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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	life_n	see_v	2,826	5	3.2572	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09958	The doctrine of the saints infirmities Delivered in severall sermons by John Preston Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of Emanuel-Colledge in Cambridge. And late preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1636 (1636)	STC 20219; ESTC S115062	47,226	230

friends lived but all this doth not argue life in us because they are but extrinsecall causes as a hand may make a stone move upwards the stone hath not life therefore but when a man is so farre inlightned so fashioned and formed by Iesus Christ that hee judgeth aright of the waies of God and being thus formed he moves himselfe to doe good then he is said to be alive when Christ shall set up Iudgement in the heart of man to see the evil of the waies of sinne and the good that is in the waies of God even then hee moves towards those wayes naturally willingly such a one hath life in him Let some consider this that live in the Church under good Tutors or Masters or Parents that are carried on in a crowde of good company they may do much and yet have no life because it may proceede from an outward cause not froman inward perswasion of the heart of the goodnesse of the waies wherein they walke There is a two-fold perswasion one is that the wayes of God are good a bare perswasion onely and yet this stirres not men up to walke in these wayes but it lyes dead in the heart But there is another perswasion which is ingrafted in the heart that moves a man to new obedience 1 Iames 21. 22. So wee shall finde there a double expression of light one which barely shewes men all evill and good But there is another light with life Iohn 8. 12. He that followeth me shal have the light of life It is an Hebraisme hee shall have the light of life that is the lively light Ephes. 5. 14. Awake from the dead and Christ shall give thee light The first difference betweene them is the one reveales the wayes of God but so that the affections are not mooved the hands are not set on worke But the other is when that the wayes of God are so revealed that wee see an amability an excellency in them and so that we lift up our hearts unto the waies of the Lord as before we did unto vanity that is wee desire earnestly to walke in them Consider how you sitted up your hearts to riches pleasures and other earthly vanities if now you so lift up your hearts to walke in his waies then here is that inward perswasion that lively light wrought in you that life whereof wee speake This life is nothing else but that which the Scripture calleth faith Now there is a dead faith spoken of and how shall wee know it to bee dead Thus when it stirs us not up to good works And howshall wee know it is living when it moves us willingly and readily to duties of obedience Christ dwels in the heart by faith so saith St. Paul The life I now live is by faith in the sonne of God Gal. 2. 20. that is there are two men that looke on Christ one lookes on him beleeves all the promises all threatnings all his word opens his heart le ts Christ come in and rule and doe there what he list Another saith if you aske him that he beleeves all this but we shall know it by this because it doth not make him moove forwards unto new obedience now according to our life that is in us so is our strength the lesse life the lesse strength Revelations 3. 8. The Church of Philadelphia is said to have a little strength now if you would know whether you have true strength or no you must distinguish betweene life and strength to wit the least degree of strength will first enable a man to do all things in some measure though not in that measure you should it wil enable you to love God to beleeve to pray c. you can doe something of every thing Phil. 4. 13. I can doe all things through Christ that strengthneth mee Secondly though it do not reach the highest degree yet it aimes at it and hath a desire to come to it After he had said he had not yet attaind to perfection but aimed at it made forward toward it he ads let as many as be perfect be thus minded the least spark of fire wil endevour to rise above the Aire as well as the greatest and where true strength is it wilendeavour to be stronger Thirdly this is not an empty leveling at it but it grows up to it so doth not other common strength there is a strength in iron to resist violent stroakes and in a rocke to resist the force of the waves but this is not a vital strength so in other men there may be strength of resolution but it is not a selfe moving strength therfore it cōtinues as it was growes not but in vitall strength there is a period to which it growes never rests til it comes up to it as we see in plants and other living creatures and men they grow up to their full strength so Christiās have their period which they grow up to this period is perfect holines w ch they cannot attaine to in this life and therfore they are stil growing so lōg as they live Now then see if you have such a strength if you can find