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	love_n	love_v	4,041	5	6.5654	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05056	Mary sitting at Christs feet A sermon preached at the funerall of Mris Mary Swaine, the wife of Mr William Swaine, at Saint Buttolphs without Aldersgate. Declaring her christian life, and comfortable death, for the encouraging of all christian gentlewomen, and others, to walke in the steps of this religious gentlewoman already departed. By Lancelot Langhorne, preacher of the word of God.	Langhorne, Lancelot.	1611 (1611)	STC 15197; ESTC S105859	10,285	46

to his owne soule Elegi I haue chosen the better part which shal not be taken away from mee And now I come to the Obiect the Center and heart of the body of my Text The better part That as Martha was troubled about many things she had chosen the better part c. Christ here vseth a metaphor taken from heires that diuide their inheritance for amongst the Romans and other Nations as Seneca saith there was a custome that the eldest child must diuide the inheritance into as equall parts as he could and then the yongest did first choose So Martha and Mary being sisters they diuide Christ as an inheritance betweene them Martha diuiding as being the eldest 1 Her commendation and Mary did choose as beeing the yongest And she chose the better part c. Now the part that she did choose is that shee sate at Christs feet and heard his preaching sought her saluation neglected all in regard of this esteeming it no profit to gaine the whole world and to loose her soule It is said by some that she neuer looked man in the face after her conuersion but Christ And this we may note that she neuer came vnto Christ but she fell downe at his feet When she annointed him Luk. 7.38 Iohn 11.32 Iohn 12.3 Mat. 28.9 When she besought him for her brother Lazarus At the supper in Bethania After his Resurrection And now when she heard him preach And herein appeared her great humility 2 Maries imitation But this Mary hath not fallen at Christs feet fiue times but all the daies of her life how she loued the Temple of God the House of Praier She considered that one thing was needfull though she had but a weake body yet shee respected neither health nor life so she might sit at Christs feet heare his word How oftē did she fall at Christs feet to pray vnto him Shee praied not three times a day with Daniel but Continually I haue often obserued her that all the time she was not imployed in houshold businesse she spent it in meditation and praier and if at any time she vsed ordinary recreation to beare her Husband and his freinds company her affections were so wholly set vpon heauenly things as she often vsed this gracious and sanctified speech This is a passing away of the time but no redeeming of the time And such a care she had to prepare her selfe for an other world to haue oyle in her lampe when the Bridegrome came as she was still afraid lest God should take her away when she was so imployed Her whole care and desire was with Mary to sit at Christs feet to heare God speaking vnto her or else to speake vnto God by praier And the oftner she fell downe and kist her Sauiours feet the more desirous she was The oftner she heard the word the oftner she praied the more ardent and strong her desires were the more Gods graces were encreased in her And as it is said that when Anthaeus wrestled with Hercules the oftner hee fell to the ground receiuing strength thereby hee became more valiant in fight So the oftner she fell downe at the feet of her Sauiour and wrestled with God the more strength she receiued against the assaults of sin and Sathan and rose vp more rich in grace then before 3 Our application For our application Let vs learne to humble our selues at the feet of Iesus Christ and then we shall profit by his word to the sauing of our soules and our praiers shall be heard as the Apostle saith Cast downe your selues before God and he will lift you vp The higher men intend to build the lower they lay the Foundation So God will neuer exalt thee except thou beest first humbled and fall downe at his feet Christ himselfe was not exalted Phil. 2. but by Humiliation the lowest Vallies are most fruitfull God resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the Humble yet few imitate Mary herein they will set Christ at their feet Treade the bloud of the Lambe vnder their feet But they will not fall downe at the feet of Christ and with Mary choose the better part c. Now let vs come to the Excellency of this Obiect in that he calles it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The good part Augustine he turnes it meliorem partem the better part The word in the originall is the Positiue but I vnderstand the wordes to bee spoken Comparatiuely that Christ compares Maries part with Martha's and that the Positiue is either put for the Comparatiue as some translate it meliorem the better part or else for the Superlatiue as others translate it Optimam the best part as Mat. 18.8 where the word is in the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is good for thee and yet the Positiue is there put for the Comparatiue It is better for thee c. as we translate it So here it is called the good part which is better then Martha's and also the best for they haue the best part that haue the Lord for their portion 1 Maries commendation This good part is that Summum bonum the cheife good euen Christ Iesus and his merites in comparison of which Phil. 3.8 all things else are but Dongue for hauing Christ she had all things no graces which did belong to the comfort or sauing of her soule could bee wanting vnto her for She did choose to heare the word which is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleeueth which wrought grace in her heart which is crowned with glory in heauen 2 Maries imitation But let vs leaue Mary in our Text and behold what rich graces this good part wrought in the breast of this our Mary which appeared both in her life and at her death First for her piety towards God She was truly religious her Profession was not Hypocriticall nor Verball but she feared God with her heart For her conuersation in the world it was Pure and vnspotted so as Enuy might carpe but malice could not condemne she was of wonderfull meeke and quiet spirit which afore God is a thing much set by and as they that knew her had experience of it so especially her Husband with whom shee liued for the space of 33 yeares and I haue heard him often say That in all that time he neuer receiued an vnkinde word frō her mouth or cause of discontent where also wee may behold Her great wisedome in Houshold gouernment And moreouer so great was her loue vnto her Husband as she expressed it in her exceeding great loue and care of his owne kindred for shee loued him in them as appeared both in her life and at her death Her greatest and last care vpon earth was that seeing God had giuen him no children by her he would be a father in prouiding for them which were left vnto her as to a mother Againe for her modesty and grauity shee was matchlesse In