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
A46661	Invisibles, realities, demonstrated in the holy life and triumphant death of Mr. John Janeway, Fellow of King's Collegde in Cambridge. By James Janeway, Minister of the Gospel	Janeway, James, 1636?-1674.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.; Borset, Samuel.	1674 (1674)	Wing J471; ESTC R217020	74,067	160

carry on the work that he had some hopes was well begun he laboured to build sure and build up that he might be rooted and grounded in the faith stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord. Wherefore he followed him not only with private warnings and frequent patheticall counsels and directions but with letters one of which spoke in this language Another of his Letters of Private warning and Pathetical Counsel YOU live in a place where strict and close walking with God hath few or no examples and most are apt to be 〈◊〉 their company and Gods own children are too apt to forget their first love our hearts are apt to be careless and to neglect our watch we are ready to grow formal in duty or less spiritual and then it may be less frequent and Conscience is put off with some poor excuse and thus Religion withers and one that seemed once a zealot may come to be Laodicean and some that looked once as if they were eminent saints may fall to just nothing It 's too common to have a name to be alive and yet to be dead Read this and tremble lest it should be your case When we are lazy and asleep our adversary is awake when we are sloathful and negligent then he is diligent I consider your age I know where you dwell I am not unacquainted with your temptations Wherefore I cannot but be afraid of you lest by both inward and outward fire the bush be singed Though if God be in it it cannot be burnt up Give me leave to be in some measure fearful of you and jealous over you and to mind you of what you know already Principles of civility will be but as broken reeds to stay our souls upon without those higher principles which are planted in the soul by the working of the spirit of God O remember what meltings sometimes you have had remember how solicitously you did inquire after Christ how earnestly you seemed to ask the way to Zion with your face thitherward Oh take heed of losing those impressions you once had take not up with a sleight work True conversion is a great thing and another kind of business than most of the world take it to be O therefore be not satisfied with some convictions taking them for conversion much less with resting in a formal lifeless profession There is such a thing as being almost a Christian nay as drawing back unto perdition and some that are not far from the kingdom of Heaven may never come there Beware lest you lose the reward the promise is made to him that holdeth fast and holdeth out unto the end and overcometh Labour to forget what is behind and to press forward towards things that are before He that is contented with just grace enough to get to Heaven and escape Hell and desires no more may be sure he hath none at all is far from being made partaker of the divine nature Labour to know what it is To converse with God strive to do every thing as in His presence design Him in all act as one that stands within sight of the Grave and Eternity I say again do what you do as if you were sure God stood by and looked upon you and exactly observed and recorded every thought word and action and you may very well suppose that which cannot be otherwise Let 's awake and fall to our work in good earnest Heaven or Hell are before us and death behind us What do we mean to sleep dulness in Gods service is very uncomfortable and at the best will cost us dear and to be contented with such a frame is a certain symptom of a hypocrite O How will such tremble when God shall call them to give an account of their stewardship and tell them They may no longer be stewards Should they fall sick and the Devil and Conscience fall upon them what inconceivable perplexity would they then be in O live more upon invisibles and let the thoughts of their excellency put life into your performances You must be contented to be laughed at for preciseness and singularity A Christians walking is not with men but with God and he hath great cause to suspect his love to God who doth not delight more in conversing with God and being conformed to Him than in conversing with the world and being conformed to it How can the love of God dwell in that man who liveth without God in the world without both continual vvalking vvith him in his whole conversation and those more peculiar visits of him in prayer meditation spiritual ejaculations and other duties of Religion and the workings of faith love holy desires delight joy and spiritual sorrow in them Think not that our vvalking vvith God cannot consist vvith vvorldly business yes but Religion makes us spiritual in common actions and there is not any action in a mans life in vvhich a man is not to labour to make it a religious act by a looking to the Rule in it and eying of Gods glory and thus he may be said to vvalk vvith God To this vve must indeavour to rise and never be content till vve reach to it and if this seem tedious as to degenerate nature it vvill vve must know that vve have so much of enmity against God still remaining and are under depravation