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
A73023	M. Perkins, his Exhortation to repentance, out of Zephaniah preached in 2. sermons in Sturbridge Faire. Together with two treatises of the duties and dignitie of the ministrie: deliuered publiquely in the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. With a preface præfixed touching the publishing of all such workes of his as are to be expected: with a catalogue of all the perticulers [sic] of them, diligently perused and published, by a preacher of the word.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Crashaw, William, 1572-1626.	1605 (1605)	STC 19706.5; ESTC S123485	128,687	352

to liue there and send out other men and giue testimonies and Letters of commendations to other men but themselues stirre not when question is made Who shall goe to such a place or who shall be sent to such a parish they say not Here am I but either it is too little a liuing or too great a charge or ill seated or some fault it hath that they will not be sent to it but will answere God and his Church there is such a man and giue him Letters of testimonie or commendation and so all is well but for themslues they liue too sweete and easie liues willingly to vndertake the contempt and burthen of the Ministerie Let such men therefore learne when God his Church giue them a calling to answere with the Prophet Here am I send me And let all such as are Students of Diuinitie in the Vniuersities marke here the Prophets answere not I will bee ready but here I am why takes hee no longer time because hee was now sufficiently qualified Where let them learne not to linger and lye rotting too long in their specidatiue courses but when they are competently furnished with learning and other qualities befitting that calling let them shew themselues willing and ready to yeeld their seruice to the Church when they shall be called For as an Apple may as well hang too long on the tree as bee puld too soone and both make it vnfit for vse so many men as well stay too long as goe out too soone and both wayes are made vnprofitable or at least lesse profitable in the Church And to conclude this second point It is not vnworthy to be noted that the Prophet saith not Here I am and I runne on my owne head but Send me Hee willes the Lord to send him then where are they who dare bragge of their priuate motions and will runne when they are not sent The Prophet might haue said Oh now I feele a motion from the Spirit therefore I will goe and preach but he stayeth til he be sent in expresse termes Let no man therfore presume to presse into this function till hee bee fully resolued in his conscience that God and his Church hath said vnto him Goe And though a man be neuer so well qualified with all maner of sufficiency yet let him sit still and stay Gods leisure and let him say Heere I am send me and so rest contented vntill hee bee sent If any man say it is vnfit that a man should say so of himselfe I answere let him not say so in words but in deeds let him therfore make proofe of himselfe and giue the Church tryall of his gifts Vpon which experience of his gifts if he be found sufficient that practise of his is all one and much more then if hee had saide Here I am send me Thus wee see the Prophet would not stirre til he were sent and therefore in the next word he is bid to goe And he said Goe and speake vnto this people Here is the third and last point Namely the essentiall words of his Commission Wherin after God had sought for one to goe and the Prophet had presented himselfe and offered his seruice God both giues him leaue to goe and further doth furnish him with authoritie both to goe and speake Wherein the principall point is that the authoritie of the Prophets calling is 〈◊〉 from God him●else in plaine and e●ide at words Goe and speake and till then the Prophet went not So in the new Testament the Apostles went not into the world to preach till they had their Commission Goe and teach all Nations And after them Saint Paul 〈◊〉 hot till it was said vnto him Ar●se and goe In all which is discouered and condemned the pride and presumption of those who dare run on their own heads and will not stay till the Lord say vnto them Goe and speake These men are bolder then either the extraordinarie Prophets of the olde Testament or the Apostles which are the extraordinary Ministers of the new who alwaies had their warrant with the when they went And if any man aske why is it necessarie they should haue so I answere the reasons are many First all Prophets and Ministers are Gods Deputies and Commissioners it is therfore reason that they haue authoritie from their Lord and Maister Secondly their wordes nor deedes beare no credit nor haue any power in them vnlesse they be spoken by vertue of a Commission nor haue their labours any blessing vnlesse God giue it Thirdly these persons haue no protection nor safetie vnlesse they bee Gods Embassadors and how are they so vnlesse they be called and sent by God and haue authoritie giuen of God For these causes no man is to thrust himselfe into the Ministerie without a calling from God and therefore no maruell though those men who will bee Chusers and Callers of themselues and run when they are not sent bee in their persons subiect to all daungers because they are out of Gods protection their labours without profit because no blessing nor promise of God was giuē vnto them for GOD may iustly say vnto them Let him that sent you protect your persons let him that sent you blesse your labours But it will then be demaunded how may I know if God bid me goe for God speakes not now from heauen as in old time and as to this Prophet I answere It is true we are to looke for no such visiions nor apparitions from heauen for ordinarily there are none such and the Popish Church doth but deceiue themselues and cozen the world who tell vs of so many apparitions that happen to their Monkes and Fryers for now ordinarily God speaketh in another maner to his Church for in Generall duties God speaketh to vs out of his word and holy Scriptures and in particular and personall duties where the word in plaine termes serueth not hee speaketh to a man by his owne conscience and by the voice of his Church Out of his word God sheweth thee the dignitie and excellencie of this calling to be a Minister of the word Namely they are his Messengers and Embassadors c. that so hee may winne them to loue and affect it And againe the necessicitie of it that it teacheth the way to saluation that without it ordinarily Gods Church is not gathered nor mens soules saued that this may stirre thee vp to vndertake the burthen this is generall But now particularly for thy selfe wouldest thou knowe whether GOD would haue thee to goe or no then thou must aske thy owne conscience and aske the Church for if thou be hartily willing and be fully and worthity qualified then God bids thee goe Now thy conscience must iudge of thy willingnesse and the Church of thy abilitie and as thou mai●● not trust other men to iudge of thy inclination or affection so thou maist not

