Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	great_a	3,686	5	2.7944	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81211	Ioy out-joyed: or, Joy in overcoming evil spirits and evil men, overcome by better joy: set forth in a sermon at Martins in the fields, to the Right Honourable the Lords assembled in Parliament, upon the day of their solemn rejoycing and praising God, for reducing the city of Chester by the forces of the Parliament, under the command of Sr William Brereton, February 19. 1645. / By Joseph Caryl minister of the Gospel at Magnus neer London Bridge.	Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1646 (1646)	Wing C780; Thomason E323_3; ESTC R200591	20,183	35

5. 14. is the disturber of Kingdomes as well as of families And self-love is set in the head of that black Army which is prophesied to make perillous times in the last dayes 2 Tim. 3. 1 2. Above all there is an evil spirit which I may call the Beelzebub of this generation or the Prince of Devils that is a spirit of division This workes in all places almost in all hearts Division seems to be the great designe against us That while we act simply we may be universally overcome This spirit is grown so cunning that it can work distances by a motion or an endeavour for union While many are ready to say and pray Let us not divide though we cannot agree yet are most ready to divide upon every disagreement And while it is almost in every mans mouth Let us be one in affection though we cannot be one in opinion yet every man almost acts as if neither one earth nor one heaven could hold those who hold not one opinion These spirits and such as these are the troublers of our peace and unlesse these spirits are changed or at least chained all flesh is in danger to perish among us The chaining of them may make our times peaceable but the change of them will make our times glorious How happy should we be if a spirit of humility and meeknes of charity and brotherly kindnes of truth and uprightnes of self-deniall and ardent desires of maintaining the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace possessed all our hearts Right Honourable if once you had received letters of credit and good assurance that evil spirits were foiled and had received a blow either in the east or west north or south and that a better spirit were acting in this Nation you would have cause to keep such a day of Thanksgiving and praise to God as you never kept to this day Till a conquest be gained over the spirits of men our conquests over men will not give us rest And though I would not lessen the mercies of God especially at this time when we come to blesse him for so great a mercy as we this day commemorate yet I say what heart almost can we have to blesse God or be enlarged in his Praises for subduing bodies Towns and Cities while legions of evil spirits in camp in so many places and quarter in so many hearts A conquest over spirits is the glory of all our other conquests Therefore Right Honourable I say it again let the stresse of your counsels and designes be laid against these spirits The sword may work an unwilling subjection God only can work a subjection of the will Yet two things done by men by men as your Selves are in Dignity and Authority will contribute much towards this subjection First justice done and done impartially for and upon all Secondly countenance and encouragement given to all that are good and do good When spirits are overcome upon these terms I know not who shall have greater cause to rejoyce they who are subject or they who have made them so But though this would be matter of great joy yet this must not be either the totall or the chief matter of our rejoicing The next words of the Text lead us to this modification of our joy Notwithstanding in this rejoyce not but rather rejoyce that your names are written in Heaven The connexion tells us we are very apt to overact outward comforts and overjoy our worldly joy The whole world is too narrow for the heart of man Our joys may quickly exceed it and we be more taken with it then it is worth Christ saw his Disciples in danger of taking in too much of the world The creature gets quickly into our hearts and our hearts may quickly get beyond the creature Onely God is an object which we cannot overjoy or stretch our affections too far towards It is seldom that we can rejoyce at all we can never rejoyce enough while we are in the flesh in spirituall mercies and it is seldom but we rejoyce too much in temporall The world is so much of kin to us and is so like us worldly comforts suit us so well and are so neer us that while we deal about them we need a bridle not a spurre It is one of the greatest priviledges which we wait for in Heaven that our affections may bee ever kept in a due temper There we shall love and rejoyce in nothing but God or for God And as we cannot love and rejoyce in God too much so there we shall not love or rejoice in him too little But while we converse with creatures we are apt to feed too heartily upon them and to drink