and darkness know not our true happiness Such a soul is sick and it hath lost its taste vvhich doth not perceive an incomparable sweetness in vvalking vvith God without whom all things else under Heaven are gall and bitterness and to be little valued by very true Christian But We are all apt even at the worst to say that we prefer God above all things But we must know that we have very deceitful hearts And those who being inlightned know for vvhat high ends they should act and vvhat a fearful condition even a hazard in our case is these I say will not believe their own hearts without diligent search and good grounds Rest not in any condition in which your security is not founded upon that sure bottom the Lord Jesus Christ Labour to attain to this to love God for himself and to have your heart naturalized suited to spiritual things O for a heart to rejoyce and work righteousness O that we could do the will of God with more activity delight and constancy If we did know more of God we should love him more and then God would still reveal more of Himself to us and then we should see more and more cause to love him and wonder that we love him no more O this this is our happiness To have a fuller sight of God to be wrapped up and filled with the love of Christ O let my soul for ever be thus imployed Lord whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none in earth that I can desire in comparison of Thee You hear what kind of language he spake and you may easily

profane scoffers of this age to a more serious study and improvement of those invisible Realities the clear evidence and powerful influence whereof our good friend did so abundantly experience The truth is the Transcriber though best accomplished and most inwardly acquainted with what might conduce thereto doth and could not but fall short of declaring the transcendent excelencies of this sublime soul and precious Saint which till toward his end when his heart was too full to hold in what could be uttered were much concealed even to those who knew him best by reason of his great humility and modesty These disposed him rather to receive than communicate except where he had no expectations of the former and either familiar intercourse ingaged or the apprehended exigency of those his heart was drawn out to in Christian love and compassion constrained to the latter Yet many of those precious streams that did flow from him we must lament the loss of through default of careful rececivers or faithful retainers He was of clear intellectuals and a large heart both for craving and comprehending what was worthy his persuit which being happily improved by his education and timely seasoned with a spiritual savour of Gospel mysteries for obtaining of which he had then with others choise advantages was a great help to his proficiency in acquaintance with the vital exercises and soul satisfying enjoyment of the divine life above not only his equals but seniors and instructors He was much dissatisfied with himself under any decays or abatements till he could if not alone by imploring the assistance of Christian friends recover what he sometime had had such sweet experience of And not content with any attainments was still pressing on to what his prospect in the promises encouraged by his happy praelibations assured him was attainable He was to this end a chearful embracer and diligent improver of spiritual opportunities exact in his Christian watch much wrestling and very prevalent with God in prayer and with himself in his solitudes striving to disentangle his heart from what might diveri his holy ambition and to raise it to the highest activity and capacity for glorifying and enjoying God in Christ for the excellency of the knowledge of whom he accounted all inferiour attainments but loss What he had tasted and seen he was grieved to see others neglect desirous to bring others to experience by earnest commending them to God designing with himself and contriving with his spiritual confidence what might conduce thereto He had a true sympathy with those that were bound with him Heaven-ward Their pressures and conflicts were his burdens His prayers and counsels their ready assistants their refreshments his revivings and their spiritual proficiency his joy He was a secret and compassionate mourner as in general for the worlds degeneracy pretended Christians unthankfulness for the Gospel the hazards run by innumerable precious souls so especially for the dreadful apostacies of some the then threatning decay amd growing formality of others sometime seemingly forward which brought him nigher to God and more inflamed his holy zeal But this chiefly was carried out to advance the power of Religion in the family and persons he was peculiarly related to apprehending there to lie his best opportunities as well as strongest obligations And his success was very encouraging This is part of what I knew of him in Cambridge who refer you for farther reviewing your remembrance to the narrative But both his spiritual receipts and expences were much increased the two last years of his life when I had not opportunity of personal converse with him And by reason of our distance and at that time ignorance of his weak condition I was not so happy as to share in the priviledge of those who had the conveniencie of receiving his last and