Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	joy_n	rejoice_v	2,536	5	8.5850	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43579	Israel's lamentation after the Lord, or, A discourse, wherein every well-wisher to Zion is excited, and directed how to lament after the Lord with prayers and tears, to maintain the ordinances of God, or God's presence with his ordinances amongst us being some meditations upon 1 Sam. 7.2.	Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.	1683 (1683)	Wing H1768; ESTC R22352	67,400	163

as Sampson I will go out as at other times before and shake my self But he wisteth not that the Lord is departed from him When he reflects on himself and finds it so will he not see sad cause to lament And have not some Godly Souls cause to say as Gideon Judg. 6.13 Oh my Lord if the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us And where be all his miracles which our Fathers told us of But now the Lord hath forsaken us 1. In point of quickening exciting and actuating their graces May not that sad complaint be taken up Isa 64.7 There is none that calleth on thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold on thee For thou hast hid thy face from us hast consumed Heb. melted us because of our iniquities Where is that flaming love that working faith Gospel-repentance that lively hope that filial fear that spirit of adoption that found mind tender conscience and working affections as in former days It 's much to be feared there 's a general decay of grace or damp in point of exercise on the Spirits of living Christians it 's well if the Bridgroom find not even the wise Virgins asleep 2. As to strength and assistance against the assaults of temptation and out-breakings of corruption many Thorns in the flesh Messengers of Satan do too prevalently push forwards Gods Children to sin and they find not his grace sufficient for them as sometimes but stumble and fall and are broken snared and taken Yea sometimes to the breaking of their bones dishonouring of God scandal of their profession and endangering of their precious Souls Oh let not such things be told in Gath or published in Askelon lest the uncircumcised Philistins triumph over Gods People and be hardened in their sinful ways Alas where shall Gods tender Spirited Children hide their faces when their brethren prophane Gods holy Name and men shall say These are the People of the Lord and are gone forth out of his land Ezek. 36.20 These are your Praecisians and scrupulous Zealots that will not do as others now they shew that they are a pack of Hypocrites This cuts deep and wounds to the heart 3. As to communion with God Gods People of old could assert it with a truely however carnal men scorn it now 1 Joh. 1.3 Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ Not only in that secret essential fundamental communion whereby grace is maintained in its being and life but that sweet sensible Soul-refreshing fellowship that gives grace its activity maintains intercourse betwixt God and the Soul in duty But alas have not Gods Children cause to complain as the Church that God withdraws himself She seeks him but finds him not in publick Ordinances in secret Duties in communion of Saints Gods Children complain with Job chap. 23.8 9. Behold I go forward but he is not there and backward but I cannot perceive him c. He looks East West North South but in vain This is strange that God who is every where should be found no where but though the Child of God be aware of Gods general Omnipresence and feel his common Providence yet is not satisfied without his special presence and gracious influence And missing this he hath reason to lament after the Lord when he hides himself 4. As to assurance settlement and comfort sometimes Gods Children are left to a sad unsatisfyed and doubting frame full of fears troubles jealousies are much in the dark in point of state this is a very general complaint at this day Many have blurred their evidences by sins or carelesness and cannot give any distinct account how their principles are stated what condition their Souls are in are damped and daunted as to their interest in Christ title to the promises hopes of Heaven Have not these great cause to lament after the Lord And surely these must say as David Psal 51.8 12. Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free Spirit O my God! My Soul is cast down within me one while I argue with my own heart communing expostulating challenging charging my Spirit and alas I can do no good with it other whiles turning me to God but still I am restless cannot be quiet but am tossed with tempests and not comforted Well I am determined to look towards Gods holy temple and cast my self at Gods feet in the vertue of that promise Hos 6.3 Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord his going forth is prepared as the morning and he shall come unto us as the rain as the latter and former rain unto the earth Thus much for the Doctrinal part and the clearing of an objection All the Application I shall make of this point shall only be of Exhortation to put us all upon this so seasonable and needful a duty of lamenting after the Lord the Ark of the Lord and the Lord of the Ark. In prosecuting this I shall do these four things 1. Propound some Motives and Arguments to press this duty upon our Spirits 2. Discover what sort of Persons are concerned thus to lament after the Lord. 3. Lay before you some Helps to carry on this work of serious lamenting 4. Propound some Cordials to incourage our hearts till we overtake the Lord. 1. For Motives to persuade prevail with our hearts to practice this duty once at last and indeed it 's a very sad consideration that this People of Israel were twenty years before they began to feel their feet or come to themselves This shall be the First Argument That a professing People may lye long under dreadful Spiritual judgments without a sensible Spirit It was so with them here it 's well if it be not so with us And this sensless frame is greater evil than any other judgments Qu. But how comes it to pass that men may be so long senseless and not lament after the Lord all this while Ans 1. From the nature of sin sin is of an hardening stupifying brutifying nature when men fall into sin their hearts are hardened by it Heb. 3.13 Sin is of a cold congealing nature it freezeth the Soul rocketh conscience asleep and like the Fish Torpedo that diffuseth its benumming poison through the hand arm and creeping at last to his heart kills him so doth sin It 's not to tell how David's sin rockt him asleep and led him on to other sins till it indangered his Soul's sleeping the sleep of death 2. From the worldly enjoyments men have in room of Ordinances as the Captives in Babylon being well settled in their conveniences forget God's Appointments and Jerusalem comes not into their mind while their enjoyments afford contentment Yea though some returned they can sleep quietly in their Cieled houses while the House of God lies waste Hag. 1.4 God's Ark

we shall agree amongst our selves Lamenting together would clear up our eye-sight and beget an harmony of hearts 5. Other persons in all other cases do lament after the Objects that their hearts are set upon David followed his dead Friend Abner with sorrow and bitterly lamented his dead Son Absalom The Companions of Jephthah's Daughter yearly lamented her Yea David much lamented Saul though his Enemy while living and his sworn Brother Jonathan Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the singing-men singing-women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day Yea they made them an Ordinance in Israel 2 Chron. 35.25 And which of you are so hard-hearted but you would lament a dead Friend or Brother Sister Wife Child Parent And canst thou not find in thy heart to spend some sad thoughts on thy departing Lord or follow the sad Hearse of deceased Ordinances Ah carnal hearts Ah hard hearts Wo be to stupid wretches Shall a poor Idolatrous Micah cry out after his Teraphim And shall we let the only true God go with silence and dry eyes Is not our God worth lamenting after Will even careless women lament at last for the teats for the pleasant fields for the fruitful vine And shall not Gods Children lament for those full breasts of Gospel ordinances Shall not Children cry and long for the sincere milk of the word that they may grow thereby If you were sensible you would cry out my Father a little bread to an hungry Soul my Mother let me suck those breasts of consolation I am pining languishing famishing to death let me be nourished to eternal life 6. If we lament not after the Lord and his Ark he will go yet further from us if not totally leave us There was never such symptoms of Gods taking away the Candlestick and leaving us to the Idolatry and Cruelties of Popery in this Kingdom since the Reformation as there is at this day horrible Abominations and Atheism preparing for it our ingratitude for prevention thus long the general Antipathy to a Sound Ministry a Spirit of giddiness to entertain the most senseless fopperies a mincing some grosser Popish doctrines by pretended Protestants humane Inventions coyned in darkest times of Popery retained Courts Fees Officers Ceremonies Popish names places Customs defended Want of Sympathy with our suffering brethren abroad in that kind attempts for Reformation not succeeding opposed Instruments reserved prepared for Scourges denying plots as clear as the Sun Preferring Popish Tyranny before Christs Government most debauchery in some that should be best Popish Emissaries swarming Popish Families increasing Honest Ministers much laying aside Weapons Antidotes fearlesness in many unpreparedness of all for such a dispensation impressions on many of Changes Freedom of Ordinances to lay in for a storm unprincipled professors must pass an Ordeal-Tryal judgment beginning at God's house Choyce stakes taken out of the hedg transplanted to Heaven Witnesses prophecying in Sackcloth must be