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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77357	The vvorks of William Bridge, sometime fellow of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge: now preacher of the Word of God at Yarmouth. The second volumn. [sic] Viz. 1. Grace for grace; or, The overflowing of Christs fulness received by all saints. II. The spiritual actings of faith through natural impossibilities. III. Evangelical repentance.	Bridge, William, 1600?-1670.; Yates, John, d. ca. 1660.; Greenhill, William, 1591-1671.; Adderley, William.	1649 (1649)	Wing B4446; Thomason E471_2; ESTC R205749; ESTC R24233	190,835	267

Action of Christ may be our instruction Nothing in Christ not imitable some things more especially For Example Our Lord and Savior Christ He made it His great business and design To bear witness to the Truth For this Cause came I into the world Joh 18.37 That I might bear witness unto the Truth Again He would stoop to any work though it lay much below Him wasn His Disciples feet lay His Excellencies at the feet of their Infirmities Again When He went upon any work He was much in Prayer first Judas knew His Praying place And when He was at Gods work He would not know His own Natural Relations And therefore saies He to His Mother Moman My time is not yet come He does not say Mother Joh. 2.4 My time is not yet come but Woman in Gods Work He would not know His owne Naturall Relations If He had to deal with man He had a high esteem of the Saints though they were never so low And He had a low esteem of the wicked though they were never so rich He did again so exercise one Grace as He might exercise another He would so rejoyce in God as He might grieve for sin not His own but ours and He did so grieve for sin as he might rejoyce in God He was very Zealous yet he was Wise too He was wise and yet he was Zealous too He was a Lamb and a Lyon a Lamb in his own Cause and a Lyon in Gods Cause Oh! that in these thigns you would labor to be like unto Him It would be infinit indeed it would be beyone me if I should single out all his Graces that were eminent in Him He was a Heaven of Grace full of shining stars Behold Him in His Doings The only way for you to be like to Him in your Doing is to behold Him in His Doing And so for His Sufferings Ye shall observe He would not suffer till He was called unto it Therefore He stood so precisely upon His Time Joh. 7.8 My Time is not yet come And when He was called unto it He would not be put out of His way If they cast water upon Him it made Him flame the more Mat. 16.23 Isa 53.7 Get thee behind me Satan In all His sufferings He had an especial eye to other mens good then He went very quietly and meekly As a Lamb dumb before the shearers so He opened not His mouth And He was more sensible which I pray mark of Gods withdrawing from Him in His sufferings than of all the pains disgrace and misery that He did undergo And therefore when He was upon the Cross saies He My God My God why hast thou forsaken me Mat. 27.6.4 The Sun did forsake Him too the Sun did withdraw his light and yet He does not say Oh! Sun why doest thou thus forsake me The Disciples al forsook Him and yet He does not cry out Thomas Why doest thou now forsake me Peter why doest thou now forsake me He cries not out of them His body was nail'd to the Cross and he does not cry out and say Oh! my hands Oh! my body Oh! the pain that I indure but here he cries out of this Oh! My God My God why hast thou forsaken me He was more sensible of Gods withdrawing from Him tnan of all the other miseries that He did indure Oh! my beloved that you would labor now for to be like unto Jesus Christ in your Doing in your Suffering for to be like to Him The sight of a gracious Christ will make us gracious if any thing will do it Labor now to be like unto Him more and more This is your duty that does flow from hence You that are Saints you that are Christ's you that have received Grace for Grace Christ expects work for work and doing for doing that you should shine as He shin'd and that you should live as He lived that you should so walk and be in the world that those that do live with you may say Here 's a man or woman that is like to Christ that hath received Grace for Grace now we see this Doctrine true I cannot think of any Grace of Christ but I see it shining forth in this man and woman This is your Duty Thirdly by way of Application If this be true Appli 3. That the Saints and People of God do receive of Christs Fulness Even Grace for Grace How infinitly are we bound unto God the Father for our Lord Jesus Christ glorious is the fellowship and communion that the Saints have with Christ as ye heard they have not only fellowship with Him in His sufferings to have suffering for suffering but they have fellowship with Him in His Graces Grace for Grace and this fellowship hath God the Father brought you into Mark therefore that place again which you have in the 1 Cor. 1.9 God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. By whom ye were called unto this fellowship Therefore still the Apostle he