Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	death_n	know_v	life_n	2,879	5	4.5653	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20169	The monument or tombe-stone: or, A sermon preached at Laurence Pountnies Church in London, Nouemb. 21. 1619 at the funerall of Mrs. Elizabeth Iuxon, the late wife of Mr. Iohn Iuxon. By Stephen Denison minister of Gods word, at Kree-Church in the honourable citie of London.	Denison, Stephen, d. 1649 or 50.	1620 (1620)	STC 6604; ESTC S116460	41,077	140

charge and calling in which I am and to discharge it in the conscionable feare of God This our sister was not onely faithfull in her generall calling but also in her particular For first she was a very faithfull wife her very desire was subiect to her husband I am perswaded that if her husband had commanded her to dothe vilest drudgerie about the house she durst not haue refused in verie conscience of Gods Law And moreouer whereas in her carnal estate it was her common practise to put forth her children to be nursed abroad according to the practise of the proud women in our times when the Law of God beganne to be written in her heart she durst no longer nurse her children abroad but tooke paines to nurse them with her owne breasts Againe she did most diligently ouersee the wayes of her family and she eate not the bread of idlenesse but still she employed her selfe in some commendable employment And as for her children and seruants she did diligently instruct them in good wayes She was grieued at any prophanenesse found in them she mourned for them she prayed for them she pitied their estate and as for the soule of her louing and kind husband she had an especiall care Now it is an especiall ma●ke of a true conuert to be found faithfull in the particular calling As we see it is giuen by Paul as an euidence of the truth of the conuersion of Onesimus that now he was become profitable vnto his maister Philem. 11. The sixteenth Marke I desire to glorifie God by a fruitfull profession The faith of this our sister was no dead faith To my knowledge she was exceeding fruitfull in good workes What money she had of her owne in the time of her health she distributed it freely partly to poore Preachers about this Citie partly also to poore Christians She was like vnto Dorcas she made garments and that both woollen and linnen gaue them vnto poore Christians and to their children She was a friend of the fatherlesse and of the widow and what she had not of her owne to releeue Gods poore she intreated her husband to supply Yea she was a very patronesse for such as were in distresse she was a blessed instrument to stirre vp her willing husband to many secret gifts and bountifull almes-deedes especially vnto them which were of the houshold of faith To my knowledge she hath giuen gold and siluer plentifully to some more and to some lesse And amongst the rest of her charitable workes I remember that she gaue to the Minister which was the means vnder God of her conuersion as she supposed She gaue I say vnto him by the consent of her husband the summe of fiftie pounds besides a large portion which she begged of her husband to be distributed after her death vnto charitable vses The sicke had cause to blesse God for her in her health for she visited them with meate with bodily presence with necessarie helpe both by her selfe and by her maides And many that enioy health haue great cause to blesse God for her in her death in respect of her liberall gifts And for mine owne part I haue especiall cause to blesse God in her life and in her death for a most kind mother and nurse she was vnto me Now this fruitfulnesse did argue the goodnesse of the Tree for how doth a Christian shew his faith but by his workes And the Lord as you know promiseth a Prophets reward vnto such as do good vnto his members Matth. 10. 42. Yea at the day of iudgement Christ will say vnto all such fruitfull ones Come vnto me ye blessed of my Father inherite the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world For I was an hungred and ye gaue me meate I was thirstie and ye gaue me drinke I was a stranger and ye tooke me in naked and ye clothed me I was sicke and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came vnto me The seuenteenth Marke I find a daily holy strife to preserue graces giuen vnto me and to preuent falling away She continued faithfull to the end in the most substantiall graces For howsoeuer shee mourned for the want of that degree of ioy which she had felt in former times yet she continued in repentance in the practise of holinesse and righteousnesse in a tender loue to God and to his word and children in holy zeale and fruitfulnesse euen to the last period of her dayes And indeed her want of full ioy was so sanctified vnto her that it was a furtherance to a better grace namely to repentance and selfe-deniall and base esteeme of her selfe And I call repentance a better grace then ioy because howsoeuer ioy is a most excellent gift of the Spirit yet vnto vs repentance is more profitable For I make no doubt but that a mourning Christian may be saued without rauishing ioy that Christ may wipe away his teares in heauen but no Christian shall be saued without repentance and selfe deniall Now constancie and perseuerance in a good and holy course is an vndoubted argument of a blessed and happie estate as doth appeare by the words of our blessed Sauiour himselfe Marth 10. 22. He that endureth to the end shall be saued and Reuel 2. 10. Be thou faithfull to the death and I will giue thee a crowne of life The eighteenth Marke I find an vniuersall change in my selfe from that which I ●●ue bene in former times This marke and the two following I propounded vnto her vpon her death-bed which I mention now because they are as vseful for the church as the former markes which I found n●ted in her paper And that this signe was in our sister as well as the former it was euident For there was a maruellous change wrought in her mind and vnderstanding She that before knew not the right hand from the left in religion she was growne to a very great vnderstanding in so much that she was able both to speak diuinely to instruct her seruants and children and to write letters in the very language of Canaan with great sufficiency Secondly she found a change in her will and affections For she that was dead before vnto any sound pietie now she was reuiued aboue all things to affect and to seeke Gods kingdome Thirdly there was an euident change in her life and conuersation this we all knew which knew her and can testifie Now wheresoeuer this vniuersall change is from darknesse to light from euill to good from the power of Satan to God it is an euident signe of effectuall calling and effectuall calling is an vndoubted signe of election 2. Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new The nineteenth Marke I find an vtter deniall of myselfe I know that in me that is in myflesh abideth nothing which is good This blessed seruant of God had attained a

