Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	believe_v	election_n	faith_n	1,811	5	6.4367	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25829	A tryall of faith, or, The woman of Canaan on Math. 15, 21, 22, 23, 24 : together with the souls sure anchor-hold, on Heb. 6, 19 : with the wisdome of timely remembring our creator, on Eccles. 12, 1 : in severall sermons / by Timothy Armitage.	Armitage, Timothy, d. 1655.	1661 (1661)	Wing A3704; ESTC R26657	267,236	470

life begins here in holiness and that is eternal life to know the Father and the Son that is the end for which God doth predestinate that they might be holy through the sanctification of the Spirit and that they might be blessed and happy for ever But in respect of God the great end of Election it is the praise of his own grace that so they that shall be saved they may for ever admire and advance that rich and free grace of God towards them that chose them so freely when as they were so vile this is the end of Election Fiftly We may consider the means by which God doth fulfil and execute his Decree of Election The means of executing his Decree it is Christ Jesus as Mediator he chose such and such to bring them to such and such an end by such means by Christ Jesus and by Faith in him Christ as Mediator he is the cause of the means of God's executing and fulfilling his Decree though not the cause of Election but the cause of the means of God's executing and fulfilling his Decree for God would save them no other way but by Jesus Christ in Ephes 1. 4. you have these all together According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love Here you see it is an Act of God from eternity before the foundation of the world and at v. 5. you may see it is an Act of his Free Grace According to the good pleasure of his Will v. 5. He was not moved thereunto by any thing in the creature no it was according to the good pleasure of his Will And you see also the several ends for which God hath chosen v. 4. in respect of the creature the end is that we should be holy and at v. 5. that we should be happy and attain the inheritance of children and the great end of all is in v. 6. That this may be the praise and glory of his grace And then there is the means by which God doth execute this Decree v. 4. He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world So that you see somthing of this great and wonderful mysterie of Election in this place But there are two things further which I shall insist upon for the clearing of the Truth to you in the opening of which I shall meet with those things that are most of all objected against this Truth This Act of God from eternity it was 1. Absolute 2. Immutable and Vnchangeable There are these two general heads which will clear up much of the minde and will of God in this Truth 1. God's Decree is absolute and free 2. It is unchangeable First It is absolute and free it doth not depend upon any thing in the creature God did not chuse because he foresaw men would be such and such he did not chuse any because he foresaw they would believe as some imagine he did not chuse any because he foresaw they would be holy his decree and choice and love it was not grounded upon any thing in the creature for the Lord he hath no such respect in his choice you may see what is said of Esau and Jacob in Rom. 9. 11. The Apostle is there treating of this mysterie and he doth there let us know that it is free and absolute and doth not depend upon the work or worthiness of the creature For the children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of him that calleth v. 12. It was said unto her the elder shall serve the younger v. 13. As it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated Before they had either done good or evil God made choice of Jacob God did not chuse him because he foresaw he would be better then his brother Esau no Esau and Jacob were all alike unto God nay if there were any preheminence Esau had it he was the first born and was not Esau Jacobs brother saith God yet I loved Jacob Mal. 1. 2 3. and I hated Esau I have bestowed special love upon Jacob less upon Esau Not that God hates the creature without some consideration but hating here is to shew a less love Christ saith a man shall hate his Father and Mother for Christ's sake that is love them less then Christ and Jacob had two wives one was hated the other loved Rachel beloved and Leah hated that is less loved and so God here he bestows special love upon Jacob and not upon Esau And it is evident from Scripture that God could not chuse for foreseen faith and holiness for the Scripture holds forth that both faith and holiness they are the fruits of Election and therefore not the cause of Election men therefore believe and are made holy because God hath chosen them from eternity Acts 13. 48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed see here faith is made the fruit of Election and of God's love from eternity the words cannot be read thus That as many as believed were ordained to eternal life but as many as were ordained to eternal life believed and so holiness or sanctification cannot be the cause of Election no it is the fruit of Election see Ephes 1. 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love He hath chosen us that we should be holy not chosen us because we were holy but that we might be holy holiness then proceeds from God's special love And I shall make it further evident to you from some Arguments from Scripture that it is not possible God's choice should be grounded upon any thing in the creature but meerly an Act of his own good pleasure for First of all that which maketh the Will of God to depend upon the creature that cannot be a true doctrine but now if God doth chuse upon foreseen faith and works because he foresaw the creature to be such then the Will of God doth depend upon the creature which destroyes the divine nature of God and the freedom of God's Will it is not possible that God's Will should be determined but by its self now if God chose upon foreseen faith and works then God's Will is determined by some thing in the creature Secondly It doth derogate much from the freeness of God's grace as also from the greatness of the mysterie and of the wonder of the Gospel I say If God did chuse men because he foresaw that they would be holy it derogates much from the freeness of his grace If it be of works then it is not of grace If God's choice were grounded upon such a foresight of faith and holiness then it is not an election of grace And it derogates much from the great mysterie of the Gospel God will

