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	know_v	2,974	5	4.2147	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41846	The spiritual warfare, or, Some sermons concerning the nature of mortification, right exercise, and spiritual advantages thereof whereunto are added other two sermons, concerning the mystery of contentment : being the substance of ten sermons never heretofore printed / by Mr. Andrew Gray, late minister of the gospel at Glasgow.	Gray, Andrew, 1633-1656.	1672 (1672)	Wing G1619A; ESTC R32457	107,606	272

say if a Christian made the world but his servant little would content him but if once he make the world his master and lord of his affections then his desires will be infinit and cannot at all be satisfied We shall not long stand to inveigh against that too much addictedness of man to those passing and transient vanities of the world we conceive there are these three things which men do most earnestly covet there is pleasure riches and honour And certainly these are below an immortal spirit to fix their desires upon them would ye have Solomons verdict of riches O ye that trust in uncertain riches ye have it sweetly in Prov. 23. 5. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not In a manner riches they have not a being for they take wings to themselves and they flee away as Solomon doth most sweetly speak Eccles. 5. 11. If riches increase what profit saith he is there to the owner thereof save to be beholder of them with their eyes all that the owner of riches hath is the seeing of them which a man who is a passer by may likewayes have though he be not a possessor of them And hence is that word L. k. 14. where the man desiring to be excused for not coming to Christ saith of himself I have bought a piece of ground and must needs go see it all his enjoyment of it was comprehended in that one poor thing to behold it And as for honour and glory which spirits that are more refined and are not so wedded to the things of a world pursue after I would only have them knowing that one word Psal. 62. 9. Men of high degree are a lie and men of low degree are vanity as if he would have said any preheminency that one hath that hath an excellent lot in the world above a poor one doth consist in this the one is a vanity and the other is a lying vanity speaking somewhat to be in him which is not really in him and that word Act. 25. 23. where speaking of Bernice that came in with great pomp and glory unto the Senat-house the word that is there rendered pomp and glory is this he came in with a great fantasie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a great show and image without any thing in reality And as for pleasures of the world with which these epicurean spirits of the world are so much besotted know that verdict of Solomon which he hath of these things Vanity of vanities and all things are vanity and vexation of spirit And what can the man do that cometh after the king If Solomon found no more no doubt none that cometh after him can find any more But that which we shall speak to first upon this shall be what are the causes and principles from whence the discontentment of one doth flow under any anxious or sad lot that doth befal him And we conceive that it either doth proceed from this a Christian not being much in the exercise of selt-examination as it is clear from that word Psal. 4. 4. Examine your selves upon your bed and be still speaking so much that the compendious way unto submission and contentment under any lot is to be much in self-examination And certainly self-examination hath much influence upon contentment under every lot because such a one doth most accuratly take up these imperfections and blemishes that are in him so in stead of complaining he is constrained to wonder and cry forth Why should a living man complain a man for the punishment of his sin likewayes one that is much in self-examination is a man that can take up the intendment of the rod as likewayes the advantage of it and so he is constrained patiently to bear the rod in his youth and to sit down and adore the unsearchable wisdom of God in dispensing such things to him That word Prov. 19. 3. is oft-times verified of us the heart of man perverteth his way and then he fretteth against the Lord when he is chastened for it O! but if a Christian were dwelling much at home he might wonder that yet he hath a being in the world and is not cut off from the right hand of the Lord. O! bless him eternally that ye are not sent away to be reserved in everlasting chains There is this likewayes that doth occasion discontentment under our lot and it is want of that divine preparation to meet with every lot that can befal us before it come We think a Christian ought to be general in his resolutions to bear every cross that Christ will carve out And certainly there are these two advantages that a Christian hath of general and universal resolutions First he hath this advantage that when he is chastened as it were in his goods or any other thing that belongeth to him he beginneth to sing a song of praise because it is not worse with him there can no lot befal a man who is universal in his resolutions but he will have a song of praise unto God because of it Secondly he hath this advantage that foresight and resolution to meet with any cross doth exceedingly dispose the Christian for meeting with it we conceive that word which is Iob 3. 25. hath had great influence on Iobs patience for the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me afflictions do oft-times surprize us and so we faint in the day of adversity and so prove our strength to be but small There is this likewayes which occasioneth our discontentment and it is this that little heavenly mindedness that is in a Christian when he meeteth with his rod O! but a Christian sitting down upon mount Pisgah to behold that promised land might with patience bear his rod this is clear 2 Cor. 4. 16. compared with vers 17. where Paul giveth this reason of his courage and constancy under his rod that he had an eye unto those things that were eternal did ye never know what such a thing meant as to drown the thoughts of your present misery in these precious depths of eternity to be beholding so much in heaven as might infinitly solace yea and make up all your losses here I confess that opinion of the Stoicks that did commend apathie and want of passions unto men that they should not be much moved with grief for the want of any thing nor be moved with joy for the having or possessing of any thing is in some sense good hence was it that in some sense they 〈◊〉 divinely nihil boni vel mali accidit homini nisi bonus vel malus animus that there was no evil nor good that did befal man but only a good and evil minde If the heart was in a divine and spiritual frame they knew not what any other sad or anxious lot could do to them There is this likewayes which occasioneth discontentment and it is this the want of the taking up God as the cause and author of those sad evils which befal

