Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	according_a	good_a	will_n	1,978	5	6.3082	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81919	Israels call to march out of Babylon unto Jerusalem: opened in a sermon before the Honourable House of Commons assembled in Parliament, Novemb. 26, 1645, being the day of publique humiliation. / By John Durye, a member of the Assembly of Divines. Published by order of the House of Commons.	Dury, John, 1596-1680.	1646 (1646)	Wing D2867; Thomason E310_3; ESTC R9717	35,715	55

are Ministers service committed unto the Ministery is set forth in the Tribe of Levi and in his separation from others unto God whereof Moses in brief gives us this information Deut. 10. 8. The Lord separated the Tribe of Levi to bear the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to stand before him to minister unto him and to blesse in his name And with this charge none other was to meddle but Levi alone as being set apart to that effect and endued with a peculiar maintenance for that service With the same charge and in the same kinde is the Ministery of the Gospel now set apart by Christ nor ought they to be encumbred with any other cares but such as are immediately subordinate Who ought ●ot to meddle with worldly affairs unto the Gospel this is the Apostles rule to Timothy 2 Tim. 2. 4. No man that warrethintangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a souldier If then he doth intangle himself with other affairs and employments then such as pertain unto the life to come he cannot please Christ for when a Disciple offered himself to Christ to attend his service desiring only leave to goe home first and bid his friends in the world farewell he was told by Christ that no man is fit for the kingdome of God who having put his hand to the plough of Gods service doth look back to any thing else Luk. 9. 62. And as they are thus to be set apart for the charge and ought not to meddle with any thing but their own plough and their own husbandry which is the tillage of mens souls towards God so may no man take the charge committed unto them upon himself Except he be called thereunto as Aaron was Heb. 5. 4. And the punishments of Korah Dathan and Abiram whereof the history is known Numb 16. and of Vzziah the King who presuming to take upon him the Priests office was strucken with leprosie and separated from the administration of the Kingdome 2 Chron. 26. 16. are for a perpetuall memoriall to shew that none may thrust himself upon this charge of the Ministery but must be admitted thereunto by an orderly calling To the Ministery therefore one way is the charge of And Magistrates whose commission is different from that of the Ministers Gods vessels eminently committed and to the Magistracy another way The Ministery is properly charged with a spirituall care of their souls in things pertaining to God Heb. 5. 1. but the Magistracy is charged with a temporall care of their outward and visible society in things properly pertaining to men for the administration of justice and good order and for the provision of things necessary and comfortable for their life In the one respect Aaron was to bear the judgement of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord Exod. 28. 30. In the other Moses when the people was unruly and murmured for meat ●aith that he was not able to bear them all alone Numb 11. 14. that is to care for all their matters and to deal so with them as to give them contentment for which cause seventy Elders are joyned to him to help him to bear the burden of his charge which was the outward regulating of their wayes in Justice and good order according to Gods will Thus then the manner of bearing and the charges are different although they are about and over the same vessells The Minister bears them as they are within the house of God and as in that house he is a steward and they of the household committed unto him that he should give them meat in due season But the Magistrate Matth. 24. 45. doth bear them as they are in the world and so the Church it self as it is a visible societie of men wherein righteous and good order is to be observed is an object of that power and authority which God hath intrusted him withall for his glory So then every one doth bear these vessells differently in a manner sutable to his calling The use of this Doctrine is two-fold The first for exhortation The uses of exhortation the second for instruction and warning The exhortation shall be in two words to two things 1. That every one should lay this to heart and consider See what ves self thou art and what ●ust is given thee himself what sort of vessell he is and what the trust is which is committed to him of himself or of others Thou mayest know what sort of vessell thou art by the qualifications bestowed upon thee and place where thou art set whereby and wherein thou mayest become usefull for the Kingdome of Christ in thy self and in thy neighbour Let every one saith the Apostle consider his own work that is himself in respect of the work intrusted to him and then he shall have rejoycing in himself alone and Gal. 6. 4. not in another the custom and inclination of men is to reflect upon themselves not in simplicity but comparatively not with a single eye unto the rule but with an indirect respect unto other mens wayes in comparison of their own Thus the Pharisee said I am not like other men Luk 18. 11. or like this Publican c. Such a consideration of our selves doth give no just matter of rejoycing but the Apostles consideration of himself is true matter of joy for our rejoycing is this saith he The testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world 2 Cor. 1. 12. if we look thus to our own consciences within our selves to our talent which we have received and how we have bestowed it that we may know how to be accountable to God for it then we shall have true matter of joy in our selves and not in another The second duty is consequent unto this That every 2 2 Make t●y self a vessell of honour one in the consideration of himself should intend and endeavour to fit himself unto God as a vessell of honour This is that which the Apostle doth inferre 2 Tim. 2. 21. upon this Doctrine that God hath many vessells in his house therefore saith he if a man purge himself he shall be a vessell unto honour He supposeth that every one will aspire unto an honourable employment and that is the thing which I now stirre you up unto namely that every one should endeavour to fit himself for some honourable employment the means is to purge your selves from earthly qualities if a man doth this the Apostle doth promise him that he shall be a vessell of honour and if so then as one sanctified and set apart for the masters use and prepared for every good work no doubt the Lord will not let him be without imployment The use of Instruction and warning is also twofold The uses of instruction First

