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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	great_a	people_n	3,792	5	4.4298	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30702	Cosmo-meros, the worldly portion, or, The best portion of the wicked, and their misery in the enjoyment of it, opened and applyed together with some directions and helps in order to a heavenly and better portion, enforced with many usef[ul] and divine considerations / by Seth Bushell ...	Bushell, Seth, 1621-1684.	1682 (1682)	Wing B6237; ESTC R40782	133,437	408

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whilst they are in the midst of their bodies They lye down in care their rest is in unrest sleep departs from their eyes they are fraughted with fears tossed with contrivances hang in suspence and doubt fear to loose care to keep and contrivances how to encrease and augment their Worldly Good is the whole that is acted on the stage of their lives And will not all this exceedingly imbitter their enjoyments The truth is all the good things wicked men do enjoy will scarce answer the charge they will not as we may say bear charges There is so much of trouble and cumber they meet withall here in this World with their Portion that the play is not worth their candle And if so where then lies their Treasure we do not account that as any part of our treasure which is allotted for spending money by the way As if a man goes a voyage that which is to bear charges and to be spent by the way is not reckoned to be part of his Treasure Now all we have here in this World is but spending money to bear our charges whilst we are on our way towards our longer home Secondly There 's a mixture of grief and anguish in and with the Worldly Good of the wicked They meet with manifold crosses and invincible disappointments in their way their designs are frustrated purposes are broken off and their intendments fail and they being void of those Graces and Spiritual Endowments which alone enable with content to undergo cross occurrences hence they are perplexed and stumble and fall and are broken and snared and taken Isa 8.15 They cannot bear their crosses patiently they want the Grace of Patience nor can they take their afflictions humbly they know not what humility means neither can they undergo their disappointments contentedly Phil. 4.11 they ●ave not learned the way of true contentment And so they lye open to all that grief and anguish which any way can be occasionated from affliction without or that can seize upon a Soul that 's void of a Work of true Grace for so their's is within The felicity of the wicked is not therefore to be the Object of any your envy neither is their State desireable Will you envy them the enjoyment of that which is interlarded with so much anguish as imbitters all the sweet and pleasure or desire that State wherewith you must have more gall than gain more grief than glory oh the many Thornes and Briers that are with them I mean the cares and cumber and they dwell amongst Scorpions in the midst of grief and anguish Now there being such a mixture as this in all they have surely their Portion is very poor in the Earth and in their greatest fulness they can never be accounted truely happy Thirdly There 's a mixture of sin and guilt The worst of evils is intermedled with the best good things the wicked do enjoy Sin it is the worst of evils because the cause of all and sting of all There 's nothing properly that can be denominated evil but so far as sin is in it and in its respect to sin There 's sin and guilt in the enjoyments of the wicked though the gifts of God are good in themselves considered and as from him yet so far as their hand as to acquisition is found therein there is a streak that goes along They get and heap together but they heed not how they encrease but it 's that which is not theirs they enrich themselves Hab. 2.9 but it 's by violence and the spoil of the poor is in their houses Isa 3.14 They covet an evil coveteousness to their house that they may set their nest on high that they may be delivered from the power of evil and they sin against their own Soul Hab. 2.9 10. All their work is to make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof Rom. 13.14 They proceed from evil to evil and in their best enjoyments corrupt themselves Idolatry is all their worship and their lust it is their Idol their God is their belly Phil. 3.19 And as they get by wrong so they do not use aright the end of mercies is not aim'd at much less answered by them but all is perverted another way so that their course is evil Jer. 23.10 and their f●rce not right And is not here a stream of guilt going with them all along So that let the whole of their race and way be remarked from their first entry upon their portion to the time of their close and parting with it and you find sin and guilt still to attend so as every day adds new sin to the old guilt to the filling up the measure of their sin till they become out of measure sinfull Surely their condition must needs be very miserable when their Portion has sin thus for it's soul and ferment Fourthly There 's a mixture of curse and vengeance in the good things of the wicked The curse runs along with all their enjoyments