Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
glory_n	affliction_n	eternal_a	moment_n	4,141	5	9.1958	5	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09364	The first part of The cases of conscience Wherein specially, three maine questions concerning man, simply considered in himselfe, are propounded and resolued, according to the word of God. Taught and deliuered, by M. William Perkins in his Holy-day lectures, by himselfe revised before his death, and now published for the benefit of the Church.; Cases of conscience. Part 1	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1604 (1604)	STC 19668; ESTC S114413	95,900	200

to his dying day Our light afflictioÌ„ saith he which is but for a moment worketh vnto vs an excellent and eternal waight of glory And elswhere he professeth that he did not count the afflictions of this present time answerable in value to the glorie which shall be reuealed vnto Gods children Ro. 8. 18. Saint Peter tels them to whome he wrote that in regard of their assured hope of eternall life they should reioice though now for a season they were in heauinesse through manifold tentations 1. Pet. 1. 6. Lastly the author to the Hebrewes comforteth the Church by this reason because it is is yet a very little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarrie IV. Though God with-holdeth his hand in respect of deliuerance euen to death yet his loue is constant and vnchangeable and the crosse which we vndergoe cannot seperate vs from that loue wherewith he hath loued vs in Iesus Christ Rom. 8. 35. And thus much of the first particular distresse of minde The Second kind of afflictioÌ„ is bodily temporarie Death which consisteth in the seperation of the soule from the bodie And touching this affliction it is demanded How any seruant of God may be able to indure with comfort the pangs of death For the answer hereof two things are required a preparation to death and helpes in the time of death Concerning preparation there are three duties to be performed The first and most principall is commended vnto vs in the booke of Psalmes where Dauid praies vnto God Lord make me to know mine ende and the measure of my daies And Moses in like manner Lord teach me to number my daies that I may apply my heart vnto wisedome In which places is remembred a notably dutie of preparation to wit that a man should resolue himselfe of death continually and afore-hand number his daies And this is done by esteeming of euery day as the day of his death and accordingly doing alwaies that which he would doe if he were now to giue vp the ghost Secondly in way of preparation we must indeauour to disarme and weaken death who is as an armed man that hath his weapons whereby he seekes to destroy vs. And in this case we must deale with death as the Philistims dealt with Sampson They saw by experience that he was a mightie man and by his power and strength had giuen them many foyles and therefore they laboured to knowe in what part of his bodie his strength did lie And after inquirie finding it to be in the haire of his head they neuer rested till they had spoiled him thereof And questionlesse the time wil come when we all must encounter with this strong and powerfull Sampson Death In the meane while it is a point of wisdome to inquire wherein his power might consisteth When this search hath bin made we shall finde that his weapons are our manifold sinnes and corruptions both of heart and life For as Paul saith The sting of death is sinne Therefore that we may spoile him of this his furniture we must exercise our selues in the practise of two duties First vse all meanes for the cutting off of the locke of our sinnes whereby alone Satan hath the vantage of vs and these meanes are the duties of inuocation and true repentance We must therefore be instant in praier for the pardon of our sinnes past and present and in this point giue the Lord no rest vntill we haue obtained in our consciences the sweete certificate of his fauour and mercie in Christ whereby our minds may be staied and comforted This done it stands vs in hand to turne vnto God to be carefull to leaue sinne to entertaine in our hearts a resolued purpose and intention of newe obedience and conformitie to the will and commandement of God in all things And this is the onely way in the world to bereaue this our enemie of his armour to pull the sting out of the mouth of this serpent and consequeÌ„tly euen in death to preuaile against him Thirdly in way of preparation our dutie is euen afore-hand while we liue in this world to indeauour to haue some true taste of life euerlasting and the ioyes of heauen The due consideration whereof will be of great vse For it will stirre vp in our hearts a desire and loue of perfect happinesse in heauen yea a feruent expectation of Christs comming to iudgement and it will further cause vs to say with Simeon Lord now let thy seruant depart in peace and with the Apostle I desire to be dissolued and be with Christ. Touching this spirituall ioy and comfort in the holy Ghost these Questions of Conscience are mooued First how may we in this life haue and nourish in our hearts a true tast of eternall happinesse and of the ioyes of the world to come Ans. First by a serious consideration of the euills that doe hinder or preiudice our happines and they are principally foure One is the Miserie of our liues in respect of sinne and the consequenâ—s thereof For there is no man in the world be he neuer so righteous that can truly say of himselfe I am cleane from my sinne Prou. 20. 