Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	heart_n	let_v	lord_n	3,181	5	4.0879	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43569	Advice to an only child, or, Excellent council to all young persons containing, the summ and substance of experimental and practical divinity / written by an eminent and judicious divine, for the private use of an only child, now made publick for the benefit of all.	Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702.	1693 (1693)	Wing H1758; ESTC R18548	63,918	191

ADVICE To an Only CHILD OR Excellent Council TO ALL Young Persons Containing The Summ and Substance of Experimental and Practical Divinity WRITTEN By an Eminent and Judicious Divine for the Private Use of an only Child now made Publick for the Benefit of all LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside near Mercers Chapel 1693. THE Epistle to the Reader Christian Reader THIS precious Pearl of seasonable Advice providentially put first into my Hand and now into thine is of great worth and the rate thereof is inhanced both from the worthiness of the Authour and the necessity of the subject matter the manner of handling it and the great End and Design of it The Authour was a Master in Israel a Star of the first Magnitude first placed in an high elevation to influence Candidates for the Ministry in the Academical Orb thence translated by the Ministerial Function into an Ecclesiastical Station where he was a burning and shining light till Eclipsed with the rest of his ejected Brethren but moved very regularly and profitably in a narrower and obscurer Sphear till at last he disappeared to us but shines bright in the Firmament of Glory his exquisite pains of the Stone with his invincible Patience and Magnanimity would make a volume his personal excellencies as a Schollar as a Minister as a Christian were beyond the vulgar rate and 't is pity the World is blessed with no more of his learned labours polished with his own hand and squared by this Master Builder for adorning the House of God but his Modesty concealed something of what our zeal for publick good hath here presented to the Reader in its naked dress as writ by his own Hand As for the Matter it is those Magnalia Dei the Doctrine according to Godliness the weighty things of Law and Gospel Covenanting with God the Life of Faith of Holiness as in Gods presence acting of love to God Christ Vniversal Obedience circumspect walking dying daily Repentance delighting in God and his Ways thankfulness Prayer c. you may find in this Treatise an excellent Encyclopoedia or Vniversal Scheme of Practical Divinity coucht in a few words in a plain method laid before the Eyes of the intelligent Reader The manner of managing this useful tractate is pleasant and taking and adds a peculiar Accent and Emphasis to it such a smooth stile such pat and proper similitudes and delightful allusions that it will chain the Readers Eye to proceed in reading and may perhaps charm his affections to embrace the contents thereof Prov. 25 11. It is as Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver i. e. Golden Apples appearing through Net-work of Silver or Pourtrayed on Silver Tables very delightful and grateful to the Eye so may these words * Heb. on the Wheel v. 12. fitly spoken be to Youth and as in the next verse as an Earing of Gold and Ornament of fine Gold so may this wise Reprover be upon an obedient Ear happy is the Teacher that mixeth pleasant and profitable The Design I am sure is high and noble to plant Grace in young Persons and to breed and feed a nursery of Plants of Renown to stock the Church and World with a springing up generation in the room of old trees transplanted into a better soil that may fill up vacancies and do God service in after-times Amongst the rest of Solomons sumptuous preparations of costly Ornaments for his pleasures that was not the least which he mentions Eccles 2.6 I made me pools of Water to water therewith the Wood that bringeth forth Trees this was an Artificial mean of nourishing Fruit-trees in want of natural distillings of Rain from the Clouds which sometimes was rare and scant and 't is worth observing that the word rendered Pools is the same with Blessing in Hebrew either because in those hot Countreys they were esteemed great blessings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Piscina à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 benedicit or because they were filled with Rain which is the great Blessing of God Such Pools as this small Treatise are signal Blessings in themselves may they be also seconded with the Heavenly Dew of Divine Benediction what a Wood or Forrest of Fruit-bearing Trees may we see flourishing in the Orchard of Gods Church It 's true Men may do something yet not all The best humane cultivating bows the Trees but to an outward compliance Divine Grace only plants them in Christ and plants Grace in their Hearts 2 Kin. 12.2 2 Chron. 24 1● 22. The Pupil Joash was hopeful whilest his Reverend Tutour Jehojada instructed or besprinkled him but after his Death discovered the rottenness of his hypocritical Heart God will demonstrate a vast difference betwixt the Efficient cause and subordinate means therefore some miscarry under Religious Education but some prove well to incourage Parents and Masters in their duty Divine Benediction with paternal instruction hath done great things Let Abraham command his Children God undertakes they shall keep the way of the Lord Gen. 18 19. The Rain also filleth the Pools saith the Psalmist Psal 84 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Benedictionibus amicietur Doctor or Benedictionem dabit Legislator the Eternal Majesty will make their Pools of Water great Blessings to Men. Did Parents Conscientiously in stru●… Children they would in Gods time discern the Blessed effects thereof Reverend Mr. Baxter thinks Religious Education would be so Blessed by God for Conversion that publick Ministry would be chiefly useful for Edification T is true Grace comes not by Succession yet oft in Succession the Covenant is with the Godly and their Seed and surely it 's not an insignificant Cypher As God delights to run along the line of Gospel Covenant so he usually blesseth his own Institutions with Gospel Grace Let Parents do Duty and leave their issue to God Our Children have Souls as well as Bodies both must be cared for nature obligeth unto nurture Grace regulates it God alone makes it efficacious Job 11 12. Corrupt Nature leaves Children not a whit better than a wild Asses Colt an habit of Sinning makes them a wild Ass used to the Wilderness that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure Jer. 2.24 in her occasion who can turn her away Education must be as guide and bridle to teach and tame these frolick Youths But alas most Parents cast the Reins in Childrens Necks and leave them to their wanton ways till at last they get the Bits between the Teeth and kick off the Rider and ramble in forbidden paths till they are impounded in a Prison or an Halter here and in the Dungeon of Hell hereafter Solomon saith The Rod and Reproof give Wisdom Prov 29.15 but a Child left to himself bringeth his Mother to shame Is not Crying here better than Roaring in Eternal Torments Even Heathen Seneca could say Disciplina severa firmat ingenia apta reddit magnis conatibus

