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	life_n	sin_n	9,880	5	5.5192	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30620	A soverain remedy for all kinds of grief opened and applyed in a sermon at the funeral of Mr. John Langham, the eldest son of Sr. James Langham, knight, a child of five years and an half old, who dyed at Cottesbrook in Northhamptonshire, July 29, 1657 : with a narrative of sundry remarkable passages concerning him before and in the time of his sickness / by Thomas Burroughes.	Burroughes, Thomas, b. 1611 or 12.	1662 (1662)	Wing B6132; ESTC R4359	39,217	52

the Lord Jesus of whom he was an eminent Type Whatever it was ailed him 't is sure it was such an affliction as he thought would have killed him such an one that if God should not speedily put an end to his misery he made no other account but that his misery would quickly make an end of him This may be collected from ver 4. and 13. It was such an one that the grief and sorrow it had caused did eat and consume him like a moth ver 13. There was such a tempest of passion raised in his soul by reason of his present affliction that his faith and patience were put to it to the uttermost and all the grace he had was but little enough to keep him from dashing and being split upon the rocks In this sad case what it was relieved and eased his soul what it was quieted and stilled the tempest is more worth our inquiry and herein the Holy Ghost was pleased not to leave us at a loss but hath ordered that it should be recorded for the good of all the sons and daughters of affliction to the worlds end that they may learn what they have to do when they are afflicted and tossed with tempests when their hearts are upon any sad occasion cast down and disquieted within them And to that end God hath commanded this holy man in the words of my Text to tell you 1. What a strange cure was wrought upon him 2. What the remedy was he used for that purpose The first in these words I was dumb I opened not my mouth the second in these because thou didst it The tempest that was in his soul ceaseth and there is a calm and it was his faith presenting God unto his soul from whose hand the affliction came that made all hush't and quiet I shall explain the Text in the handling of the several Doctrines Time will not permit me to stand gathering all the precious fruits that otherwise I might which grow upon this Tree of Paradise all the Doctrines which this Text would afford I shall therefore collect but three That nothing in the world is more sure than that all the Doct. 1 evils of affliction which befall us come from the hand of God That nothing doth better become us when God lays Doct. 2 his hand upon us than to be dumb and not to open our mouths That nothing is more effectual to make us dumb under Gods correcting hand than this very consideration that it Doct. 3 is Gods hand from which our afflictions come For the first This is a thing we may resolve upon when any evil of affliction betides us 'T is Gods doing Let the instruments and second causes be who and what they will this is certain Gods hand is in all I am not at present any whit concerned to meddle with the point of Gods providence in or about the evil of sin and therefore shall pass it by Our business is about the hand that God hath in the evils of affliction and misery strictly so called and those only which light upon the sons and daughters of men in this life such as be pains diseases losses and crosses in estates and children death of friends and dear relations with all others of the like nature which are many more than can easily be numbred I deal not now with the meritorious cause of mens sufferings in these kinds which cannot be denied to be sin 'T is the author from whence they come and by whom they are inflicted that I am to speak of And we may be bold to say 'T is God I know Physitians will tell us that this and that is the cause of such and such a disease and there are few other disasters and calamities befall men but haply causes with ease may be assigned of them and we may say it was long of this thing and that else all had been well But when all is said God is the cause of causes and there is none of these things happen to any but there is an hand of Divine providence which orders and disposeth them God doth all for 1. He singleth out the person that is to suffer 2. He appointeth what the affliction shall be 3. He setteth down the time when 4. He determineth how long 5. He assigneth the place where 6. He prescribes the manner how 7. He weighs the measure how much 8. He orders all second causes and means 9. He layes the affliction on 10. He governs and guides every contingency None of these things come to pass at an adventure or by chance nor are second causes so left to themselves but that God doth supervise and act and order all in all To instance in the case of sickness it is Gods doing that this disease finds out this person just at this time in this very place holds him so long handles him thus and thus that he is now better and now worse and that at last he either recovers or dies There is nothing of fortune or meet chance in any of these things And it is so in all other afflictions Afflictions in Scripture are compared to arrows but they are not like that which I know not who shot at he could not tell whom and hit him he could not tell where and hurt him he knew not how much or how little but did all at a venture No! these arrows are shot by an Almighty hand guided to their mark by an unerring wisdome according to a will that is righteousness and holiness it self If you demand how this may be proved I shall evidence it by two sorts of Testimonies 1. The Testimony of the best and most holy persons that ye read of in Scripture Let the Sabeans and Chaldeans plunder Job of his estate let the Devil himself raise a wind to blow down the house upon his childrens heads and slay them all Job will tell you It was God from whom he had received so much good that now sent upon him all this evil It was God who first gave him that estate that now took it away again It was God who had given him those children that did now bereave him of them God hath given God hath taken blessed be the Name of the Lord. Let Shimei come out and throw stones at David as he passeth along let him curse and spit venome at him according to his pleasure the holy man looks upward and both sees and owns Gods hand in this God hath bidden him curse David Let wicked persons rage and persecute as if they thought not only their tongues but their hands were their own to do what they list without any Lord over them the Prophet for all that looks upon them but as a sword in the hand of God over-ruled and ordered by him And as to the business of diseases hear what he saith Whom our blessed Saviour commends for a faith that was greater

