Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	great_a	time_n	5,928	5	3.4202	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94794	A legacy for saints; being several experiences of the dealings of God with Anna Trapnel, in, and after her conversion, (written some years since with her own hand) and new coming to the sight of some friends, they have judged them worthy of publike view; together with some letters of a latter date, sent to the congregation with whom she walks in the fellowship of the Gospel, and to some other friends.	Trapnel, Anna.; Proud, John, fl. 1654.; Ingold, Caleb.	1654 (1654)	Wing T2032; Thomason E806_1; ESTC R207169	57,632	72

first rising out of the Sea which Sea in its self when not troubled its very clam and smooth and to swim upon it there is no danger if we keep in the ship we are safe but when winds arise this calm Sea is troubled contrary winds makes the smooth Sea full of waves and billows and it becomes very tempestuous and the creature is put to some plunges and tossed up and down though in the ship yet many are put to great straits by reason of such mighty storms which sometimes S●a-men meet withall yet valiant Sea-mens hearts do not sink without a leak be sprung in the ship then their hearts ake and the st●u●est spirits then begin to dye but as long as the ship is firm the coragious Marryner doth not fear there is no danger so long as they keep the Sea under them and out of them it will never drown them but prove a sweet refresher Oh what pleasure doth the Marryners take when they get the mastery over the storm and not it over them This Sea in which my spirit first received trouble and dark dissertion began to take hold of my rejoycing spirit it was an eager pressing after the way of worship to know the right way and to enjoy it I earnestly sought for but could not find now there arose contrary winds which did blow so strong that this smooth and pleasant Sea began to be so full of waves and storms grew so fast that my joy sunk there grew a thick skin over my sight of union and truly I minded not that which was my life so much as the enjoyment of a way of worship which night and day I lay poring upon I could not take my natural rest my thoughts dwelt so continually upon the study of Ordinances and the right administrations according to that practice in the time of the Apostles the which I could not find any come up unto fain I would have been in the practice of all the Ordinances that Christ left his Disciples to be helps meet to them and I believe they are a Sea on which Saints may swim safely till they arrive at their haven of eternal glory Saints voyage continues till their mortal shall put on immortality and till then the waters are for Saints to float upon Saints you are a float keep in your Ark and you are safe take heed of the blustring winds which is too much eagerness extrams will toss your spirits they may drown your comfort and joy of union though nothing can possibly drown your union Saints you have need to stand upon your watch Tower even at the time when you are seeking after spiritual things for we have within us such a corrupt spirit which proves such a treacherous enemy it betrayes us into the hands of Satan which is that roaring Lion that goeth about seeking whom he may devour and so joyneth with our enemy within us to fight against us Therefore unto all the Saints that practice as they think all the Ordinances that Christ left to his Disciples I shall speak this word to you have a care your fall not overhead and ears into this Sea If you keep upon it it may be very sweet to you but if it once flow over your spirits you sink my meaning is this if any thing below Christ yea though it be an institution of Christ if thou exalts it higher then thou shouldst thou dishonourest Christ and indangers thy spirituall welfare truly Saints are very apt to misplace things every thing may be usefully kept in their right sphear but when that which should be beneath gets uppermost then comes in confusion and darkness for it we rejoyce more in the Administration then in the Administrator dark misty clouds will arise upon our spirits and if a second vail cover our sight it is worse for us then when the Law was a vail Obscurity after the shining of Gospel light is terriblyer to bear then that darkness before a freedom for when once the soul hath a freedom from legall bondage by the spirit that it can cry Abba father and have Communion in the sight of union with God as their father and now though union may be in sight yet it is afar off and for want to Communion the poor soul cannot take the felicity in its union as it should And truly if we have too high esteem of things we shall enthrall our selves Therefore dear friends let God be your all and not Ordinances let God be your all and not any practice though a practice prescribed by the spirit it s a dangerous thing to have our thoughts too much upon or after things we are so apt to make that our all our hearts are so ready to delude us when our eye is a little off Christ therefore let us still desire a fixed eye upon God in Christ for this is the safest Road there is no damage to that soul that continually keeps his feasts with Christ for Christ is at all the cost Oh that Saints were more in spiritual practice the Lord knoweth I would not undervalue or have a slight thought of of any Administration or of any Saint for surely I prize them but the sum of all my speaking is to give God his due and by him we shall be thought to give every thing its due and in so doing how sweet will our harmony be and though we be at a loss in respect of externa●● yet that sweet internal converse will delight our spirits if that be not smothered by sin and Satan which aims to give that a greater blow then any thing else and this blow my spirits felt it was not externals that caused my dissertion for they are good in themselves I would not be thought to make them the cause or put fault in them the fault was in my self concerning Ordinances I still went on trying and examining the way which sundry Congregations walked in and I walked a moneth or there abouts with one Congregation and a time with another and so with divers people I tryed their way but I could not be satisfied in my seeking because I found not neither was I taken off from that restless frame I was in till a constant over powring word came which was this I say to thee wait it is the mind of thy God that thou shouldst wait then my spirit was quiet and I clearly understood that it was the mind of God not to discover a way of worship to me in that I could not behold the practice of any people under any form to be like the pattern in mount Sion I could not apprehend their practice to be like that of old time which the Scripture makes mention of which was a practice full of the spirit and the gifts of the spirit they had not onely a letter but the spirit bear witness to their practice they were full of the spirit of love and unity not judging and ready to censure those that were not under the dispensation as they were