Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A73175
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Sixe sermons preached by Maister Henry Smith at Clement Danes Church without Temple barre. VVith tvvo prayers of the same author hereunto annexed.
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Smith, Henry, 1550?-1591.; W. S.
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1592
(1592)
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STC 22775.3; ESTC S125528
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82,174
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185
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may learn to kisse the sonne Psal 2. lest he be angrie and so they perish in his wrath like Sodome He came in the middle age of the world to shew that he was indifferent for the world to giue light and life vnto all that returne vnto him for God respecteth Act. 10. no persons but euerie man of what nation or countrey soeuer he be that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him and he will fulfill their ioyes through Christ yet not when we will but according to his owne good pleasure wheÌ„ he thinketh good Therefore stay Daniell thou shalt haue thy diner anon the Angell and Habacuc are about it Stay Helias anon 1. Kings 17. Exod. 14. the rauens will bring thee meate and thou shalt haue enough Anon Moses will deliuer Israell So saluation is alreadie prepared of God and hath bene long since with fulnesse knowledge and all excellent gifts and he will giue them to vs when he seeth good but we like whining children that will not stay till their milke be cold but would haue it though they be scalded with it so we would haue the knowledge of God and libertie before we know how to vse it We would know the high mysteries and deepe counsels of God before we know our selues we would haue the libertie of the Gospdll when we know no way how to vse it but in securitie But the Lord he will wisely giue vnto vs as it were our bellies full when he seeth it good and when heseeth vs ready for it who knoweth our hearts better then we ourselues A light to be reuealed to the Gentilos and the glorie of thy people Israell You haue heard Simeon shewing the cause why the Sonne was sent froÌ„ the Father why he became man which raigned before in Paradice What moued God to leaue his ioy and his blisse and suffer more then all the world could suffer together A great cause it is that would make a king leaue his kingdome and fal to beggerie A great and wonderfull cause it was that made Iehouah to come downe from heauen to suffer miserie vpon the earth Two causes Simeon sheweth why this Messias came from heauen The first that he might enlighten the Gentiles which sate in darknesse and the second that he might be the glorie of Israell which gloried in their sacrifices in their ceremonies and so had no glorie before he came but were like the Moone when the Sunne doth shine vpon it or like Rachel which despised Lea and became barren And they despised Gen. 19. the Gentils light like that sonne which was angrie because his lost brother came home Luke 15. againe or like those labourers which checked the Lord of the vineyard because he gaue vnto the other labourers more then he Mat. 20. gaue vnto them But the Gentiles are like Gen. 29. Lea who being despised became frutefull Simeon reioyced in Christ not onely for that he was the glorie of Israell but also for that he was the light of the Gentiles Shall the head be sorowfull because the hand is well nay rather the hand should be glad because the head is well and the head because the hand is well The father should be glad because his sonne is stronger then himselfe the mother should be glad because her daughter is wiser then her selfe the brother should be glad because his brother is richer then him selfe the mistresse should reioyce because her mayd is a better houswife then her selfe But we enuie our brethren and our neighbours because they are better then we and because God hath blessed them with temporall or spiritual things aboue vs if we see that they haue learning then we enuy them for their learning if he haue more gifts we enuie him for his giftes if he haue more knowledge we enuie him for his knowledge if he haue more zeale we enuie him for his zeale if he haue more riches we enuy him for his riches and how can we reioyce when euery bodies good is our euill and euerie bodies ioy is our sorow But fixe your eyes vpon Christ alone and he will fulfill your ioy if you looke not backe to Sodome like Lots wife If you loue ioy and gladnesse Gen. 19. Christ is ioy gladnesse if thou loue comfort why Christ is the comforter of all that beare his crosse if thou loue life Christ is eternall life if thou loue peace Christ is peace if thou loue riches Christ is full of heauenly riches and full of liberalitie to bestow them vpon all such as loue God so Christ is all in all vnto the godly they haue more ioy in Christ alwayes and in all things then the richest and glorious and sumptuous Prince in the world then SalomoÌ„ him selfe had in worldly riches honors pleasures ease or felicitie For the wicked which put their trust in riches make theÌ„ gods of gold and money ease and pleasures though they do all that they can to fulfil their lusts and take neuer so much pleasures and be neuer so merrie yet they can haue no true ioy nor no peace of conscience for all the peace the mirth sport they haue is but deceipt all false and indurable like the grasse greene in the morning and withered ere night But when the Lord doth knocke at their hearts and strike them with a feeling of their horrible transgressions as no doubt he wil then they are all in a maze and they can haue no Isa 48. and 58. ioy no peace no rest but they may say in laughter my soule is sorowfull in ease my soule hath trouble in mirth mone in riches pouertie in glorie shame in life my soule is euen dead in plentie my soule wanteth all things wherein it should reioyce it is destitute of all comfort and possessed with all slauish feares like Cain who being Lord of Gen. 4. all the earth yet had no ioy in it when God had once forsaken him Likewise Saul wheÌ„ 1. Sam. 16. God had forsaken him he had no ioy of all his kingdome nor of all his riches and then who had more ioy Saule the king or Dauid the subiect So then we see that perfect ioy can be had in nothing but in God and in Iesus Christ Wherefore as by the streame you may be led to the fountaine euen so let the ioy and peace of this life serue to leaâ—e vs to God which is perfect ioy and peace there rest like the wise men which were guided by the starre to come to the true sonne of grace Iesus Christ when he was borne and if we rest not in him when we haue found him there is no rest for vs but like the restlesse doue which fluttereth about findeth no rest any way til she returned to the Ark but we seeme as though we sought him and found him when as we do but play the hypocrite Salomon saith that the wayes of a whore are prosperitie
