Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	apostle_n	faith_n	word_n	1,525	5	4.2834	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91367	The vvay to heaven discovered: and, the stumbling-blocks (cast therein by the world, flesh, and devill) removed. Or, The ready way to true happines: leading to the gate of full assurance. With a word of reproof to the scattered, discontented Members of the late Parliament. And a word of advise to the present supreme authority of England. / By Robert Purnell.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.	1653 (1653)	Wing P4243; Thomason E1489_2	94,272	222

the Scripture saith that he shall perish eternally if he be not new born and taken out of the first Adam and graffed in the second But some will object or demand Whether a soul thus convinced doth beleeve first or repent before it doth beleeve But for answer hereunto consider that there are three acts of faith viz. 1. The assenting act 2. The relying act or Faith of relyance 3. The Faith of evidence or perswasion Now the assenting act of faith is repentance and so godly sorrow is an effect of it so that this assenting act of faith leads a soul to an ordinance in Gods hand as to the first part of repentance consisting in conviction contrition and humiliation now the habit of faith and repentance are both together in the soul we only question which God doth give the soule power to act first and for the further clearing hereof consider That a soul cannot come to Christ till it goes out of its selfe now a soul will not goe out of its self till it doth see the danger of continuing in its self this danger workes fear this fear workes sorrow and this sorrow is humiliation and this cannot be without the first act of faith seeing we cannot dive into the dispensations of God by a bucket of reason It is true that the troop of Converts Act. 2. 37. they were pricked at their hearts and said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we do and in Act. 16. 29. the Jaylor came trembling and fell at their feet and said Sirs what must I do to be saved So that repentance is the effect of faith and the cause must needs go before the effect only minde that repentance hath three parts to wit conviction contrition and humiliation or the turning of the soul from sin and the conversion of the soul to God and this cannot be done in Gods ordinary way before the habit of faith be wrought in the soul so that we may judge of the habit of faith by the acts of humiliation that it doth work in the soul The next thing to be considered is What is that conversion of a sinner so much spoken unto in the Scriptures For answer unto which it is most clear by Scripture and experience that the conversion of a man is as hard a thing as to turn the course of nature rewards and punishments proposed may turn mens actions but to turn the inclination of the heart is proper to the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. By the Spirit of the Lord we are changed into the Image of God and this Spirit will shew you the corruption of your understanding memory conscience will and aff●ctions with thoughts words and deeds and actions omissions commissions and by a mighty power change all these into the Image of God There is no power below that power that raised Christ from the dead and that made the world that can turn the heart of a sinner we are as well able to turn a flint into flesh as to turn our own hearts to the Lord to raise the dead and to make a world as to repent Repentance is a flower that grows not in natures garden Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may they also that are accustomed to do evill do good Jer. 13. 23. Repentance is a gift that comes down from above men are not born with repentance in their hearts as they are born with tongues in their mouths the same power that formes the child in the naturall wombe for the child doth not forme its selfe and its father and mother are but the meanes I say the same power that gives it the first birth must give it the second birth or else it will not be borne again and if not it can never enter into the Kingdome of heaven Joh. 3. 3. No power but the power of the Almighty can convert a sinner or recover a backslider Turn thou me and I shall be turned saith Ephraim After that I was turned I repented saith he For as Mr. Thomas Brooks well observes repentance hath in it these three things 1. The act to turne from darknesse to light 2. The subject changed that is the whole man both the sinners heart and life first his heart then his life first his person then his practise it is a through change both of the mind and man 3. The termes of his change and conversion from what and to what the whole heart and life must be changed and that is from all sin to good repentance is not only a turning from all sin but also a turning to all good at least to love all good to a prizing of all good and to a following after all good Ezek. 18. 21. c. it is not enough that the tree beares not bad or ill fruit but it must bring forth good fruit else it must be cut down and cast into the fire true repentance strips a man starke naked of all the garment of the old Adam and leaves not so much as a skirt behind in this rotten building It makes a man poor hungry empty naked lost and blind c. these are those to whom the promises be made and these are those that Christ came to seek and save heal and pardon Object But say many sinners If this worke be such a mighty worke that none can doe it but the almighty power of God to what end shall I look or dive into my selfe and my lost condilion seeing I cannot recover my selfe out Answ It is the Pool of Bethesda appointed by God for a sinner to wait at and the way of God that he will be found in and the place in which he hath abundantly promised in his Word that he will manifest himselfe to us in he never said to any soul that doth wait upon him in the way of his ordinances seek ye me in vain but he saith seek ye me in this way and you shall finde me aske hear and you shall have for these ordinances are my Pipes of conveyance Object But why doth God promise eternall life onely to those that beleeve and threaten death to those that do not beleeve seeing it is not in a mans power by nature to beleeve Answ 1. That the Lord might by means of these promises and threats work us unto that which by nature we are averse unto 2 Cor. 11. 20 21. 2. That the grace of God might as well appear in giving power to beleeve as in giving Christ and in him forgiveness of sins to be beleeved Rom. 9. 16. So then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy so again Rom. 11. 5 6 7. 3. That all men might appeare more and more inexcusable when neither promises nor threats will move them to embrace free mercy Acts 13. 46. Seeing you put the word from you loe we turne to the Gentiles and in the 51. verse so they shooke the

