Selected quad for the lemma: woman_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
woman_n	child_n	conceive_v	womb_n	1,568	5	9.6606	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15815	Soueraigne comforts for a troubled conscience Wherein the subtilties of Satan are discouered, his reasons and obiections fully answered. And further, the truth laid open and manifested, to the great consolation and strengthening of such as are distressed and afflicted in minde. Written by the late faithfull seruant of the Lord Mr. Robert Yarrow. And now published for the benefit of such as groning vnder the burthen of an afflicted conscience desire comfort.	Yarrow, Robert.; Maunsell, John.	1619 (1619)	STC 26077; ESTC S111781	167,803	456

Thirdly touching that other affection which is the longing after righteousnes Christ telleth vs Math. 5.6 that he is blessed that hungreth and thirsteth after righteonsnesse And how is it possible that any should be blessed that haue not faith For it is of faith Gal. 3.9 that wee are blessed with faithfull Abraham Let vs therefore now returne this reason of the distressed person back againe vpon himselfe with aduantage and greatly to his comfort Thou sayst thou art broken with the sight of sinne thou hatest it and thou desirest to bee freed and vnburthened of it and longest to feele the comfort of the Spirit to seale vp vnto thee thy saluation And yet thou canst grow to no certainty within thy selfe but remainest still doubtfull of thine estate Wilt thou therefore say thou hast no faith Nay I rather infer that thou hast a faith and that the Spirit of Adoption hath already laid the claime and giuen the earnest penny vnto thy heart Not because thou art not assured for be it farre that I should so reason but because that though thou hast not this yet I finde the other tokens and arguments of faith to be seated in thy soule In that thou art found thus heartily to mourne vnder sinne that thou lothest and detestest thy wickednes and doest so earnestly desire to be cloathed and inuested with the garments of Christs righteousnes whereby thou maist appeare righteous in the sight of thy heauenly Father For further proofe of this mine assertion for our better instruction let vs vse an instance or two euen in common reason The graft that is newly and of late planted it hath so farre increased that it hath brought forth buddes and leaues but as yet no fruit If now the question be demanded whether the graft be dead or not euery one which hath but common sense will answere that it is not dead but hath a life though as yet it hath no fruit but only a shew of leaues and blossomes If againe it be demanded how it can be that it should effect these two and not the fruit the answere will be that it is not necessary because these by the course of nature are precedent and goe before the other And therefore these that is the leaues and blossomes may be and the plant by them may be surely knowne to haue life though the other that is the fruit be not yet effected So say I of the plant of faith Although it hath not as yet the fruit of full assurance shewing forth it selfe yet it hath the blossomes that is the sorrowing for sinne the hearty de testation of sinne and the earnest loue of righteousnes Is this faith now dead or is it not at all because it hath not yet brought forth this notable effect of certainty and assurance God forbid But seeing it hath these other effects so manifestly appearing wee may assure our selues that we haue a faith already ingendred in vs which will bring forth that other excellent fruit of assurance in time conuenient The child that is conceiued in the wombe though it hath a life and motion yet it is not at the first discerned by the motion so apparantly as when it growes to more strength and more perfection and yet the infant being but yong and weake the woman coniectureth by some extraordinarie accidents in her selfe that shee is with child So faith that is ingendred as a yong Babe in the wombe of the heart and soule though by such apparant motion thou canst not descry it to bee within thy selfe yet in that alteration that thou shalt finde with thy selfe thou maist easily coniecture that there is such a thing conceiued For looke vnto thy selfe and consider throughly of thine estate what thou hast beene beforetime and what an one thou now art and thou shalt easily see and perceiue a great alteration and change in thy selfe and that thou art farre vnlike vnto that which thou wast before For before thou diddest delight and take a pleasure in sinne and wast quicke and ready to commit sinne euen with greedinesse No wickednes so vile but thou couldest easily bee brought to the working thereof But now as one burdened in thy selfe thou mournest and sighest at it thou dost greatly loath and detest it Before thou tookest no pleasure in the comfortable promises of God Christ and the merits of his precious death and Passion were odious vnto thee but now thou art so sicke with longing like a woman with child that thou most earnestly doest hunger and thirst after them Before thou couldest not abide to heare of the benefits of Christ thou madest none account of them But now thou art so affected towards them that at the very sight thereof thou art sick yea so sick that thou art ready to swound because thou canst not bee put presently in possession and immediately enioy the full fruition of the same Euery mi nute seemeth a moneth euery day a hundred yeeres vntill thy longing be satisfied and that thou mayest take thy fill and haue thy full repast vpon them O blessed change that is so full and plenteous with these so excellent fruits and effects of faith I may iustly call it a blessed change in respect of those comfortable promises most comfortably vttered by the Spirit of God to the great consolation of all those in whom this change is found First that there is the oyle of gladnes appointed for them that mourne in Zion They that hunger and thirst after righteousnes shal be filled satisfied Mat. 5.6 Ioh. 7.37 38. And to him that thirsteth Christ promiseth to giue of the Water of Life that shall make him neuer thirst againe but shall be in him a Well of water springing vp vnto euerlasting life Wherefore finding in thy selfe these things which are attended vpon with these so certaine and comfortable promises cheere vp thy selfe herein and refresh thy soule with the Flagons of Gods eternall consolations and comforts And whensoeuer either the weaknes of the flesh or wilynesse of Satan shall set vpon thee either with this or any such like assault put them off with this common word grounded vpon the former Reasons that the Argument to conclude the want of Faith is naught and the reason will not hold And yet I know there are certaine other doubts troubling and disquieting the distressed conscience As first seeing the Reprobates are found to haue a sorrow also whether his sorrow I meane of the Elect be not the very same sorrow of the same nature whereof the Castawayes may be partakers Secondly seeing that there is in him an inclination vnto sinne and hee findeth himselfe giuen to commit sinne whether vvithall hee can bee rightly said to loath and hate his sinnes Thirdly because hee findeth his nature so much drawing and haling him back from goodnes and godlinesse whether he can be iustly said to haue a longing after righteousnes For these and such like imperfections that he findeth in himselfe doe

