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	faith_n	holy_a	1,533	5	5.3032	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09977	Life eternall or, A treatise of the knowledge of the divine essence and attributes Delivered in XVIII. sermons. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, D. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolns Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1631 (1631)	STC 20231; ESTC S115069	220,964	434

their hands And Paul that was the meanes of converting so many thousands he ascribes nothing to himselfe but it was the grace of GOD that was with him So Samson was strong but yet he had his strength from God and therefore this is an argument that the Scriptures were written by holy men inspired by the Holy Ghost Seeing we have such just ground to beleeve that there is a GOD that made Heaven and Earth and that this word which testifies of him is indeed the word of GOD. This use we are to make of it that it might not be in vaine to us it should teach us to confirme this first principle and make it sure seeing all the rest are built upon it therefore we have reason to weigh it that we may give full consent to it and not a weake one Object But you will say this is a principle that needs not to be thus urged or made question of therefore what need so many reasons to prove it Answ. Even the strongest amongst us have still need to increase our faith in this point and therefore we have cause to attend to it and that for these two reasons Because these principles though they be so common yet there is a great difference in the beleefe of the Saints and that with which common men beleeve them the difference is in these foure things both of them doe beleeve and they speak as they thinke yet you shall find this difference A regenerate man hath a further and a deeper insight into these truths he gives a more through and a stronger assent to them but another man gives a more slight and overly assent that faith with which they beleeve them is a faith that wants depth of earth therefore if any strong temptation comes upon them as feare of being put to death c. they are soone shaken off and doe often fall away when they are put to it they shrink away in time of persecution for their faith wants depth of earth that is the assent they give to the Scripture is but an overly and superficiall assent it doth not take deep root in their soule and therefore it withers in time of temptation they doe not so ponder them as others doe and therefore they are not so grounded in these first principles as others are though they have some hold 〈◊〉 yet not so great a hold as the godly have So as they are not so firmely established so grounded in the present truth they are not so rooted as the Saints are That which breeds this assent in them is but a common gift of the Holy Ghost but that with which the Saints beleeve them is a speciall grace infused wrought by the Holy Ghost now that which hath a weaker cause must needs have a weaker effect that which is wrought by a common cannot be so strong an assent as that which is wrought by an infused habit of the Holy Ghost therefore the faith of the Saints is stronger than the faith of the wicked The Saints the regenerate men build their hope comfort and happinesse upon the truth of these principles as that there is a GOD that rules Heaven and Earth and that the Scriptures are his Word and whatsoever is in them is truth they build all upon these therfore if any doubts arise they can never be at rest till faith hath resolved them and wrought them out with another man it is not so he takes these things upon trust and beleeves them as others do but he doth not much trouble himselfe about them and therfore if any doubts come against them he suffers them to lye there and goes on in a carelesse manner But with the Saints it is not so they building their hope upon them doe therefore resolve to suffer any thing for God they will be content to lose all for Him if occasion requires and therefore they are upon sure ground but the other they doe but receive upon trust and therefore they doe not cleave to him in that manner that the Saints doe Regenerate men have a lively and experimentall knowledge that there is a GOD and that the Scriptures are his Word from the communion that they have had with this God and from the experience they have had of the truths delivered in the Scripture They know very well and that experimentally what difference there was betweene what they were once and what they are now what it is to envie the Saints and what it is to have an affection of love to them they know the time when they slighted sinne when they made no reckoning of it they know againe the bitternesse and sorrow of sin when the commandement came and shewed it unto them in its colours they know a time when they judged perversely of the wayes of God when they had a bad opinion of them and how now they are changed besides they know how that once they did admire and magnifie worldly excellencie and preferment but since they were inlightned their opinion is otherwise I say they know all this experimentally Take the whole worke of regeneration they know it in themselves and so for God himselfe as hee is described in the Scriptures such have they found him to themselves Now where a man doth know things thus experimentally it is another kinde of knowledge than that which is by heare-say so that though there is a beleefe in them both yet there is a great difference betweene them We must labour to confirme our faith in these principles because they are of exceeding great moment and consequence in the lives of men though they seeme to be remote yet they are of more moment than any other as of a house you see a faire top but yet the foundation is of more moment and that cannot be seene the streames are seene but the Well-head cannot so all the actions of the lives of men are built upon these principles and as they are more strongly or weakly beleeved so have they more or lesse influence into the hearts and lives of men As take a man that beleeves fully that there is a GOD and that the Scriptures are his Word this breeds an unresistable resolution to serve and please him notwithstanding all oppositions he meets with Take the greatest things that use to daunt men as take a man that is to die if he considers that there is a God with whom he is to live for ever what is death then no more than the stones flying about Stevens eares when he beheld the heavens opened so when men speake against him and slander him when they scoffe and revile him and trample upon him yet if God be with him he can boldly say I care not for mans day nor for the speaking against of sinners he is not moved a whit with them they passe away as a vapour that moves him not so when hee sees the current of the times to runne against him yet when he

