Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	woman_n	work_n	year_n	29	3	4.8037	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16539	The last battell of the soule in death diuided into eight cof̃erences ... : whereby are shown the diuerse skirmishes that are between the soule of man on his death-bedde, and the enemies of our saluation : carefullie digested for the comfort of the sicke / by Mr. Zachary Boyd, preacher of Gods word at Glasgow.	Boyd, Zacharie, 1585?-1653.	1629 (1629)	STC 3447; ESTC S881	434,219	1,336

straight rule to direct thee in all the cariage of thy life let no worldlie businesse with-draw thee from it while it is preached These who eate their bread with greatest sweate eate not the sweetest bread It is not earlie rising nor late going to bedde that enricheth Though for a time Marthas toyling and troubling her selfe about many thinges seeme to bring much profite it shall bee seene at last that it is the grace of God that enricheth This is most certaine the ●…urest fastning in this world is but loofenes without God in whom alone is the certainty of that which shal neuer perish In all thine affaires in all companies remember that in the secrete closets of thine heart thou haue frequent ejaculations vnto thy God that hee may guide and guard thee while thou shalt encounter with temptations hardlie shall shee bee caught that feareth the snare Sathan with his baites lures is euer waiting for to catch his prey Hee hath three great gunnes three great impoysonners whereby hee wasteth the graces and good names of many viz. The lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life It shall bee thy best to arme thy selfe against these three by holding continually a wakening and jealous eye ouer thy whole conuersation If the euill thought be stiffled so soone as it beginneth to stir into the heart it shall neuer bee able to produce an euill action into the hand For this cause wise Solomon gaue a precept which I may call a spirituall Cordiall which is that aboue all watch and ward men and women should keepe their heartes Manie with Hypocrites may seeme to haue their hands in heauen by giuing almes with the Pharisee while indeede their proude loftie faithlesse heartes are in Hell God looketh not so much to the outward action as to the inward affection The Lord cannot away with the painted superficiall flourishes of holines of these that are false hearted and meerelie formall The Israelite indeede in whose heart is no guile is the Lords delight Studie therefore I intreate thee to the puritie and power of godlinesse Bee carefull to write all these heart precepts vpon the palmes of thine handes lest that vnawares thou bee woefullie caught and ensnared in some scandalous sin whereby thou shalt shame thy profession All mortall feete are feeble and stand in a sliperie ground O what danger is in giuing way to our first sinfull motions while sin is least feared it is most to bee feared Sathan is most dangerous while hee is transformed into an Angel of light Poyson confected with Sucre is moste piercing and deadlie Smiling Ioabs are most cunning in smiting faire alluring tickling temptations oftest preuaile Manie are like the Larke which while it playeth with the feather and stoupeth to the glasse is suddenlie enwrapted in the Fowlers net There is nothing more dangerous than securitie While Peter thought himselfe stronger than all men Sathan was hatching three abominations in his heart which at last brake out first in lyes and last in perjurie stand in awe and sinne not One sin draweth on another lik links in a chaine Wee haue sinned wee will goe vp that is wee haue sinned wee will sin Keepe euer GOD in thy sight and bee humble Bee carefull in all thy cariage to liue in good example Allow not thy selfe in that which is euill flee the folies of this age which is wonderfullie giuen to new guises of decking the bodie most womens hearts are sowred with this leauen Let spirituall joyes be thy jewels the good works of thine hands let them be the gold rings of thy fingers the matter of thy pleasures There is nothing more pleasant than to doe wel For this cause good workes are in that Song of songs called a gathering of Lillies and flourishing of the Vines She who is too curious of the outward decking of the Backe cannot bee carefull of the inward trimming of the heart Fard and foolish vaine fashions of apparell are but Bawds of allurement to vncleannesse Away with these dyed Dames whose beauty is in their Boxe such dawbinges are soone washed off from these painted Iezabels such melting faces are not meete for marterdoome for the cause of Iesus vnder such false faces is no lodging for true and honest hearts In all things striue thou to be sobe●… Beware to out runne thy rank or to out weare the fashions by attyring thy selfe too gorgeouslie Soft appparell is but for Kinges houses What are such Cuts and Cordons Silkes and Satins and other such superfluous vanities wherwith manie aboue their ranke and place are so disguised but infallible tokens of an vnsanctified heart With such follies often are joyned libertine eyes wandering in wanton glaunces Let my counsell please thee Idol not thy bodie with these who habour in their bosome the snake of pride Let thy chiefe care bee to decke the hidden man of the heart A meeke and humble soule is a great ornament in Gods eyes This is Scripture The ornament of a meeke quiet spirit is of great price in the sight of God Shee whose heart is truelie godlie will be most carefull to put on that which most will please the Lords eye Consider well what I say Follow not the fickle fancies of vaine womē whose minds are like the Moone in a continuall change but rather bee a Schooler of these whose wisedome is constantlie contrarie to all new fangled follies Too curious busking is the mother of lusting lookes the Iuy-Bush hung out for to inueigle vnsanctified hearts vnto folie What are these finest silkes the fairest feathers of our pride What are they but wormes worke moathes meate Striue for the power of mortifying grace while the flesh is lusty and at a full sea the Spirit is at vnder euen at a low ebbe The pampering pride of life is the bane and poison of spirituall graces beware of it It is an high treason against the most High it is a sinne which first lifteth vp and after bringeth downe with a shamefull fall that which it hath once lifted vp The heart of man is lik the shell-fish which pride as an Eagle taketh vp into the aire but while it is come to a great hight it anone letteth it fall vpon the rockes of shame and disgrace where after that it hath dashed it in pieces it greedilie deuoureth it Hee who in Heauen could not dwell with Pride will neuer on Earth harbour in that heart wherein it lodgeth Outward counterfeit humilitie may for a time jug gle the eyes of the beholders such a varnished pride is a double abomination O howe detastable vnto God are these who beeing vainlie puft vp in their fleshlie minde haue no lodging for humilitie but into their mouthes And yet who can haue patience to giue ●…are shall at last heare a Sibboleth some

