Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bear_v	truth_n	witness_n	3,073	5	8.6773	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19862	The wonderfull combate (for Gods glorie and mans saluation) betweene Christ and Satan Opened in seuen most excellent, learned and zealous sermons, vpon the temptations of Christ, in the wilderness, &c. Seene and allowed.	Andrewes, Lancelot, 1555-1626.	1592 (1592)	STC 629; ESTC S100202	68,496	222

THE WONDERFVLL Combate for Gods glorie and Mans saluation betweene CHRIST and Satan Opened in seuen most excelent learned and zealous Sermons vpon the Temptations of CHRIST in the wildernes c. Seene and allowed LONDON Printed by Iohn Charlwood for Richard Smith and are to be sold at his Shop at the West doore of Paules 1592. ¶ To the right honorable Sir Iohn Puckering Knight Lord Keeper of the great Seale of England and one of her Highnes most Honorable priuie Councell after all terrestriall blessings and ioyes the perfect possession of all celestiall comforts hartely wished IF the painefull labours of the Learned right Honorable especially in Gods cause are generally aboue all things reputed most worthy acceptation the lesse then neede I feare my good Lord the receipt of this smal Volume containing not so manie leaues as most excellent Lessons nor so manie lines as sound assurances of eternall life The Tree from whence this heauenlie fruite was gathered may well bee discerned both by the beautie and taste the one not so commendable in the shewe but the other ten times more comfortable in substaunce And as hee is a sweete sounding Cimball or rather a singuler instrument in Gods Church for the propagation of his Truth and speciall reliefe of hunger-pining soules euen so doo these seauen Sermons beare witnes of him wading so weightely in Gods cause as by our Sauiors absolute Conquest of the diuell in all his Temptations our harts are cheered consciences prepared to imitate so good a guide whensoeuer our trialls happen So fearing least by needles circumstances I should seeme troublesome to your Honour when the goodnes of the woorke doth plainly declare it self in humble duetie I conclude praying for your Honours long health and happines as also to encrease the number that maye bee benefited by these Sermons To the Christian Reader CHristian Reader hauing sent vnto mee by a Gentleman a friend of mine certaine excellent Sermons with desire to haue them published to the world after perusing them to my great comfort I imparted them to other my friendes of better iudgement than my selfe who did earnestly encourage mee to the publishing of them which to my great cost I haue perfourmed Hoping the wel disposed wil be thankefull to God for them And because they are such as my best praise can no way sufficiently commend I leaue theyr praise to thy selfe when thou hast receiued comfort by them Finally as the Author to me is not certainly knowen so am I driuen to let them passe without name desiring you to suspend your iudgements whose they are Thus not doubting but I haue done God good seruice and pleased manie that happily haue heard them preached I end ¶ Two most excellent Praiers which the Preacher commonly vsed before his Exercises THat the name of God may be glorified by this our assembly and his holie Woord blessed to the end he hath ordained it let vs in all humblenes present our selues before the mercie seat of God the father in the name mediation of Christ Iesus his deer sonne through the sanctifying of his holy spirit with an vnfained humble acknowledgement both of our owne vnworthines to receiue anie of his graces and vnablenes when we haue receiued them to make right vse of them And both these by reason of our manifolde sundry sinnes and offences among the rest of this one as a chiefe one that wee diuers times haue bin hearers of his diuine and precious woord without care or cōscience to become the better therby let vs beseech him in the obedience of the life sacrifice of the death of Christ Iesus his deer sonne to receiue both vs this our humble confession to pardon both this and the rest of our sinnes and to turne from vs the punishments deseruedly due vnto them all especially that punishment which most vsualy he doth exercise at such meetings as this is which is the receiuing of his sacred word into a dead dull hart so departing with no more delight to heare nor desire to practise than we came with That so throgh the gracious assistance of his good Spirite inward adioined to the outward ministerie of his word at this present the thinges which shall bee spoken and heard may redound to some glorie of his euerlasting blessed name and to some Christian instruction comfort of our owne soules thorow Iesus Christ our onely Lord and Sauiour This praier ended hee proceedeth againe in this manner ANd as the Church of Christ wheresoeuer it is at this present assembled met together is mindfull of vs that be here 〈◊〉 is it our parts and duties in our praiers to remember it recommending vnto the Maiestie of Almightie God the prosperous and florishing Estate thereof beseeching God the Father for Christ Iesus hys sonnes sake to bee mercifull to all his seruaunts euen his whole Militant Church scattred farre and wide ouer the face of the whole earth both preseruing it in those trueths that it hath recouered from the sundrie grose and superstitious errors of the former age and restoring it also vnto that vnitie in his good time which it hath almost lost and daily looseth through the vnchristian and vnhappy contentions of these dayes of ours And in this Church let vs be mindfull of that part thereof which most especially principally needeth our remembrance that is the poore afflicted members of Christ Iesus in what place for what cause or with what crosse soeuer that it would please God to minister into our hearts the same spirit of compassion and feruencie now in the time of their need that we would wish should be ministred into theirs in the time of our need for them to become suters for vs. And let vs wish them al from the Lord in his good time the same ioyfull deliuerance and till his good time bee the same measure of patience that wee would wish vnto our owne soules or would haue them intreate and praye for at his hands for vs if euer our case shall be as theirs is at this present And forasmuch as those Churches or members of Churches which enioy the outward benefits of the Lord as of health plentie peace and quyetnesse doo manie times as much and for the most part much more neede the prayers of Christ his faithfull Congregation than those that are vnder his hande in the House of affliction Let vs beseech him for them also that he will giue vnto each and euerie of them a thankfull receiuing of those his benefites a sober vsing of them and a Christian employing of them to his glorie that hath sent them And in these our prayers let vs be mindfull also of the Churche and Countrey wherein we liue yeelding first and formost euer-more our vnfained and hartie thankes-giuings for all his mercies and gracious fauours vouchsafed this Land of ours and namely for our last no lesse gracious than meruailous deliuerance from our enemies and for all those good signes