torches appeare to be nothing when wee looke upon the Sunne so if we could consider aright of the greatnesse of God all the faire speeches of men would be as nothing Now the way to get this magnanimity is to beleeve this greatnesse of God and to consider that wee are the sonnes of God and heires of heaven the cause of this pusillanimity is the want of faith If wee did beleeve that we were the sonnes of God and did beleeve that GOD would be with us that he was so great a GOD and that hee did stand by and second us we should not be so fearefull as we are Therefore strengthen your faith that you may have your mindes inlarged that so you may walke without impediments and be perfect with him as it is said of Abraham that hee was perfect with God in all his wayes FINIS THE SIXTEENTH SERMON EXOD. 3.13 14. And Moses said unto God Behold when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them the God of your fathers hath sent mee unto you and they shall say unto me what is his name what shall I say unto them And God said unto Moses I AM THAT I AM c. Answ. IF you aske the question Quest. How a man shall come to this greatnesse of mind what rise it hath from the greatnesse of God I answer First it ariseth thus from it When a man considers that GOD is so exceeding great and that hee hath interest in him that will make him to despise all other things as small things in comparison of him Indeed if GOD was great and we had no interest in him then there was no cause why wee should take to our selves this magnanimity upon any such ground but seeing that he is so great and that his greatnes shall be improved to our advantage what addition can any thing else make unto us You shall see that Paul raised his heart upon this ground Phil. 3.8 considering the priviledges that hee had in Christ this makes him to account other things as nothing Hence in Iames 1.10 Let him that is of a high degree rejoyce in that hee is made low that is let him rejoyce that hee is inabled to looke upon his riches which he did so highly magnifie before to thinke them as nothing but as fading flowers let him rejoyce in it because now he is made a greater man because he seemes too bigge for them they are no such things as before he thought them to be not that they are made lesse but because he is exalted and lifted above them Secondly so likewise there is a rise for it in this regard because he is able to defend us and protect us and beare us out against all opposition You see that men looke great because they have got great men or Princes to beare themselves upon But when men consider that they have the great God on their side to beare themselves upon why should not they have great mindes Thus Moses Hebr. 11. regarded not the wrath of the King because hee did see that GOD that was invisible that is when he considered GOD in his greatnesse the King and his wrath were nothing to him So that the way to get this magnanimity is to beleeve that GOD is our GOD and according to the greatnesse of a mans faith such will be this greatnes and magnanimity of minde that we commend to you Saul when he was a King had a new heart and a new spirit because when he beleeved in earnest that he was a King he looked upon things after another manner he had other thoughts and other affections than he had before and so would any man else if he were advanced from a meane estate to a kingdome And if we did beleeve that wee were the sonnes of the great God of heaven and earth wee would have great mindes therefore the stronger our faith is the greater our minde is Onely this is to be added that this faith must not be in the habit onely in thee but it must bee exercised and renewed continually there must not be onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the actuall use of it And were that which GOD said to Abraham I am thy exceeding great reward were this beheld of any of us that GOD is so great and that this greatnesse is our exceeding great reward then all other rewards would seeme but small things You shall see what David did upon this ground in Psal. 27.1 The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I feare the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid See here are two things First he considers that GOD is his He is my salvation Secondly he considers the greatnesse and strength and power of God and from thence he drawes this conclusion whom shall I feare For in thee doe I trust that is in this power and greatnesse of GOD and the interest that I have in him Psal. 46.1.2.3 GOD is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble Therefore will we not feare though the earth be removed and though the mountaines be carried into the midst of the Sea though the waters thereof roare and bee troubled and though the mountaines shake with the swelling thereof that is when GOD is seene in his greatnesse when we looke vpon him and beleeve him to be such a God and that we have interest in him in the greatest trouble and confusion that can befall vs though the earth be shaken and the mountaines cast into the midst of the Sea yet the minde will not be shaken but still remaines the same They beare out all because they have a great God to beare themselves vpon who will protect and defend them vpon all occasions Vse 2 If GOD be so great and infinite as he is hence we should learne to feare him and to tremble at his word A great and potent enemy men will feare therefore this is one use that we are to make of the greatnesse of GOD that his wrath is exceeding great and so is his goodnesse and both are to be feared Wee ought to feare his wrath lest it come upon us and his goodnesse least we loose it for he is a great God and his wrath is able to crush in peices and to consume us as he expressed it when hee put forth but some part of his strength as when he consumed them with their Censers even the company of Corah Dathan and Abiram Who can dwell with everlasting burnings as if he should say he is a great God who can come neere him who can converse with him how shall men deale with him Some of them there made an evill use of it but we must learne to make use of it for our owne advantage to take heed how we provoke him for is it a small thing to have the great God of heaven and earth our enemy Let them consider this that live without GOD in the world