9. Yea euen the regenerate that haue receiued grace to beleeue to â—urne vnto God and to liue according to the Spirit doe finde by experience corruption and rebellion in their minds wills and affections which daily affordeth matter of sinning against God and on the other side hindreth and quencheth all the good motions of the Spirit that are in them Againe such is the irreconciliable malice of Satan that he taketh vantage of mans corruption and neglecteth no time or opportunitie to intrappe the children of God in the snares of his temptations And hence it is that man by reason of his owne corruption and the wicked suggestions of the Deuill is at continuall strife with himselfe hath daily occasion of sorrow worketh out his saluation with feare and trembling wading as it were euen while he liueth in a sea of many miseries The second euill is the Vanitie of all things that are in the world For whether we consider the world it selfe or the things therein contained done or suffered there is nothing so sure and steadie whereunto man hauing attained can possibly rest fully satisfied and contented or which in the ende will not prooue to be most vaine vanitie And the truth hereof appeareth in the experience of Salomon himselfe who beeing king ouer Israel wanted neither authoritie nor abilitie opportunitie to take knowledge and triall of all worldly things in all estates and conditions And hauing euen of set purpose carefully and earnestly searched into them all at length he concludes that the issue of all was vnprofitable vanitie and vexation of minde as we may read in his Ecclesiastes The third euill is the Changeable condition of our life in this world whereby it comes to passe that we are alway in a fleeting and

liue by his faith When we haue neither sight nor sense nor any tast of Gods mercie but onely apprehend his wrath euen then we must labour to lay hold of mercie in his word and promise Sense and feeling are not alwaies fit directions for the time of this life For he may be the deare child of God that in prsent feeleth nothing but his wrath and indignation This indeede is the true triall of our faith when euen aboue and against reason we relie on the mercie of God in the apprehension of his anger So did Dauid Out of the deepe saith he that is beeing nowe deepely plunged into the pangs of a distressed conscience haue I called vpon thee O Lord and Iob in the like case Lord though though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee Abraham is commended by the holy Ghost amongest other things for this that he beleeued in God aboue hope that is against all matter of hope that might possibly be conceiued vpon the consideration of the strength of naturall causes The theife vpon the crosse feeling nothing but woe and seeing nothing in Christ but misery contempt yet he beleeued in Christ and was saued In a word Christ himselfe when he was forsaken of all men and voide of all worldly comfort and felt nothing but the depth of the wrath of God in his agonie and passion yet by the faith of his manhood he staied himselfe and said My God my God Thirdly they vse to plead that their case is desperate that neuer any was in such a state as they are neuer any touched with the like distresse of minde Answ. It is false For the holy Ghost hath penned three notable places of Scripture the booke of Iob two Psalmes of Dauid wherein are propounded vnto vs the examples of Iob and Dauid Gods owne deare seruants who were in as great distresse as euer they or any other haue beene And they may not thinke that they euer could be able to indure greater paines then Christ who notwithstanding in the anguish of his soule vpon the Crosse cried out My God my God why hast thou for saken me And thus much touching the first kind of trouble of conscience called the diuine temptation The second kind of Distresse is that which ariseth from outward afflictions By Afflictions I vnderstand all manner of miseries and calamities in this life from the least to the greatest from the paine of the little finger to the very pangs of death Nowe the Question is howe the Trouble of minde arising by Afflictions may be remedied For the answer of which question two things are required of the partie distressed Practise and Meditation The Practise is that which is to be vsed in all distresses of minde whatsoeuer And it is a diligent examination of the conscience in regard of sinne an earnest and heartie confession thereof vnto God deprecation that is earnest praier vnto him for the pardon of the same These three things beeing done truely and vnfainedly from the heart are a present remedie against this trouble and bring with them much comfort Manasses the king of Iudah that had committed much wickednesse when he was carried captiue to Babel and