though the bitterness thereof may not be felt at present yet it is gone out and shall seize at length A Portion full of deadly Poyson drunk off may not presently work so as in the very instant of its reception to put forth its venom but by and by it does appear Suppose a man have a Son that Marries richly he gets an Heir that is a very rich match and he has a large Portion with her and you go and fetch away the baggs of Gold and Silver that are her Portion and he huggs himself in his rich fortune but if it should prove that every bagg of Gold you have of your Wives Portion should have the plague in it it were but a poor Portion Certainly thus it is with all ungodly ones in the World that whatsoever they do enjoy let their comforts be never so delightfull and their enjoyments never so lovely all the while they live and continue wicked they have the curse of God that goes along and makes way for their eternal misery As true believers have a blessing of God in outward things that lead the way of their eternal good unto them So the wicked and impenitent have the curse of God mingled with a●l their Worldly Good which makes way for their eternal torment §. IX Ninthly Consider the loss unavoidably incurr'd Thou hast gotten one Portion but thou losest a great deal more Thou hast gotten the bagg of Gold but the Plague therein which shall cost thy live So as there is the loss of life with the wedge of Gold Whilst thou hast been busied about the gain and chaffer of the World Josh 7.21 thou hast lost a bargain worth ten thousand Worlds If a man should go to a Fair or Market and make some bargain about some petty thing and afterwards when he comes home knows that by not buying such a thing he hath lost a bargain that would have made him and his posterity

in comparison than the length of a Cane or Trunk through which a man looks on the Heavens or some vast country And ever the greater Magnitude or light there is in a body the smaller will the medium or distance seem from it The reason why a Perspective Glass draws remote Objects close to the eye is because it multiplies the Species We then by Faith apprehending an infinite and everlasting Glory must needs conceive any thing through which we look upon it to be but short and vanishing And therefore though the promises were a far off in regard of their own existence yet the Patriarchs did not only see but embrace them their Faith seemed to nullifie and swallow up all the distance Abraham saw Christs day and was glad Joh. 8.56 He looked upon those many ages which were between him and his promised seed as upon small and inconsiderable distances in comparison of that endless Glory into which they ran they were but as a Curtai● or piece of Hangings which divide one room in a House from another Labour therefore to get a distinct view of the height and length and breadth and depth and the unsearchable love o● God in Christ and to find in thy own Soul the truth of God in his promises and that his word abideth for ever and that wil● make all the Glory of other things to seem but as grass §. IIII. Fourthly Would you have this Eternal good to be your Portion then labour to take off your Hearts from all the outward comforts that are in this present World Let not your Spirits bottom here Men naturally fix upon things that are here below and look no higher The borders of this World are the utmost confines of their thoughts they look no further All their care and study is what they shall eat Mat. 6.31 and what they shall drink and wherewithall they shall be clothed The bent of their Hearts Thoughts and Works is wholly intended to resolve the old doubts which Carnal Men do make how to satisfie the Lusts of the old man by gathering together a stock of Worldly Comforts In this bottom we find all their Hearts imbarqued But now if you have a desire to look upwards and to trade towards Eternity let your Souls loose from these outward Comforts Faith as was told you to see beyond them will loosen your Souls from them shake them off your Hearts as S. Paul did the Viper from his hand Act. 2● 5 Solatio miserorum non gaudia beatorum Aug. Epist 119. Look upon them no further than as merely serviceable to you in the way towards you● journies end whereto yet the● can contribute no further but only as a Viaticum for the body If your thoughts entertain them at any higher rate they will prove a snare and clog unto you in the way They that will be rich 1 Tim. 6.9 fall into Temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull Lusts which drown men in destruction and Perdition Know it is not necessary that you should be rich and great and eminent in this World or that you should have great Estates and incomes here that 's not necessary But it is necessary say that I should have my Heart established with grace Heb. 13.9 It is necessary that I have peace with God and that my sins be pardoned and my Soul renewed It is necessary that I should provide for my Soul and look after the things of Eternal moment but how things go here with me in this present World there is no great necessity so much to concern my self or be affected with them Thus if you will have an interest in the better Portion let your Hearts loose from Worldly Comforts Meditate often upon