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	moses_n	reckon_v	20	3	10.7022	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09376	A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon the 11 chapter to the Hebrewes preached in Cambridge by that godly, and iudicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executours, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1607 (1607)	STC 19677.5; ESTC S2273	415,205	614

yet neuer was saued vnlesse therewithall wee haue the couenant of grace belonging vnto vs and the assurance thereof sealed in our consciences by Gods holy spirit Againe consider who spake these words But in Isaac shall thy seed be called Wee shall finde in Genesis 21.12 it was God himselfe Let it not saith God vnto Abraham be grieuous in thy sight for the childe and for the bond-woman in all that Sarah shal say vnto thee heare her voice which was to cast out the bond-woman and her sonne Ismael For saith GOD in Isaac shall thy seede be called Here obserue a notable practice of Abraham as a good direction how we ought to iudge of all those that liue in the Church submitting themselues outwardly to the ministerie and regiment thereof Abraham here hath two sonnes Isaac and Ismael he circumciseth them both and instructs them both for he taught all his houshold to knowe God and to feare and obey him Gen. 18.19 hee iudgeth them both to be in one state in regard of Gods couenant though they were not but that difference is made by God Abraham doth not on his own head and by his own will put Ismael out of the Church which was in his family but God bids him put him out and then he put him out and not before till such time he kept him in and held him to be within the couenant as well as Isaac was Euen so must we deale towards those that liue in the church secret iudgement must bee left to God and till God manifest the contrary in the iudgement of charity wee must holde them all elect This is the practice of Saint Paul in all his Epistles writing to the Corinths 1. Corinth 1.2 he calls them all sanctified and to the Galatians Gal. 1.2 hee calles them all elect speaking so in the iudgement of charitie although he knew that among them there were many profane and wicked men and though hee reprooue many great errors and hainous sinnes amongst them And thus much of the first argumēt wherby Abrahams faith is commended vnto vs namely the great impediments which might hinder the same Now followeth the second Argument or reason wherby his faith is commended to wit Abrahams victory ouer these impediments or the meanes whereby he ouercame them and induced himselfe to obey GOD in these words VERSE 19. For he considered or reasoned that God was able to raise him vp euen from the dead HEre is the true cause that made Abraham to offer his sonne and yet beleeue the promise that in him his seed should be called Wee may perswade our selues that Abraham had rather haue died himselfe if it might haue stood with the will of God than to haue sacrificed his sonne How then doth he induce himselfe to offer him vp Ans. By this which is here set downe he reasoned that God was able to raise him vp euen from the dead Here are diuers points to be considered of vs First obserue the text saith not that Abraham murmured or reasoned against God but reasoned with himselfe that God was able to raise vp his sonne againe and thereby induced himselfe to sacrifice his sonne vnto God Hence wee learne that when God laies vpon vs any hard commandement wee must not plead the case with God or murmure against him but with all quietnesse and meekenesse obey This is a notable grace of God commended vnto vs by God himselfe In rest and quietnesse saith God Isay 30.15 shall be your strength in quietnesse and confidence shall yee bee saued Many thinke it impossible to endure or doe some things which God imposeth on his children But our spirituall strength stands in these two in silence or rest and in quietnesse by these wee shall be enabled When Nadab and Abihu the sonnes of Aaron offered strange fire before the Lord which hee had not commaunded There went out a fire from the Lord and deuoured them so they died before the Lord. Now when Aaron their father asked Moses a cause hereof Moses saide It was that which the Lord spake he would be glorified in all that came neere him which when Aaron heard the Text saith He heide his peace and said not a word so Dauid behaued himselfe in the case of distresse I helde my peace and saide nothing because thou Lord diddest it And this is a speciall point for vs to learne and practice wee must not grudge or repine at Gods hard commaundements nor pleade the case with him but in all quietnesse and silence obay God in all that he saith vnto vs. Againe whereas it is said that Abraham reasoned that God was able c. Here we learne that it is a necessary thing for a man that beleeues to haue good knowledge in Gods word that when a temptation comes against his faith by knowledge and reasoning out of Gods word