Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A47705
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Pious instructions, in meeter fitted to the weaker capacities.
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Leo of S. Mary Magdalen.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing L1097; ESTC R12062
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112,916
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324
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Pray'rs neglect Ps 15. v. 9. Bêing confident he 'l hear my cry And mercy shew before I dy Amen THE WORLD'S GLORY IS VANITY TRUE JOY IN VIRTUE All things that are done under the sun are vanity and affliction of spirit Ecclesiastes 1. v. 14. WHat is this World and all therein But Vanity producing sin Except the soul withdraw her love And Eagle-like take flight above And there in contemplation high On God doth fix her piercing eye Where she in God will clear behold Her self her worth and doth unfold The fallacies the World doth use To win mens love and them abuse By representing that for good Which proves disguis'd when understood She takes the Titles that declare God's attributes and Symbols are Of Heav'nly Bliss to name her toys That they may seem to us true joys But when you once do them detect As vain you slight contemn neglect By honour power and Majesty She raiseth some to that degree As Gods on Earth Dan. 3. v. 5. they will be treated As thô their Thrones with God's were seated Riches and Pleasures have some blinded That other Heav'n they never minded Some did in Beauty so excell Like Goddesses on Earth did dwell Puff't up with Pride ador'd by Men And Deify'd by Poets pen This glory now in dust doth ly All 's vanisht in the twinkl'of eye And if ought here of them remains It is their soul 's most sinfull stains Which in God's Justice may require The flame of Hell's Eternall fire Of Worldly Joy this is the end To which she brings her dearest friend Are here her joys from sorrows free No they are mixt with misery Honour doth meet with emulation Hest 7. v. 10. Which often causeth great vexation And when it seems past Fortunes frown Proud Aman-like it is cast down With labours great men riches gain What frights and fears do they sustain Lest they should lose their Idoll Wealth They often hazard life and Health And when death comes they no more have Than a poor Coffin Shroud and Grave Great Alexander in his Throne Was not content thô he alone The world possest he oft did weep His soul found want disturbing sleep Nothing the soul can satisfy That is beneath a Deity The Epicure and Sodomit Whom name of Beast doth most befit Eph. 4. v. 18 19. Like swine in carnall puddle ly By this obscuring Reason's Eye They shame's disease and sicknes find With lost repute true grief of mind Behold a drunkard in his cups What comes to hand clear off he sups With hellish smoke he fumes his brains Till void of reason he remains He curses swears he damn's his soul He spews like swine in it doth roll Wisd 2. v. 6. c. These are the joys and glory great With which the world her friends doth treat This course of life consider'd well To men of sense seems but a Hell Rom. 6. v. 21.23 Leading poor Souls to that infernall Where devills are and flames Eternall Base world who here false joys for true Dost give thy Lovers now Adieu No longer shalt thou Tyrannize On sense and soul to make thy prize No longer joy I 'le seek in thee Hence shall my joy in Virtue be THE SECOND PART HEAVEN UPON EARTH OR TRUE JOY IN VIRTUE A secure mind is as it were a continuall Feast Prov. 15. v. 15. TO stop a floud doth pains require Small hopes with oyl to quench a fire So floud of Vice 't is hard to turn Where Carnall love the Heart doth burn Yet burns asswage by greater heat So Virtues love makes that retreat To win Man's Heart to Virtues love Is properly God's work above Especially where sin is plac't And sense Man's Reason hath defac't Yet Virtue known is of that force It gains the Heart and changeth course The cause is known by its effect So I will Virtue here detect Not by defining as the use But by the fruits it doth produce The which Mans Reason will so please They 'l steal his Heart and love with ease Health Honour Riches to possess May termed be World's happiness But since in Heart Fear doth remain That what it gives ' twill take again