slain the Whore must sit as a Queen and see no loss of Children Antichrist must render himself more cruel and odious to stir up Kings hearts against the Church indifferency of great potentates in the cause of Religion Policy for outward security the compass that most stear by Christ's interest is low in Protestant Countries God's laying them under severe rebuke by his immediate hand Little notice taken of providences no publick fastings and humiliations former guilt of blood unwiped off Such things as these speak black showrs of Popish darkness and barbarous showrs of blood God almighty prevent But certainly these things call for bitter lamenting after the Lord either to prevent them or prepare our hearts for them or both I shall add 7. There is no way to bring our Lord or his Ark back to us but this course of lamenting after him God hath withdrawn himself purposely to make us follow him mourning And he seems to stand still and hearken what we do in this case Jer. 8.6 I hearkened and heard saith God but they spake not aright What was that certainly repenting of their sins lamenting inquiries after God And Jer. 31.18 19. If God can but hear persons bemoan themselves follow God desire the Lord to turn them and turn to them see what kind language he gives them ver 20. Is Ephraim my dear Son Is he a pleasant Child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. God doth carry in this case as a loving Father being provoked to Whip or leave his offending Child looks back on his sobbing broken-hearted lamenting Child saying Alas my Child what ails thee What 's the matter with thee What wantest thou Dost thou want an heart to repent friendship with me Dost thou lament so sadly after reconciliation with me and return to thee I am glad of it that was all I aimed at I have attained mine end come come thou art welcome to me come my dear my lovely Child let me wipe thy blubbered cheeks and kiss thee again I am glad my rod and anger work so kindly I will return to thee with love and sweetest embraces Thus doth our Lord return with loving kindness and mercies and they shall be as if he had not cast them off There 's no way probable or possible to bring God or his Ark back but this and shall we not take this course It 's true its a doubtfull and dangerous case we are not certain he will return but yet there 's a May-be a who can tell in it We are sure running from him and sinning against him with an hard-heart will undoubtedly rob us of him and ruine us but we have lost more labour to less purpose therefore let us turn to the Lord with all our heart with fasting with weeping with mourning c. Joel 2.12 13. and then say as Gods directs them v. 14. Who knoweth if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behind him even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord our God Oh how well doth God take such a carriage How willing is he to return back to us Only he expects we should be sensible of his withdrawing and bitterly lament after him 8. If we do not lay to heart the loss of God's Presence and Ordinances God will make us to lament upon other accounts If he design us good he will pinch us till we feel and cry out if not we shall be left to lament hopeless and helpless in Hell torments If we will not lay to heart spiritual Judgments God threatens to send a Curse upon us and to curse our blessings Mal. 2.2 How why if men prize not their Temple Priviledges God can blast the fruits of the Earth Hag. 1.9 We looked for much and loe it came to little and when ye brought it home I did blow upon it or blow it away why saith the Lord of Hosts because of mine house that is

Souls are without Christ being Aliens from the common wealth of Israel strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world Eph. 2.12 Ah poor sinners what will become of you if you live and dye without God You had better be without money trades credit ease house relations cloaths meat every thing all things in the world then without God what will your lives or any thing advantage you without God Alas have you lived thus long in the world without an interest in God! How know you but death is at the next door And what will you do in the day of visitation and in the desolation that shall come from far To whom will ye flee for help and where will ye leave your glory Isai 10.3 4. Without me saith God they shall bow down under the prisoners ' they shall fall under the slain Wo to you if death the King of terrours meet you and God the King of heaven be not on your side What a woful case was Saul in when the Philistins were upon him and God was departed from him Oh when sickness diseases death thy own conscience make war against thee and thou hast no God to flee to what a sad case wilt thou be in Alas friends estate honours or all that the world can do for thee will be insignificant If thou live and dye without God thou must be for ever banished from him And how canst thou in an ordinary way expect to have relation to God without the means of his