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	speak_v	word_n	1,386	5	3.9429	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35043	Fraterna correptio, or, The saints zeale against sinful altars delivered in a sermon preached on a day of humiliation for the error, heresies, & schisms of our times and nations / by Z.C., minister of the word.	Crofton, Zachary, 1625 or 6-1672.	1655 (1655)	Wing C6994; ESTC R23793	70,876	177

increasing mercies in after-ages so also did increase this sinne of Altar-building causing the sad complaints of the Prophets in Hos 10.1 according to the multitude of fruit they have increased their Altars Throughout the Old Testament whensoever God by his servants reproves this sin he aggravates the same by the expr●ssions of their pride as in Is ●5 from the 2. to the 7. verse And in the New Testament we finde Apostates Seducers Innovators in to the Lords Word and Worship stigmatized with this brand of pride the Apostle Paul describing such as labour to draw aside silly women and to set up their own Altar saith of them among other properties that apt them for this work that they are proud heady high-minded in 2 Tim. 3.2 4. and in his first Epistle the sixth chapter the third and fourth verses notes that such as teach oth●rwise and consent not to wholesome doctrine are puft up knowing nothing and that he may clearly evidence that this proud propertie produceth a declining of the Altar of God and building others he labours to anticipate this sad effect by a necessary caution concerning the cause in such as take the charge of the Churches of God * Non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 s●d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pr●hibet apostolus quales etant Cate●humeni Calv. 1 Tim. 3.6 where he adviseth that a Bishop be not a novice ungrounded in the principles of Religion and that for this very cause lest he be proud and so fall into the snare of the devil The Apostle Peter in his se-second Epistle the second chapter sets out seducers with the same characters They speak evil of dignities and of what they know not and speak great swelling words of vanity And Jude omits not this propertie when he asserts them to despise Governments and to speak evil of dignities to speak proud things and analogically asserts their way to be the gain-saying of Corah But to close up what might be more largely spoken to evidence this gracelesse propertie to be the ground of this grand iniquity that might appear grievous in the eyes of the sincerely gracious I will only adde this one general observation viz. the sin of Altar-buildng never was so eminently acted in the Churches of God before or since the Gospel preached Christ come in flesh as when the peace and prosperities of the world had procreated and matured pride In the Church of the Jews it is evident whilest they were beset with wars and troubles though by some men and at some times this sin was acted yet Solomons peace plenty and glory was attended with the eminencie of encreasing various and glorious Altars to Ashteroth and Milcom and the gods of the Nations to which his wives were related And in the Christian Church As Paulus Samosatenus who having unjustly gained riches and puffed up with pride usurp'd secular dignities and made himself a lofty seat and stately throne after the manner of the Princes of the world exacting obeisance from the people by check and reviling termes not much unlike John of Leyden who knowes not that the ten pressing persecutions did generally by the humility of the Churches conserve purity of Word and Ordinances notwithstanding the sometime endeavours of particular hereticks to subvert the same until the Churches peace and prosperity conferred by Constantine the Christian Emperour gave occasion for the proud man of sin to appeare and advance his abominations increasing his Altars to the very casting down of the Altar of God in the greatest part of the Christian world giving the Church on sad experience to complain the truth of that saying reported to be heard from heaven Hodie venenum infunditur in Ecclesiam Now is the poison of pride poured into the bosome of the Church nay my brethren it is well if we finde not on serious observation this sin to be admitted and advanced by such as present prosperity and external glory hath lifted up And so I have done with the second ground of Altar building which must needs evidence it to be exceeding sinful whilest acted from such vile principles I now passe to the third and last ground of this sin and that is Third ground of Altar-building Self-advancement and advantage that cursed principle which is inconsistent with sincere affections to God and his worship which hurrieth a man forward by right or wrong to establish his own glory and possesse himself of creature transitory enjoyments this is that which will make a man active for God and his Altar so long as ambitious self can in that way obtain its object but that once missed or obtained affections abate nay are altogether alienated from the wayes of God this useth Religion on a Machivilian account to establish their own throne and keep up their own glory so that whatsoever is but serviceable to this base end though but for a season that shall be embraced and advanced In a word this is that cursed principle decried by Christ in such as take upon them the Profession of his Name as that which unsits them for adherencie to his Altar yet this we shall finde clearly to be a ground of this grievous sin of Altar-building if we do but consider how the wages of unrighteousnesse engaged Balaam to go contrary to Gods Will and by building many Altars in different places to attempt the cursing of Israel contrary to Gods declared pleasure as in Numb 22.23 chap. is to be seen in which regard seducing Apostates under the Gospel Altar-builders acted by this principle of self-advantage and advancement are said to follow the way of Balaam who loved the wages of unrighteousnesse 2 Pet. 2.15 and to be cast away by the deceit of Balaams wages Jude 11. so also we shall finde this principle provoking this sin of Altar-building in Jeroboam when he rebelled against the house of David and made Israel to sin in the same way with himself if we do but observe the Holy Ghost expressely noting his erection of a usurped Ministery to this very end that he might stablish his usurped Magistracie and his setting up his Altars at Dan and Bethel to be grounded on his desire and design to settle the Crown on his rebellious head for saith the text Jeroboam thought in his heart If this people go up and do sacrifice at Jerusalem then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their Lord even to Rehoboam King of Judah so shall they kill me and go again to Rehoboam whereupon the King took counsel c. 1 Kings 12.26 27 28. et ad finem capitis for usurpers know that the sincere Worship of God teacheth due subjection to their lawful Soveraignes this self-establishment is declared to be the cause of Ahaz sinful Altar-building who his faith not fixed in the living God of Israel feared his approaching fall and hoping to establish his throne built Altars to the gods of Damascus as we see 2 Chron. 28.23 2● This cursed principle of self-advancement