larger draughts of the wine of their consolation then becomes us The way to lessen earthly joy is to stirre up heavenly As when love is divided upon many objects of the same worth it cannot run so strongly to any one so much more when it is carryed to a more worthy object will it abate towards those which are lesse worthy The Text is clear for it teaching us That our receits of temporall and outward mercies should be but as an occasion to raise our hearts higher in rejoycing for spirituall and eternall mercies Notwithstanding rejoyce not in this that spirits are subject to you but rather rejoyce c. All creatures and comforts on earth should be but as foils to set off the glory of Heaven How good is grace and glory if there be so much good in nature It was Christs art to do thus when he came to the well Joh. 4. and was thirsty he riseth from that water and the thirst he had to it to tell the woman of another water which if she could once drink she should never thirst And Joh. 6. 27. when he saw his followers so hungry after loaves of bread which is perishing meat He took an occasion to exhort them to labour for the meat that perisheth not but endures to everlasting life It is safest for us as well as our duty to bestow the strength of our sorrowes upon our sinnes and the strength of our joyes upon Christ There is a double ground or reason why we should thus in our receits of temporall mercies get our hearts off or get our hearts above them First spirituall mercies are the best mercies They are best in their nature and they are best in their enjoyment they are lasting mercies The joy of the hypocrite all his joy is but for a moment and the worldly joy of the sincere is but for a moment That cannot last long whose bottom and foundation cannot last long the world passeth away and the fashion of it therefore the joy that ariseth out of the world and the goodly fashions of it must needs passe away too When one of the Ancients stood by Caesars tomb who had the honour while he lived of so many victories and triumphs he cries out O Caesar where is now thy magnificence

motions are derived So that though these sinfull passions are not those spirits yet they have the strength and life of evil spirits in them Hence Solomon puts the glory of a conquest over them beyond the glory of earthly conquests Pro. 16. 32. He that is slow to anger is better then the mighty and he that ruleth his spirit that is who overcomes his sinfull spirit and makes it subject to him is better then he that taketh a City We are called to blesse God for taking a City this day if we overcome our selves and rule our own spirits this is a more honourable conquest then that we blesse God for this day the taking of a City He that ruleth his spirit is better then he that taketh a City I beseech you saith the Apostle Peter 1 Ephes 2. 11. As pilgrims and strangers abstain from fleshly lusts which warre against the soul Fleshly lusts are spirituall enemies Abstaining from these is victory over these we kill them by fleeing from them This is the greatest warre and the issues of it are of greatest consequence It is more noble to subdue lusts within us then Armies without us And it is more advantage to us to conquer lusts then to conquer the world Better be a Paul then an Alexander Further It is matter of great joy when the evil spirits of men are overcome This is the hardest part of our warre with men and the best Battels are but half won when onely the bodies of men are wonne then it is a thorow victory when we are victours over their spirits The counsel which that Indian Gymno-sophist Calanus Plutarch gave Alexander about managing of his warre was this Get into the heart of your enemies Countrey which he taught him by the embleam of a great Oxe-hide spread upon the ground He advised Alexander to get into the heart of the Enemies Countrey My humble advice to you Right Honourable is to get into the heart of your Enemies While nothing is conquered but the bodies of men and Cities you are but upon the borders of victory There is a double conquest over spirits one is the chaining of spirits the other is the changing of spirits this later is a blessed conquest not onely to those who conquer but to those who are overcome The Parliament hath cause this day to blesse God for subjecting evil spirits to them but I may say without a figure or the least strain to truth most of those spirits are subject to them but as the Divels were subject to the Disciples 't is but a forced and a constrained subjection a chain is put upon their spirits their spirits are not changed they are subject because they cannot longer prevail and have their wills We have cause I say to blesse God for this The Prophet foretelleth what subjection shall be made at last to the Church Isa 60. 