is sure in respect of the event of it The Event and Issue of a Believers hope is alwayes sure it can no more be disappointed of his hope then the foundation of his hope which is Christ can be overturned but that which a believing soul hath in hope it is as sure as if he had it in hand already Lo This is our God we have waited for him and he will save us saith the Church The Doctrine then is this That the beleiving soul hath Hope for a sure and stedfast Anchor Or thus This Grace of Hope it is a sure and stedfast Anchor to every believing heart It is plain in the Text Which hope we have as an Anchor both sure and stedfast In the handling of this Point I shall shew you First What this Hope is Secondly Make it out to you That this Hope is the souls Anchor Thirdly That this Anchor of the soul is sure and stedfast And that will make way for Application First of all Our work is to enquire What this Hope is You may take this description of it It is the work of the spirit of Christ upon the heart whereby it is raised in expectation of those good things that faith believes and which God hath promised We shall open the parts of it that we may come to know what this saving Hope is that is the Anchor of a believing soul And first of all you have the efficient cause of this hope and that is the Spirit of Christ it is not all the world that can raise a poor dejected heart to hope in God it is not all the comforts of the world nor comforters in the world that can make any poor drooping heart to cast this Anchor of Hope in heaven and therefore when the Apostle doth describe the condition of Natural men he saith of them That they are without God without Christ and without Hope This is the state of every man by Nature he hath not the least dram of saving hope till the Spirit of Christ come● to work upon the heart And therefore God is called the God of Hope Rom. 15. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost Here you see the efficient cause it is the work of God to raise up the heart to hope in himself and it is the Spirit of Christ that must cause the soul to abound in hope That you may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost And in Psal 22. speaking there in the person of Christ he confesseth that it was his Father that did cause him to hope Psal 22. 9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mothers breasts It was thou Lord that didst cause me to hope God only is the efficient cause Secondly For the Formal Cause of this Hope we said it is an Expectation of the soul it takes its rise from faith what faith believeth that hope expects and waits upon God for the fulfilling of It is an Expectation of the heart Now this Expectation it is First A patient Expectation Secondly An ardent Expectation Thirdly A confident Expectation All which do express the Nature of saving Hope First of all It is a Patient Expectation it causeth the soul to wait patiently for the fulfilling of the Promise to sit down at the feet of Christ and wait even all its dayes for the fulfilling of the Promise and therefore saith the Apostle Heb. 10. 36. For you have need of patience that after you have done the Will of God you may inherit the Promise As if he should say your hope will not hold out if you have not patience God hath given you a promise but God doth not presently fulfil the promise and therefore that you may hope till the Promise be fulfilled you have need of patience and truly Hope is nothing else but Patience lengthned out It is a patient Expectation Secondly It is an Ardent Expectation What the believing soul doth hope for it is earnestly carried out after it is such an expectation as doth make the soul exceedingly Intent and cause it to look every way round about for the fulfilling of that which it hopes for it is an earnest expectation The Apostle speaks in Rom. 8. 19 20 21. Verse 19. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God Verse 20. For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope Verse 21. Because the creature also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God The whole creation hath a hope to be delivered from that bondage which the sin of man brought upon it and because there is a hope there is an earnest expectation and the earnest expectation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God And truly where there is saving hope it will cause the soul to look after the fulfilling of the Promise it waits earnestly and groans earnestly for the fulfilling of those Promises that it waits for It is an ardent expectation Thirdly It is a Confident Expectation though indeed it is true the hope of the best Saints may flag yet when hope doth work like it self and act like it self it acts confidently it is accompanied with holy confidence and boldness toward God when hope is strengthned then it acts confidently and confidence is nothing else then hope strengthned That is the second particular You have seen the efficient and formal cause of this hope Thirdly What is the Object of this Hope I told you that it was an expectation of those good things that God hath promised what God hath promised that hope looks for the fulfilling of all outward comforts that are needful refreshments in their way Protection Deliverance Assistance the Increase of Grace and the Carrying on of the work of God in the heart what-ever is laid up in the Promise that hope waits for the fulfilling of but more especially the Object of a Believers hope it is Eternal Life Tit. 1. 2. In hope of Eternal Life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began And in Tit. 3. 7. That being justified by his grace we should be made Heirs according to the hope of Eternal Life So that Eternal life is the Object of a Believers hope Fourthly We have the concomitant of Hope and that is Faith It is an expectation of those good things which faith believes that God hath promised so you see how Hope stands towards Faith they are twins as it were they are born and brought forth together Faith is the Elder sister faith believes that the promise is true and hope looks for the fulfilling of the Promise because faith believes it They grow up together they are nourished together and they flourish