sweetest breath Though I soon after had the account while things were fresh in their memories and warm on their hearts from the eye and ear witnesses that some of them have now been induced to make more publick But next and chiefly 2. I intreat you to recommend the truth of this narrative by your faithful adhering to and diligent promoting of what some of you learned from him and others professed with him That by imitating his good example and improving his experiences with your longer opportunities you may be such proficients in Christianity as shining like lights your selves to hold forth the word of life for convincing the incredulous That the mysteries of regeneration a life of faith in Christ the fruitful emprovement of union and communion with him to a prospicuous conformity to him crucifixion to the world by his cross and a conversation with him in Heaven while on earth therein proposed herein exemplified be no figments but great realities no slight matters but of greatest consequence not such singularities but that others according to their measure taking the like course may be experimentally acquainted with the surpassing sweetness of an interest therein And the rather am I bold to intreat this of you because I was privy to his souls concern for the concernments of your souls How passionatly he desired to see Christ formed in you and rejoyced at any evidence thereof How earnestly he would pray for you all and especially for those he had more occasion to deal with or cause to be jealous of How affected he was with your dangers and snares And what a desire he had you might out-strip himself who could not take up his rest on this side Heaven The good Lord help every one of us to shew the same diligence to the full assureance of hope to the end that we may not be slothful but followers of them who by faith and patience inherit the promises I have one farther request that you would pursue by your most earnest supplications the design of publishing this narrative that God would make it prosperous to the pious ends therein proposed and for which I hope in his providence it is reserved now for publick view Especially that it may provoke to holy emulation not only those who were more peculiarly endeared to our pretious Friend by natural or spiritual bonds And that if any of these be fallen from their first love they may be excited to repent do their first works and strengthen the things that remain lest having begun in the spirit they wretchedly end in the flesh and draw back to perdition but also some at least of them that sueceed in the Chambers and Studies which sometime were sanctified with the word and prayer by those that singly and joyntly as Bhamber fellows and Colleagues earnestly implored the divine benediction on those two royal foundations he was member of That the God of the spirits of all flesh would make them fruitful nurseries of such as might be eminent instruments of Gods glory here and turning many to righteousness might shine as the stars for ever and ever Wherein you may expect the hearty concurrence of Your real Friend

humility of spirit is no way inconsistent with this peace of God A second cause of your heaviness may be a sense of the state of the people which God hath committed to you and indeed who can but mourn over people in such a condition objects of pity they are and the more because they pity not themselves I have often wrestled with God that he would direct you in what is your duty concerning them which I perswade my self is your earnest request Now if after your serious examining of your self what your Conscience doth conclude to be your duty you do it and see you do it you are then to rest upon God for his effectual working Let not any think to be nore merciful than God for wherein he doth he goes beyond his bounds and this is no more cause of heaviness to you than the opposition that the Apostles found at any time was who notwithstanding rejoyced in tribulation Another cause of heaviness may be what divisions are between your self and some of your Relations O that a spirit of meekness and wisdom might remove all cause of sorrow for that But were the power of Godliness more in hearts and Families all the causes of such trouble would soon be removed there would be less that would deserve reprehension and there would be a fittedness of spirit to give and bear reproof to give in meekness and tenderness and to bear in humility patience and thankfulness Some cares and thoughts you may have concerning your Family when you are gone But let Faith and former experience teach you to drive away all such thoughts Your constitution and solitaryness may also be some cause of melancholy but there is a duty which if it were exercised would dispel all which is heavenly meditation and contemplation of the things which true Christian Religion tends to If we did but walk closely with God one hour in a day in this duty O what influence would it have into the whole day besides and duly performed into the whole life This duty with the usefulness manner and direction c. I knew in seme measure before but had it more pressed upon me by Mr. Baxters Saints Everlasting Rest that can scarce be overvalued for which I have cause for ever to bless God As for your dear Wife I fear the cares and troubles of the world take off her mind too much from walking