Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	life_n	love_n	love_v	2,826	5	6.6025	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18603	A cordiall of comfort To preserue the heart, from fainting with griefe or feare: for our friends, or our owne visitation, by the plague. Also a thankes-giuing to almightie God, for staying the visitation in London, and the suburbs thereof. Both which may be of vse to Christians in other places, that are cleere, visited, or recouered. By William Chibald.	Chibald, William, 1575-1641.	1625 (1625)	STC 5131; ESTC S118343	43,911	197

2. in p. 50. the 3. p. 51. the 4. in p. 53. the 5 p. 55. the 6 p. 66. Sixe meanes to keep us from dying of the plague p. 57. The 1 meanes p. 58. the 2 in pa. 59. the 3 in pa. 60. the 4 in pa. 64. the 5 in pag 65. the 6 meanes in pa. 66. Cautions touching the efficacie of these meanes to keepe vs frrm infection or death by the plague pa. 68. c. Reasons to proue that the godly doe dy in Gods fauour though the dy of the plague● pag. 74. How that comes to passe page 81. What makes death blessed or accurssed to men pa. 84. Rules to know how we shal dy in Gods fauour though we dy of the plague pa. 74. 86. The first pa. 86. The second pa. 92 The third pa. 96. The fourth pag. 99. The fift p. 101. The sixt pa. 102. Seuen holy vertues or acti●ns to be done by Christians to assure them of Gods fauour and loue in life and death pag. 107 A distinction of the sauing graces of the Spirit wrought in the Elect. pag. What brings vs into the estate of grace and what keeps vs therein p. 108. A farewell to them that haue not been visited p. 118. A farewel to them that haue been visited and yet are escaped p. 118. A farewell to both sorts pag. 119. Dr. FEATLIES Approbation I Haue perused this Treatise and fynd it very sound for Doctrine and seasonable for the time and hauing receiued much comfort by it my selfe J desyre others may do the like by the further publishing thereof DANIEL FEATLY A SPIRITV all Cordiall against the Plague OF late it hath pleased God to visite my Familie with the sicknesse Vpon this occasion according to good order I am a Ier. 36.5 shut vp in my Church yard and by this meanes I may not without offence go abroad either to the house of God to teach my people or to my freinds houses to see how they doe but blessed be God that in iudgment remembers mercy sixe of nine persons b Abac. 3.2 remaine escaped as it is this day from death Ezra 9.15 and foure of nine from infection Though God haue imprisoned my body yet hath he enlarged my spirit though he hath silenced my tongue and thereby taken from me liberty to preach yet hath he put my pen into my hand and thereby given me an opportunitie to write some spirituall counsell for the comfort of my dearly beloved like loving neighbours and Parishioners and my kindred and friends that are affected afflicted with Gods visitation on vs. As also for their consolation that haue been are or may be in heavines by meanes of the like visitation That which I haue now written vnto you is that which will be best for you to reade and that will be best for you to read at this time which will best meet with and remoue that which doth now most trouble you namely Griefe and feare That you are grieued for me and mine and for our visitation I assuredly beleeue And because I beleeue it therefore haue I writtē these few leaues lines 〈◊〉 11 ●0 to asswage your sorrow for it were hard if my affliction should make a wound of griefe in your hearts and I not endeavour to make a playster of comfort to heale it Farre be such ingratitude from me and farre bee such a want from you Though in some respects I am grived with your sorrow yet in other regards I reioyce not simply for the griefe it selfe but for that which I know is the cause and that which I hope will be the fruite and that which I pray may be the issue of it The cause of your griefe for vs is your loue for when the Iewes saw how Christ wept for Lazarus ●oh 11.36 they said behold how he loued him The fruite is godly sorrow for sinne ●hē●eares ●or sin proue godly or repentance vnto amendment of life and saluation and indeed then sorrow or teares proue godly when they exercise a twofold nature they haue namely 1. A salt brackish or brinish quality 2. A wet or moyst qualitie The salt or brinish qualitie of sorrow or teares shewes it selfe to be godly 1. when it Seasons the soule with grace 2. When it eates out the corrupt humour of wickednes that is in it and 3 keepes the heart from putrifiyng in sin The moyst wet qualitie that is in teares doth shew it selfe to be godly when 1. it softens the heart that is hardned d Heb. 3.13 with the deceitefulnes of sinne and 2. when it e Ier. 4.14 washeth the heart from wickednes and f Isa 16 1● clenseth it from the loue of sensuall pleasures The issue which I pray may come of your sorrow for me is an assurance to your soules that you are living and not dead members of the Christian body in that you g can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities Heb. 4 1● Rom. 12.15 Weepe with them that weep * Heb. 4.5 remember them that are in bonds as if you were bound with them * Rom. 12. ●5 And pittie your brethren when the hand of the Lord toucheth them Heb. 13.3 Iob. 19 21 In these respects I hope I may say with the Apostle S. Paul 2 Cor. 7.9 Now I reioyce not that yee were made sorry but that yee sorrowed to repentance for yee were made sorry after a godly manner that yee might receiue damage by vs in nothing But to omit any longer preface and to come to the matter intended which is remouing of your griefe and feare Against your griefe I will propound 1. matter of content 2. Meditations of comfort the good Lord reach and apply it by his Spirit vnto your Spirits according to the nature of the doctrine it selfe and according to my desire minde in propounding it That you may be contented with the hand of Gods visitation vpon my Family How to content our selues with Gods visitaion on our f●amily I pray you take notice of and consider seriously these fiue points 1 That we are not able to resist the hand of God for we are k not stronger then he Wee are in this respect but I as clay in the hands of the Potter for the a 1. Cor. 10.22 Ier. 18.6 Dan. 4.35 Lord doth according to his will in the armie of heauen and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand 2 That we haue most iustly deserued to drinke of this cup with others b wee haue accepted the punishment of our iniquitie For we haue sinned against God and therefore must we beare c Micah 7 the hand of the Lord we indeed iustly receiue the due reward of our deedes Yea we must be anmbe not open our mouthes because it is his doing who hath not done without cause d Levit. 26 all that he hath done vnto vs. and therefore e Luk 23.

