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	sorrow_n	2,802	5	8.8668	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15826	The saints sufferings, and sinners sorrowes. Or, The evident tokens of the salvation of the one, and the perdition of the other Phil. I.28, 2 Thes. I.6,7	Yates, John, d. ca. 1660.	1631 (1631)	STC 26087; ESTC S101332	67,289	372

thy Servants heare The text I have now chosen toucheth upon the things which are both commoda and accommodata profitable and seasonable for these times wherein the house of God groaneth under affliction Two purgatories attend and waite upon Gods family in this world one of water another of fire and no sooner are Gods servants washed with the water of baptisme but presently they are cast into the fire of affliction and proved and tryed as gold Both are expressed in this Chapter the first to the 12. ver and the second from thence to the end That we may have the mind of Christ cease from sinne and live to the will of God the washing of the new birth is necessary only the second purgatory seemeth unquoth and strange that fyrie trialls should befall innocencie and the purity of Saints bee persecuted by sinners but the reasons of the Apostle will quiet this conceit and comfort them First with greater inward joy than any outward sorrow can command Vers 13. Secondly with a greater fulnesse of glory than any malice can obscure the very spirit of glory resteth upon them that the worst of tongues can never wipe off Vers 14. Thirdly with a better cause than contumelie can conquer Vers 15.16 Fourthly with a sweeter season than sorrowes can sowre Ver. 17. And this reason the text alledgeth out of which I will rayse these five propositions 1. God hath a house 2. God judgeth his house 3. God in judgeing makes Choyce of a fit time 4. God having a fit time doth but begin with his house 5. Where God begins to judge he makes there an end God hath a house The sense of this proposition is plainely and fully expressed in 1 Tim. 3.15 That thou maiest know how thou oughtest to behave thy selfe in the house of God which is the Church of the living God This house then is the Church a holy spirituall living and growing house 1. Pet. 2.5 Eph. 2.21 No house in the world that is honoured with these properties besides and therefore fittest for the holy spirituall and living God to dwell in Other houses are all materiall and corporall wherein God is neither included nor out of which he can be excluded in regard of his infinite essence though in the manifestation of his essence hee resideth ever in his Church after a transcendent manner Where shall a maister most delight to be but at home and what home hath God but his Church The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse of it but the Church is his speciall possession and the mansion of his glory The Church is Gods house because he is both owner and maker of it The Lord if you marke it is maister of his house not after the custome of men who first owne and then build for God should have nothing to owne did hee not first make Psal 100.3 He hath made us and not we our selves we are his people and the sheepe of his Pasture Beside this grand title God makes challenge to his Church by other rightfull claimes as election Amos 3.2 by redemption Tit. 2.14 Provision Psal 31.19.84.11 protection Isa 31.5 Vses in respect of the householder Vse 1. To cast our care upon God who being maister of his family will take care for it 1 Pet. 5.7 Casting presupposeth confidence for he that doubteth will scarce rest securely on God Like as a man that treadeth on the Ice and quaketh at the least cracking will bee loth to cast downe his body where he feareth to venture his foot But we need not be timorous when wee are to cast our care upon God but may trust him with our bodies and soules and then try him as the maister of that household whereof we are members Secondly It must also teach us holinesse for holinesse becommeth Gods house for ever Psal 93.5 Hence is it that the Lord lets the wicked lie uncleansed as habitations unfit for the majestie of heaven and therefore suffred to drop downe in their owne rottennesse and corruption but rather than his owne house should not be clensed hee himselfe will take his fanne and purge his sloore and handle the besome to sweep out every dirty and noysome corner yea hee will punish it that hee may refine and repaire it Isa 27.9 Our pollutions in this kingdome must have a sweeping for the Lord having begun with us if wee be his house hee will not give over untill hee hath searched every corner and hallowed us to his owne use Vses in respect of the family 1. It must perswade us to unity the very sight of two things in the house of God made Paul exceeding joyfull Col. 2.5 faith and order Faith makes fast God and his house so firme in societie that nothing can devide them Steadfastnesse of faith makes Gods house stand and rest immovable yet would it be as a confused heape if order should not beautifie it Order sets God in the family as Maister all other as servants and teacheth us hee must command and wee obey and happy is the family when it is so ordered True faith and right order are the two grounded pillars for this house to rest upon which reeleth and is ready to fall upon their first and least removall Wee must therefore take heed to the first and least disjoyning of these two admit error or evill in eyther and it will indanger the whole A house devided in it selfe cannot stand our devisions eyther in doctrine or discipline make a rent in the house of God By the one we weaken faith and by the other the beautie of order Peace which all men call for must bee grounded on these two pillars no truth no true peace no order no sure peace neyther is it enough to have them in the Lawes of the family but they must bee within even in the heart and soules of all those that will accord in one house Alas when we plead for peace wee observe not the rule Mar. 9.50 Have salt in your selves and peace one with another Vnseasoned and unsanctified men want the true ciment that should knit them into one building with the Saints of God As long as we are rotten within wee will rage without and cry out of the most innocent for the breach of peace Peace is lovely but where there wants the true love of God and his truth that sanctifieth the heart there is no roome for true concord The house of a wicked man saluted with peace repels it backe to him that offred it Math. 10.13 He must be a sonne of peace that will admit the salutations of Gods messengers Luk. 10.6 Filius Ecclesiae must be filius Dei He that is a stranger to the Lords tabernacle is most forward to disjoynt the frame of it and will prove in his maisters family that unruly servant that smites his fellow servants and first complaines of breach of peace Oh let truth and peace kisse each other and happy shall be the house of God Let every man say with David