that you have then there is life in you and that is the first that we propounded to shew that there must bee some life some strength The second thing was that this strength is subject to much bruising A bruised reed will he not breake A wea Christian though he have not the strength of a man yet he hath the strength of a child though not of a tree yet of a plant and such strength is subject to bruisings and the lesse strength the more subject it is tobruisings as we see in plants Now bruisings are of two sorts and both arising from sinne The first arise from sin as it is unpardoned that is as you apprehend sin to be unpardoned the more ready you are to be bruised The second sort ariseth from sinne as it is unmortified when a man sees still that sinne growes up which he had thought he had cut down he is ready to bee bruised The former sort is contrary to the grace of justification the latter to that of sanctification now Christ hath promised to heale these bruises w ch is the third thing to be considered let those therefore that are thus weak cōsider this promise here that Christ will heale all these bruisings and so all other the promise for this purpose that he will heale these bruisings which arise from our doubting of justification Esay 61 1 2 3 4 ver this is the bruising for which Christ came into the world to preach glad tidings to the weak and to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives Therefore if a poore soule would goe to Christ and say thus Lord I am bound with a chaine of my sins and thou camest to set such at liberty Christ hee would doe it for he was

common light against naturall conscience against the secōd table Now this is in a lower sphaere they are sorry but not godly sorrowful they cannot grieve for omission of spirituall duties required in the first table and so wee see they are not pitcht on the same objects which makes a greater difference Now for the further and fuller clearing of this point we will answere some questions or cases First suppose I have striven long against such a lust and done what I can and yet cannot prevaile against it shall I say that this is an infirmity To this I answer first that we may be and are often deceived in this when we have striven long against it yet wee grow worse and that the infirmity gets ground of us for an infirmity may appeare to get strength when as it looseth it As when we cleanse a pond it appeares more muddie then it was before though in trueth it loseth mud more and more Every contrary the more it is resisted the more it appears as fire the more cold is about it the hotter it is so an infirmity the more it is resisted with the contrary grace the more it appears to prevaile though in trueth it loseth ground and strength And therefore secondly I give this rule that though you have striven yet you must not leave off but continue your striving still and yet be content with Gods hand in suffering such an infirmity in you for there is a double contentment first that which is opposed to murmuring against Gods hand and impatiency and so we must be content to suffer an infirmity on us we must not repine at Gods proceedings Secondly such a contentment as is opposed to striving against the infirmity and so we must not be content to suffer it on us but must strive constantly against it As in a naturall disease wee are to labour to have it cured but if God will have it lie upon us we must be content So here wee should continually strive against our infirmities but if God see good to let it rest upon us wee must be content with his hand for God doth it that wee might have something to humble us and Humility is the Nurse of grace without which all grace would wither and decay And againe the power of God rests and dwells in an upright heart and that must have an empty place and humility makes roome for this when the power of God dwels in us when it beginnes to settle in a mans heart if he now begin to grow up in conceit of himselfe this expells the power of God and crouds it out And therefore God would have something to be in us to keepe us in an humble condition It is with us as with Paul when hee looked on his infirmity at the first he was impatient would have no deniall at Gods hand but have it removed hee prayed thrice that is often to this purpose But when he saw it was a medicine which he thought a poyson that it served to humble him by that meanes the power of God dwelt in him then he was content and so should we Againe thirdly I answere suppose you doe not get victorie over your infirmity and you be no better then you were before nay lose ground of it yet strive still for this strife makes you hold head against it which otherwise you would not do for if when you strive you doe but keepe your ground or lose somewhat then what would become of you if you did not strive at all should you not goe quite downe the streame and lose all yes certainely As a man that rowes against the streame so long as he rowes he doe some good loseth some ground and getteth some but if he leaves rowing he goes quite downe the streame And as a man may keepe the field against his enemie though