Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
cause_n line_n page_n read_v 7,070 5 11.4609 5 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A41527 Patience and its perfect work under sudden & sore tryals Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680. 1666 (1666) Wing G1251; ESTC R40909 51,072 174

There are 3 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

GLORIOVS Power is requisite to perfect this Grace which argues this to be so difficult an exercise above any other and that our Natures are infinitly remote from it of our selves which we not minding nor considering have not perhaps with answerable vehemency implored the aid of so Great a Power And secondly This gives us a clear reason why prayer of all other means should be directed by the Apostle and extraordinarily set upon by us as the most effectual yea as an only means to obtain this For seeing that Power lyes out of our selves in GOD which must effect this in us then surely nothing can be judged so prevailing as Faith and Prayer which are the Graces in and by which the Soul going out of it self in a sence of its utter insufficiency supplicates the Grace in Gods heart to exert this power of his good pleasure and so do draw it forth and bring it down into the Heart And then thirdly This gives us the highest encouragement that we may obtain this perfect work of it however remote from it the present temper of our Spirits may seem to be to us Seeing that no less then such a glorious power is requisite to effect it in the strongest Christians And a power so glorious is able to work it in the weakest Let us Pray therefore with all vehemency for our selves as the Apostle did for those Colossians that this glorious power may come upon us and strengthen our inward man as 't is elfwhere with all might which might in us is the effect of that power in God as the cause For as this Patience is to be an All Patience or else it hath not its perfect work so this MIGHT it must be an all might you must be strengthened with unto such A Patience of you will not be perfect at it That MIGHT you had in such or such a Triall will not serve to strengthen you against the next triall that shall come But you must still have a new speciall might for every new triall Your dependance therefore is great upon God for this perfect work of Patience And yet your encouragements are great For as it must be that if God will please to strengthen us under any great unusual Tentations that he should put forth no less then this Glorious power So we have heard how in our Apostle he hath promised he will give it and give it freely and liberally to them that make it their main constant earnest business to ask it And therefore his Grace if applyed to is engaged to put this POWER forth It cannot but be a great support to a weak heart that finds it self so remote and distant from such a work of Patience and weak also in comparison of finding such an inward might that it should have Ground and Cause to think and to believe that Gods glorious power is engaged most sreely to be abundantly and readily put forth if continued to be sought unto Why this says the weak heart will do it namely this glorious power And I have found by some Tryals already that the strong God and a weak heart will be too hard for any thing yea for the whole World And therefore when you think your present trials that are come upon you far greater then you can bear think withall of the glorious power of God that is at hand to help you 'T is a great word That his GLORIOVS POWER A greater attribute could not have been named or found out for our comfort And is a word of vertue force and power to hearten to or against anything whatever 'T is true thy present trial may be and is above that in ward strength which serves and hath served hitherto to act thy graces in thy ordinary walkings with God holily and sincerely A child may by its ordinary strength be able to walk up and down a room by stooles suppose supporting it without any other extraordinary help But if it be to goe up a pair of Staires the strength that enabled it to these lesser performances will not be sufficient thereunto He must be carryed and held up in the arms of one who is strong and mighty And so it is here That other part of our Christian obedience the active ●ife of a Christian prayed for by the Apostle in that place to the ●olossians also whereby he walks ●ruitfully c. as in the seventh ●erse of that chapter requires indeed Gods power for by it it is we are kept unto Salvation all-a-●ong But when it comes to Pati●nce and Long-suffering and ALL PATIENCE and that such ● trial comes as will try all Pati●nce in you then it is He makes ●ention of that glorious Power ●nd not afore For it must be no ●ess that must go to that then Gods GLORIOVS POWER And ●he promise therefore is in such case that the SPIRIT OF GLO●Y shall rest upon us and not ●he Spirit of Grace only as I Pet. 4. 