and fight for his truth It is not our goods and lives that our enemies seeke for it is our God and Religion that they thrust at so to make roome for their owne Oh how should me● fit themselves for this service and give over their drunken quarrels veneries and other effeminate courses which have almost enfeebled our English nation and disabled our bodies to fight or brooke the open ayre Iust it is with God to make us dye before our enemies that will not dye to these sins nor seeke to live according to the ancient discipline and example of our worthy progenitors who have beene ranked with the best and ablest soldiers in the world when now being soaked in ease and disused to labour wee are thrust downe to the lowest forme and reputed of small esteeme amongst our Neighbours 3. God is often a moth in our Counsels Counsell and wisedome direct men to the fayrest and most hopefull meanes of their security Therefore to be smitten in the braine Deut. 28.28 Zach. 12.4 viz. either not to see the way or in the event and issue of good Counsell not to prosper is one of Gods sorest judgements and the truest forerunner of ruine Our sinnes saith the Prophet with-hold good things Ier. 5.25 Even our best consultations are blasted with the noysome and pestilent breath of our sins Oh that wee were sensible of this judgment could mourne for it Who seeth not in this this Gods hand against us yet alas how few lament it We laugh at our Sorrowes and lay nothing to heart This is the way to make him that was a moth unto Ephraim a moth unto us to smite us even in our Counsells and make them fruitlesse in their hopefullest and best proceedings and thus may God make the best of our Counsells consultations rotten and moatheaten 4. God is often a moth in our courage It was the high dignity of Ephraim to speake with majestie in the midst of all the tribes and to cause trembling round about him Hos 13.1 But when he offered in Baal he died Sinne is the dampe of courage and the death of the heart and decay of all excellency And here wee finde God againe smiting Deu. 28.28 Zach. 12.4 who as he takes away Counsell by blindnesse and madnesse so doth hee take away courage by astonishment and amazement of heart 5. God is often a moth in our Religion Religion of all blessings is the greatest and yet in this we are often secretly smitten of God This whole land hath great cause to prayse God that the truth of the Gospell is so publikly mainteined This blessing we would learne to esteeme if wee were in the skins of our forefathers or neighbour brethren abroad The time was when wee would gladly have served God in Woods and Caves and secret Cells and how glad would our brethren abroad be to see but one of our dayes yet we enjoying full liberty of profession practise under good and wholesome lawes wee nothing answer Gods goodnesse unto us but live as if we wanted these inestimable priviledges and shew plainely the secret curse of God upon us Errors and evills such as Poperie and Idolatrie may steale and creepe in at a posterne gate but blessed be God at an open and wide gate they finde no entrance The sword of authority like the Cherubims stands at the gates of our Eden to keepe out the rebellious Would God to our lawes there were the like execution and happie successe in the meanes The neglect in these may cause God to bee a moth in the rest secretly to withhold from us the blessed influence of a Blessed Religion and of our blissefull lawes Thus much of Gods secret judgements upon his house The more open and apparant judgements Gods secret judgements consist rather in the privation of good things than in the sensible smart of positive plagues But when we are not apprehensive of the moth then he roares as a Lyon teares and rends in peeces takes away his prey and suffers none to rescue When the good gifts of God want their blessing when in our estates wee become poore in our bodies weake and in our soules blind fearefull and unholy these wants should stirre us up to seeke God but if we like senselesse people move not God to make us more sensible inflicts upon us sorer judgements and makes us feele our losses in our lives and our blowes in our bloud and smites us as hee once smote the Philistims first a farre of in laying some Dagon which we adore flat on the ground then striking off hands and head wherein wee trust for helpe he leaves it an useles stumpe When blockish men regard not this The Lord drawes nearer and smites their bodies with sharpe paynes and yet proceeding farther he take away their lives with the sword Easy warnings neglected end in greater woes God that at first would faine be heard at last will worke his pleasure and will not heare Ezoc 14.21 tells us of foure sore judgements the Sword Famine Pestilence and noysome Beasts Some of these have raged in this Land and wee may feare the rest will follow unlesse we prevent them by our repentance The Lyon hath rored who will not feare The Lord God hath spoken who can but prophecie God in judging his house makes choyce of a fit time The originall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imployeth rather the convenience of season than the continuance of time As God knoweth when to deliver his so he hath his season wherein to punish and chastize them and that first to revenge the quarrell of his covenant Lev. 26.25 It is ill contesting with God especially for them that are linked in covenant with him You have I knowne of all the families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities Amo. 3.2 Secondly in respect of the Gospell which cannot bee preached without opposition of outward violence Matth. 11.12 Luk. 16.16 violent men will prey upon Gods kingdome and every wicked man will have ablow at it Like Kites upon a Carkeise so are Gods enemies upon his Church Luke 17.37 Thirdly this season here poynted at fulfills the prophecie of Christ Matth. 24.9 For here Peter writing to the dispersed Iewes five yeares before the destruction of Ierusalem tells them that now is the time to deliver them up to be afflicted killed and hated as his master Christ foretold before his death Fourthly Christiās are too great strangers in their afflictions as in an estate unwonted therefore Peter bringeth this reason to bring Christians to themselves for the time is come c. that is God hath sent you the fittest season of your tryall and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be not strangers in things familiar and seasonable and wherein you ought to bee the best studied Fiftly the season bids you expect the harvest you sow in teares and shall reape in joy When others that sowe in joy shall reape in sorrow Philip. 1.28