resist that temptation and if those three be attained seldom or never is a Christian much foiled by the hand of his iniquities therefore that which I would say to a Christian souldier I would say unto all Watch. There is a fourth cause which is that we are not much taken up in the exercise of secret prayer prayer being indeed that noble and spiritual weapon by which Christians do overcome as is clear from Matth. 26. 41. and 2 Cor. 12. 7. where Paul when a messenger of satan was buffeting him was constrained to beseech the Lord thrice a practice much unknown by the most part of Christians who know not what it is to pray without ceasing when they are tempted much without interruption I think of all the weapons that almost a Christian taketh to resist temptation this is the most effectual for when Sathan seeth that a Christian improves the temptation so much for his own advantage as to make it an errand to go to God then he desists and gives over to contend I confesse a Christian may in so far glory in his infirmities as they give him an occasion to converse more frequently with God O! but had we spent more of our time in conversing with God when we were alone we might have attained many sweet trophies and fruits of our victory which now we have only in hope and expectation There is fifth cause which is that we are not much taken up in the exercise of Faith which is that general peece of armour that Paul doth prescribe unto the Christian Eph. 6. 16 Above all things taking the shield of faith whereby ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked there is that sweet note of commendation put upon this armour that there is no temptation a Christian can meet with but through the exercise of Faith he may be able to overcome it hence Paul saith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the Devil This peece of armour is not only defensive but we may say in some measure it is offensive likewayes now Faith helps a Christian to overcome his temptations and corruptions wherewith he is assaulted not only by laying hold on the infinit strength of him who is the Captain of Salvation but likewayes Faith is that grace which hath the most subtile and divine eye in taking up the strength of corruption O! but a man much in the exercise of Faith is a man that can passe a most accurat sentence upon his lusts and Idols wherewith he doth rencounter there is nothing impossible to the believing man and I think if there be any grace by which a Christian doth ascend most to a divine similitude unto the omnipotency of God it is by the grace of Faith hereby is the Christians power most intended O! but Faith will make those that are weak strong Therefore we would desire you to be exercising your confidence upon him who is that munition of rocks that so through him ye may overcome as likewayes through the word of your testimony This lastly may be a cause that after some small victory over our lusts we are ordinarily entangled with security not knowing what it is to make the victory over one lust a sweet provocation to the overcoming of another I think if we may allude unto that word which is Psal. 18. 37 it ought much to be the practice of a Christian to pursue his enemies till he overtake them and never to return again till they be consumed that by the strength of him who is Iehovah we may run thorow a troup and by our God we may leap over a wall O! but constant exercise in this war never proclaiming a cessation of armes would make a speedy riddance of all our adversaries he then should teach our hands to warre and by our armes a bow of steel might be broken I think that which made David so little successfull over his lusts after some small victory was his security as likewayes in Peter There is no discharge in this war till death and then we shall receive our everlasting arriers for all our toil Now to the second those divine ends that the Lord hath in this why Christians do not attain victory over their lusts though in some small measure endeavouring constancy in war it doth either proceed from this that God knowes that we can better improve a wrestling estate than an overcoming estate while we are here below we can better dispense with war than we can with victory Therefore while we are traveling thorow this wildernesse he doth still keep us in exercise with serpents and scorpions or it doth much proceed from this that we may be kept in a constant dependence upon God and may intertain a holy and constant correspondence with him It is certain that if we were not constrained to walk with God through a principle of necessity seldom would we walk with him through a principle of a Duty or from a principle of love for it is obvious to a Christian upon his secret search that we walk most with God when we stand most in need of him It doth likewise proceed from this that we may be kept humble while we are here below and that we may not be exalted above measure as also that the grace and power of our blessed Lord Iesus in helping us to overcome may be rendered more conspicuous and evident this being the great stage in which Christs power doth most eminently act and appear over our weaknesse and the apprehensions of these insuperable difficulties wherewith we are beset and oft overcome Now to shut up our discourse we shall desire that once ye may give up your names unto Iesus Christ to fight under his royal banner and believe me though your corruptions were never so strong yet at last he shall overcome them the certainty whereof is made out unto you by this that your blessed head hath led captivity captive and is now exalted at the right hand of Majesty on high and the hope and expectation of that blessed issue may make you rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory SERMON II. Gal. 5. 24. And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts O! when shall that great and excellent wonder be seen in heaven which Iohn did see Rev. 12. 1. 6. to behold the invisible Church and those that are expectants of heaven which is that woman clothed and adorned with that spotlesse and beautifull righteousnesse of a crucified Saviour which is pointed out by her being clothed with the Sun and to be regulat by the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles which are indeed those precious Stars that will bring us unto the place where Christ lyes and will sweetly conduct us unto him and withall to have that great Idol under our feet the world the divine emblem of which is the Moon because it is subject to many vicissitudes and changes and hath most different and contrary