Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	aaron_n	author_n	sin_n	41	3	5.3461	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01703	A fruitful sermon preached at Occham in the county of Rutland, the second of Nouember, 1583 by Thomas Gybson.	Gybson, Thomas, fl. 1583.	1584 (1584)	STC 11840.5; ESTC S2130	26,976	78

iugements and condemnation of the wicked I finde then that the impenitent and suche as continue in their sinnes could not bee saued God could not forgiue them here vpon some haue sayd and doe say still of mee that I preached that God could not forgiue sinnes I sayde and I say agayne the Lorde is as true in his iustice as in his mercie Christ saieth except ye amend ye shall all perish and againe he that beleeueth not is damned Saint Paul sayth no whoremonger nor adulterer no vnrighteous or vncleane persone shall inherite the kingdome of Heauen This is asmuche as I saied and in effect all that I saide woe bee to me if I preache not the Gospell Now Repentaunce is a parte of the Gospell and that wee maie repent it is needfull to knowe our sinnes and as the sinnes of all men must bee reproued and the iudgementes of GOD threatened against them so especially the sinnes of publique persones as Magistrates and Ministers And if this in no case will bee borne but he that doth it is straight way blamed alas what shall wee doe If wee speake against the people they are greeued they saie we deale hardly with them but looke not to our selues or to the higher powers If wee deale against Gentlemen and greate men wee are hated euill spoken of and abused If wee speake against the ignoraunt and carelesse Ministers they are also offended and saye wee lacke discretion charitie and modestie Thus daungerous a thing it is to preache the Gospell yea euen amongst them that glorie in the Gospell so that as our state standeth it mate bee saied cleane contrarie to the saying of the Apostle in this place Woe to them that preache the Gospell and happie are they which preache not the Gospell and they are coumpted wisest whiche either holde their peace or els meddle not with this parte of the Gospell But the faithfull Minister how soeuer he seeme to be discouraged by suche wicked and vnthankfull dealinges of the worlde yet he is to comforte himself in the Lorde and to feare GOD more then men It is farre better to discharge our dueties faithfully with a good conscience although wee procure displeasure of men then by leauing our duetie vndone or by doyng the Lordes worke negligently and vnfaithfully to procure the displeasure and heauie curse of God The holie Apostle hath spoken it woe bee to me it I preache not the Gospell And to aunswere them somewhat which blame vs for dealing so hardly and openly against the sinnes of the Ministers Is it not a parte of discretion to reproue their sinnes whiche doe most hurte and are the causes of many other sinnes this is that discretion whiche was vsed by the holy Prophetes euery where They crie out against the negligence of the Priestes against their ignoraunce carelesnesse and leude conuersation Amongst many and infinite places I referre you that one place in the Prophet Malachie who dealeth so hardly and particularly with the Priests as though all sinne had been in them No doubt there were many sinnes amongst the people and yet in all his Prophesie he seemeth to deale specially almost onely against the Priestes being in deede the causes and the authors of the sinnes of the people yea and these were suche Priestes as were ordeined of GOD as were the successors of Aaron and the tipes of Iesus Christe and yet are so sharply and publiquely reproued by the Prophet This discretion was vsed by Christ himself How often times together doeth he pronounce woe against the Scribes and Pharises calling them Hypocrites fooles blind guides Serpentes and generation of Uypers yea how often times doeth he most sharply and openly rebuke his owne Apostles Perceiue ye not yet saieth he neither vnderstand haue you your hartes yet hardened haue you eyes and see not haue ye eares and heare not and doe ye not remember Are not these my bretheren very hard wordes and suche wordes as are vsed in the Scriptures against the very reprobate and yet the Lorde Iesus vseth them against his owne Apostles In an other place he reproueth them for their vnbeleefe and hardnesse of harte How sharply doeth the Apostle deale in all his Epistles against false Apostles Naye did he not repoue openly to his face Peter the Apostle and his fellowe minister because he went not the right waie to the truthe of the Gospell So that it is not onely lawfull but also necessarie that the sinnes of all states and specially of the greatest and of the Ministers bee sharply and openly reprooued The holy Apostle saieth Them that sinne openly rebuke openly that the rest also maie feare But are not the sinnes of our Ministers open Is not their ignoraunce apparant Is not their idlenesse and carelesnesse knowne Doeth not the common sorte of people see it And are not some of them faine to seeke for instruction in other places Dooe not many complaine of the liues of the Ministers Dooe they not saye commonly of them they speake well and dooe euill They bee as couetous as others they haue neuer enough doe not the people see this and a greate deale more Are not these open offenders Doeth not duetie discretion and charitie binde the Preacher if he will faithfully preache the Gospell to reproue them seuerally whiche giue cause of suche offences The Apostle vseth this modestie against himself Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell which woe signifieth no light small or easie matter but greeuous curse of GOD in this life and that fearefull condemnation in the life to come Can they bee too sharpely reprooued or can any speeches bee too harde for them whiche are ignoraunt and carelesse in so greate a light of the Gospell after so long profession whiche shoulde bee guides to others whiche haue so many excellent meanes so greate helpes of knowledge offered to them by the Lorde in these dayes whiche we liue in Can they bee too muche or to often spoken against which are ignoraunt and will bee ignoraunt whiche mistike those that reprooue them whiche hate all that are not like themselues whiche seeke to deface the painefull Minister yea stande in defence of their owne wickednesse Is not this to binde sinne together with Cart-ropes Sinne not twise saieth the wise man for one sinne shall not be vnpunished therefore take heede in tyme and amende or els you perish Say what you will thinke what you will the Lorde is my witnesse I speake the truthe I knowe I might bee better thought of to passe euer suche matters but woe bee to mee if I preache not the Gospell But it may bee yet that some will saye although this bee true that you haue spoken yet all truthe is not to bee spoken at all times in all places and to all persones The Minister must cut the word of GOD aright like a wise Steward he must giue meate in due season To these men I aunswer that no necessarie truthe is to bee hidden

