Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A85247
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The sinner's tears, in meditations and prayers. By Tho. Fettiplace. Dom: Pet: Cantab.
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Fettiplace, Thomas, 1601 or 2-1670.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing F830; Thomason E1328_1; Thomason E1529_1; ESTC R208916
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91,855
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193
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enough for me to consider the Divine nature in Unitie of Essence unless I go yet further and find a Trinity of Persons to be curious in this search is dangerous to be careless damnable nothing may be here safely seen but what is gratiously revealed Lord no man can see thee as thou art in thy self suffer mee therefore to see thee as thou art unto us that I may know thee and love thee and delight in thee and be for ever known and loved of thee If there were not an eternity of being then it may be truly said that not being was before being and so that being had its rise from-not being by causing it self to be when it was not So should Privation which was eternally evill produce that glorious being which is eternally good Seeing this cannot be it will hence follow that being was from all eternity and that this being was eternally Good for that which was good in the effect must needs be far more eminently good in the cause That this eternall good being must be also infinite because eternity it self is infinite That this infinite eternall good being must be of infinite power to continue infinitely That this infinite power must also bee of infinite understanding to support and preserve this eternall infintie good beeing and this infinite understanding is God Where there is an infinite understanding there must also be an infinite object to be understood els could it not be insinitely active and so should both eternity and infinitie suffer diminution and become defective which were for them both to be and not to be which is impossible and seeing there can be no object infinite out of God therefore this eternall infinite and ever-blessed object must of necessity be God Where there is an infinite understanding and an infinite object to be understood there cannot choose but be an infinite and eternall love for from this infinite Understanding of this infinitely amiable and for ever blessed object there must needs proceed an infinite delight whereby it infinitely injoyeth its own excellency and eternally reflecteth on the beauty of its own perfection els this infinite eternall understanding should want power to enjoy this infinitely aimiable object and so should be neither good infinite nor eternall and this infinite and eternall love is God Now because this Understanding Object and Love are all infinite and that whatsoever is infinite must of necessity be God it will from thence truly and undoubtedly follow that this understanding is God this Object God and this Love God And because it is as equally impossible that there can be any more than one infinite therefore it will as assuredly follow that these three are one three in Existence one in Essence three in Order one in Eternity three persons one eternall infinite glorious incomprehensible wise God to whom be glory for ever Amen This is that blessed Father Son and Holy Spirit that ineffable most mysterious Trinity in Unity eternally injoying blessedness in its own Essence This is that blessed inter-union of that ever blessed Spirit that most unspeakable immutable incomprehensible fruition of eternall joy at which the blessed Angells stand amazed in which the blessed Saints shall sweetly rest themselves for ever All this and infinitely more than this thou art Lord in thy self thy Wisdom Justice Mercy Truth Power Holiness and whatsoever other Attributes thou art pleas'd to take unto thy Divine Essence are unto thee one although unto us divers and thou art therefore pleased diversly to manifest thy self unto us because we cannot otherwise conceive thy being than according to thine outward working thy distinct operations are unto us the divers Indications of thine eternall undivided and for ever blessed essence And now Lord who can see thee thus and live I have hitherto seen nothing but destruction to my body amazement to my soul In thine Essence there is light inaccessible unto which no mortall eye can approach in thine attributes terror unutterable from which no mortall man can escape Thy wisdom trying my corrupt heart and scoarching my sinfull reines Thy Justice most severe fearfull in the pronunciation dreadfull in the execution Thy truth admitteth of no alteration no Judgement pronounced but precisely fullfilled Heaven and Earth shall pass away but not one tittle of thy sacred word Thy Holiness is such that even the blessed Angells are impute in thy sight what then shall become of me a miserable wretch the thoughts of whose heart are only evill and that continually were it not for thy rich mercy I were lost for ever by this alone I am for ever reconcilâ—d unto thee and shall eternally be blessed with thee I can here with joy unspeakable and glorious behold thee my loving Father affectionately imbracing me in Christ from all eternity by the sweet working of thy holy Spirit this is that truly-blessed vision of the sacred and mysterious Trinity in this life of Grace that will for ever make me truly happy in that of Glory Lord if I find thee not Three in One to my soul's comfort in this life I shall never be found of thee to be blessed in thee in that to come Without thy Power it had not been decreed without thy Wisdom it had never been acted without thy Love it had never been sinished Here in a severe Judge I joyfully behold a mercifull Redeemer In a glorious Divinity a true Humanity united to the Deity not mixed with it Before I had three Persons in one Essence here I have two Natures in one Person God and Man one Christ in whom and by whom I have a joyfull interest and undoubted union in the Godhead Here is the Father promising the Son performing the Holy Spirit confirming This is alone that blessed sight of God that bringeth rest and quietness to my weary soul To know him to be my God to have suffered for my sin and risen again for my Justification To find him supporting sustaining me in my infirmaties relieving my wants chastising my errors revenging my wrongs repairing my breaches directing my wayes protecting my person wounding rending breaking my obdurate heart creating in me a clean heart and renewing a right Spirit within me bemoaning bewailing mine iniquities inviting nay compelling me to mercy and forgiveness Seeing now O my Soul that Gods being in himself is incomprehensible and his Love in Christ unutterable with what Filial fear shouldst thou think of him with what awfulness name him with what reverence and preparedness pray unto him with what heat of affection love him with what carefulness and conscience fear to offend him with what cheerfulness and holy diligence devote thy service to him Blessed Lord Seeing that I am utterly unable of my self to comprehend thee O let me be graciously comprehended of thee that corruption may be swallowed up of immortality and humane frailty of eternall glory As thou hast given me an understanding in part to know thee so give me also affections intirely to love thee and fixed
