Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	wit_n	word_n	write_v	142	4	5.0105	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19491	A defiance to death Wherein, besides sundry heauenly instructions for a godly life, we haue strong and notable comforts to vphold vs in death. By Mr. William Covvper, minister of Gods Word.	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.	1610 (1610)	STC 5917; ESTC S120025	84,536	398

come which will burne for euer and euer and then being brought to the fire hee was filled with boldnesse and harty thankes giuing reioycing that the Lord in that day and houre had vouch●afed to receiue him in the number of his Martyrs to drinke of the cup of his Lord Iesus Christ Thus was he offered in a burnt offering to the Lord and no feare of death could be perceiued in him And the like Christian boldnesse was shewed by Basil in that persecution vnder Valens made by Modestus and Eusebius his Deputies I will neuer sayd hee feare death which can dono more but restore me to him that made me all these beside many other innumerable examples which might be alledged if they bee cōpared with that great timiditie feare which is in vs at the least mention or appearance of death may iustly make vs ashamed of that smal progresse which wee haue made in spirituall strength Now in this time of so cleare a light and plentifull grace of our Lord Iesus Christ. Alway But here least the Godly de discouraged by reason of that feare of death which many a time they finde in themselues it is to be considered if the Apostle was alway so bolde that at no time hee was fearfull or if such confidence can bee in any of Gods children as is without all vicissitude of feare No surely for the same Apostle who here reioices in his boldnesse pro●ests in an other place that hee had fightings without and terrors within Yea our blessed Sauiour albeit he longed with a greate desire to eate the passouer which was his last meale and after which immediately hee knew his passion was to folow yet when he entred into the garden to his sufferings hee began also to be affraid proceeding in feare hee sweat blood and confessed that his soule was heauy vnto the death It is true there is no comparison betweene his death and ours for he suffered that death to be a satisfaction for our sinnes and he alone trod the wine-presse of the wrath of God but our death neither is it a satisfaction for sinne neither a stroke of the wrath of God neither endure we it by our owne strength but are sustained in it by the spirit of our Lord yet is it in such fort made comfortable to vs that in some manner it is conformeable to his death for so saith the Apostle that God hath predestinate vs to bee conforme to the image of his son and that not in heauen only by rayning with him in glory but in earth also by carrying his image and bearing of his Crosse both in our life and death and that not onely by suffering the outward dolors of death caused by the seperation of the soule and body but also the inward feares terrors thereof that so in our little measure tasting of that cup wherof our Sauiour dranke before vs wee might some way learne the great loue he hath caried towards vs. So that wee are not exempted frō our owne feares wherewith in death after our small measure God wil haue vs exercised which I haue marked that wee should not be discouraged with this tentation of the feare of death we may tast of it but it shall not remayne with vs for it is certaine that in all Gods children faith shall preuaile at length and confidence in Gods promises shall breed such bo●dnes as shall cast out and ouercome all contrarie feare in vs. Knowing that while we are at home in c. In the end of this verse the Apostle casts in two reasons which wrought in him this cōfidence and willingnes to goe out of the body one is that so● lōg as he was in the body he was absent frō the Lord another that remouing out of the body he knew hee should dwel with the Lord the Apostle to expresse this vse●two words in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which cānot be turned in to full significant speeches in our languag yet do they import thus much that so long as we are here among our owne people in the body we are absent from our people who are with the Lord. So that hee wil here draw vs to consider of two Cities two Countries and two fellowships of people whereof the one is in the earth the other in heauen with the one wee haue fellowship so long as wee are in the body and by expe●ience knowe what are the comforts of our carnall kinred of our earthly country city but with the other wee cannot haue familiar conuersation till we remoue out of the body And this also serues greatly if we consider it to take from vs our natural vnwilingnesse to d●e the cause whereof is that we haue no will to depart from our country kinred and people but here we are taught that if it greiue vs to depart from this people it should much more reioyce vs to bee gathered to that people there is a better Country there a more glorious Citie a more excellent Burgeship there is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof th'Apostle by which we are made free to greater liberties and priuiledges then any we can haue here there is a kinred of people sibber to vs much worthier to be loued then that which is heere as the heauens are more high and excellent then the earth Oh that this light did a way shine in our minds that as oft as wee are troubled with the griefe o● Nature to forsake our people which are on earth we might be comforted by grace and made willing to goe to our people which are in heauen For ●he Apostle cōparing these two together he accounts our abyding here but a Pilgrimage in respect of our remaining there which is dwelling at home in our own country our best estate wherin we can be vpon earth is but an absence from the Lord of all places in the world a man naturally loues his natiue countrey best and of all parts of his countrey hee esteemes himselfe most homely in his own house and of all that is in his house what hath he neerer to him then his owne body yet is it of truth that not onely in his owne Country but euen in his house at his owne fire in his own bed yea euen in his owne body he is but a stranger and therefore so should wee liue in it as ready to remoue out of it for here we haue no continuing Citie We are absent from the Lord. The losse that we sustaine by our soiourning in the body the Apostle takes it vp in few words but very weighty to wit that it keepes vs absent frō the Lord and truely if there were no more to sparre vs from the loue of this life yet this were enough that it holdes vs from the Lord our God whom aboue all wee ought to loue most deerely for this cause Nazianzen writing of the calamities of his soule and