saith the Lord in the furnace of affliction so that afflictions are a seal of adoption no signe of reprobation for the purest corn is cleanest fanned and the finest gold is oftnest tryed the sweetest grape is hardest pressed and the truest Christian heaviest crossed c. see Heb. 12. 6 7 8. X. The tenth stumbling block that a poor doubting Christian doth many tim●s meet with is this Oh but I have been a blasphemer my self for many years and have caused others to blaspheme also and how do you think that I can expect pardon and mercy from the Lord whose name I have so frequently and fearfully dishonoured Answ Were there not a height and a depth a breadth and a length in Gods pardoning mercy and had he not pardoned others left upon record in Scriptures then there were cause to doubt and fear indeed that he would not pardon thee for thy blasphemies but thou hast no cause to doubt of thy interest in him and pardon from him and that for these two reasons 1. Because he hath promised to pardon thy blasphemies and all other sins Mat. 12. 31. 2. Because he hath left thee an example in his Word of one that blasphemed himself and compelled others to blaspheme and yet he received pardon and became a most glorious Saint see Act. 26. 11. compared with 1 Tim. 1. 13. It is said of Paul in Scripture that he punished the Saints oft in every City and compelled them to blaspheme and being exceeding mad against them persecuted them even unto strange Cities Act. 26. 10 11. and yet the Lord had mercy on him and called him when he was in his course of destroying his Church Act. 9. 1 2 3. 26. 12 13. Nay the persecutors and murtherers of Jesus Christ himself finde mercy and are converted Act. 2. 36 37. Oh let heaven and earth men and Angels admire this mercy he pityed him that was cruell to his Saints yea he pardoned them that crucified his Sonne who would despair when Christ opens to us such a doore of hope c. XI The eleventh stumbling block cast in a weak Christians way either by the World Flesh or Devill is this Oh saith the poor staggering sinner I fear I was never firmly built upon the true foundation Jesus Christ because I have fallen and fallen into one and the same sinne often so did not the Saints or children of God as I can finde I fear my heart is not right with God surely my estate is not good I should but flatter my self If I should think that ever God will eternally own and embrace such a one as I am who complaine against sinne and yet relapse into the same sinne who with tears and groanes confesse my sinne yet ever and anon fall into the same sin c. Answ I must confesse this is a sad condition It doth give Satan an advantage to triumph besides it doth raise such fears and terrours horrours and doubts in the soul that the soul can not be so frequent in duty as formerly nor so confident in duty as formerly nor so bold and familiar and delightfull with God in duty as formerly nor so constant in duty as formerly but for all this the soul hath no cause to distrust much lesse to despair of mercy for though grace doe free from the dominion of sinne and from the damning power of sinne and from the love of sinne yet grace doth not free any man from the seed of any one sinne and therefore it is possible for a soul to fall again and again viz. Lot was twice overcome with wine John twice worshipped the Angell Abraham out of fear did often dissemble and lay his wife open to adultery to save his life see Gen. 20. 13. Gen. 12. David was resolved to kill Naball and all his innocent family and a little after he fell into the foul murther of Vriah Jehoshaphat though a godly man yet joynes affinity with wicked Ahab and though he was saved by a miracle yet soon after he fals into the same sinne 2 Chr. 18. 1 2 3 30 31. and joyned himself with Ahaziah King of Israel who did very wickedly Sampson also fell often into one grosse sinne as is evident Judg. 14 15 and 16. Chapters Again Peter relapsed often and so did Jonah Our falling into sinne then should humble us but not utterly discomfort us for sinne shall never be our bane if it be our burden for those that were borne of God have relaps'd again and again Jacob twice told a lie for compassing the Blessing Gen. 27. 19 21. Lot twice made drunken committeth incest with both his daughters Gen. 19. Peter thrice denies his Master and every time worse then other Mat. 26. c. These are in record to caution them that stand that they fall not and to comfort them that have relapsed that they despaire not XII The twelfth stumbling block is this Sir saith the fearfull timorous drooping soul I have according the Apostles command 2 Cor. 13. 5. examined my self and put my self upon the tryall to see whether I were in the faith or no and whether Christ were in me or no but upon this tryall and examination I can finde no such thing in me and therefore by the Apostles verdict I must needs be a reprobate and so a castaway Answ None of the elect before their conversion can know by any search that they are in the faith or that Christ is in them for that cannot be known which is not yet manifested Again many are not converted untill they be thirty forty fifty years old or upwards and shall we say that such in their younger years were reprobates we might indeed say that they were in the state of damnation but cannot nor dare not say they were reprobates c. Again it is not proper for a man to conclude that he is not in the faith and not to have Christ in him because doth not know so much for many of Gods dear children may have faith and Christ and yet for a season not know so much as we may see by daily experience Again this text 2 Cor. 13. 5. Prove your selves whether you be in the faith examine your selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates This place is often mistaken for the thing now in question by the Corinthians was this whether Paul were lawfully called to the Apostleship and therefore they require of him to give them a proof of Christs speaking in him to which his answer is this or to this purpose I will goe no further to seek a proof of Christs speaking in me then unto your selves Hath not the Word and Gospell of Christ been powerfull by my Ministry to convert you and to beget faith and to forme Christ in you look into your selves examine whether you be not in the faith for if you finde this it need no other proof of my calling if you finde it not then you have