he doe not conquer him yea though he loseth ground yet it is one thing to keepe the field and another thing to bee beaten out and overcome now this continuall striving makes a man to keepe the field against his infirmity and not to be overcome and therefore its worth the while to continue striving Lastly I say that though a man is sure of victory and that his cause is never so good and that he goes on a good ground yet GOD may in his wisedome so dispose of the matter that hee may lose the victorie for a time as wee see the Israelites in a good cause were foiled twice by the Beniamites and so the Disciples of CHRIST that were sent on his businesse to fish they fished all night in vaine And so Moses though he went on Gods errand yet he prevailed not a good while but the people were oppressed more than before Exod. 5. And so Paul though he was called to goe to Macedonia yet see in the storie what a many letts he had yet afterwards he planted a Church there so when wee strive against any sinnefull lust our cause is good and wee have a certaine promise that wee shall overcome even as certaine a promise as Iosuah had that he should drive out the Canaanites and overcome them when the Lord encouraged him saying I will not faile thee nor forsake thee So sure a promise have wee in the 1. Luke 74. wee shall be delivered from all our enemies that so wee might serve God in holines therfore be not discouraged though thy infirmitie hang long upon thee but strive against it and in the end thou shalt get the victory A second question is whether an infirmitie may hang on a man all his life or no for some men may say I have had a sinne which haunted mee all my life hitherto and may doe till my dying day for ought as I doe know and shall I then say this is an infirmity In this case wee must distinguish of infirmities for infirmities are either occasionall which are occasioned by some other accident or habituall w ch stay longer by a man and these are either naturall to us and so proceed either from our parents and so are hereditarie to us even as some diseases are and so wee are subject to the very same infirmities that our parents are else they are such as arise from the temper of our owne bodies Such as proceed from our naturall complexion or else such as proceed from custome which is another nature now I say that occasionall infirmities such as arise from without as such as come from Sathan these continue but for a fit and doe not last all a mans life God doth usually set Sathan a limited time hee may give him liberty to tempt a man but hee sets him his bounds thus long he must doe it and no longer usually I say God doth thus For he may suffer him to doe it longer but seldome all a mans life But now for our naturall hereditarie infirmities these may and doe oftentimes continue for tearme of life for they have a roote

his bosome and those that are weake and cannot keepe pace with others hee wil guide them and drive them on according to their pace and hee will drive on the strong according to their strength and though hee beare with the weake hee expects more from the strong See how Iacob ordered his flocke in that manner that he would not out-drive them and shall not God doe so also who hath taught the husbandman this discretion Isaiah 28. use it himselfe surely he will in the 1. of St. Iam. ver 5. If any man lacke wisedome let him aske it of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth none and it shall bee given unto him that is you shall finde this difference betweene God and man If one be foolish and goes to man man is ready to despise him and laugh at him but if hee aske wisedome at Gods hands he gives it to him liberally and twits him not with his folly upbraides him not with his weaknesse looke how a tender mother deals with her child the more its weaknesse is the more tender she is of it so doth Christ guide us according to our weaknesse and tender us the more because wee are meeke and humble and therefore wee have no cause to bee discouraged for that weaknesse which we finde in our selves Wee are indeede exceeding backward to beleeve this and therefore see what 's added Ezek. 34. 16. He saith he will feede them with judgement That is with wisdome and discretion for hee is wise and knows how to feed thē according to their weak capacities and so his Wisedome may bee a ground that he will tender us Againe his power may shew that he will doe this with us because hee is able to make crooked things streight If a man meete with a crooked piece of wood which he would streighten for his use and cannot hee throwes it away because he cannot make it streight Men if they are to deale with a Scholler that is hard to learne they give him over because hee is uncapable they cannot make him conceive instructions But Christ is able to make crooked wayes streight to quicken those that are dull to put new natures into us and therefore hee will not deale so harshly with us Againe if there be any grace in us it is his owne worke and therefore it is for his credit to perfect it 1 Thess. 5. 24 vers Phil. 1. 