reason of mine affliction unto the Lord out of the belly of hell cryed I and thou heardest my voice He was so low in his own apprehension as was possible for him to be in the belly of hell And what did he do I cried to the Lord he applied himself to the Lord and spread his sad condition before the Lord and he did not loose his labour Thou Lord heardest me Now for the grounds of the Point That faith will teach a soul to go to Christ and make his complaint to Christ in all his affliction for faith discovers to a soul that all afflictions are from God the Lords hand is in all the crosses and troubles and whatsoever is matter of complaint the hand of God is in it Is there any evil in the city and I have not done it saith the Lord by the Prophet Amos Is there any evil of affliction that I have not brought upon a people As to the evil of sin that is not from God for that is no being that is a privation but as for affliction all the affliction that doth berall the children of men it is from the hand of God and upon this ground Eliphaz perswadeth Job to apply himself to God Job 5. 6 8. Affliction cometh not forth of the dust neither does trouble spring out of the ground I would speak unto God and unto God would I commit my cause Trouble doth not spring from the ground it is not from second causes whatsoever trouble the people of God meet withall ●any of the sons of men it springs not from the dust Whence then It is from the hand of God there is a secret wheel a great wheel of providence that sets all on work second causes cannot move if that great wheel does not move so then when this comes to be reallized to the soul as faith doth discover it because God hath spoken it that trouble is from God whether inward or outward therefore it will carry the soul unto God and make the soul apply it self to God and Christ alone Secondly Faith doth discover that as all afflictions are from God and makes the soul see the hand of God in every stroke so it doth discover that the end of all afflictions is to carry the soul to God that is the end of all afflictions to bring God and the soul nigher together God doth not love to have any of his people at a distance from him and therefore he sends forth affliction to bring them nigher to himself And therefore in Hosea 5. 15. I will go and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early He brings affliction for this very end that they may draw nigh to him And in chap. 6. 1. you may see the fruit of their affliction Come and let us return to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up This is the fruit of their affliction they were brought nigher to God God will have his people injoy more communion with him dwell with him and make them more conformable to him more like to himself and therefore many times he layes great and sore afflictions upon them For when the Saints shall be in such a sta●e and such a condition as nothing shall come betwixt God and them when they shall so dwell in God as never to goe out from God when there shall come no sin no corruption betwixt God and them then there shall be no more affliction then the Lord God shall wipe away teares from the faces of his people no more sorrow and sighing now the end is attained when they are gotten so nigh to God as nothing can come betwixt God and them Now when faith discovers this that it is the end of affliction to bring the soul nigher to God it puts the soul upon it in its affliction to return and apply it self to God alone Thirdly Faith will make a soul come to Christ and Christ alone in distress for faith doth discover that the help of the creature is in vain in time of distress it is faith that doth reallize to the soul the vanity of the creature and that the creature cannot help in the day of distress And therefore the Psalmist cries out Psal 60. 11. Help Lord for vain is the help of man Man cannot help and therefore he applies himself to God alone Help Lord for vain is the help of man Till the soul sees that vain is the help of the creature it will not in good earnest cry Help Lord faith shews the soul that in vain is salvation hoped for from the hils and from the multitude of mountains in vain is salvation hoped for from creatures from great men the highest of all There is many a poor soul can tell you by sad experience and say it by sad experience in vain have I sought help from men and cried to men and spread my complaints before men and therefore it is good for me to draw nigh to God for if you look upon all the sons of men you shall see how fruitless a thing it is for a poor soul in distress to apply it self to man and to go and pour out his complaints to man he may speak to such men as are not at all sensible of what he speaks he may tell a sad relation of his sufferings and burdens and yet not at all affect the heart of him that he speaks to There are some such men in the world nay very many that regard not the affliction of Joseph that are altogether insensible of the burden that lay upon other poor creatures that hath no compassion and cannot be affected It is said of Gallio that he cared for none of those things when as they made complaints of things of Religion he cared for none of those things and so when some come and make complaints of their burdens they care for none of those things And thus it was with Lazarus that lay at the rich mans gate it is very like he made many complaints shewed him his sorrow and sores but his heart was not at all affected the very dogs had more pitty upon him they came and licked his sores And so it is many times when we make our complaints to men they regard not Or secondly Sometimes when we make complaints to men though there be some pitty and some compassion in them and they will expresse it in good words yet very little help and assistance will many men afford they will seem to pitty and have compassion but there are some men that will do very little to the relief of a poor creature under distress that comes and makes complaints of his burdens The Apostle James speaks of some such chap. 2. 15 16. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto him depart in peace be you warmed and filled notwithstanding