blesses God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Not barely Blessed be God but Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Beloved Ye know there are Two great Gifts that the Scripture makes mention of First God makes the world and Man and having made man He gives all the world to man there 's one Gift and a great Gift Man having fallen and lost his former Happiness Christ comes into the world the second Person becomes man and this man he gives unto the world First He gave the world to man And Secondly He gives Christ this man unto the world and His second Gift is the greater Gift it 's a greater Gift when Jesus Christ was given unto the world than that the whol world was given to man For now take the world and though it hath many glorious pieces of Gods workmanship His Power and Wisedom yet God may give all the world to man and not give him Himself but when He gives Jesus Christ to man He gives Himself with Him Though there be many several pieces beautiful pieces of Gods workmanship in the world yet they carry with them but the Footsteps of God Oh! but Jesus Christ He is the express Image of the Father and when He gives this express Image unto a soul as Christ is the express Image of the Father so the soul becomes the express Image of Jesus Christ Ye know what the Apostle saies concerning our Savior Christ Col. 2.9 mark In whom the fulness of the God-head dwels bodily That is look what Attributes and Excellencies are in God the same are in Jesus Christ as Mediator Whatsoever Attribute is in God as God the sameshines forth in Jesus Christ as Mediator The Fulness of the God-head dwels in Christ bodily and the Fulness of Christ dwels in every Saint Spiritually Jesus Christ He hath Perfection for Perfection

And if you look into this first Chapter of John you find That those that are regenerate and borne again 't is said concerning them at the 13. verse that they are not borne of Bloods in the plural number your English hath it Blood in the singular You are not born of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Some there are and were that thought themselves to be the children of God because they came of godly parents because of their bloods because of their education Ioh. 8.33 So the Jews Wee are the Children of Abraham Some there are and were that think themselves the Children of God because of some Legal workings and monkish devotion all those legalities under the Gospel are called flesh Some there are that think themselves the children of God because of some more refined and raised and heroical actions That he might obviate all these saies he We are not born of bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the wil of man but of God You are for Free-will and you think Free-will hath a great stroke in mans Conversion but how can ye look this Scripture in the face No way of will not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man If it be any will it must be either the will of the flesh or the wil of man but I tel you saies he We are not borne of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man no way of will but of God To the like purpose you have in James 1.17 Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above In some of your books you reade thus Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above But it is rather to be read Every good giving Every good gift and every good giving is from above Not only the Thing given is from above but the very Donation the very Exhibition the very Giving out of the thing that is good it is from above Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above So that plainly then there is an utter Insufficiency in Nature unto what is good As for the Al-sufficiency of Jesu Christ Rom. 8.29 Rev. 1.17 He is the first born among many Brethren He is the first fruit that sanctifieth all the rest I am the first and the last saies he The first is the cause of the rest The Sun is the first and the great light so the cause of all other light Jesus Christ He is called the first in this same Chapter 15. verse This was He saies John of whom I spake He that cometh after me is preferred before me for He was before me So ye reade it but it is He was my first preferred before me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for He was my first and therefore the first giving a Being unto all that follows Jesus Christ He does give a Being unto all our graces I am the way the truth and the life saies He. Joh. 14.6 I am the Way Would you go to Heaven You cannot go thither but you must go in some Way A man cannot go unto a City but he must go some way or other if he go by water go by land this way or that way still he goes some Way or other Saies Christ if you would go to Heaven I am the Way This same word Way it notes the means unto a thing and when He saies I am the way 't is as if He should say That look what ever means you do use in order to Heaven all those means they have their vertue and their power and their efficacy from me I but a man may be in a way and in a right way and yet notwithstanding if he have not some guide