Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	abel_n	accept_v	action_n	16	3	7.2811	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67153	A practical commentary or exposition upon the Pentateuch viz. These five books of Moses Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Wherein the text of every chapter is practically expounded, according to the doctrine of the Catholick Church, in a way not usually trod by commentators; and wholly applyed to the life and salvation of Christians. By Ab. Wright; sometime fellow of St. John's Colledge in Oxford.	Wright, Abraham, 1611-1690.	1662 (1662)	Wing W3688; ESTC R221054	292,675	224

was a Name of diminution as she was taken from the man for Isha is but a she-man and when in her worse state when she had sinn'd she was call'd Eva Mater viventium the Mother of all living she had a better name in her worst estate but this was not in respect of her sin saith that Father but in respect of her punishment now that she was become mortal by a sentence of death pronounced upon her and knew that she must dye and resolve to dust now saith he there was no danger in her of growing proud by any glorious title affliction had tamed her and rectified her now and thus doth God sometimes bit and bridle us by afflictions lest we be too proud Verse 24. See the unhappiness of man a little forbidden fruit from the hand of a frail Creature must dis-inherit us of eternal life and man must be thrust out of doors deprived of his everlasting habitation for two pretty toyes an Apple and a Woman Howsoever saith Chrysostome Death hung not on the Fruit but the Tempter lamentable felicity which at the height was but conditionary and then fatal CHAP. IV. Verse 5. VVHat was the occasion of this capital malice and mortal wrath in Cain Abels Sacrifice was accepted what was this to Cain Cains was rejected what could Abel remedy this O envy the corrosive of all ill minds and the root of all desperate actions the same cause that moved Satan to tempt the first man to destroy himself and his posterity the same moves the Second man to destroy the Third It should have been Cain's joy to see his Brother accepted it should have been his sorrow to see that himself had deserved a rejection his Brothers example should have excited and directed him could Abel have stayed Gods fire from descending or should he if he could reject Gods acceptation and displease his Maker to content a Brother was Cain ever the farther from a blessing because his Brother obtain'd mercy How proud and foolish is malice which grows thus mad for no other cause but because God or Abel is not less good It hath been an old and happy danger to be holy indifferent actions must be careful to avoid offence but I care not what Devil or what Cain be angry that I do good or receive it Verse 8. Now might Adam see the image of himself in Cain for after his own image begot he him Adam slue his posterity Cain his Brother We are too like one another in that we are unlike to God however one would have thought that these being Brethren and but two Brethren the beams of their affection should have been so much the hotter because they reflect mutually in a right line upon each other and yet behold here are but two Brothers in the world and one is the Butcher of the other Who can wonder at dissentions amongst thousands of Brethren thousands of Christians when he sees so deadly opposition between two and these the first roots of Brother-hood who can hope to live plausibly and securely among so many Cains when he sees one Cain the death of one Abel Verse 9. No sooner doth Abels blood speak to God than God speaks to Cain there is no wicked man to whom God speaks not if not to his ear yet to his heart what speech was this not an accusation yet such an enquiry as would infer an accusation God loves to have a sinner accuse himself and therefore hath he set his Deputy in the breast of man neither doth God love this more then nature abhors it Cain answers stubbornly the very name of Abel wounds him no less then his hand had wounded Abel Consciences that are without remorse are not without horror wickedness makes men desperate the murtherer is angry with God as of late for accepting his Brothers oblation so now for listning to his blood Verse 11. There is a holy league offensive and defensive betwixt God and his children God shall not only protect us from others but he shall fight for us against them our enemies are his enemies Nolite tangere Christos meos saith God of all holy people you were as good touch me as touch any of them Thus when Cain had trespass'd against God himself in this that he would bind God to an acceptation of his Sacrifice God comes no farther for that then to Why dost thou thus but in his murther committed upon his Brother who was a child of God God proceeds so much farther as to say Here now art thou cursed from the Earth When Ieroboam suffered idolatry God let him alone that concerned but God himself but when Ieroboam stretched forth his hand to lay hold on the Prophet his hand withered Verse 13. And what was the greatness of this punishment this From thy face shall I be hid It is not that God would not look graciously upon him but that God would not look at all upon him Infinitely desperate are the effects of Gods putting away a soul. And yet notwithstanding this there doth this comfort arise from the Text that an imputation of sin arising from our selves may be accompanied with error ●nd mistaking and we may impute that to our selves which God doth not impute For this word which some translate here Iniquity is oftentimes in Scripture used for punishment as well as for sin and so indifferently for both as that if we compare Translation with Translation and Exposition with Exposition it will be hard for us to say whether it can be said my iniquity is greater then can be pardoned or my punishment is greater then I can bear and therefore we must have a care how we mis-impute Gods anger to our selves arising out of his punishments his corrections and inflictions upon us that because we have crosses in the world we cannot believe that we stand well in the sight of God Verse 14. He that cares not for the act of his sin shall care for the smart of his punishment for see this miscreant which had neither grace to avoid his sin nor to confess it now that he is convinc'd of sin and curs'd for it how he howleth how he exclaimeth the damned are weary of their torments but in vain How great a madness is it to complain too late he that would not keep his Brother is cast out from the protection of God he that feared not to kill his Brother fears now that whosoever meets him will kill him the troubled conscience projecteth fearful things and sin makes even cruel men cowardly How bitter is the end of sin yea without end still Cain finds that he had kill'd himself more then his Brother We should never sin if our fore-sight were but as good as our sence the issue of sin would appear a thousand times more horrible then the act is pleasant Verse 15. Some think this mark was a horrible trembling and shaking of his whole body as the Septuagint translate who For thou shalt be a vagabond read Thou shalt