hee may be able to put backe the same for all our reasoning in matters of faith must be grounded on the word so doth Abraham in this place against this strong temptation reason out of Gods word to stay himselfe so that knowledge in the word of God is necessary to him that beleeues And therefore that Doctrine of the Church of Rome is erronious and here condemned which saith that if a man become deuout beleeue as the Church beleeueth though he knowe not what the Church beleeueth yet this faith will saue him but this is a meere deuice of their owne and hath no ground in the word of God for as we see heere knowledge in the word is necessary for him that hath true sauing faith But what is Abrahams argument whereby hee moues himselfe to obay God Surely this Hee reasoned that God was able to raise vp Isaac from the dead One part of his reason he takes for graunted which heere hee conceales for this promise was made vnto him In Isaac shall thy seede be called Now this he takes for graunted that God will neuer change his promise From whence hee reasoneth thus God is able to raise vp Isaac my sonne from the dead to life againe and therefore I will sacrifice my sonne according to his commaundement for this I knowe certainly that in Isaac shall my seede be called seeing God hath promised that as well as he commaundeth this other In this example wee see a meanes set downe vnto vs to enduce vs to obey God in all hard and difficult cases imposed by God which is a point to be considered carefully of euery one of vs. For say that any of vs shall be so touched in conscience for our sinnes that we euen despaire of our owne saluation what must we doe in this case wee must take Abrahams course and dispute with our selues for our selues we must drawe our arguments from the promise of God and from the power of God we must ioyne the promise and power of GOD together As for example thus wee must say God hath made this promise this I haue heard and I doe beleeue it

mens constitution may help forward this feare yet many times it comes from an accusing conscience as a fruit of sinne And the way to remooue it is here to be learned namely to doe as Moses did that is labour to bee resolued of Gods presence with vs and prouidence ouer vs and this wil arme vs against al satanicall and foolish feare For if God be on our side who can be against vs to do vs harme Againe the Souldier by his place and calling ought to be a man of courage for els the state of his life and the thought of his enemies will much affright him Now how may he become courageous They vse to sound the drumme and trumpet for this ende and it must be granted they be good incitements prouocations vnto battell but when it comes to the point of danger these cannot giue heart Others vse against the battell to fill themselues with wine and to make thēselues valiant by strong drinke This indeede may make them senselesse and so desperate But the true way is to become Christian souldiers knowing and fearing God and with their bodily armour to bring also the shield of faith wherby their hearts may be assured that God hath called them to that fight that he is present with them to couer their heads in the day of battell This will make them to take heart and courage to themselues and to become truly valorous though by nature they be weake and timorous Thirdly who knows whether God will bring vs to this triall either to lay down our liues or forsake his truth for he may iustly take from vs these golden daies of peace for our ingratitude Now if such times come vpon vs what shall we doe Shall wee denie the faith of Christ God forbid But how shall we stand out in such a triall Surely we must follow Moses and labour to see him that is inuisible by faith This will make vs couragious and without feare in Gods cause remēbring this also that among those which are reckoned to goe downe to hell the fearefull man is one Reuel 21.8 who dares not stand to the truth of God but for feare of men denies it Let vs therefore now begin to settle our hearts in the assurance of Gods prouidence and protection that so when triall comes wee may be bold in the case of God Him that is inuisible That is God who is a most simple essence voyd of all composition or corporall substance for God is a spirit Iohn 4.24 and therefore inuisible and not subiect to mans senses But some will say God is said to haue head heart hands and feete with other parts of mans body and therefore he is visible Answ. The holy Ghost so speaketh in scripture of God by way of resemblance of him vnto man that we might the better thereby conceiue of his works for therefore are the parts of mans body ascribed vnto God in scripture that we might know he doth such workes by his diuine power as man doth by the parts of his body Man sheweth his strength and valour in his arme and by resemblance vnto man God is said to haue an Arme to note out his power and valiant actes And so God is said to haue eies because wee should conceiue that by his infinite