that saying of our Saviour Christ what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole World and lose his own Soul Mark 8.36 Pray that the Lord would give you the true sense and understanding of this Text that you may know and inwardly digest the meaning of it and find that vertue in it as may loose your Hearts from this present World §. V. Fifthly Let the whole course of your life be carried on in the fear of God and thence seasoned with a fear lest that here should be the All that ever you are like to enjoy As this was made use of as a sign before so now as a means Let the whole course of your life be steer'd as it were with the fear of God lest that God should put you off with present things Think oftentimes with your selves what if I should never enjoy more good than here I have and that with this present life all my good should end Should God now this night take me away out of the Land of the living and give me my Portion in the Infernal Pit of darkness what would all the good of this present life avail me Had it not been infinitly better that I had never known it nor enjoyed it than thus to be put off with it and for a few transitory hours of fading comforts now to lye howling under the justly deserved wrath of an infinite God in paines unsufferable to all Eternity Often do you meditate and think upon the conditions of those how infinitely forlorn they are to whom it falls out to be their lot to have all their good things here Think with your selves that though they now abound in all wealth and store yet you even see them on slippery ground Psal 73.18 when all their good and jolly thoughts shall perish and they never like to enjoy good hereafter any more Let the course of your life be seasoned with such thoughts as these And especially you that have great Portions in this World and you know that hitherto you have done God his Church or People little or no service you have not served him in the abundance and fulness you do enjoy You know there are many poor People that live upon Almes have done God more service and have contributed more to the Honour of his name than you have done with all your wealth in all your dayes Oh you have great cause to fear lest you be the persons who may take up with this World and for whom there 's no good reserved in the World to come Rulers and governours and the great men of the World had need here be caution'd to consider as having cause to fear lest here should be their All. Oh that amidst their fulness they would mind their latter end Chrysostome on the thirteenth Chapter to the Hebrews speaking of Governours hath such a Speech as this I wonder saith he that any governer should be ●aved We will not say so But they are liable to a great deal of temptations and to assaults that are much more furious and violent to the carrying them away than others are who want those Worldly Comforts and advantages which they do enjoy And our Saviour Christ tells us that a man who has

thereof they store up ●s a substa●ce for their Babes Now all 's but a belly-full it is but as meat for their belly and the belly for it both which God will destroy 1 Cor. 6.13 And the men to whom this falls in portion they are but men of the world and so cannot long enjoy these delicious dainties They are mortals and so must yield to the stroke of death which will put an end both to their life and portion after which they shall never enjoy good any more God's mercy it is his own and he will extend the line of it as he pleaseth God so disposeth of his mercy that there are some that shall have Heaven and Earth to be their portion an● their portion is indeed a blesse● portion There are some tha● shall have earth but not heave● and their portion is poor an● mean and sad There are others that shall have heaven bu● not earth and their portion 〈◊〉 good And there are other that shall neither have heave● nor earth and their portio● you 'll say is miserable indee● God's mercy is his own to dispose of as he will and to le● out as he pleaseth It is your Fathers pleasure to give you a kingdo● Luke 12.32 We read of Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 21.3 That he gav● to his other sons gifts but th● kingdom he gave to Jehoram So Abraham calls for Ismael an● Hagar and he gives them ● piece of Bread and a bottle o● Water and sends them away There 's an end of them the● may go and wander in the wilderness of Beer-sheba Gen. 21.14 So God hath people to whom h● gives pieces of bread and bottles ●f water yea some to whom he ●ives great gifts in this world ●ut he keeps the inheritance for ●is Isaac and the kingdom for ●ehoram As for the other who ●ave their good in this present ●●fe they are as sent away and may take their portion with ●hem for there 's their All. CHAP. V. Containing some Reasons why there is such a large Dole of outward Mercies given to the Wicked in this present world And why the Lord is oftentimes so bountiful towards them ALL the Works of God are rationally carried on I mean there is a spiritual reason in them though because of that darkness that is naturally upon man's understanding and so has clouded the discursive faculty of the soul through sin he canno● so fully apprehend them as the● are truly in themselves No● whereas it is the