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
B03629	A sermon preached by the learned Mr Alexander Henderson, before the sitting down of the General Assembly, begun the 12 of August 1639.	Henderson, Alexander, 1583?-1646.	1682 (1682)	Wing H1438A; ESTC R177932	6,813	17

SERMON Preached by the Reverend MR ALEXANDER HENDERSON Before the sitting downe Of 〈◊〉 GENERAL ASSEMBLY Begun the 12. of August 1639. Printed in the Year 16●● PREFACE WE have now found an accesse to the Throne of Grace and I pray God that these that are assembled here together to get this work crowned may first labour t● get these two things removed First the conscience of our guiltiness alas there are non● that discerns or considers their sins one thin● should move our hearts that the Commons 〈◊〉 the Land are so ignorant that they know n●● God and from that proceeds such wickedness If that Pastors had been more diligent in instructing this Church had had a better fa●● ere now Secondly Our weakness stayes as mountain and we cannot climb unless● we be helped there is no remedie but th● brightness of his mercy that he vvould dissip●●● these clouds and no remedie for our vvea●●ness but the Povver of his might let us therefore beg the same in the Name of JESVS TEXT ACTS Chap. V. 32. to the end When they heard that they vvere cut to the heart and took counsel to slay them Then stood there up one in the Counsel a Pharisee named Gamaliel a Doctor of Lavv had in reputation among all the People and commanded to put the Apostles forth a little space And said unto them ye men of Israel take heed to your selves vvhat ye intend to do as touching these men c. THE Words that were spoken by Peter and the other Apostles could give no just Cause of Provocation to the Adversaries for in their Doctrine they insisted upon two innocent Points One was faith in Christ that since the Lord whom they crucified was now exalted to be a Prince that therefore they might believe in him and get Remission of Sins and the other was Obedience they ought to obey God rather then men yet they resolved to kill them and had done so if the Lord had not raised up a man to save them and he prevailed that their fury was layed wherein the Apostles rejoiced and doubled their Zeal There are 4. particulars in the Text very considerable 1. The bad affects the Apostles preaching had upon the peoples hearts 2. The mean that God did use in Saveing of his Servants 3. The unjust proceedings of the Adversaries 4. The Disposition and Diligences of the Apostles that ceassed not whereby you may learne that often times it comes to passe that men in Authority are provocked against Religion whither in Obedience to God or in the tryall of their faith yet the Lord hes many wayes to save his owne Children and the end shall be joy to the Saints and Advancement to the Gospell Let us returne to the first which was the bad effects of the preaching and that was two fold one in their hearts another in their heads they were cut to the heart the Word is borrowed from the cutting of a Sword o● Sau in the 7. Acts it is said they guashed with their teeth and Acts 2.37 it is said they were pricked in their hearts we finde another effect but it is different the one and the other are very like Rom. 11. v. 8. he calls the Spirit of Slumber the Spirit of compunction the Godly have a pricking and your wicked have a pricking as in that place Acts 2 37. they were pricked and tooke Counsel but they go to them that wounded them but they do not so here but would slay them The Word of God his very different effects in the Godly and the wicked Rev. 1 16. it is like a two edged Sword and Heb. 4. lively and weighty in Operation it either pricks or cutts it is either a Word to cure thee or to kill thee The Ministers of Christ although they be otherwayes of no Reputation yet if they could handle this Sword a right it should wound the children of God when they are wounded shoud bear it patiently they are wounded because of their Sins the other because they cannot commit Sin So the one prepares for Christ the other for Distruction ●he one shall end in health the other in wo and 〈◊〉 may seem very Strange that all this tyme we ●hould never have heard a Word or Letter from ●ur Prelats that have been wounded with the ●…word Men and Brethren I will not insist ●pon their guiltiness for we can say no more of them then the Text sayes And they toke counsel to slay them and now we come to the Counsell they resolved to slay them Counsell is good and excellent neither hath it been derogatory to Authority for as Solomon sayes in Counsel there is stability these matters that are not agitat by Counsel are tossed upon fancy as Solomon felt the benefite of using it 1. because it was young 2. Because it was violen● consider the Counsel of our Adversaries i● was very violent but it had not the other fo● the men wanted not their years yet they ha● this violence and they had another bad quality to Supply that and this ye may Learn● from the 17. Verse many of them were Sadduces and so unmeet to be Counsellers for in Ac● 23. you see they beleeve not a Resurrection and when such unbeleevers are Councellers their Sentence will be to cut the throat 〈◊〉 Church an Common Wealth they care no● what violence they use to get preferment bu● especially Kirkmen that are Sadduces wh●● crueltie shall be exercised by them but esp●cially when they are given over to the Devil●● Ministers when they fall are like Angels that a●● Devills no men in the Scripture are call●● Devills but Ministers so they become incarna●● Devills give God thanks and his Majest●● that his given us this day to meet together a●● no thanks to them that either you are hearing or that and I am preaching to you Followes the mean the second thing which was the man that spake and his Speech the man was a Pharisee he was Learned and a Doctor of Divinity for his good parts of reputation naturally and Politickly wise and upon such grounds he convinces them all and further he seems to be a Peaceable man and does what he can to save innocent blood but there was one thing wanting Faith in Christ and love to his word Act. 22. It is said Paul was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel as was his Schollar so was his Master he was ignorant and so a persecuter there is more required for accomplishment of a man then the gifts of the minde which this man seems to have a mans natural parts are like a vesture of gold the gifts of grace like precious stones but this faith is like a precious Diamond in the middle incomparably greater in worth judge of things according to their quality the best of these beside the great jewel are given to the wicked and the godly and are bestowed on them for other mens good and not their owne but this is proper to thy self and for thy self