the Lord is iust for wee haue deserued to haue ben beneath for our sinnes f Psal 39. For who are we And what is our Fathers house that in such a common calamity we should looke to be free Seeing g 1. Pet. 4. the time is come that iudgment must begin at the house of God 3. That we are not alone in this affliction for we haue fellowes enough too many if the Lord saw it good h 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no tentation taken vs but such as is common to man The Lord hath i 2. Sam. 7.14 chastened vs with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men yea with the stripes of them that are his owne children 4. That all in our family haue not bin smitten as yet but a few onely nor are they all dead that were smitten but some onely nor were they all smitten together but by degrees successiuely only First our seruants and then our children nor with so heauie a stroke as some haue bin but gently with moderation k Ier. 30.11 10.24 with measure and iudgement the Lord be praised therefore 5. And lastly consider that none of vs haue wanted that which many our betters haue beene without namely food and physicke helpers and keepers varietie of roomes and chambers with other conueniences so that I may truely say to Gods glory our benefit and your content of our selues as Paul did of himselfe and companions in affliction We are * 2 Cor. 6.9 as dying and behold we liue as chastened but not killed and in another place * 2 Cor. 4.8 We are troubled on euery side but not distressed Wee are in doubt but not in despaire And with Dauid the n Lord hath thrust sore at vs but hath not giuen vs ouer vnto death It is true I haue parted with a good seruant good childe and a good Curate My faithfull fellow helper in the ministery but it is content to vs they were not too good for him that gaue them their goodnes and that had more right to them then I for God in heauen was o master to the one p Father to the other and q Arch-Pastor and Bishop to the other and therfore might command them And it is a comfort to vs so it may be to you that r the Lord is better to vs then tenne s●ns ●2 Sam. 1 3. as Elkanah said that himselfe was to his wife Annah Now least haply content may seeme to some but a dry plaister for such a running sore not broad enough to couer it or not soueraigne enough to heale it therfore to make a perfect cure I haue thought of another medicine for the malady and so I passe on to the second sort of meditatiōs that may giue you comfort as well as content against your heauinesse for our visitation How to cōfort our selues against griefe for our visitation These comforts shall be taken from seuerall considerations concerning our affliction as namely 1. The Nature of it 2. The Cause of it 3. The Effect of it 4. The Companion of it 5. And lastly the End of it For in all these points there lieth matter of comfort from all these haue the faithful raised comfort to themselues in their afflictions and withall these haue wee comforted our selues in our visitation 1. The Nature of this visitation is the same with the nature of all other afflictions on the godly The nature of the affliction of the godly which is not to be a vengeance of God to wreake his fury on vs to our vtter destruction but to be a b Heb. 12.5 6 7. 1. Cor. 11.32 chatistment and correction to make vs repent more soundly of our past sinnes and to prevent with more watchfulnesse the committing of the same or like sins againe Reu. 3.19 that c Reu 2.29 we may be zealous and amend Indeed it is in it selfe a punishment and to the wicked that repent not it is a vengeance but to the godly that amend it is not so as shall bee proued more at large hereafter And therefore in this respect may we all take comfort in it 2 The cause of this our visitation is twofold The causes of the afflictions of the godly Efficient and impulsiue The Efficient Cause is the author or sender of it which is God and herein God is d to be considered not simply as God onely but as God a 2. Sam. 7 14. our Father or as mercifull For by this visitation wee fall into Gods hands whose b 2. Sam. 4 14 mercies are great and herein GOD c Heb 12.7 deals with vs as with his sons and daughters Therefore wee ought not to d Heb. 16. faint when vvee are rebuked of him but consequently bee comfortable therein The second cause is Impulsiue or that which mooueth God thus to afflict or chasten vs which is his eternall loue in Christ For as many as the Lord loues hee rebukes and chastens e Reu. 3.19 The Lord may chasten vs with the f 2 Sam. 7.4 15. rod of men and vvith the stripes of the children of men but his mercy shall not depart from vs. So that g Phil. 2.1 if there be any comfort in loue that is in Gods loue then may wee comfort our selues in our affliction which proceeds from it It is true the Instrumentall cause of this our visitation hath been Gods Angell or infection by men but the supreme Efficient is GOD. It is true also that in respect of our sinnes the h anger and fury of GOD may bee sayde to bee an Impulsiue or moouing cause of it a 2 Sam. 24 1. b Ezek. 10 19 But it is but his temporary anger vvhich is but for a i moment c Isa 54.8 VVhich may and doth well stand with his eternal loue euerlasting compassion in Christ with which wee are to bee comforted The effect of their affliction 3 The effect and fruit that comes to the faithfull by all their affl●●tions when they are exercised thereby is very cōfortable it is the a peaceable fruite of righteousnes e Heb 5.8 that is increase of holinesse both in heart life which will bring forth true qu●et and peace to the soule though the body and outward man h Heb 6.9 be disquieted afflicted with thē for the present it is to c learne obedience by the things we suffer f Hos 6.1 it is to d Heb. 12.12 returne to God that smites vs and be zealous and amend g Reu. 3.29 So that we having in some measure through Gods grace foūd these fruits and effects wrought in vs by our affliction and these beeing comfortable because they be such as e accompany saluation therfore ought you not to sorrow f as men without hope 1 Thes 4.18 g Mat. 2.18 like Rachell that would not be comforted but even in griefe to