of honour and not have an eye unto them to see that they walk worthy and agreeable to the place wherein he puts them no by no means his honour is too much engaged in them not to regard them and look after them This then being a cleer and undeniable truth That God hath a speciall eye to those that are honoured to be neerest unto him Let me offer a word of application unto The Application of the point you concerning your present condition Consider I pray you in what case you stand towards God with this whole nation whereof you are a body representative Consider I say what our relations and engagements First to the whole nations of great Brittain are We are all entrusted to bear the vessels of the Lord in our distinct charges and places in a more eminent way then any other people of the world for the Nations of great Britain have made a new thing in the world a thing which hath not been done by any Nation in the world since the preaching of the Gospel in it a thing which since the Jewish Nation in the daies of Nehemiah was never heard of in any Nation that not only the Rulers but the whole multitude of the people should enter into a Covenant with their God and one with another and that two Nations should be leagued with an Oath together man by man to walk in the waies of his Word to maintain the Cause of Religion and to reform themselves according to his will This is a new thing in the Christian Church therefore there is a speciall engagement lying upon us all more then upon other men to bear every one our own vessels to bear the vessels of each other and to bear joyntly the Church and Cause of God in our hearts hands and shoulders In all the world there is not a Magistracy so eminently entrusted with such a charge over a people so neerly united unto God as you and the Parliament Then to the leaders thereof in the cause of Reformation of Scotland are Your charge is not only the outward safety of three Kingdomes to settle them in such a way as you have covenanted but the care of the Protestant Religion and Cause wherein the vessels of the Lord which are in forraign parts are concluded is committed unto you that you together with them may be brought out of Babylon I beseech you mark this our engagement unto God and let us lay it to heart Mark Gods intention and our obligation to fulfill it God hath since the beginning of the Reformation of his Church from Popery and Antichristian superstition intended to bring his vessels out of Babylon unto Sion the way hath been opened by the preaching of the Gospel a long while ago the Nations of Europe some more some lesse frequently have begun their marches in severall troops and the spirits of many Magistrates and of many Ministers have been stirred up and called upon to bear the vessels of the Lord and by their care power authority assistance and vigilancy to bring them to Sion there to be fully setled in the right use of the Ordinances of God But none of all the Magistrates or Ministers of other Nations have ever given such an answer to this call as you and we of the Ministery and this people hath done for we all have undertaken the cause in the full extent thereof therefore we are in this employment neerer unto God then any others and he is more interessed in you and in Scotland then in any Nation whatsoever And if this be so doe not you think that God will have a neerer respect unto you then unto others and that he doth expect a more exact performance of this charge from you then from others You and we all have fastened the cause we have in hand upon him and for this cause we have no foundation to build on but upon him and he hath none other employment for us but that we all should carry his vessells carefully out of Babylon if you doe this faithfully according to your promise and make it your aim to fulfill your Covenant to this effect with him you may be sure that he will bear you up and bear you out in all your difficulties but if you have any other aim and doe not make this your glory that the vessells of the Lord are committed to your trust if you cast them off in your heart and think them a wearisom burden and heavy to be borne If I say any doth but in his heart quit the charge committed unto him will not God require it at his hand doth not he trye the secrets of all hearts and although man may cast dishonour and contempt upon his vessells of honour and neglect them in his thought yet he will not utterly forsake them but will be found faithfull unto them although all men should prove lyars Take heed therefore every one to his spirit that yee deal not falsely with your God in this great employment you may be sure that he will not suffer himself by the contempt of his vessells to be reproached and vilified he hath borne even from the dayes of old his own from the belly from the womb he hath carryed them as a nursing father and he doth promise to be the same unto them even Isa 46 3 4. unto their old age and even unto hoar haires to carry them The only way then for you to be supported by him is this that you be sure to support with all your heart and might his vessells for you must know that it is only for their sake that you are and shall be a sure nail fastened in the wall of this Kingdome only I say for this end that the vessells of your Lords house and the glory thereof may be hung upon you but if you cannot be made use of by him to this effect though the nail be never so strong and fastened in a place never so sure it shall be broken and pulled down for the Lord hath spoken it Let us then all fear lest we come short of our duty in the charge committed unto us in our severall places Let us look to one another and exhort one another daily lest our hearts be hardened through the deceitfulnes of sinfull and humane counsells and lest the eagernes of pursuing these cause us forget the main thing committed unto us which is to behave our selves as servants only and as such servants who bear the vessels of the Lord and upon whom the eyes of the Lord are continually open And as this on the one hand is an object of exceeding great fear to make us carefull that we may not be found faulty in so great a trust so on the other hand it is an unspeakable matter of joy comfort and encouragement to those who have their consciences cleer in this matter telling them that they aim at nothing else but at the dutifull performance of this very thing namely that the