Consideration with which our blessed Saviour drank up that dreadful Cup mentioned before Shall not I drink the Cup that my Father gives me to drink 2. Such as are the Saints of God may be assured all their evils of sufferings are laid upon them by one that intends them no hurt at all Afflictions indeed look with a terrible aspect to flesh and blood they have the appearance of Serpents and Scorpions and the like baneful things but they are sent by him that means them no ill These sufferings of theirs though they seem to be deadly and so indeed they are to unbelievers and to tend to their undoing are but Serpents without stings and shall not so much as touch them to do them any real prejudice but are like unto the Viper on Pauls hand which he shaked off and received no harm Act. 28. 13. This which I say cannot seem strange to a child of God when even the Heathen man could tell his adversaries that threatned his death Ye may kill me if you will but you cannot hurt me 3. Did I say the afflictions of Gods Saints come from one that intends them no hurt That is but a small matter in comparison He that afflicts them intends their good and will work them much good by it All things shall work together for good to those that love God Do not ask me how and which way What thing is it that He cannot bring out of any thing that commanded the light to shine out of darkness That spake the word and caused all things to come out of nothing Have patience a little ye children of God that are now under the Rod and ye shall see it and confess it your selves that all is for your profit that you may be made partakers of his holiness That which you see not now you shall see and thank God for afterwards It would be too long at present to tell you how many several wayes afflictions tend to the advantage of Gods people by bringing them unto a more clear knowledge of God and themselves by weaning them from the World and raising their hearts heaven-ward by putting an edge upon their prayer by discovering to them their defects improving their faith and all other graces by being like fire and salt to eat out those corruptions which would otherwise breed worms in their Conscience and hinder their inward peace by keeping them from being condemned with the world These and many other benefits such as belong to God get by being afflicted God making the eater to yield them meat according to Sampsons riddle and the strong to afford them sweetness Their losses and crosses are such as they live by and do prove their greatest gain and therefore if they cannot do it yet they shall ere long be able to say as he did I had been undone if I had not been undone 4. But this is not all Gods peoples sufferings are inflicted by one who hath already bestowed upon them that which may counter-ballance and weigh against all their sorrows God hath given them those things which are more than enough and enough again to fetch up their hearts when they are sunk lowest in despondency because of any outward cross To know God and Christ what an infinite mercy is it It is life eternal He that hath attained this knowledge God himself allows him to glory To have pardon of sin to be justified in Gods sight see what some bid for such a mercy thousands of rams ten thousands of rivers of oyl the first born of their body they would part with any of these things for it and think they made a good purchase too To be adopted the child of God what would not a man give for such a priviledge if it were to be bought To have part in Christ to have Union and Communion with him is there any thing in the World worth the talking of the same day with it All these things and yet these are not all God hath conferred upon those that are his Now take your calamities you people of God and weigh them in a ballance and admit them to be heavier than the sand yet is not here enough to weigh against them Will none of those things will not all of them countervail those losses and afflictions you are under Is the Cup God hath given you to drink so bitter that all those things are as good as nothing to sweeten it Can ye have more cause to be dejected either for one thing or another than ye have to be cheered in the apprehension of your interest in such things as these Suppose Christ should say to you as to the man sick of the Palsie Son be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven would you take this comfort for a thing so trivial that it would tend nothing to relieve you in your sadness If these things work not with you if these consolations of God be small in your eyes assure your selves it is long of your unbelief for which you have infinite cause to be humbled 5. Yet farther your afflictions come I speak of the godly from the hand of him who hath as if what he hath given you for present were little spoken of what he will do for you hereafter and given you lively hopes of such things as eye never saw ear never heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive See how contemptibly the Apostle speaks of the sufferings of this life in comparison of these things I count not the sufferings of this present time worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed One would think a lively hope of being admitted to the Beatifical Vision and eternal enjoyment of God should be more than enough to dry up all our tears And doubtless if our hopes of heaven were more firm and stedfast though they could not priviledge us from affliction yet they would arm our hearts so that it would not be possible for any affliction to pierce them through 6. Again The godly may rest assured that their afflictions are sent from no other but him who hath in the mean season till they come to heaven engaged he will never leave them nor forsake them but will be with them when they pass through the fire and water will not leave them destitute of his grace and mercy but will be present with them by his Spirit in all their sufferings If God should cast us into the water and there leave us to shift for our selves and take no farther care of us whether we sink or swim our case would be sad and it would be hard to find any thing that might yield us comfort But that mans unbelief is his greatest misery that thinks his misery to be greater than to be allayed with a promise of Gods presence with him 7. Consider Is not this affliction of yours his doing