vnderstand that hee that will goe to heauen for the most part must passe by Hell gates that is through the gulfe of deepe despayre The conuersion of some is much more quiet and free from struggling then others For though some I grant may seeme to haue a quiet conuersion and an easie trauell in their regeneration yet others no doubt with much struggling and greater difficulty doe attaine the same So that as the woman that with great paine and much adoe hath deliuerance of the burthen of her wombe seemeth to hazard both her selfe and the fruit of her wombe also so hee that thus trauelleth and laboureth in his new birth till faith be fully framed in him in struggling against sinne is oftentimes cumbred with such bitter and sharpe combate that he thinketh himselfe to bee in extreme danger and iudgeth his tender yongling faith to be dead indeed and to be as you would say none at all because hee findeth and feeleth not a present and euident motion of life appearing in it In this sort of men so distrustfull of themselues The cause is a suspition of the want of faith c. the cause as I haue often found it of this distrust and suspition of the want of faith is the lacke of the knowledge of the course and order that God taketh and vseth in our regeneration which is first to humble vs that he may exalt vs and to abase vs in the sight of our infirmities that afterwards step by step in his time appointed hee might raise vs vp againe vnto an vndoubted trust and assured hope in him Wherefore that the remedy against this distrustfull wound of despayre may be the better prepared let vs first consider the course and order of Gods vocation in singling out those from the world in his time whom he before all times in his eternall purpose hath ordained and appointed vnto life In this course and order of Gods vocation The course and order of Gods call to be considered 1. The time wherin we are first to marke and consider wel the time wherin he doth vouchsafe to call For wee must obserue that he calleth not all at once and at one instant together but hee calleth some sooner some later some in the morning euen in their infancy and prime of yeres some about the third houre and in their youthfull dayes some at the sixt houre euen in their strength and manhood But others againe at the sunne-set as it were and declining of the day euen when they grow neere to their end approch to their graue 1. Sa. 1.2 God as it appeareth called Samuel when he was but yong Iosiah also that good Prince seemed to be reclaimed from the world 2. King 22. and singled out vnto the Lord when as yet hee was but eight yeeres old Luke 1. Iohn Baptist was a sanctified vessell euen from his mothers wombe Act. 9. But Paul as is euidently to be proued was reclaimed being growne to greater yeeres Luke 19. So was Zacheus and infinite other recorded in the Scriptures But the thiefe on the Crosse Luke 23. though by the course of nature hee might haue continued a longer time yet had his calling when as the Sunne of Life was almost set and night of death beganne to arise vpon him This maner and order GOD hath and still doth vse not that he is not of power to alter and change the same but because it is his owne will And in this doing wee must marke hee doth not so much respect what he can doe but rather what is most conuenient for the better manifestation of his mercy and the aduancement of his glory in the Vocation and Calling of his Elect and chosen And therefore some hee quickly preuenteth with his grace some againe he suffereth to runne a long time in the race of wickednesse and to wallow and soyle themselues in the beastly sinke of sinne and yet afterwards reclaimeth them home vnto himselfe that so in both hee might declare and shew forth the bottomlesse depth of his exceeding loue and fauour toward those which are his From the which difference of times in Gods calling and regeneration of his chosen children ariseth this generall doctrine of exceeding comfort that no man No man can certainly conclude against himselfe that he is a Castaway of what estate so euer hee be can at any time in regard of his supposed defect of faith peremptorily conclude against himselfe his owne damnation and say of a certainty that he is surely a Castaway and a Reprobate for euer No though for the time he seemeth to himselfe to be as it were not onely to bee newly entred but euen to haue some long time continued in the state of reprobation For it is one thing to be in mans iudgement in the state of Reprobation and another by Gods Decree of Predestination to be a Reprobate and one that is for euer castaway For the very Elect and chosen children of God if we respect onely the outward appearance and will bee ready to giue out our sentence iudgement thereby vntill such time as they be regenerate effectually called and borne againe by the Spirit of God may be said to be in the state of Reprobation that is to be such as for the present haue gone further nor made any further progresse in the wayes of life then hath he which is a Reprobate indeed And for this cause they may be said to bee in the kingdome of darknesse and to bee aliants strangers yea enemies to God But on the other side if wee haue respect vnto the certainty and truth of Gods decree which standeth firme and sure for euer they can in no wise be said to be so reprobated and quite cast away from the hope of grace because that in respect of the said Decree they are chosen and elected vessels vnto life and such as shall be partakers of mercy though as yet the fruit thereof in the grace of their regeneration doth not begin to worke and be effectuall within them So that though in the secrecie of Gods Decree there is a distinction and difference made and some are vessels of mercy prepared vnto honour some vessels of wrath appointed vnto dis-honour some are to bee partakers of life eternall some contrariwise to be partakers of death euerlasting yet to the iudgement of man within himselfe vntill such time as hee is regenerate and hath the testimony of the Spirit to testifie and auouch vnto his heart and conscience though hee be in the secret purpose elected yet for the time I say hee shall find small or no difference betwixt himselfe and those that are Reprobates indeed euen in the foreknowledge and counsell of God Which indifferencie of the estate of the Elect and Reprobate before the time of regeneration ioyned with the vncertaine and vnknowne time of the Lords calling is a great reason why that though the man regenerate and renued may bee assured