14. Relieve and comfort therefore your selves with these things and specially with this That as your trials abound so this glorious power of God will abound also towards you for your support AMEN FINIS Some Slips and Omissions PAge 4. Line 11. For strongest Read strangest Page 18. Line 15. After to Patience Read Let Patience have but its perfect work and that alone will make you eminently perfect And his scope c. Page 24. line 25. For And they Read And now they Page 58. line 16. After In the world Read Which he had reckoned up Page 90. line 21. After Discouragement Read For this cause we faint not Page 99. line 9. For Sp●ritual Read In Glory Page 106. line 1. For But yet for all my Read But for all he knew my Page 109. line ult Read His meaning further A. Page 111. line 18 After So long Read The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken Blessed c. Page 119. line 12. After Sums up Read The Frame of his Spirit Page 131. line 20. Read Vnto Patience LONG-SVFFERING is added Page 148 Margin For Toibi sibi tentum Read Tr●bui sibi sensum Job 7. 18. Psal 37. 13. Ps 44. 22. Jer. 29. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The same word here and there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est id per quod sit explaratio Grotius in Verba and so it differs from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which notes the issue the experiment or fruit upon tryal see the same Grotius on Rom 5. 4. even as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ● Cor. 8. 7. Psal 89. 15 Pf. 40. 8. Heb. 10. Rev. 1. 9. Patientia it a Dei rebus proposita est ut nullum prae●eptum obire quis possit à Patientia extraneus Tertul. De Patientia Mat. 5. 47. Eclesiast 9. 10. Mat. 5. 12. The Description of Patience Admonet Victores omnium Tentationum fore qui Deum amant Nec aliâ de ●●usâ nos animo defici cum tentamur nisi quia prevalet MVNDI AMOR. Calvin in Verba Omnes virtutes certant sola Patientia vincit coronatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 55. 12. Heb. 5. 〈…〉 habet vim quietativam Psal 51. * See Piscator and the Dutch Annotat And the Ground why it may be so judged is the conformity which these pass●ges in the Psalm verse 8. Make me not the REPROACH of the foolish and this specially v. 9. I opened not my mouth because THOV DIDST IT doe hold with that story 2 Sam. 16. 10 11. When Shimei did curse him upon occasion of which David simularly spake thus The Lord hath said to him curse David Who shall then say wherefore hast thou done so Let him alone THE LORD HATH BIDDEN HIM Which is just as here THE LORD HATH DONE IT 'T is such a phrase as when Christ says I know you not Heb. 12. Sapientiae nomen ad circumstantiam praesentis Loci restringo Calvin in Verb. Siquis vestrum non potest intelligere V●ilitatem Tentationum postulet a Deo toibui sibi tentum Beda in Locum Cum dicat omnibus intelligit qui Petunr Calvin in Virba NECEXPROB●T Hoc additum est Ne quis deum sepi us adire metuat ●ui ex Hominibus maximè sunt Liberales rametsi identidem quispiam juvari se postuler priora beneficia commemorant at que ita excusant IN POSTERUM Calvin in verba Vel certe ideo addit nequis deum sepius adire vereatur Calvins very words nonne enim dicit jam toties dedi quid adhuc me obtundis Ut solent homines etiam qui maximè sunt liberales Calvins very words again Sed Deus ut est Fons inex●austus ita ad dandum modo pet●ssicut oportet paratissimus imo i●●e ultro nos invitans ad semper petendum c. Aestius in verba 1 Head 2 Head 3 Head Ephes 4. 17.
fold and that in this life as elswhere in spiritual blessings And Faith eying these things relieves the Soul Observe but what follows there as to our purpose in hand for which I quote this place in v. 19. the very next v. In your Patience possess your Souls the meaning from the Coherence is you may well possess your Souls in Patience for I have told you the issue will be most blessed and Glorious Fifthly Faith brings in Heaven as the Reward of patient enduring thus in Chap. first v. 12. of our Apostle Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tryed he shall receive the Crown of Life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him And this is the conclusion of his persent discourse about patient enduring When he is tryed that is when his tryals are finisht and gone through with And his Faith hath all along wrought Patience in his course T is persevering Patience or endurance receives this Crown Other Graces strive but Faith and Patience they are Crowned And further in proportion is holds that as mans Tryals and Temptations have been and his Patience suitable such shall the greatness of his Reward be and accordingly measured forth unto him And Faith in the intuition of that Glory heartens Patience Rom. 5. Faith having caused us first to Rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God v. 2. causeth us also to Glory in Tribulations v. 3. in the strength of our hope in that Glory Which Hope is said further to be encreased in us through Tribulations their working Patience v. 4. As thus Patience works experience v. 5. that is many a fresh experiment of our own graces and Gods dealings in those Tryals And those experiences do work up an Hope or assurance of Glory as I John 3. ● to that degree of firmness that maketh us not ashamed not in respect only of the real disappointment of that Glory at death but not in a mans own hope thereof in his own heart For in respect to that hope of his this is spoken because that over above and besides those foresaid experiments The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost himself immediately who is given to us which shedding c. of Gods love is no other then the earnest and prelibation of that Glory And this is given as the reward of our Patience and Tribulations which are but the loss of things Earthly in Exchange for which we receive this hope and beginning of Glory If thou hadst had all the Brass and Pewter that was in thy house and hath been melted by this Fire therewithall turn'd into Gold the stones that paved thy yards or the bricks or lime that raised thy walls all changed into precious stones thy glass windows that were dissolved converted into Diamonds thou hadst little cause to complain at the loss Now read Is 54. 