he may lose his way True saies He therefore I am the Truth and 't is observable how Truth lies between Way Life as if the way to Life were thorough Truth as if Truth were the great road or the thorough-fare to life saies Jesus Christ I am that too I am the Way and the Truth too I but though a man be in the right Way and have a guide he may fall sick and die and never come to his journeyes end Therefore saies Christ I am the way and the Truth and the Life too I even I am He that gives life unto all your motions and actions for Heaven all Grace from Christ He it is even He alone that hath every mans heart and soul under lock and key There are Three great doors that must ordinarily be opened before converting-Grace can get into the soul of man 1 Cor. 16.9 Job 33.16 Acts. 16.14 Rev. 3.7 The door of a Powerful Ministry A large and an effectual door is opened The door of the Eare He openeth the eare and sealeth instruction The door of the Vnderstanding and of the heart Lydias heart was opened Now if you look into the Scripture you will find that Jesus Christ hath the opening of all these doors He hath the key of David He openeth and no man shuts and shutteth and no man openeth in the 1. of the Revelation and the 18. He saies That He hath the keyes of Hell and of death No man goes into the grave but He opens a door to let him in and no man goes to Hell but Jesus Christ He locks him up there He locks him up there unto all eternity if He did not lock him in he would not be there unto all eternity So that whatsoever Grace or holiness there is in any mans heart He opens the door He lets it in 't is by His ordering and His sending thither And Beloved if Jesus Christ were not the great Lord-Keeper of His Fathers wardrobe why should those Names and Titles be given to Him which you find so frequently in Scripture Cast your eyes where you wil you shal hardly look upon any thing but Jesus Christ hath taken the Name of that upon Himself If you cast your eyes up to Heaven in the day and behold the Sun He is called Mal. 4.2 Rev. 22.16 Col. 1.18 Rom. 13.14 Ioh. 6.35 Ioh. 10.9 Ioh. 10.11 Ioh. 1.29 Luk. 15.23 Zac. 13.1 Isa 28.16 Pro. 3.18 The Sun of righteousness If you cast your eyes in the night upon the Stars or in the morning upon the morning star He is called The bright morning star If you behold your own Body He is called the Head and the Church the Body If you look upon your own Clothes He is called your Rayment Put ye on the Lord Jesus If you behold your Meat He is called Bread The Bread of life If you look upon your Houses He is called a Door If you look abroad into the fields and behold the Cattel of the fields He is called The good Shepherd He is called The Lamb He is called The fatted Calf If you look upon the Waters He is called A Fountain The Blood of Christ a Fountain If you look upon the

into the Land of Canaan first the sentnece of death is put upon both these their Males are to be cutt off from Egypt and before they come into Canaan they must go into a howling wildernesse thus the sentence of death passes first upon the mercy before they do come to it And was it not thus with David David had a Kingdome promised him that he should be the King of Israel but first of all David must be thrust out of the Kingdome he must into the wildernesse he must be hunted up and down there like a partridge David must be a Traitor first before he can be a King and David must be a Rebell first in the eyes of the King before he can come to the Kigndome and to the Throne he had the mercy afterward but first the sentence of death was put upon it So Job a great and a large and a comfortable Estate that God gave unto him but first he is plundered and spoiled of all a sentence of death passes upon all his comforts And is not this Gods dealing with his People still look I pray into the 11. of the Revelation and ye shall see how the two witnesses are to fare After three days and an half at the 11. v. the Spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon them which saw them and they heard a great voice from Heaven saying unto them Rev. 11. come up hither But I pray marke they are kild first at the latter end of the 7. verse He shall make warre against them and shall overcome them and kill them and their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great City which spiritually is call'd Sodome and Egypt and they of the People and Kingreds and Tongues and Nations shall see their dead bodies three dayes and an half and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves There is a Spirit of life enters into them afterwards I but first of all a sentence of death passes upon them this is Gods way and manner of dealing with his People with the children of Abraham with those that are true Beleevers What Reason for it This seemes somewhat strange Not a blessing or a mercy of any great importance or concernment but the sentence of death passes upon it first What Reason for this Why is God pleased to take this way with his owne people the Children of Abraham First of all Reas 1 God doth so give blessings and mercies unto his own people as