They can't be deem'd felicity Where Fear 's 1. Ioh. 4. v. 18. true Joy can never be A Man that is in Conscience clear Is void of sorrow fright and fear He feareth nought the World can take It 's Joy to him Rom 5. v. 3. if for God's sake He loseth all and pains endure Rewards above he knows are sure Math. 9. v. 29. Christ's promise of an hundred fold For what is lost makes him so bold That Persecution he don't fly But runs into 't couragiously If he 's possest with any fear It 's lest he may not suffer here The greatest honours here on Earth Bestow'd by Man or due by Birth He slights as mean and Vanity When he above doth cast his eye To be God's son his Spouse Io. 1. v. 12. 1. Io. 3. v. 1. his friend Are honours which do those transcend On Earth was Alexander great Who sate in hâ—â— Imperiall seat To judge the World seems glory high Math. 19. v 28. 1. Cor. 6. v. 3. Compar'd to his he doth deny Since by Christ's promise judge he shall The Angles and the World with all Croesus with riches did abound Which do command on Earth what 's found These he contemns Math. 19. v 24. Mat. 5 v. 3. Iam. 2. v. 5. since t is a venture If ever they shall Heaven enter He blessed calls his Poverty which from that doubt doth set him free King Salomon Eccli 2. v. 10. who did possess All what was pleasant did confess T was Vanity v. 11. and grief of mind True ioy therein he could not find But Man from these withdrawing love Doth tast the lasting joys above Hence t is no worldly Crosses can Disturb the soul of Virtuous Man Since he all here as vain doth flight And suff'rings are his great delight For if with Christ 2. Cor. 1. v. 7. saith Sacred story He shares in pain he shall in glory Gal. 6. v. 14. This makes him pains and Crosses thirst Th'unsuffring state he deems the worst If others do'nt him mortify He makes himself his enemy With hunger cold and labours great And Discipline Gal. 5. v. 2. his Flesh doth treat To all affronts he 'l open ly What 's Will requires he will deny Still saying Luk 22. v. 42. Father with God's son Not mine but thy bles't will be don 2. Tim. 2. v. 4. Who as he came all men to save So he them glorify'd would have All Virtues are his great delight To practise them both day and night For they to soul do glory bring And wed her to the heau'nly King Where she in ioy shall still remain What price too great for so great gain Here you the reason clearly see Why virtuous Man from grief is free For ought on Earth he hath
Iejunio In keeps the soul to Virtue bent It doth preserve Grace and to other Rare Virtues makes her full intent The fruits of Feasting are Hell's gain By Fasting Man doth just remain This made the Saints so much esteem The Virtue of true Abstinence Themselves secure they did not deem Without this Buckler of defence It shields from Fiesh and Devil's dart That it shall never wound the heart Saint John Christ's great Fore-runner fasted Luk. 1. v. 15. Mark 1. v. 6. He no delicious meat would eat What Desart yields he only tasted With Pennance strict he Flesh did treat Thus kept the Grace he was born in And never did consent to Sin Saint Paul thô by God's choice elected While here did seem his Flesh to hate By Pennance strict he it corrected 1 Cor 9 v. 27. Lest that he might prove Reprobate If you examine you will find The Saints were all of this Saint's mind If therfore you will be secure From tempting Flesh and Devill fell By Fast God's grace you must procure To guard you while on Earty you dwell Fasting preserves from new offence Ioël 2. v. 12. And for past Sins makes recompence Hence 't is the Church commands to Fast Yet this is to be understood As long as health and strength doth last She seeks hereby her Childrens good Three sorts of Fasts in Church there are Which I will briefly here declare The first is called naturall And broke by crum or drop we take The next Ecclesiasticall One meal a day in this we make The third is abstinence when we Excepting flesh to eat are free Unto the first the Church doth bind When We receive the Sacrament Lent Fridays Eves where Fast we find We must with one meal be content On Saturdays we do abstain When only Flesh we do refrain Behold what profit doth accrew To us by Fasting then besure To give Obedience what is due To Holy Church while you endure Who hears the Church Luk. 10. v. 16. the same hears me who 'l not as Heathen let him be The