good pleasur● of the Almighty to give som●times unto the wicked a larg● Dole of the good things of th● present life so as they flouri● in all wealth and store doub● less the work of God therein ● right and done in truth an● there is ground of such his bounty towards them Therefore w● will enquire into the Reason that are more obvious W● God will give good things to th● Wicked in this present life Wh● there is such a large Dole of outwar● Mercies oftentimes shared out 〈◊〉 those who are Enemies unto Him who is the Author of every goo● and perfect Gift which is th● second thing offered to enquir● in the handling the Point we a● upon Sect. I. And first they are all God'● creatures though sin have depraved and corrupted their na●●res and rendred them trai●urs and rebels to their Crea●●r yet they are God's crea●●res still though rebellious ●●ey are the workmanship of his ●nds though Satan bear sway 〈◊〉 their hearts And upon that ●ry account as being his work●anship God has some respect ●r them Luk. 6.35 He is kind to the un●●ankful and to the evil Though ●●ey have cast him off yet he ●es not utterly cast them out ●om all the good things of this ●●esent life He owns them as ●s creatures still who disown ●m as their Lord and Sovereign ●hough they will not have him 〈◊〉 rule over them yet he can●ot forget the workmanship of ●s hands Saith Jehu concern●g Jezabel Go 2 Kings 9.34 take away this ●rsed woman though she be ●nder the execution of the just ●●ntence of God upon her and 〈◊〉 liable to the uttermost of re●roach that can be inflicted yet shew some respect unto her her not lye there in the stree● but take her away For she i● kings daughter So saith Go● Well though these be curs● and fuel only fit for the ev●●lasting burnings yet they 〈◊〉 my creatures I cannot utte● here as yet forsake the wo● of mine own hands some ●spect they shall have from m● some good I 'll communicate them they are men of the wor● and therefore they shall hav● belly-full of worldly treasur● Whose belly thou fillest with th● hid treasure Psal 17.14 T●● deep vein of silver and the h●●den place of gold those sec● but rich recesses shall pow● out abundantly into their ●●soms and I 'll give them th● portion here and that beca● though but men of the wor● yet they are my creatures B● it is not an argument strong ●nough that because you a● God's creatures therefore y● sh●ll have eternal mercies that ●●●●cause God is your Creator ●erefore he will be your Saviour a peoples title to eternal mer●●es be no more than this then 〈◊〉 to them For he th●t made ●m will have no mercy on them ●d he that formed them will shew ●em no favor Isa 27.11 Sect. II. Secondly The time of this ●e is the time of God's pa●●ence and the day of his long-●●fferance Now God waits Isa 30.18 that 〈◊〉 may be gracious and his pa●●ence bears long suspending ●●dgment Rom. 2.4 Now the goodness of ●od is leading men to repentance ●●m 2.4 And though the riches ●his goodness and forbearance ●●d long-suffering be despised ●y the wicked yet the time of ●●is life is the day of his good●ess and patience still And ●erefore the wicked have their ●ercies here In their life-time ●●ey have their good things God ●nows Oh that they would consider it that there is ●●ternity before them where to pay them home fully for their sins Deut. 32.42 when there shall be 〈◊〉 time of revenges upon the enem● whereof there shall be a begi●ning but never end So as t●● time of this life being the d● of God's patience and lon● suffering therefore he deals o● such a bountiful dole unto ma● of the wicked Says God 〈◊〉 him take his fill and measure 〈◊〉 his sin let him be filthy sti●● since it is his wilful choice 〈◊〉 wallow in his own vomit a●● to defile himself in the mire 〈◊〉 his lusts I shall not envy hi● any the good things of this pr●sent life psal 37.35 Job 21.11 12 13. Let him spread himse● as a green bay-tree Let him se●● forth his little ones like a flock a●● let his children dance let the● take the timbrel and harp and r●joyce at the sound of the organ● Let them spend their days in wealt● for this is the time of my long-su●ferance but in a moment they sha● 〈◊〉 down

burning like the burning 〈◊〉 a fire Isa 10.12 16. As the ●ssyrian glorified himself in the ●esolations of Israel so will the ●ord bring about his own ends ●d glorifie his great Name on ●oud Assyria As he got him●●lf glory upon the imperious ●gyptians before when ripe for ●in at the red Sea Z●char 11.8 Thus the pride of Assyria is brought don● and the scepter of Egypt depar● away and the Lord alone is 〈◊〉 alted in that day Isa 2.17 Isa 2.17 Sect. IX Ninthly Sometimes the wic●ed prosper in this world b●come great and are mighty 〈◊〉 power that so by them Go● may chastise and correct his ow● people And thus the flouris●ing rod of the wicked is la● upon the lot of the righteous Psal 125.3 an● wicked men are advanced th● they may be as thorns and br●●ers unto God's People By the he scourgeth his own inher●tance He gives a king in his a●ger and after takes him away 〈◊〉 his wrath Hos 13.11 Hos 13.11 T●● Canaanites were left in the lan● that by them the Lord mig●● prove Israel and they were ● thorns to prick and grieve the● Probably many of these wh● were thus bitter enemies unt● Israel were mighty and prosperous