14 The sonnes also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet c. It is a mercy when men are made to bow but it will be our glory when all shall willingly bow to the throne of truth and holinesse to the Scepter of judgement and righteousnes It is well for us when fire and sword makes enemies submit but it will be best with all when repentance and sorrow for sinne when honesty and grace makes men submit When men submit from a change of their principles not from a change only of providences from a change wrought in their hearts not from a change wrought in their states God hath fulfilled that prayer of the Psalmist Psal 68. 30. in our dayes He hath rebuked the company of Spear-men or as the letter of the Hebrew gives it the beasts of the reeds of which speares were anciently made and to which they are in fashion like These beasts of the reeds God hath rebuked as also the multitude of the Buls boisterous men and the calves of the people simple men till many of them have submitted themselves with peeces of silver to make their compositions and hath scattered the people who delighted in warre ● that is such as would not submit This the Lord hath done already Now let this be a word to you Right Honourable who are so highly interested in the publique affaires let your designe be especially to make spirits subject to you by a willing subjection Endeavour that in the day of your power as it is in the day of Christs power Psal 110. the people may be not only subject but willing That their subjection to the Parliament may be in its sphear like that of the Corinthians to the Gospel 2 Cor. 9. 13. a professed subjection not a forced subjection The greatest part of your warre is with the spirits of men it is said of Saul 1 Sam 16. 14. That the spirit of the Lord departed from him and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him that evil spirit was it which encreased his envy and continued the warre against David The Pharisees said of Christ Joh. 10. 20. He hath a Divel and is mad every man as the learned Mr Mede observeth in one of his Diatribes was thought to have a Divel in those times who did things furiously and madly Many such furious ones are amongst us of whom we may well say they have a Devil for they are mad they would never run such mad courses did not an evil spirit enrage and hurry them I might describe many of these evil spirits I will name a few First the evil spirits of pride and contention These are the cause of wars and troubles in all nations Because of pride commeth contention Natural spirits do not generate but these spirits doe The spirit of pride procreates the spirit of contention Were we more humble we might he more quiet and the reason why so few have their desires is because so many resolve to have their wills Secondly the evil spirits of envy and malice Many are sick of other mens health and poor with other mens riches and disappointed by their neighbours successe impotent envy thus rotting the bones breeds rancorous malice in the heart and both break out to the danger of the whole body Could we bear the good of others it would be better for our selves Thirdly the evil spirits of errour and falsehood unquiet our times What a calmnes would follow if these were cast out of every heart A spirit of errour deserves every mans abhorrence though a person erring may challenge our patience This spirit of errour is extream bad but a spirit of false-hood is farre worse All agree they may be somewhat borne with who erre conscienciously which is very possible But they are insufferable who act unconscionably which is very usuall Fourthly the evil spirits of jealousie and self-love I put these together because ungrounded jealousie of others is commonly accompanied with inordinate love of our selves The spirit of jealousy so it is called Numb

story called Marcion the first-borne of the Devil All ungodly men are of the same line and race There is very little difference between the Devil and a wicked man but flesh and bones Hence in common speech we call very wicked men Devils incarnate I may say without breach of charity Devils incarnate are made subject at this day and their subjection is the subject of this days rejoycing Notwithstanding in this rejoyce not that these spirits are subject to you rejoyce not much in this Christ Mat. 7. 23. speaks of some who had the power and priviledge to make Devils in kinde subject to them many saith he shall come to me in that day and say Lord Lord we have prophesied in thy name and in thy name we have cast out Devils and we have done many wonderfull works yet these wonder-workers had little cause to rejoyce It is possible for a man not only to subdue the evil spirits of men but to subdue evil spirits themselves take them in their naturall notion and yet to have no cause of rejoycing I am sure they had not because while they had power over Devils themselves were under the power of the Devil The Devils were subject to them yet they were the Devils servants Christ discards them under that relation ver 24. Depart from me ye that work iniquity and whose work is that I know none who put men to that imployment or drudgery rather but only Satan his service is the work of iniquity some may cast out Devils who take in the work of the Devil Hence they who have cast out Devils