6. hee should not be faithfull else if he should not doe it but he will doe it as a worke-man loves his owne workes and will not leave them unperfect so neither will Christ. Againe it is his Fathers will that those who are weake should be cherished his delight is still in leading them from one degree of strength to another for his power is more seene in them and he hath more thankes from them as he had from Mary Magdalen But some will say oh but my heart is so untoward that I feare I never shall overcome Consider well that place the 42 of Esay 5 6 vers Thus saith the Lord Hee created the Heavens and stretched them out he that spread forth the earth and that which commeth out of it hee that giveth breath unto the people upon it and spirit to them that walke therein I the Lord have called thee c. Consider who it is that created the Heavens the Earth and the buds thereof that giveth breath c. is it not God now then suppose he findeth nothing in the nature of man but an emptines of grace and holines is it not he that made the heavens when there was none before and then is not he able to create grace in a mans heart Againe looke on the earth in the winter it is very hard a man would think it should never bring forth flowers yet in the spring it puts forth many kind of fruites flowers so though thy heart bee as hearbs in the winter yet God is able to make grace sprout forth there as flowers in the spring besides it is he that giveth breath unto the people that is if you looke upon all the creatures in the world yet none was able to put life in them but GOD. So though your soules be like unto a clod of earth he is able to put life into them the breath of life as he did at the first he is able to enlighten and enlarge them further and therefore be not discouraged for thy weaknesse Is it thus that Christ teacheth in judgement and that with much compassion and rendernesse then this should incourage men to come unto Christ to learne of him to take his yoke on them this use we finde to be made of this Doctrine in the 11th of S. Mat. 28 29 and 30. verses Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you take my yoke on you and learne of mee and you shall finde rest to your soules for my yoke is easie my burden is light that is let a man look upon Christ and his waies and usually they are discouraged with the strictnesse of religion they thinke they shall bee too straight laced and bound with fetters that are too straight for them No saith Christ feare not for I am meeke and lowly and such shall you find my dealings to be towards you There be two things in the Text to moove us to come in to Christ and to bee subject to his yoke First the nature of the thing it selfe it is an easie yoke Before you come to me you are like men in prison but when you come to me I losen you and set you at liberty before you were as in darknesse but when you come to mee I enlighten you before you were as men in sicknes but when you come to mee I strengthen and heale you A second thing is from the person you have to deale with that is Christ Come unto me for I am exceeding gentle and meeke and such shall you finde mee Iohn Baptist and Moses came roughly but Christ is come in tendernesse if you be subject to infirmities hee is ready to passe them by if you bee overcome with them hee is ready to recover you and therefore now come in to Christ submit your selves to his yoke to his teaching and discipline to his rule and government which is so easie But if you wil not he will rule you with a rod of Iron and breake you in peeces like a Potters vessell if you stand out with him then none is so rough as he and therefore observe him If a King should say at his Coronation he would open all the prison doors would not offenders take that opportunity or if a Creditor should say to his debtors come to me at such a time and I will forgive you and your debts and give you in your bonds would the debtor over-slippe that time So let us when Christ offers himselfe to teach us with such tendernesse goe to him take that

Consider what I say and the Lord give thee understanding in al things that is I have told thee these things in generall but when you come to particular the Lord must direct you Fourthly they differ in the growth this right iudgement growes more and more it is as the light that shines clearer clearer till it be perfect day Esay 42. 3. 4. Hee shall bring forth judgement unto trueth when this iudgement is put into a man every thing adds somthing to it A good heart makes use of every thing but another man that hath but a common sight hee doth not grow but is apt to be offended and at length that light that he hath turnes into injudiciousnes of minde you shall find it decrease more and more 2. Tim. 3. 13. evill men waxe worse and worse for that light of theirs is but like a flower which when it is at the best fades and decayes and the reason of it is because God giveth a man leave to use that common wisedome that he hath for a time but when they doe not improve that knowledge that they have then God takes it away from them and turnes it into foolishnesse as wee may see Rom. 1. 