in the world not b●b●cause God loves them but that ●o they might be the more able ●nd fitted and so imployed for ●courges unto his People God ●ives the wicked such a large Dole of outward Mercies not ●ut of his love to them though ●hey are ready to gather that Argument but out of his displeasure towards others The Lord makes use of them only ●s a Rod to whip others where●n when they have served his design then the Rod shall be ●ast into the fire and so burned Thus the Prophet speaks of the ●ofty Assyrian and calls him the Rod of God's anger and saith Isa 10.5 that when the Lord shall have performed his whole work upon ●mount Sion then under his glory ver 12 16. he will kindle a burning like the burning of a fire and so the rod of Assyria shall be consumed The Lord gives his Israel into the hands of the Egyptians under sore servitude for many years on the side of their oppressors there Eccles 4.1 is power but they had no comf●●ter they are afflicted and strangers serve under hard bo●dage they are in a land that not theirs and hardly entrea●ed all this comes to pass n● because the Lord loved the ●gyptians and hated the Israelite No the Egyptians are onely scourge and as a pricking brie● and grieving thorn unto Isra●● to preserve them in God's fea● and quicken their graces a●● spiritually raise their hearts t● the time appointed and th● that nation whom they shall serv● will I judge saith the Lor● Gen. 15.13 14. and afterwa●● shall they come out with great s●stance The like might be sa● of the great men of Babylon whereof the Prophet Isaiah ch● 47.6 7. and many others in● whose hands God has give● great things that so they mig●● thereby be fit instruments to ca●ry on his design in the scourg● and chastisement of his people Sect. X. Tenthly The Lord gives a ●ge Dole of outward mercies to the wicked in this life to ●ch us who profess the know●ge of God and an interest him as our God to be and 〈◊〉 like unto him Is God kind to his enemies so should we also unto our enemies Is so bountiful in his gifts then ●nce we should learn to pra●ce those Divine Lessons left on record and exemplified our Saviour Christ Luk. 6.27 28 35 36. to love our ●●emies to do good to them that ●te us to bless them that curse 〈◊〉 to pray for them which de●●ghtfully use us and to be merci●●l as our heavenly Father is also ●●rciful Thus shall we be the ●●ildren of the highest for he is ●nd unto the unthankful and to ●●e evil Luke 6.36 What bet●●r pattern can be set before us ●an a pattern from our heaven●● Father Whence can we ●●ke an Exemplar whereon unerringly to build our pract● but from the God of truth 〈◊〉 whose ways are judgmen● What more effectual mean● the impressing and setting ho● of practical truths can there 〈◊〉 than Example upon Precept 〈◊〉 both these given by God h●●self In that God is thus bo●●tifully good and liberal to ● wicked hence we are to le●● kindness to our enemies and do good not only humanit● as they say but homini 〈◊〉 only to humane nature but 〈◊〉 men though they act contr● to us and be against us W● more against and enemies un● God than the wicked of t● world who are dead in sins ● trespasses and yet we see ho● bountiful the Lord is unto the● in dealing them out such lar● Doles of outward mercies O● let us learn hence to be like o● heavenly Father in doing goo● May not we argue our selv● from hence into such a fram● Surely the design of God herein to teach us to lay aside all ma●e and envy and all revenges 1 Pet. 2.1 Rom. 12.19 ●d to overpower our passions ● a spirit of meekness and to 〈◊〉 like God himself whose ●age we bear in heaping coals 〈◊〉 fire upon the head of our foes 〈◊〉 being overcome of evil but ●●ercomeing evil with good Rom. ● 20 21. Sect. XI Again The Lord gives such ●arge Dole of outward good ●ngs to the wicked in this life ●cause he would have no argu●●nt for love or hatred drawn ●m these outward things ●●e nature of man is prone to ●her an Argument of love or ●red from the dispensations 〈◊〉 providence in this world ●d herein judgeth after the ●h as if what 's pleasing to 〈◊〉 flesh and sensual appetite ●uld argue God's love and ●at's grievous and burdensome 〈◊〉 the carnal part should be an argument of his displeasur● How frequent are the concl●sions of men in Scripture-R●cord according to this hyp●thesis Thus Rabshakeh argu● for his Master Sennacherib agai● Hezekiah His Master had be very prosperous and success in his Martial Undertaking saith he Hath any of the G● of the nations delivered his l● out of the hand of the king of ●syria Isa 36.10 18 19 20. Where are the Gods of h● math and Arphad Where are 〈◊〉 Gods of Sepharvaim And h● they delivered Samaria out of 〈◊〉 hand Who are they amongst the Gods of these lands that h● delivered their land out of my ha● that the Lord should deliver Je●●salem out of my hand Am I 〈◊〉 come up without the Lord aga●● this land to destroy it Isa 36. ● Rabshakeh bolsters up himself a confidence that God was w● him and why forsooth t●● had all along been so prosper● and successful Am I now 〈◊〉 ● saith he without the Lord ●gainst this land to destroy it ●he successes we have had are ●●guments sufficient to inform ●s that he is with us and that ●e will succeed them to us How ●any wicked men are there ●●at upon this bottom stay