sometimes on the Land Monsters bred of unlawful conjunctions which should not see the Sun Now if the Image of this vice be so horrid odious in Nature what shal we judge of the vice its self in Religion I am sure that God can away with any sort of sinners better than these for these he threatneth to spew out of his mouth Rev. 3. 16. as we therefore tender the Salvation of Body and Soul let us take heed of this plowing with an Ox and an Ass in the Text of this Laodicean temper in Religion if we ever look to be saved by our Religion we must save and preserve it entire and unmixt for God is a jealous God and will not give any part of his glory to another Verse 12. Upon these Fringes was some parcel of the Law written that so looking upon them they might be put in mind of Gods Commandements which should teach us that all sorts both young and old of what condition soever are enjoyn'd to know the Doctrine of the Scriptures and the will of God reveal'd in them and this because ignorance is the ground of error The natural man perceiveth not the things that be of God so then being of our selves blind and wanting the light of the Word we must needs go astray hence it is that Christ saith to the Sadduces Ye err not knowing the Scriptures Mat. 22. and then again the want of Knowledg is the cause of sundry fearful judgements Spiritual and Temporal inward and outward for as Ignorance is the cause of sin so it is the cause of judgement the reward of sin If we care not to know God but neglect the meanes of Knowledge no marvel if we be punish'd Verse 19. God will not suffer his Children to be evill-spoken of unjustly but will both clear them from the scandal and punish it God will so Oyl their good Name that infamy shall not stick on it Dirt will stick upon a Mud-wall but not upon Marble and therefore say thou be aspers'd and denigrated by the Calumnies and contumelies of black Tongues and thou lye under them for a time as the Earth doth under the darkness of the Night yet as the morning suddenly arrising driveth away that darkness so God shall clear up thy wronged innocency and as the Moon wadeth out of a cloud so shalt thou get out of all thy troubles in this kind or any other It shall be with thee as it was once with Cato whom Seneca calls the lively Picture of Vertue who was two and thirty times openly accused in Court and as many times cleared and absolved CHAP. XXIII Verse 7. THe relation of Flesh and Blood should be a strong tye among Christians and all Men indeed but we find the quite contrary For the difference of Brethren are of all others most irreconcileable whether they be Brethren by Race or Grace And for the first of these see it exemplified in Cain and Abel Esau and Jacob for thus it is written in nature that those that loved most dearly if once the Devil cast his Club between them they hate most deadly and as for Brethren by Profession and that of the true Religion too you shall meet with many divisions and those prosecuted with a great deal of bitterness No War breaks out sooner or lasts longer than that among Divines or about the Sacrament a Sacrament of Love a Communion and yet the occasion by accident of much dissention Great care therefore must be taken that Brethren break not Friendship or if they do that they unite and peece again as soon as possible for remember saith the Text he is thy Brother and therefore to be born with though unkind and injurious Verse 9. Seeing War is a lawful Ordinance of God it teacheth us to use it lawfully and to behave our selves uprightly when we go unto it So soon as War is proclaimed and the Trumpet sounded all Laws for the most part keep silence and equity is buried there is no mean or measure observed every Man thinks he may do what he list Hence it is that the Lord giveth these Precepts to his People When thou goest out with an host against thine Enemies c. Where Moses teacheth that we must not bear our selves in War as if all things were lawful nor give our selves a lawless liberty to be carried head-long into all Wickedness when we are come into the Field and there stand against the Enemy we must not think we have a pardon purchased to fall into all outrage and villany For whose are the Battels that we fight who is it that giveth the Victory If we look for any blessing from God we must have the more care to serve him faithfully and depend upon him religiously Prophane and ungodly men must not be listed in his Army The Lord will be the greatest Enemy unto such and they have more cause to stand in fear of him than of all their Enemies besides Verse 14. Seeing God is ever in his Church it is our duty to behave our selves in all our actions as in his presence It behooveth us to set him alwayes before us and to know how that he continually walks among us If the Child were alwayes in the sight of his Father the servant of his Master the Subject of his Prince they would not have an unseemly gesture a disordered action how much more doth it stand us upon to look to all our wayes that we offend not before the Majesty of God in whose presence we stand When the Minister Prayes and Preacheth when the people attend and hearken we must know that God looks upon us This is that use which Moses sets down here in giving directions to the people that they should have a place without the hoast c. the truth of which Ceremony leads us as it did them to a further matter and teacheth us that we must be an holy people to God in soul and body and to take heed of defiling our selves with sin we must all of us learn to purge our selves from such foul and filthy Corruptions if we will have God to rule and be resident among us Verse 18. Some understand this Text literally and Grammatically according to that expression of the Prophet Isa. 66. 3. He that sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Doggs neck Others take it metaphorically of impudently shameless sinners that blush not to commit Uncleanness in the sight of the Sun these shall never enter into Gods House the Kingdom of Heaven The Irish ayr will sooner brook a Toad or Snake to live there than Heaven will brook a sinner It was not permitted to a Dogg to enter into the Acropolis which was the chief Tower or Temple at Athens for his heat in Venery and ill savour saith Plutarch Goats likewise saith Varro come not there unless for Sacrifice once a year upon the same account no filthy Doggs or nasty Goats shall ever enter into Heavens Tower The Panther smells well among Beasts