wisdome he seeth all things more cleerely than man doth any thing at noone day with his bodily eies And so of the rest But Moses is said to talke with God face to face and to see his backe parts Exod. 33.11 23. Answ. This imports not that he saw the substance of God but onely that God did after a familiar manner reueale himselfe vnto him and in some resemblance shewe him his glory so farre forth as Moses was able to behold it for the text is plaine My face can not be seene There shall no man see me and liue vers 20. Here wee learne that when wee pray to God wee must not conceiue of him by any forme or image in our minds for so we make an idoll of God Quest. What then must we doe for how will some say can I pray to him and not thinke of him Answ. When wee thinke of God or pray vnto him wee must conceiue of him in our mindes as hee hath reuealed himselfe in scripture that is by his workes and by his properties wee must thinke in our mindes of an eternall essence most holy wise c. who made all things and gouernes them by his mighty power For euery image to resemble God by either to the minde or to the eie is a plaine lie making him visible who is inuisible as saith the Prophet Hab. 2 18 The image what profiteth it for it is a teacher of lies Which flatly ouerthroweth the opinion and practice of the Romish Church who resemble the true God euen God the father and the holy Trinitie in images what else doe they herein but make a lie of God But the Papists say they deuise no image to resemble God in but onely such whereby hee hath shewed himselfe as the scripture testifies as the father like an old man the sonne as he was incarnate and the holy Ghost like a doue Math. 3.16 Answ. Wee must not conceiue of those formes of an old man or of a doue to haue beene euer any images of the father or of the holy Ghost but onely signes and pledges for a time whereby those persons did then manifest their presence Now there beeing an expresse commandement against all representation of God by images not excepting those very shapes whereby it pleased God for a time to signifie his presence it must needes be idolatrous presumption to make any image of God or of the Trinitie And indeed God being inuisible as the text saith it is impossible to make any true image or resemblance of him VERSE 28. By faith hee ordained the Passeouer and the effusion of blood lest hee that destroyed the first borne should touch them IN the former verses the author of this Epistle hath shewed vnto vs the notable faith of Moses by two worthy acts 1 His refusing to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter 2 His departing out of Egypt Now here in this verse he commends his faith vnto vs by a third action which is the ordination or celebrating of the Passeouer This verse is the summe of the 12. Chapter of Exodus the effect whereof is this After that God had sent nine seuerall plagues vpon the Land of Egypt which were occasions to harden Pharaohs heart at last he sends Moses to certifie Pharaoh that vnlesse he would let the people go he would send a tenth plague which should bee more grieuous to them than all the former euen the slaughter of all the first borne in Egypt both of man and beast Yet Pharaohs heart was not softened neither did he let the people goe Therefore Moses departeth from him and according to Gods commandement assembles the Elders of Israel together and causeth them to kill euery

set down vnto vs examples of faith more at large But from this verse to the end of this Chapter he heapes vp briefely together many examples of faith one vpon another The reason whereof is First because the number of true beleeuers which are mentioned in Scripture is very great and therefore he could not here stand to set them downe in order one by one Secondly by handling all the examples at large which the Author propoundeth in this short Epistle hee should haue seemed to haue restrained the name and title of faith to a very few for all that are here named and commended for their faith are but few in comparison of all that truely beleeued in the olde Testament And therefore hee heapes vp the rest together to intimate that the number of beleeuers was more than he could record And this hee doth by a Rhetoricall preterition or passing ouer called in Schooles Paralepsis whereby matters are briefly dispatched and passed ouer with the very naming only What shall I say more That is as if hee had said I haue propounded diuers worthy examples of faith and besides these there are also many more but the time of writing an Epistle will not suffer me to handle them all at large First in this particular quicke dispatch of beleeuers by our Apostle wee may obserue a difference betweene the infinite vnderstanding of God and the created vnderstanding that is in mans minde Man indeed vnderstands the things that are reuealed to him of God but yet in a manner and order farre different from that which is in God for man cannot conceiue in his minde all the things hee