Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	apprehend_v	faith_n	justify_v	2,268	5	9.0045	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09436	A graine of musterd-seede or, the least measure of grace that is or can be effectuall to saluation. Corrected and amended by W. Perkins.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1611 (1611)	STC 19725; ESTC S113662	16,143	72

willeth that his grace should bee earnestly desired This doeth faith which iudgeth it a pretious thing and therefore greatly hungreth and thirsteth after it and so obtaines it For God is delighted to fill the hungrie with good things to send the rich emptie away Theodore Beza saith If thou finde not thine heart inwardly touched pray that it may bee touched for then must thou know that this desire is a pledge of the fathers will to thee Kēnitius saith When I haue a good desire though it do scarcely shew it selfe in some little and slender sigh I must be assured that the spirit of God is present and worketh his good worke Vrsinus saith Faith in the most holy men in this life is imperfect and weake Yet neuerthelesse whosoeuer fecles in his heart an earnest desire and a striuing against his naturall doubtings both can and must assure himselfe that he is indued with true faith Againe Wicked men doe not desire the grace of the holy spirit whereby they may resist sinne And therefore they are iustly depriued of it for hee that earnestly desireth the holy Ghost hath it alreadie because this desire of the spirit cannot be but from the spirit as it is saide Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for they shall bee satisfied Bradford saith Thy sins are vndoubtedly pardoned c. for God hath giuen thee a penitent and beleeuing heart that is an heart which desireth to repent and beleeue for such an one is taken of him he accepting the will for thee deede for a penitent and beleeuing heart indeede Taffine saith Our faith may be so small and weake as it doth not yet bring forth fruits that may bee liuely felt of vs but if they which feele themselues in such estate desire to haue these feelings namely of Gods fauour and loue if they aske them at Gods hands by praier this desire and praier are testimonies that the spirit of God is in them and that they haue faith alreadie for is such a desire a fruit of the flesh or of the spirit it is of the holy spirit who bringeth it forth onely in such as hee dwells in c. Then these holy desires and praiers being the motions of the holy Ghost in vs are testimonies of our faith although they seeme to vs small and weake As the woman that feeleth the moouing of a childe in her body though very weake assureth her selfe that shee hath conceiued and that shee goeth with a liue child so if wee haue these motions these holy affections and desires beforementioned let vs not doubt but that wee haue the holy Ghost who is the author of them dwelling in vs and consequently that we haue also faith Again he saith 1. If thou hast begun to hate and she sinne 2. If thou feelest that thou art displeased at thine infirmities and corruptions 3. If hauing offended God thou feelest a griefe and a sorrow for it 4. If thou desire to abstaine 5. If thou auoidest the occasion 6. If thou trauailest to doe thy endeauour 7. If thou praiest to God to giue thee grace all these holy affections proceeding from none other then from the spirit of God ought to be so many pledges and testimonies that he is in thee n Masterknockes saith Albeit your paines sometimes be so horrible that you finde no release nor comfort neither in spirit nor bodie yet if they heart can onely sob vnto God despaire not you shall obtaine your hearts desire And destitute you are not of faith for at such a time as the flesh naturall reason the law of God the present torment the diuell at one doe crie God is angrie and therefore there is neither helpe nor remedie to be hoped for at his hāds at such time Isay to sob vnto God is the demonstration of the secret seede of God which is hidden in Gods elect children and that onely sob is vnto God a more acceptable sacrifice then without this crosse to giue our bodies to be burnt euen for the truthes sake More testimonies might be alleadged but these shall suffice Against this point of dotrine it may be alleadged that if desire to beleeue in our weakenesse be faith indeede then some are iustified and may be saued wanting a liuely apprehension and full perswasion of Gods mercie in Christ. Ans. Iustifying faith in regard of his nature is alwaies one and the same and the essentiall propertie thereof is to apprehend Christ with his benefites and to assure the very cōscience thereof And therefore without some apprehension and assurance there can bee no iustification or Saluation in them that for age are able to beleeue Yet there bee certaine degrees and measures of true faith There is a strong faith which causeth a full apprehension and perswasion of Gods mercie in Christ. This measure of faith the Lord vouchsafed Abraham Dauid Paul the Prophets Apostles and Martyrs of God It were a blessed thing if all beleeuers might attaine to this height of liuely faith to say with Paul I am perswaded that neither life nor death nor any thing else shal bee able to separate vs from the loue of God in Christ but all cannot therfore there is another degree of faith lower then the former and yet true faith called a litle or weake faith and it also hath a power to apprehend and applie the promise of saluation but as yet by reason of weaknes it is infolded as it were and wrapt vp in the heart as the leafe and blossome in the bud For such persons as haue this weake faith can say indeede that they beleeue their sinnes to be pardonable and that seriously in their hearts they desire to haue them pardoned but as yet they can not say that they are without all doubt pordoned And yet the mercie of God is not wāting vnto them For in that they doe and can desire and indeauour to apprehēd they doe indeed apprehend God accepting the desire to doe the thing for the thing done This which I say will the better appeare if the groundes thereof be considered Faith doth not iustifie in respect of it selfe because it is an action or vertue or because it is strong liuely and perfect but in respect of the obiect thereof namely Christ crucified whom faith apprehendeth as he is set forth vnto vs in the word and Sacraments It is Christ that is the author and matter of our iustice and it is he that applieth the same vnto vs as for faith in vs it is but an Instrument to apprehend receiue that which Christ for his part offereth and giueth Therefore if faith erre not in his proper obiect but follow the promise of God though it doe but weakely apprehend or at the least cause a man onely to Endeauour and Desire to apprehend it is true faith and iustifieth Though our apprehension be necessarie yet our saluation stands rather in this that God apprehends vs for his owne then that we