he day of great afflictions First It carries the heart to God thorough Christ and makes its complaint unto him it doth not cry out against God but as it cries unto God so it runs unto the Lord thorough Christ and pours out his complaints before him So David Psal 142. 1 2. I cryed unto the Lord with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication I poured out my complaint before him The flesh cries out of his burden yea sinful flesh it complains many times not only of his burden but of God himself Ah but the spirit that cries unted God Job 35. 9. By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry They cry out by reason of the arme of the mighty v. 10. But none saith where is God n●●●maker he reproves the sons of men They are ap●●to cry but it is the cry of the flesh they cry out of the arme of the mighty but they do not go to God None say where is God that giveth songs in the night season The spirit in the saddest condition goes to God through Christ Secondly The cry of the spirit it doth make a man to cry out as well of sin as of affliction it will make a man to cry out more of sin then of affliction the flesh is not sensible of the burden of sin Ah but where the spirit of the Lord is it will make a man cry out most of all of the burden of sin if God should take away affliction and not take a● way corruption this would be little refreshment to him O miserable man that I am as you have the Apostle cry which was the cry of the spirit Rom. 7. the latter end O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord He was more sensible of the body of sin then of any affliction that lay upon him Thirdly The cry of the Spirit it will make the soul cry more after God himself then after any mercy or deliverance that it may injoy God that it may have the presence of God and communion with God that it may be made like to God a gracious heart it cries thus after God yea in the day of affliction when the burden is heavy a gracious heart desires more to injoy God then to be free from his affliction See how the Psalmist doth express himself in Psal 63. 1. O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is David was now in a state of banishment it is like he met with sore afflictions ah but the cry of his soul was after God my soul thirsteth for thee and longeth for thee Fourthly The cry of the spirit it is a cry of faith it cries in faith and cries in hope the flesh cries in despair many times but the spirit cries and believes when it cries it takes hold of God and follows after him follows God crying though God go away See what is said Psal 89. 26. the promise is made to Davids son Christ He shall cry unto me thou art my father my God and the rock of my salvation He shall cry unto me 〈◊〉 but he shall cry in faith when he cries he shall say Thou art my Father and my rock And so the Church Isaiah 26. she cries out with a great cry and it is in faith doubtless thou art our Father And so Psal 119. when as David cryed he trusted he took hold of God and hoped in his mercy 145 146 147. ver though he was in a great affliction and there was great cause to cry yet his cry was the cry of faith and he hoped in the Word of the Lord for the accomplishment of the Word of the Lord. Fifthly As the cry of the spirit is the cry of faith so it is a fervent cry that cry that the Lord doth raise up by his spirit in the day of affliction it is a fervent cry it is no cold nor lazy cry but a strong cry Jesus Christ in the dayes of his flesh put up strong cries and the Apostle James he speaks of the fervent prayer of Gods people I am 5. The fervent effectual prayer of the righteous prevaileth much When the Spirit of prayer doth set all the faculties of the soul a work to look after God and take hold of God ●hen it takes hold of God and will not let him go and cry out as the Church Awake thou arme of the Lord as in the dayes of old when it will take no rest it self and give God no rest till the Lord comes in a way of grace that is the prayer that is spoken of Isai 62. 6 7 8. that prayer that is accompanied with holy fervency is the cry of the spirit Sixthly and lastly The cry of the spirit is such a cry as will not easily be silent though it meet with no answer from the Lord though it meet with a denial as this woman of Canaan she meets with many discouragements he gave her no answer at first still she goes on to cry her cry was a cry that was raised by the spirit of the Lord the flesh may put a man upon it to cry to the Lord for a season but if the Lord does not come in the flesh grows weary now the cry of the spirit is a constant cry that will not give over but will wait upon the Lord till such time as he shall send from heaven to save Thus you see what the cry of the flesh is and what the cry of the spirit Secondly Now the Saints in all Ages in the dayes of their affliction have been stirred up to cry with their spirits unto the Lord and the greater their afflictions have been the more they have cried unto the Lord So it was with Moses he was in a great strait when as he was before the red Sea and then Moses cryed in spirit God made use of that strait to stir up the cry of the Spirit in Moses And so when Jacob was in a great strait he cryed more earnestly then ever he had done when as his brother came to meet him with an Army of men he saw nothing but death and destruction he applied himself to the Lord and cried mightily It is said in Hosea 12. 4. speaking of Jacob He wept and he made supplication And so you know David in Psal 14● cryed and it was when his spirit was over whelmed and no man to pity him then he cryed unto the Lord. And you know our Lord Jesus to give you no more instances in the dayes of his affliction he cried louder then ever That place Heb. 7. 7. In the dayes of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications with strong cries and teares unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared And the Evangelist Luke doth take notice that as Christs