11 12. O thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted Behold I will lay thy ●tones with fair Colours and lay by foundations with Saphirs I ●ill make thy Windows of Agats ●●d thy Gates of Carbuncles and 〈◊〉 thy borders of Pleasant stones And if thou hast gotten any encrease of Grace by these losses then hath much of this in Isaiah been truly and spiritually fulfilled in thee And these repaires are in this life But besides that Thou hast a building made without hands eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5. 1. Which stands ready for thee Those believing Hebrews might well suffer the spoiling of their Goods with joy whilst they found sealed and put into their hearts Bills of Exchange to receive all again in Eternal treasures in heaven But this was their very Case Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your Goods knowing in your selves that ye have in heaven 〈◊〉 better and an enduring substance Heb. 10. 34. And this happy lot will come to be thine if thou exercisest upon thy losses Faith and Patience It follows in that Heb. 10. the following verses Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward For ye have need of Patience that after ye have done the will of God ye migh● receive the promise This fo● Faith's working Patience II. Our LOVE to God works PATIENCE § LOve to God in us works Patience or Faith by Love a● I shewed out of v. 12. Love to God makes us cleave to God and so to follow him through all weathers and endurances That great Convert in whom at his Conversion Faith and Love were so abundant as 1 Tim. 1. 14. his Heart through Love to the Name of Christ caused him in the highest passion to utter What mean you to weep and break my heart for I am not ready to be BOVND only but also to DYE at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus Acts 21. v. 13. It was Love to that Name that fired him yea his Love was wrought up to such an intense degree as he could have wisht to have been accurst from Christ for Gods Glory in the conversion of his brethren Rom. 9. I wonder how he would have done for Patience under that curse if in Hell But that Love which wisht that curse would have wrought it and so thought he or he would never have wisht this Upon the like account of Love to this Name Those two Apostles rejoyced to suffer shame for his Name as Acts 5. 41. Love makes the Glorifying of God and Christ and the will of God which is alwayes for his Glory dearer then all things to us Yea that God should have his Will for his own Glory if it be the will of God says the Apostle of our Sufferings abundantly stils the heart in all T is true I may be punish● in my afflictions for my Sin and I humble my self for that But beyond that it is the good pleasure of God so to have it and I rejoyce in that says Love That his Will is done As truly that 't is done upon me as that by me And Good is the word of God in both and Hallowed be his Name In that Rom. 8. where as you heard We are more then Conquerours in all these things through him that loved us that love of His to us is alone indeed openly or expresly mentitioned yet withall it is our love to him that tacitly is insinuated to be a concurrent cause therewith you must take that in too For the intent of those very words is that the Soul apprehending his Love Who is THAT LOVER as that word imports out of a reciprocated Love to him again doth hearten us in the conflict unto this Conquest And yet there is one small word put in that further argues this 't is in v. 26. For thy sake we are killed all the day long Our lives being in jeopardy every hour and we are counted as sheep for the slaughter and this For thy sake you have in the 44. Psal And he quotes it out from thence As it is
heart to a Readiness to those actings forementioned Thus the Apostle Acts 21. 17. I am not only ready to be bound but I am ready to dye at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus His heart was so fully prepared as he stuck not at all at it yea it was an heart-breaking to him that his friends should offer to disswade him What mean you to break my heart c. 