for to heare Come or Depart Let your attention yet goe a little a long with mee See what it is of olde age Consider how feeble it is being a burden vnto it selfe a time vnfitte for anie affaire And yet most men in their youth swynishlie wallow in vncleannes thinking to keepe the old yeares for the amending of their life for all other spirituall adoes as repentance and returning vnto God as if a man beeing for to goe a farre and foule journey should lay the greatest burden vpon the weakest horse A good man regardeth his beast how much more should hee regard himselfe What regard is heere when a man in his youth rolleth his originall sinne like a snow-ball among actuall sins to such a huge greatnesse that in his strongest youth hee is not able to moue it and yet delayeth thinking that when hee is olde hee shall easilie remoue it and remeede it The sinnes of youth draw vpon old age deadnesse of heart and dulnesse of zeale It is good that man with a watchfull eye holde in perpetuall jealousie the cunning slightes and windings of the deceit of sinne in youth And therefore while it is youth time while God calleth while the wind serueth while the Sea is calme while the Shippe is sound let vs sette foorth in time to saile toward the port of Saluation the harberie of Grace in Glorie O vaine man who in thy youth turneth the grace of thy God into wantonnesse and thinketh to come home to God againe when thou is olde what shall God doe with thy blind lame olde age Is that a sacrifice for God Offer it vnto thy Gouernour saith Malachie If a blind or lame beast wil not please a man what shall God doe with that which is more blind than a beast The King of Babilon commanded Ashpenaz the master of his Eneuches to mak choise of Childrē in whom was no blemish such as had ability in thē to stand in the Kings Palace What shall the Deuill get the finest flower of our age the strength of our dayes and the abilitie of our Soule and thereafter shall God the King of Heauen bee serued with the blind and the lame such as the verie Soule of Danid did hate It is good afore hand to bee furnished with Graces which may be as the staffe of our old age * If we spēd our strēgth in our youth at the seruice of God he shall neuer cast vs off in our olde age But what shall I say nothing will waken foolish Virgines while they sleepe till that shrill voyce bee heard The Bridegrome is come When it is no more time mē who cōtented themselues with counterfeit shewes deceiuing shadowes arise run seeke for Oyle which they shall not be able to get either for buying or begging By all this my discourse Sir ye may perceiue that the long date of dayes bringeth men vnto dotage after dotage vnto dust from thence hee came Man of few yeares is foolish vnto fourtie a little after that folie hath left him dotage succeedeth which vnderstandeth no Precepts In this Mappe of the olde mans miserie yee may see whether or not man haue cause to bee greedie of many yeares Though the world were not vaine yet yee see that man is but vanitie in the world Let all men heere lay aside such doting vanities that bring too doolefull miseries Let all flesh learne that Nothing out of God can affoord sound joye and contentment If a man want God were hee an Emperour as high indeede as the King of Babylon was in conceite euen aboue the stars of God his life shall bee crossed with these th●…ee shrude companions viz. The griefe of thinges by past the paines of things present and the feare of after claps The sicke Man The thought of such thinges beginne to waine mine heart from the loue of all thinges worldlie I pray you yet a little to continue in that purpose concerning the vanities of things below The meditations therof lik sharpe keene spurs should prick and stirre vs forword from the loue of this vnto the loue of these lasting things which are aboue The Pastour The sight of this worlde is like that vision of Ezechiel wherein is often said Turne thee yet againe and thou shalt see moe abominations than all these So say I Sir Turne you yet againe heere and yee shall see greater vanities than either these of Strength or of Honour or of Riches or of Beautie Pleasure Wisedome or long Life Beholde a vanitie which is the cause of all these vanities viz. Sinne and iniquitie where vnto we are all subject so long as we liue in this world the region of corruption where if a man stand on Gods side he shall become the drunkards song with Dauid or a by-word with Iob among the chidren of Beliel Looke thorow this world and consider sin in all sortes of men sorrow following euer sinne at the heeles In this place behold Dauid making his bedde to swimme with his teares for his adulterie In that place againe behold Peter weeping b●…tterlie for his denyall In this place againe behold Lot vexing his righteous Soule from day to day for the vnlawfull deedes of the wicked In that place behold S. Paul groaning vnder a dead bodie of sinne euen a bodie of death No man is able to hunt all the corners of mans corruption From particular men let vs come to whole Churches defiled with spots and blemishes Heere is the Church of Ephesus which hath left her first Loue. There is Smyrna where some of Gods best seruantes are cast into prison Heere againe is Pergamus defiled with the doctrine of Balaame and of the Nicolaitanes In Thyatira the whoore Iezabel sat as a Prophetesse teaching and seducing Gods seruants to committe fornication to eate things sacrificed vnto idoles Sardis had a name to liue and yet was dead Laodicea was neither cold nor hote so that God threatned to spewe her out of his mouth Among all the seuen Churches onelie Philadelphia kept the word of his patience and yet her life was not without feare to losse her Crowne Behold I come quicklie said the Lord hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crowne But long since hauing neglected this precept shee is bereaued of that comfort Crowne Where nowe are all these most flourishing Churches of Asia where now are all these Churches of Grecia most glorious in Constantius dayes Because they helde not fast that which they had they haue all lost their Crowne By deare Experience haue they learned what vanitie is Behold and see how this world is like a working sea wherein sinne like a gall winde or strong Tyde carrieth many tribulations and destructions from Countrie to Contrie All is made thereby