p. 297. which they have without cause violated now if thou be a God as they say thou art and as we dreame revenge the wrong now done unto thy Name and me and shew thy power on thy perjurious people who in their deeds deny thee their God And shall I not arise to chastise them will not the honour of my holy Name and nature by severe judgements for their unholinesse on those my people who will not shew it by their conformity obeying my Lawes and fearing to offend my pleasure be vindicated from the blasphemous thoughts of mine enemies Unto which Gods power glory and faithfulnesse standing up do as it were answer and plead True O Lord most holy thy pure nature stands justly offended thy people are by their Altar-building made naked in thy sight they have moved thee to jealousie with that which is not God Deu. 32.21 22. or of God it may be just that the fire kindled against them in thy wrath should burne unto Hell and that therein for their sin thou mayest scatter them into corners and make their rememberance for to cease and thereby vindicate the glory of thy purity and shew thy selfe a sin-hating Exod. 32.22 23. by being a sin-revenging God but what shall become of thy faithfulnesse the glory thereof will be lost in the midst of the Heathen O remember thy promise Lord thy promise made to Abraham to Isaac and Jacob and let not the Heathen say thou hast spoken what thou wilt not performe thou art not as man that thou shouldst lie nor the sonne of man that thou shouldest repent O let the mouth of Balaam witnesse to a cursing Balak that thou hast said it and thou wilt do it thou hast spoken it and thou wilt make it good Numb 23.19 How shall the Heathen also blaspheme thy power and say because thou wast not able to bring to passe thy begun mercy and give them the promised land thou hast slaine them in the wildernesse Numb 14.16 For Lord the Nations consider not the cause nor accknowledge thy justice but reproach thy power and promise and say For mischief thou hast begun to shew them mercy Nay they will not only reproach thy power and promise but rob thee of thine honour and the glory of thy justly inflicted fury the rod will rebel against the hand that useth it if now and so severely thou strike with it consider Lord make not a full end of this rebellious Altar-building generation for the enemies will behave himselfe proudly and say My hand and not the Lord Deu. 32.27 hath done all this so that sinne doth not onely make Gods Word to fight against it self in promises and threats but also the very properties of the Lord how sad must it be unto an ingenuous child to see fury and mercy power and pitie justice and compassion at the same time to shine in the bosome of a tender father how vile then must this sinne be which runs God on such straits when as much as in us lies we labour to confound the very God of Wisdome and set unity at enmity making the Divine nature as it were to warre against it self And hence it is that the properties of God are many times pleading expostulations with God modo admonentis de benignitate by way of humble minding God of his owne nature in the prayers of his owne people fearing or feeling the fiercenesse of his fury The third effect is a rendering the worship of God vile in the eyes of the heathen which know him not by this sinne the enemies of the Lord have occasion to blaspheme the Name and ways of God to reproach the Gospel and Doctrine of Jesus Christ for in Altar-building men run from God and actually speak the language of the Apostate covenant-corrupting Jewes It is in vaine to serve God and what profit have we that we have kept all his Ordinances Mal. 3.14 and attribute the peace and plenty Gods patience indulgeth unto the Queene of Heaven and their shameful impieties Jer. 44.17 18. and therefore God complains that when his people built Altars unto Baal they did not know that God gave her corne and wine and oyle and multiplied their silver and gold Hosea 2.8 And God aggravates this sinne ever with the mention of his mercies whereby he declares how little cause they had so really to vilifie his wayes and worship by departing from them their rebellion against his will and words must needs bespeak his yoake to be heavie and servile bondage which is indeed perfect freedome and his tender reigne over his people to be fierce and cruel The Schismes and sad Divisions produced by this sinne give occasion to such as know not the doctrine of unity to charge the wayes and worship of God with the natural production thereof never considering how they are the fruits of sinne not of Gods sacred Altar How hath Satan and his wicked instruments taken occasion to reproach vilifie and blaspheme the wayes and worship of God from the lewdnesse of some that professe it in all ages do not the Papists generally calumniate the Reformation of the Church with the charge of division and novelty and the like because some professing to it have divided from the Church and propagated their Altar-building-principles so that every observant eye cannot but see that Altar-building besides the Altar of God makes Gods Altar Word and Worship as Simeon and Levi their cursed act on the circumcised Schechemites made good Jacobs savour to stink among the Canaanites and Perizzites in which regard it lies on the sincere worshippers of God with constancie to adhere to Gods Altar and with courage to suppresse others in their places as becomes the Gospel of Jesus Christ The fourth and last effect of this sinne of Altar-building which may render it exceeding vile is a reviving of the Lords fury for these are the Altars of Bethel which God will visit Amos 3.14 This is the sinne that is written before the Lord as with a pen of iron and point of a diamond Jer. 17.1 2. This is the setting of post by his post and threshold by the Lords threshold to the defiling of Gods holy Name till the subjects be consumed in his anger Ezek. 43.8 This is the setting up the Altar of jealousie to the provoking of God to depart from his Sanctuarie Ezek. 8.6 This is the following new gods to the kindling of a fire in his wrath which shall burne to hell Deut. 32.21 22. In a word this is the golden Calfe which turnes patience to speak with reverence into such rage that a Moses prayer can hardly binde from destroying Exod. 32.8 9 10. and the rebellion so highly provoking that a God most gracious in all affliction afflicted in pitie and love saving and redeeming being by it vexed in spirit becomes an enemie Isa 63.9 How did Corah and his company by their but formal Altar-building schismatical withdrawing from the administrations of divine worship provoke the Lords