the triall of my courage of my Christianity if I overcome I shall rejoyce on earth triumph in heaven If that evill one were as powerfull as malicious I had just cause to fear him but now my comfort and assurance is that he cannot hurt me but by me He now strongly labours to encline my will and wo were me if he might compell it his subtile suggestions his unclean solicitations his fulminated motions may be the father begetting but mine own corrupt heart is the mother conceiving there can be no danger from abroad if there be no treason at home Look well into thy self therefore O my soul ascend the Watch tower of thine understanding and see that there lurk therein no seeming shews no specious pretences no gross lies no false proposals to betray thee if thy head be surprised thy heart cannot long hold out Examine thine affections try them by the blessed rule of divine precepts if they be not sharply corrected they will soon be corrupted endeavour to resist the very first motions to sin for if Satan can beguile thine affections he will undoubtedly command thine actions Quicken thy memory by the momentany pleasure of sin by the heavy judgements threatned against it by the sad consequences of it by the eternity of torments after it Think how often thou hast been allready foyled how many serious vows and faithfull promises thou hast allready made to God of thine amendment how carelesly thou hast dispensed with them all and how presumptuously persisted in thy follies O think how gracious thy God hath been unto thee in forbearing how wonderfull his mercy is in pardoning how justly he might now destroy thee even in the very act of sinning Lord if none of all this will yet scare me from sinning against thee nor allure me to repenting that I may draw nearer home unto thee O let me yet confider who it is that leadeth me to fight and wherefore I have engaged Thou O my blessed Saviour art my Captain and Heaven is my Country Shall I now lose those rivers of eternall pleasures for this short this false this momentany joy shall I run from thee who art the Prince of Peace and who hast spilt thy pretious blood for me unto that cruel enemy of Mankind who hath drawn so much blood from me Shall I forsake thee who hast layd down thy life for me and inslave my self to him who every minute seeketh to devour me Shall I dishonor thee my God grieve thine holy Angels shame my profession wound mine own conscience terrifie mine own soul seek mine own ruin If I consent to this temptation that God whom I dishonour will abhor me those blessed Angels whom I grieve will forsake me those cursed spirits whom I obey will deride me that conscience which I now wound will accuse me that glorious Gospel which I shame will condemn me and that ruin which I now seek will for ever seize upon me Let this move thee O my soul as thou exspectest happiness to take up a blessed resolution of resistance If the assault dismay thee let the conquest encourage thee if the beginning be sharp the close will be sweet if nature be dejected grace will be strengthened and as grace increaseth here so shall glory hereafter Consider last of all what Saint James saith and fix it in thy thoughts as chief of all Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tryed he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him Jam. 1.12 Thrice happy is that soul which is faithfull in Gods service although it may often faint it shall never fail it may sometimes be foyled but shall never be overcome it shall never fall totally it can never fall finally for thou Lord upholdest it and in thy love it is sure of safety here of triumph hereafter Blessed God With grief of heart I willingly confess that I have shamefully dishonored thy great and glorious name by mine often failings by my many faintings and more wretched yeeldings to the shame of my profession the grief of thy good Spirit and the terror of my frail condition Lord how wretched is my soul without thee and yet how easily how willingly am I enticed from thee even at this instant I am ready to forsake thee and may most justly fear to be forsaken of thee The world allureth me the flesh besotteth me the devill beguileth me and mine own false heart deceiveth me and is now ready to rebell against me O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me Lord Jesus assist me and let thy saving grace be now and evermore sufficient for me Lord rebuke these evill thoughts relieve my miserie support my weakness strengthen my willingness give me an undaunted courage in thy service an unfeigned sorrow for my former failings and constancy of heart against present suggestions and future temptations that I may find no sweetness but in thy love no pleasure but in thy service no profit but in thy rewards Amen CHAP. 26. Upon the Infirmities of the Saints Lord WIth grief of heart I confess that I find a Law in my members rebelling against the Law of my mind and leading me captive to the Law of fin so that those things which I would do I cannot and I dayly and hourly do those things which I would not yet my comfort is that I make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof By the weakness of mine own corruptions I often fall into sin but by the blessed assistance of thy grace I abhor to lie there sin oftentimes surpriseth me but by thy rich mercy hath never yet reigned over me It hath often deceived me but I trust shall never destroy me It hath pleased thee O my blessed Saviour to conclude all things under sin that thy grace may abound while I strive against it and am afflicted for it my sinfull desires will I trust be graciously accepted and in thy perfect obedience gloriously rewarded Be not dismayed therefore O my soul that thou sometimes art ravished with apprehension of thy heavenly joyes and suddenly relapsed to the follies of a wretched heart the one thou happily enjoyest by the sweet assistance of the heavenly Spirit the other thou violently sufferest by the strong torrent of my sinfull nature Lord such is thy great wisdom and inconceivable goodness towards me that oftentimes thou leavest me unto my self and therefore sufferest me to fall and that most grievously sometimes that I may see mine own infirmities and be truly humbled for them that I may impute nothing to mine own merits but give all the glory to thy sufferings that I may goe out of my self and mine own misery into the sweet enjoyment of thy rich and endlesse mercy Consider therefore O my soul that so long as thou continuest in this valley of tears thou canst not live without this burthen of sin so long as thou carriest this frail body about thee continuing weaknesses