and business to go on in the Way so as that you neither stumble in it nor step awry into by-paths Observe exactly the steps of our fore-runner the Lord Jesus Christ and tread therein Walk by this Clue alone in this dark World if you would neither go aside nor go crookedly in the way The Mariner must know every Point of his Compass otherwise he may endanger all In your passage through the Sea of this World you must mind the Word of God and steer the Ship of your Soul by this Compass exactly you must mind this Rule in all things that you do you must Pray by Rule Read Hear Meditate give Alms and examine your self by Rule Yea you must Eat Drink Sleep Dress and Recreate your self and do every thing in every part of your conversation exactly by Rule 2. Those that are for their Latitude for their vagaries and extravagancies they will cry out against all this strictness and preciseness as a being Righteous over-much and against all Zeal as too feaverish and will tell you that to be thus strait-lac'd cannot be good for the spiritual birth but alas these never knew what this Scripture meant Walk Circumspectly i. e. Strictly or Precisely Does not God who hath prescribed you this strictness know what is best and most necessary for you Let People think what they will certainly without strictness they can never be saved The way to Heaven is a strait gate and there must be a striving to enter into it Luke 13.24 Salvation is not to be got with a wet finger you cannot climb to Heaven with a little lazy and yawning Devotion It 's very dangerous trifling in Religion and doing the Work of God to halves Cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully or negligently Jer. 48.10 If you may have too much godliness then you may have too much of Heaven and Blessedness 3. It requires a great deal of circumspection and care to walk aright in the way to Heaven You must be so exact here as to avoid all occasions and appearance of evil 1 Thes 5.22 and to keep your self unspotted from the World Jam. 1.27 You must be so careful as not to contract any stain or spot upon your Soul A neat Lady in the dirty Streets goes very cautiously and circumspectly observes her feet picks out the cleanest way takes accurate care to avoid every foul step holds up her Garment that it may not be soil'd or get the least spot of dirt Thus a neat Soul makes strait paths for its feet it makes strait steps and goes by a strait Rule considers its ways and desires God to order them looks to its Garments so as not to defile them or get the least spot thereon Are we not all under the exact and curious Eye of Omniscience which marks all our steps and ponders all our goings had we not need therefore to walk circumspectly and to abstain from all appearance of evil CHAP. VIII Of Dying daily 1. DIE daily unto sin This is an excellent way to live well Mortifie your corruptions crucifie sin within you That your Soul may be in health you must be in a continued course of Physick all your life for so long as you have this body of sin this corrupt nature about you you will still have matter to purge out 2. Now that you may do this work of Mortification thoroughly you must strike at the whole body of sin the whole corrupt frame of heart commonly called Original Sin which most persons so little look at and so little confess to God as if they had no cause to be humbled for it The sharp Knife of mortifying Grace doth not only cut off some members or acts of sin but endeavours to cut off the very body of sin to take out the Core so that the Ulcer may not break out again You may restrain actual sins but you never mortifie them till corrupt nature within be subdued Restraining actual sins alone is but violently to keep the Bladder under water which will be mounting up again but let corrupt Nature be wounded and then you prick the bladder of sin and so it will sink Mortifying Grace makes such a wound within that the very life of corrupt Nature runs out by degrees If an Imposthume breaks there 's an endeavour not only to bring up all the matter in it but to get hold of the very Bag also otherwise the Patient may die of it presently or it may gather again When you become sensible of sin and seriously convinced of it the Imposthume begins to break oh labour then to pluck up Original Sin or Corrupt Nature which is the very Bag of the Imposthume that if possible it may not gather again This is the very heart and root of sin If the heart be wounded and die all the members die with it If the root be grubb'd up all the branches wither 3. Think not that your Soul is in a healthy condition till you find every sin dying in you In true Mortification every sin consumes and pines away As in a Hectick there is a Consumption not only of one member but of all The Physick that Christ gives to make sin die in us is not an Elective that purgeth out one humour only but it 's an Universal Medicine that works on all If you leave one sin and have a heart hankering after another you are but in Benhadad's condition who recovered of one Disease but fell into another that proved mortal It 's the Custom of some Indians to value themselves by the number of heads which they have cut off If you would judge aright of your self see how many heads of sin you have cut off whether you have so cut off the head of every sin that it reign no more in you 4. In your endeavour after the death of every sin you must especially labour after the death and mortification of spiritual sins which like a Hectick are most dangerous because most difficultly discovered these lie close in the heart unseen Pride of heart and Self-love which is the very heart and quintessence of Unregeneracy as are an Imposthume more dangerous because so inward and indiscernible When the Imposthume is within the breast you cannot think to cure it by laying a Plaister to the skin your application must here be made to the heart Ignorant Patients complain more of that Disease which is most apparent than they do of that which is most malignant CHAP. IX Of Repentance EXercise daily Repentance from dead works I add this to the former Advice because it is by Repentance unto life as the Apostle calls it Acts 11.18 that sin is mortified and made to die Now this Repentance is a mourning after a godly manner for sins past and revolving fiducially in the strength of Christ to forsake all sin hereafter I say it is a mourning after a godly manner which hath these following properties in it 1. It is a great and bitter mourning it 's