Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	work_v	world_n	wrath_n	35	3	7.1772	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09069	A booke of Christian exercise appertaining to resolution, that is, shewing how that we should resolve our selves to become Christians indeed: by R.P. Perused, and accompanied now with a treatise tending to pacification: by Edm. Bunny.; Booke of Christian exercise. Part 1.	Bunny, Edmund, 1540-1619.; Bunny, Edmund, 1540-1619. Treatise tending to pacification.; Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. Christian directory.	1584 (1584)	STC 19355; ESTC S105868	310,605	572

caused him to yeeld and put off not only his cloke but also his cote Wherby is ment saith this father that the allurements of pleasure are more strong harder to be resisted than the violence of persecution The like is shewed by the example of David who resisted easilie many assaults of adversitie but yet fel dangerouslie in time of prosperitie Wherby appeereth that vertuous men have no lesse war in time of peace than in time of persecution and that never there wanteth occasion of bearing the crosse and suffering affliction to him that wil accept of the same And this may suffice for this first point to proove that every man must enter into heaven by tribulation as Saint Paul saith 7 Touching the second why God would have this matter so it were sufficient to answer that it pleased him best so without seeking any further reason of his meaning heerin even as it pleased him without al reason in our sight to abase his Son so much as to send him hither into this world to suffer and die for us Or if we wil needs have a reason heerof this one might be sufficient for al that seeing we look for so great a glory as we do we should labor a little first for the same and so be made somwhat woorthy of Gods favor exaltation But yet for that it hath pleased his divine majestie not only to open unto us his wil and determination for our suffering in this life but also divers reasons of his most holie purpose and pleasure therin for our further encouragement and consolation which do suffer I wil in this place repeat some of the same for declaration of his exceeding great love and fatherly care towards us 8 The first cause then and the most principal is to increase therby our glorie in the life to come For having appointed by his eternal wisdome and justice that none shal be crowned there but such as endure in some good measure a fight in this world the more and greater combats that he giveth togither with sufficient grace to overcome therin the greater crown of glorie prepareth he for us at our resurrection This cause toucheth the apostle in the words alledged of the saints of the old testament to wit that they received no deliverance from their miseries in this world to the end they might find a better resurrection in the world to come This also ment Christ expresly when he said Happie are they which suffer persecution for theirs is the kingdome of heaven happie are you when men speak evil and persecute you c. Reioice and be glad I say for that your reward is great in heaven Hither also do appertain al those promises Of gaining life by leesing life of receiving a hundred for one and the like Heerhence do proceed al those large promises to mortification and newnes of life In both which are great conflicts against the flesh world and our own sensualitie and cannot be performed but by sufferings and affliction Finally Saint Paul declareth this matter fully when he saith That a little and short tribulation in this life worketh a weight of glorie above al measure in the hight of heaven 9 The second cause why God appointed this is to draw us therby from the love of the world his professed enimie as in the next chapter shal be shewed at large This cause Saint Paul uttereth in these words We are punished of God to the end we should not be damned with this world Even then as a nurse that to wean hir child from the liking of hir milk doth annoint hir teat with alloes or some other such bitter thing so our merciful father that would retire us from the love of worldly delites wherby infinite men do perish daily useth to send tribulation which of al other things hath most force to work that effect as we see in the example of the prodigal son who could by no means be staied from his pleasures but only by affliction 10 Thirdly God useth tribulation as a most present and sovereign medicin to heal us of many diseases otherwise almost incurable As first of a certain blindnes and carelesse negligence in our estate contracted by wealth and prosperitie In which sense the scripture saith that Affliction giveth understanding And the wise man affirmeth that The rod bringeth wisdom as also the sight of Toby was restored by the bitter gall of a fish And we have cleer examples in Nabuchodonosor Saul Antiochus and Manasses al which came to see their own faults by tribulation which they would never have done in time of prosperitie The like we read of the brethren of Ioseph who falling into som affliction in Egypt presently entered into their own conscience and said We suffer those things woorthily for that we sinned against our brother And as tribulation bringeth this light wherby we see our own defects so helpeth it greatly to remoove and cure the same wherin it may be wel likened unto the rod of Moises For as that rod striking the hard rocks brought foorth water as the scripture saith so this rod of affliction falling upon stonie harted sinners mollifieth them to contrition and oftentimes bringeth foorth the fluds of tears to repentance In respect wherof holie Toby saith to God In time of tribulation thou forgivest sin And for like effect it is compared also to a file of iron which taketh away the rust of the soul also to a purgation that driveth out corrupt humors and finally to a goldsmiths fire which consumeth away the reffuse metals and fineth the gold to his perfection I wil try thee by fire to the quik saith God to a sinner by Esay the prophet and I wil take away al thy tin and reffuse metal And again by Ieremie I wil melt them and try them by fire This he ment of the fire of tribulation whose propertie is according as the scripture saith to purge and fine the soul as fire purgeth and fineth gold in the fornace For besides the purging and remooving of greater sins by consideration and contrition which tribulation worketh as hath ben shewed it purgeth also the rust of infinit evil passions appetites and humors in man as the humor of pride of vain glorie of sloth of choler of delicate nisenes and a thousand mo which prosperitie ingendereth in us This God declareth by the prophet Ezechiel saieng of a rustie soul Put hir naked upon the hot coles and let hir heat there until hir brasse be melted from hir and until hir corruption be burned out and hir rust consumed There hath been much labor and sweat taken about hir and yet hir over-much rust is not gone out of hir This also signifieth holy Iob when having said that God instructeth a man by discipline or correction to the end he may turn him from the things that he hath done and deliver him from pride which