appointment for obtaining that end The Ark of the convenant is the way of convenanting the preaching of the Gospel is the door of faith saving faith by which the Soul is intituled to God comes by hearing and if our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost Little reason have the mad-frantick world to rejoyce over the slain witnesses to make merry and send gifts one to another because these Prophets tormented them i. e. would not let them go quietly to Hell but would be jogging them out of their security and summoning them to repentance No no their departure may be like Ezekiel's book written within and without with lamentation and mourning and wo Ah poor Soul God seems to stop Ministers mouths and saith thou shalt not be to him a reprover my Spirit shall strive no more with them feed them no more that that dyeth let it dye and that that is to be cut off let it be cut off q. d. I will concern my self no further about them they regarded not my Counsels and slept away the day of grace and refused the calls of God now they shall be given up as a branch cut off from the Tree I 'le prune it no more but take it away and lay it under that Gospel-curse Never fruit grow on thee from henceforth for ever Or like the flourishing vineyard of the Jewish Church Take away the hedge thereof break down the stone wall lay it wast it shall not be pruned nor digged but there shall come up briars and thorns I will also command the Clouds that they rain no rain upon it And have men cause to rejoyce in this Is it not rather ground of the greatest lamentatation as a prologue and pledge of damnation and a token of rejection Will any but Mad men rejoyce at the approach of calamity upon themselves Or will any but frantick Bedlams triumph that those are gone that stopt them from running into a pit fire or that kept them from dashing out their own Brains We think those young men fools that are glad their parents are dead that restrained their vicious courses If carnal mens eyes were open to know the advantages of a powerful Ministry or pure Ordinances they would lay it to heart as the dreadfullest evil that ever befel them and lament after the Lord with bitter crys for the return of the Means of Grace And say O Lord is light gone and my Soul left still in darkness is life gone and I dead still Are means of Salvation departed and my Soul left under a necessity of perishing Many tears did Ministers shed for me Oh what prayers to God! what beseechings of me to be reconciled to God! But I regarded not Woe is me these embassadours of peace are called home or have their mouths stopt what can I now expect but a Proclamation of war Lord have mercy on me and send those men of God to knock again at my door and I hope I shall give them and their message better entertainment Thus carnal Persons should say But alas such as most need do often least regard these things God knows and after twenty years lying in the grave we may fear they will not still believe tho we should arise from the dead And if after all this there be little or no hopes of these laying this matter to heart I will turn me to another sort 2. Ye gracious Souls lament you after the Lord though Israel play the harlot yet let not Judah offend Though wicked men will not understand nor lay any thing to heart yet let Gods People his Children lay to their hearts the displeasure of God and with bitter cries lament after their departing father Oh that it could be said in this case as Gods own testimony is Hos 11.12 Ephraim compasseth me about with lies pretending to worship God when they intend nothing less And the house of Israel with deceit cheating men thinking to deceive God himself but Judah yet ruleth with God i. e. keeps up his interest at the throne of grace and prevails with me and is faithful with the Saints in point of communion and repute or with the most holy Marg. Oh blessed Judah but doth not Gods Judah need stirring up to lament after the Lord Alas how senseless and slack are the best hearts in this work Who would have once imagined that such a Spirit of worldliness security neutrality would have seized on Gods own Children Ah friends Can you let God depart either from your spirits or from the Assemblies of his People and not stir up your selves to take hold of him Who would have thought that God himself or the tokens of his presence should go from you without weeping eyes or mournful complaints Who must hold him if you will not Who must fetch him back if you will not follow him and call after him You that have interest in him You that have given up your selves to him You that have had sweet experience of his presence And now pretend more love to him than any else You that he hath drawn with cords of Love will not you lament after him Have not you some reason to say as she Hos 2.7 I will go and return to my first husband for then it was better with me then now Especially considering how he hath hedged your way with hewn thorns disappointed you in your overtaking your other lovers