Minister oweth vnto Christ and to the people as it appeareth Ioh. 21.15 where Iesus Christ sayth to Peter after his resurrection Simon sonne of Iona louest thou me more then these He sayde vnto him yea Lorde thou knowest that I loue thee he sayde to him feed my Lambes He said vnto him the second time Simon the sonne of Iona louest thou me He sayde vnto him yea Lorde thou knowest that I loue thee he sayd vnto him feed my sheepe Christ said to him the third time Simon the sonne of Iona louest thou me Peter was sory because he sayd to him the third time louest thou me said vnto him Lord thou knowest all thinges thou knowest that I loue thee Iesus sayd vnto him feed my sheepe Whereby it is euident that those which feed not loue not Christ Séeing then that feeding or preaching is so plaine a token of the loue that the minister oweth to Christ it is moste necessarily required if any do preach and yet not vpon this loue they haue their condemnation 3 The Church of God is begunne and grounded by the preaching of the word and therfore necessary Paule sayth Faith commeth by the worde preached Againe he counteth his preaching amongst the Corrinthians a planting of them in faith and religion S. Peter sayth We are borne a new not of mortall seede but of immortall by the word of God who liueth and indureth for euer And presētly addeth This is the word which is preached among you 4 By preaching the church of God is not onely begun but also amplified buildes and enlarged It wil not onely make vs babes in Christe but strong and spirituall men It hath not onely milke for the weake but strong meate for them that are of age By it we are brought not onely to the beginning of Christe and firste rudimentes of Christian religion but also we are ledde forwarde vnto perfection The holy Apostle affyrmeth this when as hee sayth that Iesus gaue some to be Apostles and Prophetes and some Euangelistes and some Pastoures and Teachers for the gathering of Sayntes for the worke of the Ministery and for the edification of the bodye of Christe vnto a perfect man and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christe 5 The Church of God begun and brought to that perfection which can be in earth is also stayed strengthened vpholden and preserued by the preaching of the worde against sinne and errour And therefore for these causes also the preaching of the word is most necessary yea and that daylye and continually because some are weake and haue need of daily strengthening some fall into errours and some into greeuous Sinnes from the which they are to bee drawen out by the effectuall preaching of the worde This doth the holy Apostle confirme whereas he sayth that The whole Scripture is profitable to teach to improoue to correct and to instruct in righteousnesse that the man of God may be absolute beeing made perfect vnto all good workes 6 Againe to the pure preaching of the word the Lorde hath promised a blessing the minister shal be blessed the people also blessed through it They that be wise sayth Daniell shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament And they that tourne many vnto righteousnesse shall shine as the starres for euer and euer The wise and faithfull Steward that giueth meate to the housholde in due season when his maister commeth he shall be blessed and made partaker of exceeding ioy and glory Take heed sayth the Apostle to thy selfe and to learning continue therin for in doing this thou shalt both saue thy selfe and them that heare thee God so blessed the preaching of his Seruaunt Ionas that through it the Niniuites beléeued God humbled them selues and forsooke their former wicked wayes At one preaching of Peter there were wonne to the Lorde about thre thousande soules Thus doth the Lorde blesse his owne order the minister by pure and faithfull preaching dischargeth his owne soule obtayneth peace in conscience and so is blessed in this life but shall be farre more blessed in the life to come when hee hath finished his course he shall receiue an incorruptible crown of glory The people also by this means are many ways blessed they receiue knowledge faith saluation their eies are opened they are turned frō darknes to light frō y e power of satan vnto God All these great and notable blessings doe ensue the preaching of the worde and therefore required most necessarilie in euery minister 7 On the other side without this both the minister and the people are accursed the bloud of the people shal be required at his handes because he hath not as a faithfull watchman forewarned them of daunger and yet they shall die in their owne sinnes The Lord complaineth by his Prophet Hosea saying My people are destroyed for lacke of knowledge because thou haste refused knowledge I will also refuse thee that thou shalt be no Priest to me To this agreeth our Sauiour Christ If the salt haue lost his saltnes it is good for nothing but to be cast out and to be troden vnder foot of men And if these Ministers which sometimes haue had Salte in them zeale and knowledge to season the people and by negligence and carelesnes decay and loose it If these I saye be worthy to be cast out howe miserable and cursed are they which neuer had nor yet haue any Salt in them It muste needes be fulfilled of them which our Sauiour speaketh in an other place They be blinde leaders of the blinde and if the blinde lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch that is both the ignoraunt Minister and the ignoraunt people shall perishe And in another place it is sayde Cast that vnprofitable Seruaunt into vtter darkenesse there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And here it is sayde Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospell Seeing then that euery way there hangeth so manye greeuous curses both vppon the minister and people where the worde is not preached it is most requysite and necessarie that euery minister looke to this euen as hee will escape the fearefull and heauie cursse of God 8 Moreouer the chiefe ende and vse why the scriptures were written doth requyre preaching They are lefte for our comforte instruction and edifying But we are most comforted instructed and edifyed if they bee opened and applyed to vs and therefore moste necessarie that they be so vsed 9 Also the Corruption and dulnesse of our nature requyreth the same we are dull ignoraunt and carelesse We please our selues in our owne sinnes the Deuill goeth about continually to deuour vs and therefore we haue need to haue continuall preaching of the word The naturall man perceiueth not the thinges that are of Gods spirit Dauid after he had sinned continued in his sinne vntill the Prophet reprooued him for