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	grace_n	work_n	1,598	5	6.0605	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19490	A conduit of comfort Preached at Sainct Iames before the Commissioners of the Vnion of the Realmes. By W. Couper, Minister of Gods word.	Cowper, William, 1568-1619.	1606 (1606)	STC 5916; ESTC S114683	33,427	48

we are heere If of weakenesse we fall we may rise againe and if we haue not learned well to repent in one day we haue leaue of the Lordes patience to learne it better an other day his name be praysed therefore who hath opened a doore of mercie to sinners and with long suffering waites for our repentance But he who in the day of his transmigration steppes the wrong s●eppe will neuer get leaue to amende it Where the tree falles it shall lie there the wicked dies in their sinnes and so steppes downeward to the deepe Pit and Gulph out of die which there is no redemption Let vs therefore be well aduised before we leape Let vs fasten our feet● in the borders of that Canaan in time which shall be done if we make our whole life a proceeding from Election to Glorification and that through Calling and Iustification which two is inseparably following them the Sanctification Renouation of the whole man The Lord make vs wise in time that we may consider our course and thinke of the end wherevnto it leades vs for there is but one of two as M●ses protested to the Israelites so do I vnto you I haue layde this day life and death before you the Lord giue you grace to make choyce of the best But now to returne to the wordes of this description of the persons to whom this priuiledge appertayneth wee haue these thinges First the Purpose of God Secondly his Calling according to his Purpose Thirdly the euident token according to Gods calling which is the loue of God The Purpose of God concerning thy saluatiō thou mayest know by thy Calling and if againe thou wilt try thy Calling try it by the Loue of God which thou findes in thee And of these three now let vs speake shortly According to his Purpose Heere you see then how the Apostle draweth our Calling from the Purpose of God and so when he will comfort vs with the certaintie of our Saluation hee leades vs out of our selues vp to the Rocke that is higher then wee hee teacheth vs to cast our Anchor within the Vaile and to fasten our Soules vpon that vnchangeable Purpose of God It is most expedient for the children of God to marke this because the manifold changes we find in our selues do often times interrupt the peace of our mindes that the Lord our God hath in such sort dispensed our Saluation that the ground thereof is layd in his owne immutable Purpose but the markes tokens and pledges he placeth in them after their Calling for whom it was ordayned The tokens are changeable as wee our selues in whom they are are changeable but the ground holdes fast being layde in the vnchangeable God in whom falles no shadow of alteration and this should comfort vs against our dayly vicis●itudes changes defectes and temporall desertions our Fayth may faint our spirituall life may languish our Hope hoouer our Heartes in praying fall downe like the infeebled handes of Moses yet let vs not despaire no change in vs can alter the Lords vnchangeable Purpose hee who hath begun the worke in vs will also perfect it Because I am not changed sayth the Lord therefore is it that yee O sonnes of Iacob are not consumed This Purpose of God is called otherwayes The will of God and The good pleasure of his will and it doth learne vs to giue to the Lord the prayse which is due to him namely the prayse of the whole worke of our Saluation should be ascribed to the good pleasure of his will onely and not to our foreseene Merites that poyson of pride which Satan powred in our first Parents whereby he prouoked them to aspire to be equall with God doth yet appeare in their posteritie the corrupt heart of man euer ayming at this eyther in part or in whole to haue the prayse of Saluation ascribed to him and so would start vp in the roome of God vsurping that glory which belongeth to the Lord and he will not giue to another then the which no sacriledge more fearefull can be committed against the Lord. O man content thee with that which the Lord offers thee and let that alone which the Lord reserueth to him selfe My Peace sayth the Lord I giue vnto you but my Glorie I will not giue to an other It is enough that the saluation of the Lord is thine but as to the glorie of Saluation let it remaine to the Lord he is for this called The Father of Mercie because Mercie bredde in his owne bosome many causes without himselfe found he without himselfe moouing him to execute Iustice but a cause moouing him to shew mercie found he neuer saue onely The good pleasure of his will Therefore sayth the Apostle The Lord hath called vs with a holy calling nor according to our workes but according to his Purpose and Grace Surely except the Lord had reserued Mercie for vs we had been like Sodome and Gomorrah but it hath pleased him in his Mercie of the same lumpe of Clay to make vs vessels of Honour whereof he hath made others vessels of dishonour and who is able sufficiently to thinke of so great a benefite Therefore let the Redeemed of the Lord cry out with a louder voyce then Dauid O Lord what are wee that thou hast been so mindfull of vs Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the glory for thy louing kindnesse and for thy truthes sake for our saluation commeth of God that sits vpon the Throne and of the L●●be to thee therefore be prayse and honour and glorie for euer and euer To them that are called The Purpose of God which is sufficient in it selfe is made knowne and manifest to vs by his Calling for our Calling is a declaration of the Decree of our Election and as it were the secret Voyce of God bringing from the Heauens to our Soules this comfortable message That wee are the Sonnes of God Now we must know that Gods Calling is twofold one outward which is common also to the wicked and of it speakes our Sauiour Many are called but few are chosen The other inwarde and effectuall proper onely to the Godly whom the Lord is purposed to saue And this will learne vs to consider of three sortes of men in the world whereof some not called at all some called but not chosen some chosen and therefore called to be sanctified lustified and glorified Yee that will take a right view of all mankind shall find them as it were standing in three Circles they onely being happy who are within the third In the outmost Circle are all those on whom the Lord hath not vouchsafed so much as an outward calling and heere standes the greatest part of the world In the middlemost Circle which is much narrower are all those which are partakers of Gods outward calling by the Word Sacraments And in the third Circle which is of smallest compasse in regard

