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
B05842	A discourse on the love of Christ, by William Sheppard, A.M. and minister of the Gospel at Oundle in Northamptonshire.	Sheppard, William, d. 1724.	1695 (1695)	Wing S3219B; ESTC R184080	27,366	32

try their Love Whether they can love God when he strips them Oh this is a sweet frame for a Soul to experience Well let God deal with me as he please I will love him still To try their Submission to the Divine Will and Pleasure I will bear the Indignation of the Lord because I have sinn'd against him Mich. 7. 9. Yea and I will bear it willingly patiently thankfully It is a Sick-Bed it might have been a Bed of Flames It is a sharp Providence but it might have been Fire and Brimstone And I will wait patiently too the Lord 's Wise and Gracious Disposal For he will bring me forth to the Light and I shall behold his Righteousness Here take this Note Note If thou Child of God art enabled to put forth but one Act of Grace in an Affliction and Trouble thou art partaker of an infinite Benefit and Advantage which thou hast cause to bless God for ever for For there is more good in one Act of Grace then there is evil in all the Afflictions and Troubles of the World And the Reason is evident for that Evil is but temporary but this Good is eternal Every Act of Grace shall have an eternal Reward an exceeding and eternal weight of Glory O what great Mistakes not only the World but the Children of God themselves lie under by reason of God's dealings with his here The Wicked are ready to bless themselves in their evil Ways harden themselves against God's holy and blessed Ways censure the People of God and the Children of God are ready to be discouraged and give up all their hopes But you see precious Souls that these things are not matter of desponding to you but rejoycing Here you may learn what that of the Apostle means Phil. 4. 4. Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say Rejoyce And that Rom. 5. 3. We glory in tribulation 3. It is to better them To better their Hearts their Duties their Graces their Comforts their Experiences their Evidences they are to humble them to wean them to win them Psal 37. 37. Let the way be never so uncomfortable the End shall be blessed There are Four Times precious Believers have cause infinitely to admire and adore their God and Father for 1. A time of more than ordinary Enjoyment of Christ's special Presence God often makes Times of Trouble Times of special Enjoyments that some of his People have been sometimes ready to wish for such a Trouble again Indeed we need not matter where we are so we have God with us nor what Condition we are in if we have Christ's Presence Which made Luther say He had rather be in Hell with Christ than in Heaven without him Christ's Presence makes every Place and every Condition an Heaven Sickness an Heaven Poverty an Heaven a Prison an Heaven And this is that Christ vouchsafes to his in all Conditions ordinarily the greater their Trouble the more of his presence Isa 43. 2. By Fire and Flouds of Water we are to understand great Troubles And in these they have God's presence Isa 63. 9. In all their afflictions he is afflicted and the angel of his presence saves them in his love and pity he redeems and bears and carries them Have not Saints cause to admire God in all this Is not this Love 2. A Time of greater Conveyance of Divine Grace God makes Times of Trouble Times of encreasing the Saint's Graces strengthning their Faith inflaming their love raising their Joys 1 Pet. 1. 8. He spake before ver 6. of a Time of Heaviness I have known Souls experience this They have been at such Times so filled with Joy that they have rejoyced with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory 2 Cor. 4. 11. We are deliver'd unto Death we are in deep Troubles that we may have more of Jesus And how then are we beholding to Jesus 3. A Time of clearer Revelation of Divine Love This is a Time Believers are to bless God for and this God often makes Times of Trouble to be 2 Hos 14. Therefore behold I will bring her into the wilderness and there will I allure her I will speak comfortably to her As if God had said I will bring such a Child of mine into a Wilderness-Condition a Wilderness of Trouble he shall not know which way to go what to do c. And what then Then I will speak comfortably to him Loquar ad cor as the Word signifies I will speak a Word to him that shall do him good at Heart revive him chear him rejoyce his Heart And observe how this is usher'd in Behold as if it were said Behold ye Children of God how ye are beholding to your God and Father for your Troubles Behold what cause ye have to bless him for them Behold what cause you have to admire him for them God often makes them as the King's Chamber to his People wherein he makes them glad and rejoyce in him to remember his Love more than Wine Cant. 1. 4 He makes them a Banquetting-house to his Children and his Banner over them is Love He stays them with Flagons He gives them not only sips tasts cups but Flagons of Love of the Wines of his Consolations Now are not Believers infinitely beholding to their God and Father for such a time as this Cant. 2. 4 5. 4. A Time of fuller manifestation of his Glory Acts 7. 54 55 56. when Stephen had the Storm of Stones coming about his Ears then he had the Vision of the Glory of God and Jesus at the Right-hand of God I knew a gracious Woman upon a sick Bed in violent Bodily Pains and also great Distress of Soul after a little time the Lord was pleased to break in upon her with such glorious Light as she express'd it as filled her with such Joy and Consolation that all her Bodily Pains were immediately gone and she felt not the least Bodily Grievance Another by reason of Bodily and Soul Distress together was become Bed-rid seemingly at the Gates of Death and upon a Minister's Praying with her she cried out He is come He is come He is come and she was filled with Joy unspeakable and Glorious Lay all these together and it will fully appear notwithstanding all Objections to the contrary that this Doctrine stands firm and invincible that the Love of Christ to Believers is a Surpassing Love Use 1. Then Oh! the Misery of those that have no part in this Love of Christ that are not taken with Christ notwithstanding this Love that preferr or seek after any thing more than this Love of Christ Oh ye vile Drunkards that preferr a Lust a Pot-Companion before this Christ Oh ye covetous Worldlings that preferr a good Bargain Corn and Wine and Oil before this Christ Oh ye voluptuous Ones that preferr vain empty Pleasures before this Christ so full of Love and Grace and Glory how will ye answer it at the Great Day how will ye look this Christ in the Face