there put in chaines he humbled himselfe acknowledged his sinnes and praied earnestly vnto the Lord and the issue was good for God was intreated of him gaue him deliuerance Iob beeing long in outward affliction humbled himselfe in like manner and at length receiued comfort Daniel humbled himselfe before God for his owne sinnes and for the sinnes of Gods people making request vnto God earnestly for them and euen when he was in the acte of praying the Lord sent his angel Gabriel to giue him notice of deliuerance Lastly the Church of God vnder the crosse performed the like dutie Let vs search and trie our waies and turne to the Lord and God in mercie gaue an eare vnto her mourning and lamentation By all these places it is apparent that there is no better remedie in the world for the minde of man grieued by meanes of outward afflictions then the practise of the duties before named The next thing vnto Practise is the Meditation of the comfortable doctrines that are set downe in the word of God touching afflictions All which doctrines may be reduced to fiue principall and maine grounds of comfort shall be laid down in their order The first Ground is that All afflictions from the least to the greatest doe come to passe not by accident chance or fortune but by the speciall prouidence of God I explaine it thus In euery particular crosse and affliction there is the hand of Gods particular prouidence and that in three regards First because God decreeth and foreappointeth euery particular crosse Marke the wordes of Paul Whome God hath foreknowne them he hath predestinate to be made like vnto the image of his sonne and what is this image nothing else but a conformitie vnto Christ in afflictions for this life and in glorie for the life to come Nowe if God hath decreed that those whome he foreknewe should be conformable vnto his sonne in these respects then hath he also decreed the afflictions themselues Secondly God doeth not onely barely permit afflictions to be but also he effecteth them and brings them into execution as they are crosses corrections trialls and punishments I make peace saith the Lord and I create euill that is not the euill of sinne but of punishment which is euill in our sense and feeling For things are tearmed euill two waies some are euill indeed some are euill not indeed but in regard of our sense apprehension and estimation and of this latter sort are afflictions which God is said to create And to this purpose is the saying of the Prophet Amos Shall there be euill in the citie and the Lord hath not done it Thirdly as God causeth afflictions so he ordereth and disposeth them that is he limiteth appointeth the beginning the end the measure or quantitie and the continuance thereof Yea he also ordereth them to their right endes namely his owne glorie the good of his seruants and the benefit of his Church Thus God is said to correct his people in iudgement that is so as he will haue the whole ordering of the correction in his owne hand Ioseph tells his brethren that when they intended euill against him in selling him to the Ishmaelites for siluer God disposed it for good When Shemei cursed Dauid he forbade his seruants so much as to meddle with him and why because saith he the Lord bade him to curse and who then dare say vnto him why hast thou done so And to this purpose the Prophet Dauid saith I held my peace and said nothing why because thou Lord hast done it Psal. 39. 9. Here some will say if Afflictions did come onely from God it were somewhat but oftentimes they come from men that beare vs no good

the matter with God why his owne people should be so lamentably afflicted by a terrible and a furious nation and why they should be led away captiues by the Chaldeans the enemies of God To this the Lord makes answer that as he had certenly determined that iudgement to come vpon them so certenly had he appointed a set time wherein they should be deliuered In the meane while he biddes them to comfort themselues in this that though the affliction should rest vpon them for a season yet vndoubtedly they should be cased at the length and therefore that they should in patience waite for the vision that is the accomplishment of the vision touching their deliuerance Secondly hence we learne that we must not onely beleeue the promises of God in generall that God is true and faithfull in them and that he is able and willing to fulfill them euen as he made them but we must beleeue them in particular that is with application to their proper and seuerall circumstances which are the particular meanes places and times whereby and wherein he hath giuen his word as touching our freedome and exemption from the crosse Take an instance hereof in the Prophet Daniel who knewe well by the spirit of Prophecie that the Lord had determined to bring vpon the Iewes 70. yeares captiuitie in Babylon He knewe also that God had promised to put an ende to that captiuitie at the end and tearme of those yeares Nowe what did Daniel in this case Vpon knowledge of the will of God in that point during the said time he praied not vnto the Lord for deliuerance of his people But when he vnderstood that the time