Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	faith_n	grace_n	work_n	6,088	5	6.2038	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13071	The anatomie of mortalitie deuided into these eight heads: viz. 1 The certaitie of death. 2 The meditation on death. 3 The preparation for death. 4 The right behauiour in death. 5 The comfort at our owne death. 6 The comfort against the death of friends. 7 The cases wherein it is vnlawful, and wherin lawfull to desire death. 8 The glorious estate of the saints after this life. Written by George Strode vtter-barister of the middle Temple, for his owne priuate comfort: and now published at the request of his friends for the vse of others.	Strode, George, utter-barister of the Middle Temple.	1618 (1618)	STC 23364; ESTC S101243	244,731	328

his seruants a new and strange kind of Philosophie that he shold mourn in the danger of death and yet reioice or at least comfort himselfe with any content in death And therefore his seruants said vnto him What thing is this that thou hast done 2. Sam. 12.21 thou diddest fast and weepe for the child while it was aliue but now he is dead thou doest arise and eate meat And what reason had hee for this strange and vnwonted behauiour He said While the child was aliue I fasted and wept for I sayd Who can tell whether God will haue mercie on me that the child may liue but now being dead wherefore shall I fast Can I bring him againe any more I shall goe to him but hee shall not returne to mee any more Behold the same thing that maketh thee to mourne namely that thy dead shall not returne to thee the very same consideration Dauid made the ground of his quiet and content And thereupon he comforted his heart and would not continue in heauinsse for that which could not bee helped So that it is to a right vnderstanding man ground inough to build content and quietnesse of heart vpon that God hath done his worke which thy sorrow cannot reuoke But peraduenture it will be here obiected that afterward when Dauid heard of his sonne Absolons death hee did so greatly lament and bewaile the same that hee would in no sort bee comforted quite contrarie to that which before hee practized for it is said that he was much mooued 2. Sam. 18.33 and went vp to the chamber ouer the gate and wept as he went saying O my sonne Absolon my sonne my sonne Absolon would God I had died for thee O Absolon my sonne my sonne For the answering of this obiection and your better satisfaction herein wee are to vnderstand that Dauid knew that he had a wicked and rebellious sonne of the estate of whose saluation he had great cause to doubt because he died in rebellion which indeed may seeme to bee the principall cause of his exceeding sorrow and lamentation and not so much for the death of his sonne as for that cause But of his childe he beleeued that he died in the state of grace and so was made partaker of saluation which was the cause that he was comforted presently after his death saying that his son should not returne but that he himselfe should goe to him Euen so in like manner if we feare the estate of our childe or friend that is dead then indeed haue wee great cause to weepe mourne and lament for him as Dauid did heere for Absolon but if we haue no such feare and do hope well and the best of the estate of our childe or friend then must wee with Dauid comfort our selues and say But now he is dead wherefore should I fast and weepe can I bring him back againe I shall goe to him but he shall not returne to me Let them mourne for their dead that know not the hope of the dead and suppose them extinct that are departed But let them that in the Schoole of Christ haue learned what is the condition hope of the dead how their soules doe presently liue with Christ and that their bodies shall be raised vp in glorie at the last day let them reioyce on the behalfe of their dead Amos 8.10 and throw off that burden of sorrow which is so heauie vnto them But you will say he was my onely childe and therefore his death must needs be grieuous Zach. 12.10 Indeed the death of an onely childe is very great and grieuous to parents and a cause of great heauinesse and lamentation yet remember that Abraham was readie to haue sacrificed his only sonne Isaak Gen. 22.3.10 the promised seede at Gods commandement Iohn 3.26 And God gaue his only Sonne Christ Iesus to death for our saluation And to comfort you to the full as Elkanah said to Anna so also much more may the Lord say to vs 1. Sam. 1.18 Am not I better to you then ten sonnes Then though hee bee your only childe and all that you haue there is no iust cause of complaint and griefe seeing the Lord hath taken but his owne and also seeing in his taking of him you giue him but as your pledge and earnest to binde vnto you the right of that inheritance that you expect or as your feoffee in trust gone before to take possession and keepe a place for you in heauen Trust me now or else the time will come when you shall trust me that you haue cause and cause againe to lament and mourne not for them who dying in the Lord are happie with the Lord and rest from all their labours and miseries but as Christ said in the Gospell to the woman that followed him Weepe not for me but weepe for your selues and your children Luke 23.28 so we for our selues and our children for hauing been safe by them and strengthned through them they are taken away from the plague wee lye open to it and it commeth the faster because they which kept it from vs are remoued And the greater our losse is the greater is their gaine and the more cause haue we to sorrow for our selues although to reioyce on their behalfe and to lament for our sinnes that haue depriued vs of their graces goodnesse prayers and holy company and let vs follow them in their faith vertue pietie godlinesse and good workes And yet if for all this their losse the want of their presence be grieuous vnto you and that you still desire their presence and would see them let me speake to you as Chrysostome did to some that were so affected Doe you desire to see them then liue a like vnto them and so you shall soone enioy their holy and comfortable presence but if you refuse so to doe neuer looke to enioy or see them againe It is written of Ierome that when he had read the life and death of Hillarion and saw that after he had liued religiously he died most comfortably and happily said Well Hillarion shall be the champion whom I will imitate euen so let vs say with Ierome Well this godly friend of ours which is deceased shall be our champion whom we will imitate we will follow his chastitie iustice pietie and godlinesse And so if you endeauour and doe say and performe you shall be sure to enioy that in future time which hee possesseth in the present that is heauenly and eternall blisse and happinesse What Pilgrime doth not make speed to returne home into his owne countrie Who hasting to saile homewards doth not wish for a prosperous winde that he may speedily embrace his long desired friends and parents and what are we but pilgrimes on earth what is our country but Paradise who are our parents but the Patriarkes Why make we not hast to runne vnto them that we may see our countrie salute our parents an