That he may be most of all seene therein Beloved God doth not onely give us these outward creature-comforts for to supply our Wants but to beare up the honour of his owne greatnesse You have not fish out of the water onely to supply your wants nor fruit from the earth onely to supply your wants nor light from the Sun only to supply your wants but to beare up the honour of Gods greatnesse also When he gives unto his people he does give in such a way as may most of all bear up the honour of his own greatnesse if it were only to supply their wants then possibly the sentence of death should never come upon the second cause but now it is also to beare up his own honour the honour of his own greatnesse and that is done this way Hereby God is known to to be a living God so long as there is life in the meanes God is not so well known to be a living God but when all meanes are dead and yet the mercy comes Oh! sayes a soule now I see that God is a living God Hereby the Power of God is made known he must needs be great in power that can say to things that are not Bee and give a Resurrection unto dead things so long as there is strength and ability in the meanes men do not so much consider the power and the All-suffciency of God but when all meanes are strengthlesse and all meanes are dead and yet the mercy comes Oh! sayes a soule now I see that God is a God Almighty God All-sufficient Hereby he is made known under the name of Jehovah a Being that gives a Being unto all other Beings faithfull in fulfilling his promise so long as there is a being in the second cause and in the meanes God is not known by the name Jehovah but when there is a sentence of death put upon the second cause and yet the mercy comes Oh! now sayes a soul I see that God is Jehovah a Being that gives a Being to all other Beings Therefore God does it 2. Reas And then againe secondly God does go this way with his people with beleevers the children of Abraham That they may learne more to trust unto him to trust unto God alone You know what the Apostle sayes in the first of Timothy the fifth chapter and firth verse She that is a widdow and desolate trusteth in God We seldome trust in God till a desolation come upon the meanes A widdow that is desolate trusteth in God when desolation comes upon the meanes then we learne for to trust in God One that does learne to swimme so long as he can touch the bottome can touch the earth with his foote he does not commit himselfe unto the streame but when he can feele no bottome then he commits himselfe unto the mercy of the waters Now so long as a man can stand upon the second cause he can feele the bottom with his feete he does not commit himselfe to the streame of mercy but when once the second cause is gone and he cannot feele the bottome then he commits himselfe unto the streame of mercy And you shall see the Apostle gives you this account of it in the second of Corinths the first chapter and the ninth verse But we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead This is another reason why God is pleased to go this way Againe Reas 3 Thirdly It is fit that all beleevers should be conformable to Jesus Christ It was thus with Christ we read in that second of the Philippians of our Lord and Saviour That God highly exalted him and gave him a name above every name But see first of all a sentence of death passes upon his name He was made of no reputation verse the seventh he was made of no name first And being of no reputation tooke upon him the forme of a servant and was made in the likenesse of man wherefore God hath highly exalted and given him a name which is above every name He brought salvation life to ligth he spoil'd Satan but first of all he was spoil'd himselfe and a sen tence of death passes upon him before he brought things unto life and he gives you to understand thus much himself here he holds forth himselfe for our example in the twelfth chapter of John sayes he at the

to Marah they could not drink of the waters of Marah for they were bitter therefore the name of it was called Marah And the people murmured against Moses saying what shall we drinke and he cried unto the Lord and the Lord shewed him a tree which when he had cast into the waters the waters were made sweet The speciall waters and blessings of Gods people come to them thus Againe the sentence of death may be put upon your mercy in another mans hand It was a great mercy even to Isaac that by him all the Nations of the world should be blest but the sentence of death was put upon this mercy in Abrahams hand as well as in his owne Thou comest it may be to the preaching of the word and thou art converted by such a sermon thou doest not see how the sentence of death was put upon this mercy before thou hadst it may be the sentence of death was put upon it in the Ministers hand in the Preachers hand may be he had laid aside those Doctrines and those Truths and thought to preach upon another matter may be the sentence of death was put upon thy mercy in his hand so sometimes it is in another mans hand Againe though the sentence of death be put upon