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	know_v	2,150	5	4.2155	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09439	How to liue, and that well in all estates and times, specially when helps and comforts faile.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1601 (1601)	STC 19728; ESTC S2275	25,478	110

should liue by faith Because this last point is of great moment I will spend some time in the explaning of it That a man then may liue by his faith two things are required the first that faith be rightly conceiued grounded in the heart the second that after it is once conceiued it Raigne and rule in the heart That faith may rightly be conceiued two things are required The first is the knowledge of the word of God for faith stands in relation to the word the word alone is the foūdation of our faith Hereupon the word is called the foundation of the Prophets Apostles By light of naturall reason we vnderstand that the world had a beginning and was made of God Yet cānot reason breed in vs a certen perswasion of this point but onely the testimonie of the word of God and therefore it is saide By faith we vnderstand that the world was ordained by God And this made Dauid say In God I wil praise his word Furthermore in the Word three things are to be knowne precepts or commaundements because they teach obediēce threatnings because they restraine disobedience promises because they serue to confirme vs in our obedience Againe promises are either principall or lesse-principall The maine or principal promise is that in which God offereth and reuealeth righteousnesse and life euerlasting by Christ. Within this promise is contained the graunt of remission of our sinnes of necessarie patience of the assistāce of the spirit of God and of all gifts that are inseparably ioyned with faith Promises lesse-principall are concerning deliuerances in temptations safetie in daungers health wealth libertie peace c. And these must all be vnderstoode with an exception of the crosse and correction and they shal so farre forth be accomplished as they serue for Gods glorie and the good of them that beleeue Now all these heads points of the word of God must be knowne and that in some particular sort that a man may liue by his faith The second thing required for the right conceiuing of faith is after the word of God is once known To trust God vpon his word yea to depend vpon it to build vpon it This is the first principall worke of true faith it is called by Paul the obedience of faith and it is made the end and scope of the preaching of the Gospell and not without cause For this is the first and principal honour of god to beleeue him vpon his bare worde and thereby to make a cōfession of the truth of God This the deuill knew right well and therefore the first thing that he sought to ouerthrow in Adam was his faith in the word of God and the scope of the first temptation wherby he assaulted our Sauiour Christ was to ouerthrow that faith confidēce he had in his father saying if thou be the sonne of God commaund that these stones be made bread but this thou canst not doe therefore thou art not the sonne of God That this obedience which we giue to God by trusting his very word may be right obedience it must haue sixe conditions First of al it must be absolute for we must as it were shut vp our owne eyes and simply without any more ado trust god vpō his bare naked word and suffer our selues to be ledde by it In naturall things experience is first and then faith comes afterward And Thomas following nature desired first to feele before he would beleeue But God must be trusted though that which he saith be against reason and experience Thus Abraham beleeued God against all humane hope The secōd cōdition is that this obediēce must be sincere For we must trust Gods word for it selfe because it is Gods word all by-respects set apart They which are as the stony groūd receiue Gods word and reioyce in it and yet afterward in time of temptation goe awrie The reason is because they receiue the word reioyce in it not properly for it self but in respect of honour profite or pleasure which they looke to reape thereby Iohn the Baptist was a burning candle and the Iewes reioyced in his light onely in respect of the noualtie of it and therefore the holy ghost saith they reioyced in it but for a season The third condition is that we must trust God not in a part but in his whole word and therefore many faile in their faith that are cōtent to trust him in his promises of mercie saluation but list not to beleeue him in his commaundements and threats The fourth condition is that we must trust God in his word with al our hearts that it may take deepe roote and be an ingrafted word It is not sufficient for vs to haue a taste of the good word of God and to receiue it with ioy vnles we thoroughly and soundly build and relie our selues vpon it The fifth condition is that this trusting of God must be with an honest heart that is with an heart in which there is a distinct and setled purpose not to sinne but in all things to doe the will of God The good hearers are they which receiue the word with an honest and good heart Without this can no man possibly liue by faith He that puts away his good conscience makes shipwrack of his faith It is godlinesse alone that hath the promises of this life and the life to come And none can liue the life of faith but he that is a iust man After that men haue made some good proceedings and doe know the word receiue it reioyce in it bring forth some fruit if the heart for all this be euill it will cause them at length to depart frō God by distrusting or by denying credence to his word The sixth condition is that the obedience of faith must be stable and constant The Lord saith my soule hath no pleasure in them that withdraw themselues that is which for a time beleeue God and afterward pull backe their foot and goe backe from their faith Seeing this is the right way to cōceiue faith to know the word of god and to trust him vpon the same word all such as would liue by faith must haue their harts kindled with a desire to doe the things before named specially to giue credence to euery word of God We may not forsake God for any creature now we forsake him when we distrust him in his word Againe not to beleeue God is very Atheisme For by this meanes God is made a lyar and his glorie and maiestie is abolished It is the greatest part of our glorie to beleeue God as Christ saith He that receiues his testimonie puts to his seale that God is true that is giues vnto God as it were a testimonial of his truth and thereto puts his hand and seale And what greater honour can there be then this that the creature should giue testimonie to