testimonie of your ignorance and then after a litle conference they will graunt that indeed it doth not profit theÌ„ Then we must replie and say God hath made all things to profit vs hath commanded that nothing be vsed vnprofitably no not so much as a vaine word speaking saying that for euerie idle word we must giue account at the day of iudgement Then they replie againe saying Mat. 12. if it do them no good it doth them no harme But we must reply and say it were good to beware least it do thy selfe harme Another sort wil replie and say I pray God I neuer do worse But to such we must answer I pray God you may do better you should first know whether you do not harm before you do it For in deed it must proceed of harme being spoken in doubting without faith for if you beleeued that they were layde vp in peace whome you praye for what need you pray for them at all But it shewes an vnbeleeuing heart and we know that whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne and the Lord will say of them who hath required those things at your hand you haue wrought vanities Now therefore you will not leaue it because you vsed it then will you say also we will not leaue our lying nor our swearing nor our cursing because we haue vsed it It will grieue me if I heare you vse these speeches hereafter hauing no reason nor proofe of Scripture to maintaine it by or to be your warrant in it Therefore I charge you in the name of God that you vse them not but rather when you heare this or aniâ— other sinne condemned to lay hands vpon it see that you put it to death without delay according to the law of God Simeon wished to die and had good cause so to wish because God promised that he should be deliuered from this miserable life when he had scene his glorie and the light of Gentils The wicked wish to die that thereby they might haue deliuerance from their troubles worldly vexations as they suppose which in deed is rather an increasing and aggrauating thereof But the faithfull when they wish to die they do it in great zeale and loue of God vsing it as the best remedie against sinne that therby they might ceasse froÌ„ offending their good God shewing thereby that they are as it were weaâ—ie of the seruice and bondage of Sathan and sinne Therfore they desire death that therin they may glorifie God as in their liues they haue done and sought to do For man was not borne at his owne will neither shall he die at his owne will therfore they as it were begge leaue of God for it Sampson was a figure of Christ in that he Iudg. 16. glorified God at his death more then all his life in killing so manie of Gods enemies I shewed you that they are guiltie that killed themselues with surfets or drunkennesse or intemperat vsing of them selues yea although they teÌ„der their liues neuer so deere yet they are in the guilt because they vse the meanes that dotâ— shorten it According to thy word When Sathan hath once possessed 〈◊〉 theÌ„ profits and pleasures bring vs to our possession and though they do so professe religioÌ„ and godlinesse yet they can neuer haue anie comfort by it all their life For their owne hearts accuse them for hypocrites because they wayte not for the consolation of God according to his word whatsoeuer is not done according to that word can not be acceptable and this word they care not for neither set it in any estimation When AdaÌ„ seeth his nakednesse the suttle serpent can deceiue no longer but before he saw his nakednesse he is euer deceiued and led away with the multitude into innumerable errors Some say they shall be saued by mercy and some thinke by good workes and some by the Popes pardon others say by Purgatorie and these will haue a Masse song for them as long as the world standeth and all for one sillie soule thinking to be saued by it yet see their blindnesse for they seeme to thinke that their torment shall not ceasse as long as the world staÌ„deth else why should they find and hire men to say Masse for theÌ„ so long But these are the fat morsels of Bels priests for this cause is the Popish Creed made verie fauourable to the Clergie Well say that ignorance is the mother of their deuotion for when the couetousnesse of the priests and the ignorance of the people ioyned together then they inuented Purgatorie Masses prayers for the dead and then all their trinkets For if they had not held our fathers in ignorance they would neuer haue bin Papists But when they cast a mist before the eyes of men then the blind fel into the diteh which doth containe so manie grosse corruptions I shewed vpon this woord seruant that the godly would not leaue this priuiledge for all the riches in the world for that they are the seruaunts of God fellowes to Angels and princes for we serue him whom Salomon serued who is blessed for euer Euerie seruingman beares the cognisance of his maister vpon his sleeue But what will the Lord say when he commeth and findeth vs marked with the badge of Sathan surely he will say giue vnto Sathan that which is Sathans for all the houses of Israell are sprinkled with the blood of the Lambe and all Exod. 12. Ezech. 9. Reuel 10. the mourners are marked and al the chosen are sealed with the seale of the liuing God Well was it sayd the poore receiue the Gospell The young men are more forward in the truth and more zelous then the aged Once the younger brother stole away the blessing froÌ„ the elder therefore the elder hated him euen for his zeale wheÌ„ was Iacob hated more then he is now when was he so hated and persecuted as he is now by Esau Yet in the old time men were more zealous in their age then euer we heare of them to be in their youth yea they were zealous in the Lords businesse Age hindered not Noah Gen. 6. from building of the Arke when God commaunded him age hindered not Simâ—on froÌ„ reioycing and mirth when he beheld embraced the Lord Iesus Christ Then old Simeon embraced Christ and he enioyed him with heartie ioy in zeale but now where is old Simeon there are but few of them to be seene comming to the Temple to receiue Christ but now yong men receiue yong Dan. 1. 1. Sam. 2. 3. 1. Tim. 4. PhilemoÌ„ 10 Simeons yong Daniels yong Samuels yong Timothies and yong Onesimus and the yong infants begin to speake againe The yong haue him they are zealous and I hope they wil keepe him though old men neglect him Sathan thou hast too much for nothing alreadie Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes haue seene thy saluation He which