a mercy before a beleever comes to it yet it is much according to the life of the mercy that is afterward If the life be great the death is great If the life be small the death is small And sometimes the sentence of death falls mostly upon the apprehension as it was with Hagar she was in the wildernesse and she thought she should die for want of water only said she I won't see my child die and there was a Well by So that now here the sentence of death lay mostly upon her own apprehension And thus you have it also with Joshua of whom you reade in the first of Ioshua the Lord makes him a great promise now therefore arise sayes he at the second verse go over this Iordan thou and all this people every place the sole of your foot shall tread upon that have I given unto you And at the latter and of the fift verse I will be with thee I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Now if you look into the seventh Chapter you find that Joshua had rent his clothes in the sixt verse and fell to the earth upon his face before the arke of the Lord untill even-tide and Ioshua said alas O Lord God wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Iordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side Jordan why what 's the matter you read there went up 3 thousand men of the Israelites and thirty six men of them were smote by the men of Ai. Here was cause now of fear but no cause of such expressions as did fall from Ioshua a sentence of death passes upon the mercy but it lay mostly upon the apprehension of Ioshua Sometimes it fals more upon the apprehension and lesse upon the thing sometimes it fals more upon the thing and lesse upon the apprehension but alwayes more or lesse when God intends any great or speciall mercy to his people to the children of Abraham he does first cause the sentence of death to passe upon it and upon all the meanes that do lead unto it You will say then Quest why does God give the promise I confesse this is true I seldome had any great mercy in all my dayes but first of all the sentence of death came upon it But one thing seemes very strange to me that the Lord should give out a promise first a promise given out and then comes the sentence of death upon the mercy and upon the meanes that do lead unto it What should be the meaning of this why does the Lord deal thus give out a promise first A promise is given out twice At the first Answ 1 before we do use the meanes to incourage us thereunto Afterwards upon some incouragements that we do meet with in the use of means When the Lord does first give out the promise a sentence of death then passes that he may shew you where the mercy lies As the mother does deale by her child showes the child where the meat stands child thou art not yet fit for it thou shalt have it in due time look here it stands Or as a father that showes the child where the money lies child time is not yet but there the money lies ther 's the bag it 's in none shall take it from thee So does God do you thinke that the Mercy lies in the second cause No sayes God here here 's the bag that it lies in Therefore he does first give out the promise that he may tell the soule where the Mercy lies show the soule where it is And then againe Answ 2 God does therefore give out the promise notwithstanding the sentence of death because he intends not to give the Mercy presently You think it may be that assoone as you have a promise set on upon your heart you shall presently injoy the Mercy Nay but God does therefore give you a promise because you shall not have it presently As for Example If I would pay a man my money down presently I would not give him a bond but my very giving him a bond argues I am not to pay him presently So the Lord he gives out a promise and you thinke now you must have it presently No sayes the Lord but because a sentence of death is to come and thou shalt not have it presently therefore I give out the promise And againe thirdly Answ 3 God does therefore give out the promise notwithstanding his sentence of death that your hearts may be borne up against all discouragements when the wombe of the second Cause shall be dead God sees that his child or servant is going to a great storme ther 's such a child of mine sayes God he is going into a great storme and his Faith will be put to a great stresse therefore I will furnish him with Cables and good Anchors I 'le throw him out a promise You thinke because God gives you a promise because God gives you Cables because God gives you Anchors therefore you shall come to land presently the Lord does therefore give you a promise because he does see that a storme is coming you mistake the way of God in his promise this is Gods way he gives out a promise and then causes the sentence of death to passe upon the businesse and upon all the meanes that do lead unto it I come unto the Application Whilst I stand upon this truth Applicat me thinkes I see matter of great and everlasting incouragement to all the Saints and people of God be not discouraged but rather keep silence waite and stay upon God when the darkest times go over your