Lord yee foolish people and vnwise There is nothing which you conceiue to be good but when you want it you are carefull to seeke it when you haue it you are carefull to keepe it onely you are carelesse of the Lord Iesus though hee be that incomparable Iewell that brings light in darkesse life in death comfort in trouble mercie against al Iudgement you should set him as a Signet on your heart as an Ornament on your head put him on as that glorious attire that gets you place to stand before God But what paines do you take to seeke him what assurance haue you that yee are in him or what mourning doe you make because yee are strangers from him Can yee say that the tenth of your thoughts words are imployed vpon him Alas how long will you wander after vanities and followe lyes Will yee for euer forsake the Fountaine of lyuing Waters and digg to your selues broken Pittes that can holde no Water O consider this in time yee that forget the Lord least he teare you in pee●es and there be none to deliuer you The last lesson wee obserue in this part of the verse is this as All thinges workes for the best to them that loue the Lord so all thinges workes for the worst to the wicked there is nothing so cleane ' which they defile not nothing so excellent which they abuse not Make Saul a King Balaam a Prophet and Iudas on Apostle their preferment shal be their destruction If they be in prosperitie they contemne God and their prosperitie becomes their ruine If they be in aduersitie they blaspheme him and like raging waues of the Sea cast out their owne dirt to their shame Yea what speake I of these thinges euen their table shal be a snare to them Iesus Christ is a r●cke of offence to them the Gospel the sauour ' of death to them and their prayer is turned into sinne to them And what more excellent thinges then these as a soule stomacke turneth most healthsome food into corruption so their polluted Conscience turne Iudgement into Gall the fruite of Righteousnesse into Wormewood And all this should prouoke vs to become good in our persons or else there is nothing were it neuer so good can be profitable vnto vs. To them that loue God Heere followes the second part of the verse conteyning a description of the persons to whom this priuiledge appertaineth together with a reason of the former comfort of force All thinges must worke for the best that is to saluation to them that loue God because they are called namely to saluation according to Gods purpose The strength of this reason standes in the necessitie and immutabilitie of the Purpose of God more stable then the Decree of the Medes and Persians for what he hath decreed can not be reuoked annulled not impeded It is that supreame cause of all which orders all inferiour causes and incidents whatsoeuer in such sort that they must worke to the aduancement of that most high purpose of God This reasō is made clearer in the subsequent verse where the Apostle lets vs see how the linkes of the golden Ch●ine of our Saluation are knit togeather inseparable by the hand of God that no power in heauen or earth can sunder them whereof it comes that he that is sure of one is sure of all And now let vs take a short view of it for confirming the Apostles reason Election is the first and it is the most ancient Charter of the right of Gods Children to their fathers inheritaunce Calling is the second and it is that gift of God whereby wee are cognosced the Sonnes of God and our Election secret in it selfe is made manifest to our selues and others Iustification is the third and it is that Grace of God whereby we are in●est in Iesus Christ in such sort that wee are made one with him and partakers of all that is his Gl●●ification is the last and it is that Grace of God whereby wee shal be entered in the due time full heires to our heauenly Father No King on the earth can produce so auncient a right to his Crowne as the Christian effectually called No Man on the earth can be cognosced his Fathers heire vpon such sufficient warrant as the Christian. For in his Regeneration the Father communicates to him his Image his Nature his Spirit whereby he begins from feeling to call G●d 〈◊〉 ●ather and in life and manners ●e●embleth him No Free-holder so surely infe●t in his Landes hauing so many confirmations of his right as hath the 〈◊〉 Christian who vpon his gi●● hath receiued the ●●arnest the Pledge the Seale and the Witnesse o● the great King And last of all the Christian shall be entered to the full fruition of his inheritaunce with such ioy and trumph in the glorious assemblie of the Sainctes as the like was neuer seene in the world no not in Ierusalem that day when Sa●omon sate downe in his fathers Throne then their ioy was so great That the earth rang with the ●ound of them but nothing comparable to this and herein standes the excellencie of a Christian and certaintie of his saluation For this Cheyne of our Saluation reacheth as I may say from eternitie to eternitie the beginning of it albeit before beginning is our election the end of it albeit without end is our glorification And these two endes of the Cheyne the Lord keepes them sure and secret in his owne hand but the two middle linkes of the Cheyne to wit Calling and Iustification the Lord hath le●●en them downe from the Heauen to the Earth that wee should g●●pe and apprehend them that being sure of the two mindle Linkes we might also be sure of the two endes because the Lord hath knit them inseparably together Then thou who wouldst be comforted with the assurance of thy saluation take heed to this making it knowen to thine owne Conscience by a holy life that God hath called thee and iustified thee Gripe sure as it were with the one hand the Linke of Calling and with the other hand the linke of Iustification then mayst thou know assuredly Election before the world is thine Glorification after this shall also be thine To make this yet more plaine we are to remember this mortal life of ours is a short interiected poynt of Time betwixt two Eternities if so I may call it or like a stepping Stone betwixt two Gulphes wherevpon some in feare and trembling worke out their saluation and so steppes from Gods eternall Election to endlesse glorification Others againe in wantonnesse carelesse securitie drinkes in Iniquitie with greedinesse and so steppes from the decree of Reprobation that most iustly they procure their euerlasting condemnation So that euery man is to consider of his euerlasting weale or woe by his present disposition in this life Oh that we had sanctified memories to remember this so long as