followeth For I am a man of polluted lippes Now follow the causes of his feare which are two The first is his owne pollution and sinfulnesse and the sinfulnesse of his people his own he freely confesseth in these words I am a man of polluted lippes that is I am a miserable and sinfull man and therefore I feare and tremble to stand in Gods presence nay I dare not looke vpon the Lorde for my sinnes But it may be demaunded how could the Prophet say thus truely for he was a holy man and iustified in Gods prefence by his true faith in the Messias and sanctified by repentance can a man iustified and sanctified say he is a man polluted I answere It is doubtlesse he was so he therefore complaineth here not of any great and enormous sinnes which hee had committed to the publike scandall of the Church but first of the corruptiō of his nature which in him as in all men is a very sea of iniquity which alwaies appeares the more the neerer a man comes to God and therefore did now most apparantly discouer it selfe in the prophet when he was in the presence of the Lord himself Secondly he complaineth of some actual sins of his life and it is more likely of some sins of omission then of cōmission for we find not that the prophet was euer touched with any great sin where we know it not we are in charitie not to imagine it So that it is most probable hee complaineth of some smaller faults or negligences in his Ministery as not preaching to the people at some time when he ought or not preaching so willingly or cheerfully as he should or desire to leaue preaching because the people were stubborne disobedient or some impatience in his Ministery when the people were rebellious and resisted his doctrine which passion might the rather vexe him as we read it did Ieremy the Iewes were so stubborne stifnecked a people or it may be some want of zeale or forwardnes these or some such were the cause of his feare And the cōscience of these makes him here cry out that he cannot stand in the sight of God Where we learn first what a tender conscience godly Ministers must haue aboue all men namely that they must make conscience not of the great and grosse sins onely but euen of the lowest least sins and he must endeuour in his calling not only to be cleere of great crimes but as far as may be to bee free from the least appearance of euill and from the least negligences in his place for a small faultin other men is great in them and that which may be some waies pardonable in other men is no way in them they must therefore watch ouer themselues most carefully and take heede to all their waies for this ende is it that a Minister in godly wisedome must often depriue himselfe euen of many things which it may be lawfully hee might vse least his liberty be an occasion of euill to others and must abstaine from the least sins least euen they be blemishes to his calling and burthens to his conscience And hence is it that a minister cannot be too carefull in his calling in his words diet company recreation apparel gestures and in his whole carriage because little sins are so great in thē Especially ministers must here learne the Apostles lesson to bee instant in season and out of season to preach and exhort to comfort and rebuke publikely and priuately to good to bad when it is wel taken when it is ill taken when they willingly receiue it and when they stubbornly resist it when they commend him and reward him and when they raile at him and persecute him for it thus must he be diligent in season and out of season for the least negligence in his dutie or omitting the least opportunity of doing good will when God visits his conscience bee a burthen and vexation to him as it was heere to the Prophet And furthermore if these smal sinnes thus afflicted the Prophet then alas what is to be thought of those ministers who make no conscience of foule and scandalous sinnes how shall Symonie Incontinencie Vsury inhospitality couetousnesse Ignorance Idlenesse carelesse Nonresidencie how shall these I say and other like grieuous crimes oppresse burthen the soule when as the smallest sins doe so affright this holy man Surely whē God shal visite them their states will bee most fearefull nor shall any mans case be so miserable as an vncōscionable ministers And thogh nowe such loose and licentious Ministers seeme to liue in Iolitie without any feare yet when God shall appeare vnto their conscience then will they cry out in fearefull anguish Woe is me I am vndone And againe if these smal faults so affrighted this holy prophet burdened his conscience then what pittifull consciences haue those ministers whose daily negligence and vnconscionable carelessenesse in their places is such as all men speake of and yet they are not touched surely these men are not of so tender cōsciences as the prophet was either the prophet here was much more nice then needed or else these men will proue to be in a miserable estate Lastly let Ministers of care and conscience be here comforted in the example of the Prophet who is there but may find imperfections and blemishes in himselfe which will often make him cry out Woe is me but let not that discomfort them but rather reioyce that they can see their owne weaknes as the Prophet did here If they haue cause to exclaime against themselues they are not alone it was this and all other holy prophets case before them In hauing imperfections in themselues they are no more miserable then the Prophet was but let them labour to be as blessed in seeing complaining of themselues as hee was And let euery minister assure himselfe that the more hee makes conscience euen of the least sinnes of all the more he resembleth the ancient holy Prophets the more likely is he to worke effectually in his ministery For his duty is to worke in his people a conscience not of great sinnes onely but euen of all but how can he doe that in them if he haue not first of all done it in himselfe hence it is therefore that godly ministers finde fault with themselues when other men cannot and cry out against themselues for their pollutions with the prophet here when no other man can accuse them of the least crime nay when other doe magnifie God for his graces on them and praise their giftes and commend their good liues euen then doe they condemne themselues and exclaime against their owne corruptions and their owne smallest negligences or omissions are great wounds to their consciences and their least sinnes and their most pardonable infirmities are sore burthens vnto them for of all men in the worlde a godly minister