appointed vs to that end bu● also by his owne working in vs perfils vs to it He finished the first creatiō against al impediments so shall he doe the second 2. Cor. 4.6 Comfortable i● it to vs that the certainty of our life stands in Gods purpose which cannot be altered Esa. 46.10 This shoul● vphold vs against Sàtans temptations VVhat a shamelesse tempter Satan is Satan was the enemy of gods glory ere euer hee became the enemy of o●r saluation Rom 16. But w● are not to regard him seeing God hath taken in hand to worke the worke of our saluation 1. Pet. 1. 2. He proues it by th● earnest of the spirit which God hath giuen vs vp 〈◊〉 his word VVithout this earnest of the spirit we can haue no surety of our saluation There is a couenant of God ●which man knoweth by his workes another by his word only the third by his word Spirit Foure things to be considered in this argument 1. ●hat is meant by the Spirit to wit that special grace of the Spirit by which Gods children are renued and confirmed How this grace of 〈◊〉 spirit is called the earnest of the spirit for two causes The first is ●ecause ●hat now we haue it but in small measure Y●t the smal begining of grace we haue is not small in Satā his ei●s yea more then he is able to quench The next is in ●egard of the vse thereof which is to bind ● o th the giuer and receiuer 3. How this Spirit is giuen and received The giuer is God by the meanes of his word Act. 8.27 Act. 10.1 VVe● must not despise the word if we desire to reeiue the spirit Rom. 10.13.14 4. How may we know we haue receiued this spirit Many in this age haue heard the Testimony of God who neu●r receiued the seal ther●of 1 Cor. 6. Eph. 1.13 Act. 19.2 The spirit is God his seale and he imprints the image of God in all who receiues him Rom. 6.17 This proues that licentious men haue not receiu●d Christs spirit The second fruit of godlines which the Aopstle gathered of his Generall ground of Comfort is A willing contentm● to remoo●● out of the body Of our Christian confidence in death VVhat strong enemies wee must fight withall that through death we may wonne to our Lord 1. Pet 3 ●● 8 Boldnesse of the Christian in death wherfrom proceedes it The confident ●oldnesse of Ignatius in death ●●en lib. 5. cont valent Euseb. lib. 4. ca 16. The confident boldnesse of Policarpus in death The confident boldnesse of Basilius in death Nazian de vita Basil. It is demanded if such boldnesse be in Gods children as is w●thout all feare It is answered fore●en our Sauiour though hee longd for death yet he suffered it not without feare Mar 14.33 It is true there is no Comparison betweene his death and ours Yet must our death someway be conformable to his both in outward and inward sufferings Rom. 8. And therfore shall we be exercised with our owne feares also VVhat made the Apostle willing to remoue out of the body Of the two Cities or Fellowshi● of people whereof the one is in the earth the other in heauen Death is but a r●moving from a Burges-ship on earth to a better Burges-ship in heauen Our life on earth is a Pilgrimage in heauen is our h●me If there were no more to make us loath this life this is sufficient that it holds vs from God Nazianzen de cala animae suae How the bodie is Remora Animae Exod. 33. Rom. 7. If euen the godlie in the ●●dy be 〈◊〉 from God in what miserab●e absence a●e the wicked Ephe. 4. Act. 17. VVe haue now God present with vs but that presence is absence in respect of that which is to come Our l●fe on earth is a walking Take heede we be in the right way otherway our life is not a walking but a ●andring Iohn 14.6 How our life is a walking by faith And not by sight which is not simply spoken but in comparison For heere w●●re not wit●out the sight of God Rom. 1. 1. First we see God in his workes Ber. in Cant Ser. 31. 2. The Fathers haue seene him ●y sundry Visions Ibid. 3. In his Church he is seene by his word Psal. 27.4 1. Cor. 3.18 His Saints see him by inward Cōtemp●ation Yet this sight if it be ●ompared ●●th the ●ight we shal get is no sight Aug. de Consen Evang Gregory And the sight of faith which presently we haue lets vs see a better to come And prepares also the eye of our mind for it Ber. in Cant. Serm 31. ● The order app●inted by God is that by faith we walke to sight by ●earing to seeing A corroboratiue against such temptations as come from the world Seeing wee walk● by fa●●h no shew of worldly pleas●re fal●ing vnder ou● sight should all●re vs. VVhat euer the world can offer to our sense is lesse then that which wee hope to see Iob. 19.27 A threefold precept to be obserued in vsing the things of this world 1. Cor. 7.3 1. Cor. 6.12 Ibid. The wicked walke by sight here and not by Faith they shall neuer see better things nor these they see now The Vanity of worldly pleasures discouered in two thinges Eccles. 1.8 The Apostle returnes to finish his second conclusion How the impedimēts of our faith tends to the greater commendation thereof B●ering of present euill whereof we wou●● faine be releeued our faith is tryed 1. Pet. 1. By the Delay of good things promised which faine we would haue our faith is also tryed It is greatest faith to beleeue where least is felt or seene Of two loues the stronger ouercomes the wea●● in the Apostle The readi●st way to be quit of the pertur●ation of our affections is to set them vpon the right● obiects The strong loue of Christ that was in the Apostle condemnes the cold loue that we haue to ●im How is it likely we wil giue our life for him who will not quit th● superfluities of our life for him How death is discribed in regard of her effects toward the body and toward the soule The death of the wicked is not a voluntary but a compelled remouing Luk. 12.20 Cyprian de mortal This different death of the godly and 〈◊〉 is sh●dowed in the ●ourth c●mming of Pharao his Butler and B●ker out o● prison Chrisost in Math. 〈◊〉 Or if the wicked die willingly they die impatiently not for any loue to be with Christ. 〈◊〉 reliefe 〈◊〉 wicked get by putting hand in them selfs is no better nor if a man ●o saue himselfe from water shold leape in the fire Paines of this life compared with paines of hell are but like reeke going before the fire He cannot remooue willingly and well out of the body who finds not a hand behind him to put him out and another before him to receiue him Soules of good men remouing out of the body dwelt with the Lord.