may be cast to the Devil Had we this power to cast out Devils in kinde our joy would quickly over-joy it unlesse we have learned to out-joy it To further which designe upon these worldly joyes I would speak a few words First to those who have more to rejoyce in then victories over men and cities Secondly to those who upon a true account have no more to rejoyce in To the former my motion is Make the mercies of this day an occasion to act your joy upon eternall mercies It is possible for a godly man to suffer the stream of his joy to run more then is meet in a worldly chanell The best have reason enough to be jealous over their own hearts You are called to rejoyce and I am not a forbidder I would be a helper of your joy Joy is comely and the garments of praise in fashion this day Therefore say to your souls Let us rejoyce and let all that is within us blesse the holy name of God for the great things he hath done for us when you have done this speak again to your souls in the language of the text O our souls rejoyce in better things then these Let us rejoyce that our names are written in Heaven Drink not too large draughts of those worldly comforts go to that which is better and richer wine take your fill in the consolations of God To quicken this I might shew you many most desirable objects I will only hint a few rejoyce that Jesus Christ hath made a perfect conquest for you over spirituall enemies rejoyce that Christ hath spoiled principalities and powers and dragged the Devil at his chariot of triumph when he ascended up to heaven rejoyce that Christ hath overcome death and subdued the grave rejoyce that Christ died to free you from death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel rejoyce that Christ hath strengthned you to withstand temptations and given you power to conquer passion rejoyce that Christ by accomplishing the work of redemption hath purchased the pardon of sin peace with God and an inheritance which sadeth not away rejoyce that he hath provided a City for you which no Armies shall lay siege unto or shoot an arrow against rejoyce that he hath provided an estate for you that shall never be spent and a Kingdom which shall never be shaken When you hear men are made subject to men rejoyce that Christ hath made you subject to himself when you hear strong holds are taken rejoyce that the strong holds of sin are battered down and taken that there is not an evil imagination in you but if it stir you have a weapon in readines to revenge that disobedience When you heare how they who have fought against Christ are brought low rejoyce that you are not fighting against Christ that you are not trampling his precious blood under your feet that you delight not in that by which the holy spirit is grieved Let loose your affections upon these better higher and more noble objects rejoyce here as much as you can It is altogether below the state of a Saint to rejoyce only in things that are below Secondly I would offer a word to those who have none of these mercies to rejoyce in who have nothing but a world to rejoyce in Poor souls what do you rejoycing what do you keeping dayes of thanksgiving for victories obtained against men and Cities can you rejoyce on these terms can you rejoyce in hopes of peace upon earth when war is proclaimed against you in Heaven Can you rejoyce that Cities are subdued when your hearts are unsubdued Can you give thanks this day that the City of Chester is taken in after five or six Moneths siege when as your own hearts have stood out seven and seven yeers siege against the continuall batteries of the Word Can you rejoyce that strong holds are demolished when you fortify and garison strong holds with legions of lusts with covetousnes pride self-love c. When you victuall them and lay in provision to make them hold out as long as you live against Jesus Christ Can you rejoyce Rather go home and weep over these mercies weep over victories and successes Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your song of joy into a lamentation Leave joy to others Will you keep a day of rejoycing who are likely to mourn and weep for ever rest not in restlesse things live not in an estate wherein you are unfit to dy All the world is not worth the rejoycing in unlesse ye have somewhat else to rejoyce in God forbid saith the Apostle Gal 6. 14. That I should rejoyce in any thing save in the crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ If you have not Christ to rejoyce in God forbids all your other joyes and your sorrowes will be the more bitter to you hereafter by how much your joyes have been now more sweet Weep if any such now offer at this duty weep proud hearts covetous hearts envious spirits c. weep till you bring Christ the spoyl of your lusts till you shew him the ruines of your corruptions weep till you bring him broken hearts till you bring him wills stooping to his word and spirits made subject to his spirit weep till you finde such matter of joy as the text speaks of an evidence that your names are written in heaven But rather