in him nay they are made the Righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. 21. Now Christ looks upon us in this Righteousness and so accounts us lovely Hence he is said to see no iniquity in Jacob not that there was none but he sees it not looking on us in his own Righteousness Now they are pardon'd and as fully pardon'd as if they had never sin'd Therefore we read Jer. 50. 20. The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found Why for I will pardon them Before they were in their Blood Filthiness Pollution and so ugly loathsome but now they are by this Righteousness beautiful lovely and so loved There is Christ's essential personal Righteousness as God this cannot be communicated but there is his mediatory Righteousness wrought as Mediatour This is imputed to them and by virtue of this they stand justified in God's sight and therefore loved 2. By his Graces imparted They are cloathed with Rubies and Saphires and all the shining Graces of the Spirit See how Christ adorns them Ezek. 16. 9 to 14. And how lovely they are in his sight by reason of these Ornaments Christ is the common Stock of Grace and they derive from him Grace for Grace viz. of every Grace according to their measure Gratiam novâ gratiâ comulatam The Father loves his Child because he is like him Believers are changed into God's Image from Glory to Glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. Now they are glorious in his Eyes and therfore loved 3. Because they are his Propriety is the ground of Love We love our own our own Relations our own Enjoyments Houses Lands c. A Believer is Christ's own and therefore loved Cant. 7. ●0 I am my beloved's and then it follows his desire is towards me They are his Friends his Favourites his Members his Spouse his Hephzibahs his Beulahs Isa 62. 4. his Jewels Mal. 3. 17. his Treasure and where the treasure is there will the heart be also Matth. 6. 21. 1. They are his chosen Ones John 15. 16. Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you Indeed there is nothing to cause him to chuse but his own Love Misericordia ejus praevenit secundum gratiam non secundum debitum Aug. God's Love is Eternal and therefore can have no cause but it self for Non est gratia si praecesserint merita as Aug. 2 Tim. 1. 9. There purpose and grace are put together Christ loved them therefore he hath chosen them now he hath chosen them therefore loves them 2. They are his purchased Ones They are bought with a price 1 Cor. 6. 20. and that not a little one neither They are purchased at a dear rate they cost no less than Blood and that not the the Bloud of Bulls and Goats Hebr. 10. 4. nor the Blood of meer Man but the Blood of Christ nothing but Blood could do it precious Blood and that the precious Blood of the precious Christ 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. nay farther the Blood of God Acts 20. 28. for if the Divine Nature had not been hypostatically united to the human it would not have made the Purchase O what a Price is here surely these must needs be precious Souls dearly beloved Souls that cost such a price and Christ must needs love them highly for they are all the Fruit of his precious Blood all the Income that he is ever like to have for this inestimable Price Thus we see that there is great Reason though all from himself why Christ loves Believers with such a surpassing Love Object It doth not appear by God's Dealings with them in the World as if he loved them so but rather as if he loved others more and hated them Others have the sweet and they have the bitter others have their Eyes stand out with fatness and have more than Heart can wish when the Godly are chasten'd every Morning Psal 73. 4. to 7 14. Answ It is true God doth often exercise his People with cross Providences contrary Dealings They are in Trouble when others are in Peace they are in Sorrow when others are in Joy but this is in infinite Wisdom and Love to them These if rightly understood speak Love and God should not love them so much if he did not deal thus with them 1. It is to correct them for their Miscarriages If a Father should see his Child run on in ways tending to his own Ruine and not correct him would you not judge he rather hated then lov'd him So when God sees his Child grow undutiful disobedient fall into such ways as tend to his Perdition Is it not his great Love to use his Rod rather than lose his Child Whom I love I rebuke and chasten Rev. 3. 19. I rebuke but yet I love yea I rebuke because I love The Reason is evident it is to take away his Sin which would undoe him Isaiah 27. 9. By this shall the Iniquity of Jacob be purged and it shall be the Fruit of it to take away his Sin As the Rod is better than Death than Hell so it is greater Love to scourge him then to spare his Child God had one Son without Sin but never a Son without Sorrow Heb. 12. 6 10. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth But is this Love Yea for it is for our profit that we may be made partakers of his Holiness I know the Children of God are often crying out If I belong'd to God surely I should not be so afflicted As David My Foot had almost slipt Psal 73. 2 3. But thou that art a Child of God if thou weighest these Things may'st see how thou art beholding to God for Afflictions and cross Providences and instead of questioning his Love bless his Name that he will take so much pains and be at so much trouble with thee Therefore let thine Apprehensions be rectified herein and say as David Psal 119. 75. I know O Lord that thy judgments are right and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me 2. It is to exercise them to exercise their Graces This was God's End as far as appears by the Text in Job's great Afflictions and Tryals 1 Pet. 1. 6 7. If need be ye are in heaviness There is the first Particular to correct them and then it follows for the Tryal of their Faith Tribulations are to try the Saints Faith Love Patience Humility Self-denial c. Tryals have discover'd many to be far otherways than they expected To try their Faith Whether they can trust God under his chidings and hidings as well as his shinings It was in this School of Affliction that Job learned this great Lesson Though he slay me yet will I trust in him Job 13. 15. But how often do Souls find the contrary O saith a Soul I never thought there were so much Unbelief Impatience Pride Stubborness in my Heart as I found under such a Tryal To