drew neere wherein it was the will of God that the Iewes should returne out of captiuitie then by faith applying the promise of God to that particular time he besought the Lord in praier and supplications with fasting in sackcloath and ashes and the Lord gaue eare vnto his praiers yeelded him a gratious answer II. The second point is that God when he deferres deliuerance he doeth it vpon great and waightie causes and considerations best known to himselfe The first whereof is that thereby he might humble men throughly and bring them to an vtter deniall of themselues and consequently cause them to learne patience in afflictioÌ„ which they would not learne if they might be their owne caruers and haue speedie deliuerance from the crosse at their owne wils pleasures Secondly that beeing afflicted they may acknowledge whence their deliuerance comes yea whence they doe receiue not onely that but euery other good benefit which they inioy namely not from themselues or any creature but onely from the Lord and accordingly may learne to value and prize his gifts at their deserued excellencie For it is a true saying and often verified in affliction and want that benefits easily obtained are lightly regarded and sooner forgotten Thirdly that by the continuance of the crosse without intermission he may make theÌ„ to distaste the world and consequently drawe them to the meditation of the life to come wherein all matter of mourning shall cease and all teares shall be wiped from their eies Fourthly the Lord deferreth deliueraÌ„ce from affliction that he might preuent greater euils and dangers whereinto those that are afflicted might runne if they had their hearts desire and were eased not at his will but at their owne wishes When the children of Israel came into Canaan they were informed that they should dwell together with the Canaanites and Moses reÌ„dreth a reason therof Least saith he the wild beasts of the field multiply against thee And for the preuenting of this euill the Israelites must indure some annoyance by the Canaanites Euen so the Lord keepeth his seruants vnder the crosse for the preuenting of greater sinnes and offences This should stay the mindes of men make them content to waite vpon God for deliuerance when they are afflicted The third and last point is that God alwaies hath and doeth exercise his best seruants with long and continued crosses Abraham was childlesse till he was 70. yeares of age and at those yeares the Lord promised him issue But this promise was not accomplished till a long time after when he was an hundred yeares old Dauid had a promise to be king of Ierusalem and Iuda but the Lord exercised him by many and grieuous afflictions before he came to the crowne in so much that he saies of himselfe that his eies failed with waiting vpon his God Zacharie and Elizabeth praied to God both of them in their youth and many yeares after for issue but the Lord graunted not their request till they were olde To adde no more examples by these we see the Lords dealing euen with holy men women his owne deare seruants that he doth not alwaies grant their requests nor condescend to their desires at the first but as it were holds theÌ„ off suspends his grace and fauour for a time And therefore if it shall please him thus to deale with any of vs we must froÌ„ these examples be taught to possesse our soules with patience resting contented in his will and waiting on his good pleasure to the end To conclude this point Suppose that the condition of Gods seruants be such as that they find no end of their afflictions but that they do continue euen vnto death what shall they doe in this case Ans. Besides that which hath beene said before for the resolution of this Question I answer further that first they must still euen vnto death liue by faith and say with holy Iob Lord though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee Secondly they must stay and releiue their soules in the meane time with these and such like meditations I. That it is the will and pleasure of God that we should through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of God Act. 14. 22. Nowe it is the propertie of a true child of God to rest content in his fathers good will and pleasure euen when he is afflicted Prou. 3. 11. My sonne be not grieued at my correction that is let it not be tedious vnto thee be content to beare it Our dutie therefore is meekely to subiect our selues vnto the hand of God as the child doeth vnto the correction of his father II. That though afflictions be long and tedious yet God will at length giue a ioyful comfortable issue For so himselfe hath promised Math. 5. 4. Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted Psal. 34. 19. Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord will deliuer him out of theÌ„ all Marke the vpright man behold the iust for the end of that maÌ„ is peace III. Afflictions be they neuer so heauy in regard of continuance yet they are in no sort coÌ„parable to those eternal ioies that god hath prepared for theÌ„ that loue him This was Pauls meditatioÌ„ who indured the crosse eueÌ„

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