with God so closely as she ought to do and from that earnest indeavour after higher degrees of grace I commend therefore to her all this excellent Duty of Meditation It is a bitter sweet Duty bitter to corrupt nature but sweet to the Regenerate part if performed I intreat her and your self yea I charge it upon you with humility and tenderness that God have at least half an hour allowed him in a day for this exercise O this most precious Soul-raising Soul-ravishing Soul-perfecting duty Take this from your dear Friend as spoke with reverence and real love and faithfulness My fear and jealousie left I should speak in vain maketh me say again I or God by me doth charge this upon you One more direction let me give that none in your family satisfie themselves in family prayer But let every one twice a day if it may be possible draw near to God in secret duty Here secret wants may be laid open here great mercies may be begged with great earnestness here what wandrings and coldness was in family-duty may be repented of and mended This is the way to get seriousness reality sincerity chearfulness in Religion and thus the joy of the Lord may be your strength Let those which know their duty do it if any think it not a necessary duty let them fear lest they lose the most excellent help for a holy useful joyful life under the assistance of Gods Spirit whilst they neglect that which they think unnecessary Take some of these directions from sincere affection some from my own experience and all from a real and compassionate desire of your joy and comfort The Lord teach you in this and in the rest I intreat you never to rest labouring till you have attained to true spiritual joy and peace in the Lord. The God of Peace give you his direction and the foretasts of his comforts in this life and perfection in eternal life in the enjoying of infinite holiness purity and excellencie through Christ Thus praying I rest In another Letter to a Reverend Friend that had the care of many Children he thus adviseth Sir YOVR Charge is great upon a Temporal Account but greater upon a Spiritual many Souls being committed to your charge Out of an earnest desire of the good of Souls and your own joy and peace I importunately request that you would have a great care of your children and be often dropping in some wholesome admonitions and this I humbly with submission to your judgment in it commend to you not to admonish them always altogether but likewise privately one by one not letting the rest know of it Wherein you may please to press upon them their natural corruption their necessity of Regeneration the Excellency of Christ and how unspeakably lovely it is to see young ones setting out for Heaven This way I think may do most good having had experience of it my self in some small measure God grant that all may work for the edifying of those which are committed to you I leave you under the protection of him that hath loved us and given himself for us Thus you see how he seemed swallowed up with the affairs of another world CHAP. III. His Carriage when Fellow of the Colledge at twenty years of Age. WHen he was about twenty years old he was made Fellow of the Colledge which did not a little advance those noble projects which he had in his head for the promoting of the interest of the Lord Christ Then how sweetly would he insinuate into the young ones desiring to carry as many of them as possibly he could along with him to Heaven Many attempts he made upon some of the same house that he might season them with Grace and animate and incourage those which were looking towards Heaven And as for his own Relations never was there a more compassionate and tender-hearted Brother How many pathetical Letters did he send to them and how did he follow them with prayers and tears that they might prove successful how frequently would he address himself to them in private and how ready to improve providences and visits that he might set them home upon them How excellent would he set forth the beauty of Christ He earnestly would perswade them to inquire into the state of their souls How would he indeavour to bring them off from sandy foundations and resting upon their own righteousness In a word he was scarce content to go to Heaven without and through mercy he was very successful among his own Relations and the whole family soon savoured of his spirit

have its proper effect upon us to make us to desire earnestly to be like our beloved When shall we put on his beauty O how lovely should we then look Let us put off that deformity that is upon our Souls which makes us so unlike to Christ yea which makes us loathsome in his Eyes Pride Passions Worldliness are those Soul-deformities which keep Christ at such a distance from us and which hinder his more sweet frequent and intimate converse with us It is only that of Himself which Christ seeth in us which he delighteth in For in Him is the perfection of all Beauty and excellency and whatsoever loveliness is in any thing else comes from him is like him and leads to him Would we know how much we are beloved of him let us see how much we are like him for He cannot but love that which is like himself and if we would be like him we must put on love for God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and god in him 1 Joh. 4. 