them Whose help wil they crave They shal see al things crie vengeance about them al things yeeld them cause of feare and terror but nothing to yeeld them any hope or comfort Above them shal be their judge offended with them for their wickednes beneath them hel open and the cruel fornace readie boiling to receave them on the right hand shal be their sins accusing them on the left hand the devils ready to execute Gods eternal sentence upon them within them their conscience gnawing without them al damned soules bewailing on everie side the world burning Good Lord what wil the wretched sinner do invironed with al these miseries How wil his hart sustain these anguishes What way wil he take To go back is impossible to go forward is intollerable What then shal he do but as Christ foretelleth he shal drie up for very fear seeke death and death shal fly from him cry to the hils to fal upon him and they refusing to do him so much pleasure he shal stand there as a most desperate forlorne and miserable caitife wretch until he receave that dreadful and irrevocable sentence Go you accursed into everlasting fire 18 Which sentence once pronounced consider what a doleful cry and shout wil streight follow The good rejoising and singing praises in the glorie of their saviour the wicked bewailing blaspheming and cursing the day of their nativitie Consider the intollerable upbraieng of the wicked infernal spirits against these miserable condemned souls now delivered to them in pray for ever With how bitter scofs and taunts wil they hale them on to torments Consider the eternal seperation that then must be made of fathers children mothers daughters frinds and companions the one to glorie the other to confusion with out ever seeing one the other again and that which shal be as great a greefe as any other if it be tru that some conceave that our knowledge one of another here on earth shal so far remain the son going to heaven shal not pitie his own father or mother going to hel but shal rejoice at the same for that it turneth to Gods glorie for the execution of his justice What a separation I say shal this be What a farewel Whose hart would not break at that day to make this separation if a hart could break at that time so end his pains But that wil not be Where are al our delites now Where are al our pleasant pastimes become Our bravery in apparel our glistering in gold our honor done to us with cap and knee al our delicate fare al our musik al our wanton daliances and recreations we were wont to have al our good frinds and merie companions accustomed to laugh and to disport the time with us Where are they become Oh deere brother how sower wil al the pleasures past of this world seeme at that hour How doleful wil their memorie be unto us How vain a thing wil al our dignities our riches our possessions appeere And on the contrarie side how joiful wil that man be that hath attended in this life to live vertuouslie albeit with pain and contempt of the world Happy creature shal he be that ever he was born no toong but Gods can expresse his happines 19 And now to make no other conclusion of al this but even that which Christ himselfe maketh let us consider how easie a matter it is now for us with a little pain to avoid the danger of this day for that cause it is foretold us by our most merciful judge and Saviour to the end we should by our diligence avoid it For thus he concludeth after al his former threatnings Videte vigilate c. Looke about you watch and praie ye for you know not when the time shal be But as I say to you so I say to al be watchful And in another place having reckoned up al the particulars before recited least any man should dowt that al should not be fulfilled he saith Heaven and earth shal passe but my words shal not passe And then he addeth this exhortation Attend therfore unto your selves that your harts be not overcome with banquetting and dronkenes with the cares of this life and so that day come upon you sodenly For he shal come as a snare upon them which inhabite the earth be you therfore watchful and alwais pray that you may be woorthy to escape al these things which are to com to stand confidently before the Son of man at this day What a frindly and fatherly exhortation is this of Christ Who could desire a more kind gentle or effectual forewarning Is there any man that can plead ignorance hereafter The verie like conclusion gathered Saint Peter out of the premises when he saith The day of the Lord shal come as a theefe in which the elements shal be dissolved c. Seeing then al these things must be dissolved what maner of men ought we to be in holy conversation and pietie expecting and going on to meete the comming of that day of the Lord c. This meeting of the day of judgement which Saint Peter speaketh of is an earnest longing after it which never is had until first there go before a du examination of our estate and speedy amendment of our life past Therfore saith most notably the wise man Provide thee of a medicine before the sore come and examine thy selfe before iudgement and so shalt thou find propitiation in the sight of God To which Saint Paul agreeth when he saith If we would iudge our selves we should not be iudged But bicause no man entreth into du judgement of himselfe and of his own life therof it commeth that so few do prevent this latter judgement so few are watchful and so many fal a sleepe in ignorance of their own danger Our Lord give us grace to looke better about us CHAP. VI. A consideration of the nature of sin and of a sinner for the iustifieng of Gods severitie shewed in the Chapter before TO the end that no man may justly complain of the severe account which God is to take of us at the last day or of the severitie of his judgement set down in the chapter before it shal not be amisse to consider in this chapter the cause why God doth shew such severitie against sin and sinners as both by that which hath been said doth appeer and also by the whole course of holie scripture where he in every place almost denounceth his extreme hatred wrath indignatiō against the same as where it is said of him That he hateth al those that work iniquitie And that both the wicked man and his wickednes are in hatred with him And finaly that the whole life of sinners their thoughts words works yea and their good actions also are abhominations in his sight whiles they live in sin And that which yet is more