25. Because they changed the trueth of God into a lye therefore they were given up to vile affections 1. Cor. 1 19. God will destroy the wisdome of the wise bring to nought the understanding of the prudent Fiftly they differ in the effects w ch they produce for first this right iudgement brings forth poverty of spirit when as before a man thought he had some good things in him now he sees hee is nothing Saving wisedome makes him see himselfe empty of all that was good makes him see that before he knew nothing as he ought to know but now common iudgement breeds pride it puffes a man up 1 Cor. 8. 1 2. and makes him preferre himselfe before his brethren Secondly this right judgment it causeth a man to know every thing as they ought to know it when hee knowes a right use of it As for example a man that knowes his ground which hee owes when hee knowes what graine it will best beare what tillage and manure is best for it then a man knowes his toole as hee ought when hee knowes how to use it as hee ought So a man that knowes sinne as he ought when he lookes upon it so as to lose it and loath it then knows he the promises as he ought when he makes that use of them as hee should make when as other men minde them no more than their old shoos and then we know forgivenesse of sinnes as wee ought when we thinke it the most precious thing in the world and so if wee knew earthly vanities as wee ought wee would weane our selves from them yea from all world ly things as the lusts of the flesh and pleasure the lust of the eye and riches honour and pride of life or any other excellency in the world bee it what it can be wee will not then endure it Now when a mans eyes are opened and he is savingly enlightned and knowes these things as he ought then hee lookes on carnall pleasures and sees they will bring bitternes in the end when he looks upon riches hee sees that to be true which is said of them Why wilt thou set thy heart upon them which are as nothing hee sees they are uncertain insufficient and not able to satisfie his soule And for the pride of life or any excellency which before he greatly prized now he accounts it vile and contemptible this the spirit of right judgement enables a man to doe Thirdly the singlenesse of the eye is another effect of this it teacheth a man to looke on things with a single eye Math. 6. 22 23. There is mention made of a single eye and of an evill eye if a man hath a single eye hee will not looke on God and on the world but on God alone cleave to him and serve him alone the other is called a wicked eye because there be many lusts on which it looks But this right judgement makes us looke on God singly abstracted from all other things A fourth effect which this right Iudgment pronounceth is Conversion of the whole man unto God if thine eye be single thy whole body is full of light that is shall be set straight and when this is not done it hinders our conversion unto God as we may see in the 13 of Math. 15. wee cannot looke on other things and turne our eyes upon God at the same time Fiftly this right Iudgement it sets up and makes a man willing to be guided by the word of God by the ministers or any servant of God a Child may leade him the weakest Christian may leade him if they bring Spirituall reason as naturall men are led by reason so these by the word of God Sixtly it makes a man able to practise that hee knowes whereas another man knowes much practiseth little but this Iudgemēt brings forth practice this knowledge will leade us into action and so much for the first signe whereby wee may know whether Christ hath wrought any sparke of grace in us namely if he have set up his Iudgement in our hearts Now for the second this is such a Iudgement as begets life a Reed hath Life aswell as an Oake now if you would know if this life be right or noe you shall know it by the heare there is fire so if we would know if this bee right see it by the cōbate if you would know if that be right try it by the victory well then now we have to speake of the second signe Consider though you bee weake whether you are not as a bruised reed yea or noe which hath some life some strength in it A bruised reed will he not breake here we will consider 3 things First that there must be some strength and life in the weakest Secondly this strength is subiect unto bruisings A bruised reed c. Thirdly that Christ wil heale al these bruises he will not breake the bruised reed but will bring forth Iudgement into victory For the first of these there must be a reed w ch hath some life in it Now life is such a faculty wherby creatures move themselves in their owne places so say Philosophers other things that have not life may move themselves when they are out of their owne places as a stone when it is out of its owne place moves downwards and fire here below being out of its place moves upwards but nothing can move it selfe in its place but that which hath life in it To apply this to our purpose whosoever moves himselfe in the wayes of God hath life in him There bee many things may move us towards God as good education a powerfull ministry good company and the like as Ioash and Amaziah were good while their good