16. Thirdly If we ought to walk towards one another as members of the same body whereof Christ is the Head what can speak a closer union than commembership No man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it But we do not feel the power of this oneness as we ought to do We are many and where there is division there will be dissention that we may therefore be more one let us be more in putting off our self and going into Christ Here let us look into the loathsomness of our natures whilest off from God which is the cause of all this confusion and if we cannot see its deformity in its self let us see it in reflection in its bitter effects and when we see our own deformity we shall see less cause to love our selves and more cause to love others Let us look upon our oneness in Christ and see if we can thence become one in affections Christ saith I and the children which thou hast given me we have one spiritual Father we are brethren let us love as brethren The cause of this union is our being made partakers of Christs nature and baptized into the same spirit with him and if we have at any time experienced the more lively and full incomes of this spirit of Christ how did it set the heart on fire The soul is then too narrow to contain its own affections how dearly then could we look upon a Saint How did pride and wrath vanish and melt down into meekness humility and love Did we never experience what this meaneth Then let the remembrance of the sweetness of it renew it in us O a life of spiritual love is a life indeed a Heaven upon earth This is a good rule when vve find our selves in a spiritual temper let us examine our selves then and inquire how vve like such a frame Let us remember the Voice of the spirit in us and labour to have our judgment and affections always after so ballanced Fourthly Are vve members of Christ vve do not say vve do not love Christ If vve do indeed love Christ let us love him vvherever vve find Him Christ is in all those that are His. Let us fear offending Christ in his for vvhat is done to them He vvill take as done to himself It vvill be said in that great Day In as much as ye did it unto these ye did it unto me Let us think vvhat vve vvill of it at present the vvorld vvill find this true to their cost And if vve act as in Christ vve shall find our selves as much concerned for him as for our selves and more too Oh the vvrongs that are done to him vve shall reckon done to us If vve are Christs Christs interest vvill be ours and his injuries ours If vve are Christs vve vvill be as fearful of offending of any of his as of vvronging of our selves Christ himself is above the reach of our vvrongs to be touched by them in himself but in his Members he suffers to this very day If then Christ and vve are one and Christ and all his are one let us love Christ in his let us rejoice in Christ in his members let us indeavour to requite Christ in his members let us fear grieving the spirit of Christ in grieving the spirits of any of his dear ones Wound not Christ in vvounding the heart of his beloved O the pretiousness pleasure and profit of this love I beg of God to give you a full injoyment of that sweetness and the joyful fruits of it the Lord refresh you vvith a quick and constant sence and sight of his eternal love towards your soul to vvhich the assurance of true Christian love by the effectual vvork of the Comforter may bring you By this vve know that vve are passed from Death to Life because vve love the Brethren If it shall please the Lord to give me leave to see you again I shall come vvith strong expectations and earnest desires of seeing a sweet alteration for the better in you in your deportment and carriage towards one that did deserve better at your hands And vvhat an effect hopes of this nature frustrated vvill produce I beseech you to judge I pray God fill you vvith peace and joy My hand is vveary vvith vvriting but my mind still runs forth in desires and prayers for you I hope the Lord vvill take away all cause of vvriting any more of this subject unto you Your Letter gave me hopes of a good beginning I beseech the Lord to carry on vvhat he hath begun to the glory of his goodness that I may at every sight of you see more of the image of Christ in you and more of the power and beauty of this grace of love and that I may find you drawn nearer to Heaven and see you vvith Christ in Heaven vvhen time shall be no more I leave you in the Arms of Love John Janeway By all this you may easily perceive what spirit acted him and how much he was troubled for any divisions amongst the people of God Indeed he was of so loving and lovely a disposition that he even commanded the affections of most that knew him and so humble he was that he was ashamed to be loved for his own sake I can never forget a strang expression that I have heard from him concerning one that had a very ardent love for him I know this saith he that I love no love but what is purely for Christs sake would Christ might have all the love He alone deserves it for my part I am afraid and ashamed of the love and respects of Christians He saw so much pride peevishness and division amongst Professors that it did not a little vex his righteous Soul and made him think long to be in a sweeter Air where there should be nothing but union joy and love He could not indure to hear Christians speak reproachfully one of