'T was his being inured to endurance and Patience that had begotten that Habit of it in him his heart was not to seek for it § A second Adjunct or Property which adds a perfection to all these is when the practice of it is DVRABLE and hath some constancy in it As first Not by fits only That was Jonahs fault Oh he was a Broken humble man when in the Whales belly but how outragious when out In Moses Patience had its perfect work in respect of the constant exercise of that Grace And therefore it was he had the honour to be stiled the meekest man on Earth And truly it was not that meek●ess of his natural Temper nor meerly as a moral virtue in him ●or which he is so extolled though these might contribute thereto But it was a Grace that was Spiritual in him the Grace ●f meekness and consequently ●f Patience which the holy Ghost had wrought in him and which he by sufferings had learned And my reason among others principally is that he was a Type of Christ therein according as Gods promise was t● raise up a Prophet like unto Moses Like as in other Eminencies so especially in this Grace for which as Moses is commended there so Christ in the Evangelists and therein proposeth himself as an example Learn of me for I am meek c. Now how CONSTANTLY did Moses bear 〈◊〉 along with that perverse murmuring and rebelling Nation both against God and himself with an invincible Patience and still interceded for them and thus Christ doth with us and for us And although we rea● how Moses was and could b● sometimes angry yea exceedin● wroth as the words are where●● I gave the collection out of Ainsworth yet it was often in Gods cause and still but so as the usual and constant frame of his Spirit was otherwise for which he had that renowned denomination and never was greatly out or overcome with impatiency we read of but once Num. 20. 10 11. compared with Psal 106. 32 33. Secondly Patience is then perfect when it continues to the end As a Colour is said to be perfect when 't is Durable as a Dye in grain or as the Indy colours which while the cloth remains they ENDVRE Now it is he that endures to the end Math. 24. that shall be saved You shall therefore find that unto LONG-SVFFERING Patience is added in two several places 1 Col. Strengthened unto all Patience and LONG-SVFFERING Patience there respects the weight or grievousness and heaviness of the affliction we are under And Long-suffering respects the duration and time The other is in an instance of the Apostle of himself 1 Tim. 3. 10. Thou hast known my long-suffering charity patience In 4 Jam. 7. 'T is said of the Husbandman whose case is made the perswasive unto Patience he hath LONG Patience This is a perfection indeed to bear long and to the end Be thou Faithful to death Revel 2. 10. To carry a great burden a quarter of an hour is an effect of some patience but to carry it a day or more or for a week there is long-suffering Why is it said that When you have done the will of God you have need of Patience but because still in the last part of your life after an active life for a long while ran through even then when you are near the promise your patience may be then at last most of all put to it § A third Property or requisite to perfect Patience is that it be universal which is either when a man hath been every way tryed and hath past thorow all sorts of Tentations Or when he hath still come off with Patience in some good measure in all those wherein he hath been tryed although his tryals have not been of all sorts A mans natural Spirit will help him to be patient in some things but in other things his heart is weak and cannot bear Oh not such such a Cross of any other But it is certain As GOD tried Abraham in his Isaac so GOD will the Sons of Abraham in what is dearest to them and yet enable them to bear it as I Cor. 10. and goe thorow therewith Hence in the Epistles you meet with ALL added to Patience and long-suffering both when Patience is prayed for as 1 Col. and exhorted unto as 2 Tim. 4. 2. But though this universality is to be prayed for and exhorted unto as that which makes it perfect yet it is well if in the great trials of our Lives we come off with some Patience sutable and from henceforth resolve with endurance so to do and so much is expected And it may seem strange that many that should be able to bear great trials between GOD and them with much quietness and submission are yet easily disadvantaged upon smaller occasions between men and them For which some reasons might be given IIII. Section ALthough I have dispatched the subject I first intended yet I find my self obliged to proceed a little further in the opening the fifth verse in order unto a relieving against a great DISCOVRAGEMENT which I know hath or may have been in many Readers hearts whilst I have been thus discoursing these great things about the Perfect Work of Patience c. And also to leave behind me the most apposite DIRECTION how to obtain this Patience in the perfect work of it and I will not goe out of my Text for these things neither An Exposition of the 5. verse If any of you lack Wisdom let him ask of GOD that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him § THe Discouragement I know is Oh how remote are and have our hearts been from this perfect work of Patience Which yet some Saints have in so great a measure attained as those great examples given have shewn both of Saints out of the Old and New Testaments what then shall I think of my self for the present will such a Soul say or for the future what shall I doe Why truly GOD hath provided sufficiently in the Text for Answer to these Queries and Complaints of yours whereby both to relieve you against your Discouragement at your want of the exercise of these things And also to direct you to the most proper and effectual if not the only means to obtain them 1. As to this present Discouragement about your want and so great falling short of this hitherto which you are so sensible of Those first words in the Text If any of you lack Wisdom will be found greatly speaking to your relief