meat hurts not which enters in When it is took with moderation Your Disobedience is the Sin Which makes you guilty of Damnation Gen. 1. v. 31. Gen. 3. v. 11. Good was the Apple Adam eat Yet eating his offence was great As Satan tempted him so here He tempts to Disobedience The Flesh bids eat and never fear The Soul yields to Concupiscence Thus not regarding Church command Man boldly eats what comes to hand But let us still obedient be To holy Church Mat. 18. v. 17. in all our ways That from Christ's curse we may be free Remembring what Saint Austin says who 'l not the Church his Mother call Have God for Father never shall Let no Flesh-Devill then prevail Phil. 3. v. 19. To make you Belly-God adore To feast now what will it avail Luk. 16. v. 24. When you must hunger evermore From Sin preserve your Soul by Fast Rev. 19. v. 9. That you may Feast with God at last Amen OF ALMSDEEDS Make to your selves friends of the Mammon of iniquity Luk. 16. v. 9. IN the beginning God did give All things in common here below That men might still united live No one his Portion then did know God did not parts to men assign 29. No one could say this Land is mine When Men on Earth did multiply Gen. 13. v. 9. The Earth in parts they did divide Who had most pow'r gain'd most thereby The weakest poorest did abide Thus Avarice did first begin 1. Tim. 6. v. 10. Which Scripture calls the Root of Sin By Property their hearts were set On greedy gain and Worldly Love Their aim was worldly Wealth to get They little minded joys above They were to Flesh and Bloud so bent Iam. 5. v. 5. Their Heaven was this World's content Ps 16. v. 15. The Soul's desire 's nêre satisfy'd Till she joyns God her finall End She having with the Flesh comply'd To her desires doth wholly bend So men their Heav'n seek in this life Which is the cause of Worldly strife For they to greatness do aspire And Wealth 's increase Prov. 28. 〈◊〉 22. which all commands They grieve to see another higher In honour riches or in lands This makes them plot both day and night How they may gain by wrong or right Hence 't is they cheat they rob they kill To gain a little worldly wealth To satisfy their greedy will They often hazard life and Health The Idol-Riches they adore Give these and they will ask no more Prov. 1◠v. 20. Eccli 13. v. 24. Eccli 4. v 4.5.6 Eccli 13. v. 24. They are no friends unto the Poor Their wants they 'l not the least supply But harshly drive them from the door As their Wealth 's greatest Enemy Let them consider how unjust They are hereby unto their trust For thô God some men did permit To have more than some others have Yet his decree he doth not quit Deut. 14. v. 29. Eccli 4. v. 1.2.3.4 By which the Earth he common gave All Men are by her Fruits to live To Poor the Rich are bound to give For since they do the Land possess Which food unto the Body yields To those which only Trades profess To till and sow who have no fields Eccli 29. v. 12. In want they 're bound to give them bread Or give account when they are dead For God hath plac't the Rich man here Not only his own flesh to feed But to be his true Dispenseer Luk. 16. v. 11. Distributing where he sees need Account of this he once must give If bad 't is Death if good he 'l live Our Saviour's counsell here then take And freely give unto the Poor Luk. 16. v. 9. Thus wicked Mammon friends will make Of whose assistance you 'l be sure Your Soul when it doth Body leave The Poor shall into joys receive Isai 58. v. 7. Prov. 17. v. 5. The Prophet bids you to refresh Who hungry are and naked cloath And not despise them your own flesh Nor their infirmities to leath Tob. 4. v. 8. Do still as you would be done by To all in great necessity Christ's counsell here Command becomes Sell what you have Luk. 12. v. 33. and Alms bestow The Saints in Alms have spent great sum's Before the Poor should naked go These words of Christ made them so free What you give them Mat. 25. v. 40. you give to me Alms Eccli 29. v. 17. saith the Wiseman do defend More than the strong man's shield or spear Against assaults our foes intend The Soul thus armed doth not fear Alms reinforce her so with grace They raise the Siege and leave the place And thô you should be Sinners great True Charity hides all your Sins v. 16. Tob 4. v. 11 Luk. 6. v. 38. And pleads before God's Mercy seat And of him Pardon for you wins Who gives to