to whom ye have vowed and sworn Obedience Obedience active to do that which may please him Obedience passive to be pleased with what he doth And is there not reason then for you to be dumb and to hold your peace Will you make vows to God and break them when ye have done Bind your selves to God by Covenant as by bonds and cords and will you when you are put upon the tryal how you will take any thing at Gods hand carry your selves as if you never meant for all your vows he should either meddle with you or yours farther than you your selves should think fit Is not this mocking of God Nay God will not be mocked but this will prove bitterness in the latter end 8. Is not this God who afflicts you he whose will ye have prayed may be done on earth as it is done in heaven Have ye not often made this your petition unto his Majesty And will ye now be angry and impatient that God should rather have his will done than you yours Will you take on as if it were more meet God should submit to your will than you to his 9. Lastly let not this be forgotten you sons and daughters of affliction are under his hand who doth not willingly correct he would not do it if you needed it not and therefore afflicts you in very faithfulness God makes his people heavy but when need requires as wise and loving parents correct their children lest otherwise they should be spoiled A child left to himself brings his father to shame and himself to ruine and therefore a rod of correction is but requisite to drive away the folly that is bound up in his heart Hence is that pathetical expression Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Behold I will melt them and try them for how shall I do for the daughter of my people As if he should say There is no other remedy If other warning would serve the turn God would not teach us by bryers and thorns But better weep here than gnash our teeth hereafter And as God corrects but only when need requires so he corrects no more nor no longer There is not one ingredient not one jot of gall put into our Cup more than he judgeth necessary for us All these things considered what cause have any of Gods people to be impatient How fit and meet is it they should be dumb under his afflicting hand III. Thirdly I now proceed to those arguments of patience which may be fetcht from these words Thou didst it that concern specially such servants of God as suffer in the loss of a dear and hopeful Child such a loss as hath to day occasioned our sad meeting here 1. It is he afflicts you thus to whose indulgence you are thankfully to ascribe it that your tentation is but common and ordinary It is a sad thing for one to be afflicted in an exemplary way such an one as either cannot at all or not easily be parallelled Some of Gods people have been so afflicted that they might say Is there any bodies sorrow like unto my sorrow And God owes you no more than he did them Yet even in such a case though very sad ye have seen how Job did bear up his spirit by this consideration that all was Gods doing when he could not find or hear of any in the world whose sufferings were comparable to his Now to lose a Child that we dearly loved one that was hopeful and that we had ground to think God had made his by Adoption what affliction is it more than thousands of Gods people have had tryal of 2. But secondly I pray consider it is he hath taken him who hath shewed you more favour in taking one that came out of your loyns to wait upon himself and see his face in glory than he hath done you injury in removing him from you Was it not your ambition he might go to heaven and will you be troubled overmuch now he is gone Did Saul do Jesse any wrong or did he think it would be so interpreted when he sent for his son David to come and wait upon him at Court But you would not have had him gone so soon you would still have enjoyed him a little and a little longer and have had him to have lingred here It seems then all the difference betwixt God and you is only in point of a little time more or less That which God hath done now you would have had him done hereafter But can there be any good reason why you should be tormented because God hath made one of yours happy so soon 3. Tell me Is not God who hath taken your Child he whose your Child was infinitely more than he was yours Did you frame him and fashion him Did you either make his Soul or so much as one part or member of his Body Or if any one had been wanting could you have made up that defect Though you might challenge more interest in him than any upon earth yet what was your interest in him if compared with Gods Do not you know that in respect of that interest God had in him you though his Parents were no more than persons only intrusted to breed him and bring him up for his heavenly Father And must he not go or will you be troubled if he go when his Father and yours sends for him Our blessed Saviour is propounded to us for a pattern of obedience and subjection to earthly parents but he must go and be whither and where his heavenly Father called him and enjoyned him for all them and they must submit and talk no more of their interest when God challengeth his 4. It is he hath taken him who is wiser than you and only knows from how many evils and miseries he by death is freed that we who are left behind may live to see and suffer who can tell what sad times are coming and is it not then a mercy to us and ought we not not only to be patient but thankful though it is an hard lesson when we have cause to hope that any of ours are got safe to heaven where flesh and devil and world shall not be able any more to annoy them to all eternity 5. When you think who it is hath taken him from you remember it is he to whom when he was baptized you did voluntarily dedicate and devote him We and all ours are at Gods disposal whether we will or no as we heard before and there is no help for it yet God loves that we ●hould freely make a surrender to him of what is his own which else he will distrain for and have at his pleasure do we what we can to the contrary and he accepts in graciously when we do so as an act of our service and homage to him But shall we give and take Surrender up ours to God and pretend to do it cordially and when it