men still with vs but for them it is farre better to depart hence and to bee with Christ For when such are taken from vs our Lord chastiseth vs and sheweth vs a signe that except we speedily repent hee is minded to diminish his grace vnto vs. The taking away of the best men and of them that doe most good in the Church and amongst vs is alwaies a threatning vnto vs. And ought wee not to bee grieued at the threatning and feeling of Gods displeasure And therefore wee may iustly mourne for the death of the Saints But yet so let vs mourne Comfort that withall wee remember to keepe a measure in our mourning and to pacifie our selues with this consideration that their death is precious And that God calls them hence to free them from a great deale of misery and to doe them a great deale of good In the sight of the Lord. COncerning the application of this proofe to the present matter in as much as Dauid affirmes the Saints death to be precious vpon this ground because it is so in Gods sight that is to say because God doth so esteeme it Out of this I gather that Doct. 7 Doct. The right iudgement of matters is to iudge of them as God doth To iudge aright we must iudge of things as God doth They are precious and good that hee approues of but they are vile and naught which he disapproues Vse 1 The Vse First how much doth this condemne the people of our age For is not this the nature of the most Against following only the iudgement of the world that they neuer regard what account God makes of a thing but only whether men doe esteeme of it or no And if they see it in esteeme with men is not that enough Yea they care for no more They be so wedded to the world that they will neuer looke whether God doe like or dislike that which they fancie or set themselues against and they be so blinde and obstinate that whatsoeuer is taught them they will neither see