knowes it You will then demand Is it lawfull therefore for such as are in distresse to complaine To this I answer that all complaint is not sinfull Dauid complained in the si●t Psalme that his soule was sore troubled and ●et he sinned not Hezechiah mourned like a doue in his sicknes Esay 38. 14. and yet for that is not iustly to be reproued But lawfull complaint in time of extremitie must be ioyned with these limitations First it must not be with murmuring or repining against God but rather with a patient submitting to his blessed will so that though we do declare our griefe yet we must be content to endure it in obedience to God and we must learne of Christ to say If thou wilt that I shall drinke of this cup thy will be done Secondly our complaint must not be to the weakning of our faith we must so complaine as that still we hold fast some ground of ioy For indeed we ought to reioyce euermore and we should not mourne without hope as the Apostle speaketh Thirdly our complaints must be moderate for there is but a time to mourne We ought to find time as wel for the declaring of Gods mercies which we haue receiued as to expresse our griefes or else we are greatly vnthankfull Thus much for the meaning Now come we by Gods permission and assistance to collect such doct●ines and instructions as may make for our edification Moneths of vanitie Where note we that Iob speaking of his life doth not terme his moneths moneths of certaintie as though he had a lease of his life but moneths of vanitle as implying that Mans life is very fraile and subiect to vanish away And indeed there is nothing more fraile more vncertaine For this cause the Scripture compareth our liues to things that are very inconstant as sometimes to grasse which in the morning flourisheth groweth in the euening is cut downe and withereth Psal 90. 5. 6. And sometime to a vapour which appeareth for a very little time and afterwards vanisheth away Iam. 4. 14. Sometime to a weauers shuttle which quickly passeth from one side of the webbe vnto the other Sometime to smoke which is driuen away and dispersed with euery wind or blast Psal 102. 3. Sometime to a shadow which declineth Psal 102. 11. And sometime to vanity it selfe as in my text Gods Church and people haue taken diligent notice of this frailty from time to time and therefore haue made account of short life Hence it is that Abraham in his perfect health termeth himselfe dust and ashes Genes 18. 27. Hence it is that Dauid saith that his life is alwayes in his hand Psal 119. 109. Hence it is that Paul saith I am readie to be deliuered and the time of my departure is at hand 2. Tim. 4. 6. Hence it is that the Church saith We haue here no abiding citie Heb. 13. 14. And hence it is that so many faithfull Christians do so ordinarily remember their mortalitie their graue when they lye downe in their beds And indeed very experience doth teach vs that mans life is fraile For do we not see yong men die as well as old Do we not see strong men die as well as weake Do we not see wise men die as well as foolish Yea do we not see Physitians die as well as patients Yea there is none rich or poore high or low noble or meane which can promise himselfe to liue for the space of one poore houre Againe our liues must needs be fraile and vncertaine in respect of the manifold dangers whereunto they are continually subiect For first they are subiect to infinite diseases as to the pestilence to the burning feuer to consumptions to the gout to the stone to the dropsie to the bloudie issue and to innumerable other Secondly they are subiect to the stroke of Angels to the layings in waite of enemies yea to Gods immediate stroke Thirdly they are subiect to many sodaine accidents If they trauell by land they are subiect to be taken by the eues and robbers and to be left for dead If they ride they are subiect to fall from their horses and to breake their neckes If they trauell on foote they are subiect to take immoderate heate If they eate they are subiect to take surfet though they eate neuer so little If they fast they are subiect to grow into weaknesse If they sit in thei● houses diseases will grow vpon them by much sitting If they walk● abroad a thousand dangers both ouer their heads and vnder their feete and before them and behind them and at their right hand and at their left do attend wait vpon them and therfore how fraile is the life of man Yea but some possibly will obiect and say Do we not see some men and women to liue long Do not some in our age attaine seuentie yeares some eightie yeares some ninetie yeares some an hundreth and may not I hope to liue as long as they I do not denie but God is able to continue thee long vpon the earth though thy life be neuer so fraile But it is not thy safest course my Christian brother to make account of or to expect long life For if they which are strong liue vntill seuentie or eightie yeares yet we find by experience that there be a great many which neuer see fortie some which neuer see thirtie some which neuer see twentie some which neuer see ten Yea but some it may be wil further obiect and say I am strong and lusty I am yong or in my best yeares I find no decay in my body and therefore what reason haue I to look for death Alas poore soule whosoeuer thou art thou art too prone and ready to deceiue thy selfe Hast thou neuer read that Man in his best estate that is in his best yeares in his best strength in the very fl●ure of his age is altogether vanitie Reade Psalme 39. 5. and it wil teach thee Hast thou neuer read what Ioh saith in his 21. Chapter and 23. verse where he testisieth that One dieth in his full strength his breasts being full of milke and his bones being moistened with marrow Reade and consider and be not incredulous but beleeuing Now hauing proued the truth of this point to wit that the life of man is very fraile and vncertaine and hauing answered the Obiections which might be made against the same it remaineth now to make application of that which hath b●ne deliuered And a threefold vse we may make of this our frailtie to wit an vse of Reproofe an vse of Instruction and an vse of Comfort An vse of reproofe And it may reproue diuers First such as haue made a couenant with Death and put the euill day far from them which thinke in their hearts that though a scourge come passe through the whole land yet it shal not come neare them Alas poore soule what priuiledge hast