knowes at once by one acte of his vnderstanding but must haue distinct time to conceiue of them one by one distinctly For looke as he vtters them distinctly one by one as we see in this place so likewise doth he apprehend them in conceit and vnderstanding But with God it is not so for God at once by one acte of vnderstanding without distinction of time doth conceiue of all things at once both past present and to come and so could vtter and expresse them if any creature were able in conceit so to comprehend them Secondly whereas the holy Ghost saith The time would be too short c. Hee giues vs to vnderstand that the number of beleeuers is very great and that a long time would not serue to repeat them or to write of them This directeth vs vnto a good answer to a question which much troubleth our common people to wit How great is the number of them that shall be saued whether is it greater than the number of them that shal be damned Ans. We must consider the nūber of the elect 2. wais 1. in cōparison of them that shall be condemned secondly in themselues If we compare the elect with the reprobate the number of the elect is but a small nūber for in most ages the church of God hath beene but a handfull to the rest of the world And in the Church this likewise is true Many are called but few chosen in respect of them that are called But yet consider the elect as they are in themselues and they are a huge great number yea innumerable as Saint Iohn saith speaking of the elect among the Gentiles beside the chosen Iewes for all that doe truely beleeue shall bee saued Now beleeuers are innumerable This the Author of this Epistle would insinuate vnto vs by his phrase of speech What shall I say more c. In handling these examples wee must obserue the order here vsed by the holy Ghost for in this 32. verse hee sets down the names of the persons that beleeue all ioyntly together rehearsing them one by one And in the 33 34 45 verses he laies downe briefly the fruits of all their faith in number tenne most notable actions seruing all and euery one of them most worthily to commend their faith In the handling of them wee will follow the order obserued by the holy Ghost and first speake of the persons then of their actions The foure first are these Gedeon Barac Samson and Iephte These foure were Iudges in Israel the fift is Dauid who was both a Prophet and a King the sixt is Samuel both a Iudge and a Prophet lastly the Prophets generally by whom wee must vnderstand especially these three Elias Eliseus and Daniel In speaking of these persons here commended vnto vs first we will intreate of them generally and then in particular In generall let vs first obserue the order which the holy Ghost here vseth in naming them Gedeon for time was after Barac and yet here he is first named so Samson was after Iephte and yet here he is put before him This the holy Ghost would neuer doe without some special cause We therefore must knowe that the Scripture vseth a two-fold order in reckoning vp of persons to wit the order of time when as hee that liued first is first named and the order of dignity when the most worthy and excellent is named first though he were later in time Now the Scripture accounteth best of them that did excell in faith and in the fruits thereof so in this place whereas Gedeon is set before Barac Samson before Iephte the holy Ghost obserues not the order of time but the order of dignity according to the excellency of their faith naming them in the first place that were most famous for this grace of faith and did exceed the other in the fruits thereof Here we learne this speciall point That the more men excell in faith and other graces of God the more God will honour them for looke who most honour God shall be most honoured of him but the more a man excels in grace the more he honours God And for this cause is Gedeon preferred before Barac and Samson before Iephte because they were more plentifull in the fruits of faith This must mooue vs not onely to seeke to haue faith but to labour euery day more and more for the increase of faith and of obedience for the more a man abounds in grace before God the more will God honour him both here and in heauen And thus much for the order wherein they are propounded Secondly let vs consider what manner of persons these were Gedeon Barac and the rest They were extraordinary men in their time raised vp by God for the speciall good of his Church and the common wealth of the Iewes that they might help and defend them in distresse And therefore as their calling was extraordinary so God indued them with extraordinary gifts of wisdome strength zeale and authority for which they are here renowmed in this Catalogue of most worthy beleeuers In their example wee may obserue this point That whom God doth raise vp extraordinarily for some speciall good in his Church them he endues with extraordinarie gifts to discharge that calling and withall hee giues them the spirit of grace with a true and liuely faith