And that the Diuell knowes well enough as appeareth by his mallice that he hath alwayes borne it before it was scripture when it was but onely Dictum For so soone as God had said Let vs make man in our likenes that word was straight a whetstone to the diuells enuie And after the fall when the seede was promised that was and is the cause of all the diuells enmitie Gen. 3. 15. So when the promise was reitterated Genes 22. 18. that was the cause hee so turmoyled all the Patriarchs But when the words was to be written and to become Scripture then his malice began to grow verie hot in so much that he caused it for anger to be broken Exod. 32. 19. For the Fathers are of opinion that all the diuels busie endeuour in making the Israelites to commit idolatrie with the golden Calfe was to the ende that he might so heate Moses in his zeale as that in his anger hee should breake the Tables of the Law by casting them hastely out of his hands We are to note therefore that there is a forceable sound in the word which the Diuell cannot abide not onely the sound but the sight also It is written of Augustine that lying sicke on his bed he caused the seuen poenitentiall Psalmes to be painted on the wall ouer against him in great letters that if after hee should become speechles yet he might point to euerie verse when the diuell came to tempt him and so confute him Blessed is hee that hath his quiuer full of such arrowes they shall not bee ashamed Blessed is hee that hath the skill to choose out fit arrowes for the purpose as the Fathers speake out of Esay 49. 2. Christ saith affirmatiuely of the Scriptures that in them is eternall life Iohn 5. 39. negatiuely that the cause of error is the not knowing of them Mark 12. 24. Dauid saith it was that that made him wiser than his enimies than his teachers and than the Auncients Psalm 119. 98. 99. 110. Knowledge of the truth is the way to amendment after a fall 2. Timot. 2. 26. There is much calling now a daies for the word and others finde fault as fast that it is no better harkened vnto for as the want of obedience and al other abuses which are so much cried out against proceede not onely from the not hearing of the word but as well from the not mingling of faith with it without which mixture it is nothing worth it profiteth not Heb. 4. 2. so the error of the former times was in yeelding too farre to the Diuels policie by sealing vp the scriptures and locking the storehouse and armorie of the people It is the policie Christ tells vs of in the eleuenth chapter of Saint Lukes Gospell the two and twentieth verse A strong man puts the strong armed man out of his house and takes away his armour from him then hee needs not feare him The like policie we read of 1. Sam. 13. 19. when the Philistines had taken away all smythes and armour then they thought they were safe So in the time of darkenesse the Diuell might let them doo their good works and what they list and yet haue them still vnder his lure for hee might offend them at his pleasure that had no armour to resist him All the Children of GOD had a right and propertie in the Lawe of God as appeareth by Christs words Iohn 10. 34. hee answered them that is the common people Is it not wr●●tten in your law As though he should say the Scripture is yours To the young man in the tenth Chapter of Saint Lukes Gospell and twentie sixe verse that asked Christ what he should do to be saued Christ answereth What is written in the Law how readest thou Whereuntoo to answere that we cannot read or that the booke is sealed vp Esay 29. 11. is as the diuell would haue it Then hath hee a fit time to offer vs stones to make bread of But this answere with our Sauiour Christ wil not be allowed of Now come we to the speciall point of Christs answere It is written Man liues not by bread onely c. Deut. 8. 3. There is no better kinde of reasoning than that when one graunts all that hath been said by his aduersarie and prooueth it to make on his part and vpon a new conceipt auoyds all that his aduersarie said Here our Sauiour might confesse all that the Diuell obiected as that he is the sonne of God and admit the stones were made bread and that bread were of absolute necessitie and that it were so to be come by which is vntrue were we then in good case This indeede is the diuels position wherewith hee would perswade all those that haue animam triticeam as the Fathers call it that those exterternal things are necessarie to be had and that if they haue enough thereof they are wel enough as we see it to be the minde of the rich man Luke 12. 19. This man hauing a wheaten soule hauing corne enough bad his soule take rest and liue merily for manie yeares But Christ goeth further and saith Though the stones bee made bread it will not auayle except it please GOD by the blessing of his word to giue vertue and as it were life vnto the bread there is no difference betweene it and a stone It is not the plentie or qualitie of victuals howsoeuer some doate vpon such external meanes as they did which sacrificed to their net burnt incense to their yarne Abac. 1. 16. because by them their portion was fat and their meates plenteous For what saith Iob cap. 31. ver 27. If I reioyced because my substance was great this had been an iniquity So that our life is not maintained by bread onely descended out of the mould of the earth The nature of bread stones are not much vnlike they come both out of one belly that is to say the earth Iob 28. 5. 6. and of themselues the one of them hath no more power than the other vnto life for wee know that the Israelites died euen while the flesh of Quayles was in their mouthes Num. 11. 33. Manna heauenly fare being far better than our bread It is the diuels craftie policie to burie a mans life vnder a loafe of bread and as it were to fetter the grace of God to the outward meanes whereas they of themselues are of no more efficacie without the operation and grace of the word than a hammer and a sawe without a hand able to imploy them Dauid saith Psalm 104. 28. The eyes of all things waite on God for theyr meate in due season thou fillest them With what with bread No but with thy blessing and goodnesse Our hearts must be stablished with grace not with meates Hebr. cap. 13. verse 9. It is Gods prerogatiue that as all things had theyr beginnings from him Coloss. cap. 1. vers 17. so hee supporteth and sustaineth them Hebr. cap. 1.