infinite number of acquaintance expect vs there our parents brethren sisters friends children kindred that are alreadie secure of their owne immortalitie but yet sollicitous for our safetie what ioy will it bee to see to embrace them Conclude then with your heart that you will bee strong against such losses and pray to the giuer of strength that you may be strong and leaue your losses to the Lord your God that hath gained them blessed for them blessed for you with many thankes for euer and euer The end of the sixt Diuision THE SEVENTH DIVISION OF THE CASES WHEREIN IT IS Vnlawfull and wherein Lawfull to desire DEATH TOuching the cases wherein it is vnlawful to desire death they may be reduced principally into three The first is if God can bee more honoured by our life then by our death then in such a case it is altogether vnlawfull to desie death but rather on the contrary we are to desire and pray for life For which purpose wee haue diuers examples in the holy Scriptures to warrant the same as of King Dauid and king Ezechiah Dauid bewayled himselfe in many of his Psalmes that If God tooke him away he should lacke occasion to honour prayse him as he was wont to doe whilest he was amongst men and therefore hee desired longer life that he might set forth the honour of God amongst the people Returne O Lord sayth he Psal 6.4.5 deliuer my Soule O saue mee for thy mercies sake for in death there is no remembrance of thee in the graue who shall giue thee thank Againe Psa 30.8.9.10 I cryed vnto thee O Lord c. When I go down into the pitte shall the dust praise thee c Againe Psal 88 9 10 11 12. Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction c. shall the dead rise and praise thee And againe Psal 118.17 I shall not dye but liue and declare the workes of the Lord. Ezechiah bewayled himselfe Esa 38.18.19.20 when hee heard the message of death and praied for longer life knowing therby that God should bee more honoured by his life then by his death And therefore sayth hee The graue cannot prayse thee c. And thus may euery godly Christian desire life and not death to this end onely that God thereby may be glorified But yet in this case although it be vnlawfull to desire death so long as God may bee glorified by our Life yet in praying for life to this end we must referre all to Gods good wil and pleasure Therfore if any wil obiect say I might in my place by mine endeauour such as it is for the time to come further profite the Church of God and greatly honour him for this end therefore I could wish that the space of a longer life might be graunted vnto me Answer As the Lord sayd vnto Dauid 1 King 8.18.19 Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house to my name thou didst well that it was in thine heart Neuerthelesse thou shalt not build the house but thy sonne which shall come forth of thy loynes he shall build the house vnto my name Euen so it may bee sayde to thee that whereas it is in thine heart to glorifie God and to profite his Church and therefore thou couldest wish that the space of a longer life might be granted vnto thee to that end thou doest well that it is in thine heart to doe so Neuerthelesse all this must bee commended to Gods disposing that is how long God wil haue thee to remaine in health and life for his glorie and for the good of his Church For hee that hath furnished thee with the giftes of teaching or exhortation or any other good gift for the glory of God and good of his Church he doth know how to furnish others also with the same when thou art gone and as God would not let Dauid build his Temple but did reserue it to be performed afterward by Salomon so God for some secret cause will not haue that good worke furnished by thee but reserueth it for some other time and some other person Therefore if thou art straightned with the Apostle Philip. 1.23 that thou doest not know which of these thou shouldest chuse hauing a desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ which is better for thee or to abide in the flesh which is more profitable for the church Know that to dye is aduantage vnto thee but to liue is aduantage to the Church No man of vs sayeth the Apostle Rom. 14.7.8 liueth to himselsf and no man dyeth to himselfe for whether we liue wee liue to the Lord to the end that wee may glorifie him and gaine more soules to him in the Church or whether we dye we dye to the Lord that we may obey his Fatherly will calling vs out of our Station Whether therefore we liue or dye we are the Lords that most mighty gentle and mercifull Lord From whose loue neyther life nor death can separate vs. Rom. 8.38.39 Thou hast hitherto obeyed the will of the Lord most faithfully spending thy seruices on the Church militant obey him further most readily embracing his will that calles thee to the society of the Church triumphant Thou art rightly carefull out of charity for the encrease of the church notwithstanding thou oughtest out of faith to commit the care of gouerning teaching and conseruing the same vnto God There is nothing heere more wholesome nothing better nor more conformable to pietie then for a man to resigne himselfe wholy to the will of God and to commend the full power of disposing our life and death to him with godlie prayers And one of these two thinges we may vndoubtedly hope for that eyther hee will giue vs that which wee aske or that which hee knoweth to be more profitable Delight thy selfe in the Lord sayeth the Psalmist Psal 37.4.5 and he shall giue thee the desires of thine heart commit thy way vnto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe Secondly it is altogether vnlawfull to desire death through impatience in that wee cannot haue our owne willes wishes and desires Gen. 31.1 In which case Rachell offended for seeing that shee bare Iacob no children shee enuied her sister Exo. 16.23 and sayde vnto Iacob Giue me children or ●lse I dye In like case also the children of Israel offended who murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wildernesse and said Would to God wee had dyed by the hand of the Lord in the Land of Egypt when we sate by the flesh pots did eate bread to the ful Numb 11.10 In this case Moses offēded who said vnto the Lord Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy seruant and wherfore haue not I found fauor in thy sight that thou layest all the burden of this people vpon me Whence should I haue flesh to ●iue vnto all this people For they weepe vnto me saying giue vs flesh that