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 lord_n 1,391 5 3.9699 3 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A05962 Briefe directions unto a godly life wherein every Christian is furnished with most necessary helps for the furthering of him in a godly course here upon earth, that so he may attaine eternall happinesse in heaven. Written by Mr. Paul Bayne, minister of Gods Word, to Mr. Nicholas Iordane his brother. Baynes, Paul, d. 1617. 1637 (1637) STC 1627; ESTC S115502 73,675 254

There are 2 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

and longing after CHRIST is very earnest and fervent though in some with more timorousnesse than in other This maketh the Gospell to be glad tidings and the feete of them that bring it to be beautifull to him Fifthly with earnest humble and particular confession of his sinnes hee poureth out prayers to God for the pardon of them in Christ Sixtly he having found out this pearle prizeth it as it is worth and therefore selleth all that hee hath biddeth farewell to his sweetest delights for the attaining of it which affection is not for a moment but is written as it were with the point of a Diamond never to be rased out againe Seventhly Then he commeth to apply the Gospell to himselfe as before he did the Law and sealeth up his salvation in his heart reasoning from those gracious promises which God hath made to such as he is Thus by often and deep weighing the truth unchangeablenesse and perpetuity of the promises he commeth at length to be settled in Faith this Faith uniteth him to Christ and bringeth him to happinesse And it is wrought inwardly by the Spirit while men obey Gods Ordinance in the hearing of the Word the outward meanes of salvation Now the markes of Faith to be seene in the beleever by himselfe or others are 1. If he strive against doubting Iudg. 6.17 2. If not feeling Faith hee complaine bitterly of the want of it 3. If hee seeke fervently to be settled in beleeving 4. If he desire to search out the sinne which may possibly hinder him and endeavour to expell it The maine cause why so many doe want Faith is the Divells bewitching and blinding of men 2 Cor. 4.3 4. Wherein mans fault is that hee openeth his eares and giveth credit to Satans deceitfull suggestions For the preventing therefore of this danger the Lord hath given watch-men to warne the people of the perill The reason therefore why men doe not avoyd it is either in the Minister that hee doth not warne them aright or else in the people that they doe not receive it In the Ministers 1. If they teach not at all 2. If they teach seldome 3. If they teach but not plainely to the capacity of the hearer 4. If by Catechising they doe not teach the grounds of Faith in right and good order 5. If they be not ready by private conference to satisfie their doubts 6. If they have not a Christian care of giving good example by a holy and blamelesse life But the Ministers must consider their duty laid forth First by Titles as Watchmen Labourers Matth. 9.37 Salt and Light Mat. 5.13.14 Shepheards Ioh. 21.15 Good Scribes Matth. 13. Stewards 1 Cor. 4.1 Nurses 1 Thess 2.7 Secondly in Commandements Acts 20.28 2 Timoth. 4.2 For their better incouragements they must consider First the honour vouchsafed to them to be God his Ambassadours Secondly the comfort of this labour Thirdly the good that they may doe Fourthly the great reward prepared for them Dan. 12.3 The lets that are in the People are First if they esteeme lightly of the Gospel preferring other things before it Luke 24. Secondly if they imagine it an impossible thing to get assurance of salvation in this life Thirdly if they think it though not impossible yet not any way necessary Fourthly if they thinke it both possible and necessary but too hard to come by Fifthly if they be carelesse and ignorant Sixthly if for feare of losing other pleasures they forbeare to seeke after this Seventhly if they presume of their Faith living still in their sins Eighthly if there were never thorow brokennesse of heart prepared to receive the Gospell Ninthly if for feare of not continuing they will not begin Tenthly if they doe worke it upon themselves but doe deale slightly with it Eleventhly if they content themselves with sudden flashes that soone are out and doe not seeke to be settled A naked and bare desire of salvation now and then stirred up in a man is not to beleeve First true desire cannot be satisfied without it and therfore giveth not over till it obtaine it Secondly it maketh high account of it as of a precious Faith and valuing of it according to the worthinesse of it He seeketh willingly and readily He settleth his heart upon the promises of God Hee meditates on Gods Commandements that hee should beleeve by these meanes hee commeth to be settled Which done hee must beware of all occasions that may unsettle him Againe espcially that he doth not give too much place to fleshly reasons and carnall doubtings nor hearken to evill suggestions BEcause the children of God after they have believed are often drawne from their hold and caused to suspected themselves and so fall into much feare and doubting that they are none of the Lords they must therefore learne to strengthen themselves thus 1. They must know that in God there is no shadow of change and therefore that it is their weaknesse to entertaine such thoughts Psalm 77.13 For hee ought not to cast away his confidence Heb. 10.35 2. Hee may perswade himselfe that hee labouring after and groning to rest his wearied heart on the promises of God shall never be wholly forsaken though sometimes destitute of feeling Now if any aske Why doth God suffer his children to fall into such feares Quest It is for this Lest by a sudden absolute change Answ they should become secure or presumptuous 3. They must know that the roote of our comfort is not in the strength of our Christian life but in the free grace of God in Christ and therefore the weaknesse therein ought not to bring us into doubting of our salvation It may be weake but it shall never be extinguished for he that is new borne can never die 4. They must call to mind that they be yet but children subject to many diseases and some of those such as may take away sense of life which must move us not to dispair but to seek w th al diligence for the cure of them wheras if any object Quest Many of the faithfull are brought to that passe that being perswaded that they are reprobates are neere unto desperation they have a sense of God his wrath and are in great anguish of conscience how shall they stay themselves in this estate I answer them Answ 1. They may be assured of this that they are not without hope of mercy because they have not sinned against the holy Ghost for they have not maliciously set themselves against the truth of God they have not wilfully persecuted it against their conscience but doe love the same and desire to be partakers of it 2. They must learne to know from whom this delusion commeth even from Satan who laboureth either to wring their hope from them or else to weary their lives with heavinesse and discomfort This he attempteth First by spirituall suggestion he being a spirit and helped also with the long experience which he hath had of this trade and therefore
and him who hath had the proofe of this knowledge how it hath beene effectuall in him Hee considereth observeth and applieth the things which he heareth seeth and doth to his owne use and by things past thus duly regarded hee learneth and getteth wisdome to advise and guide him for the present and for the time to come This is experience which maketh us wise in all things that are profitable to godlinesse and eternall life The observation of the reward of evill will make us avoyd it and experience of the fruit of a godly life is the best meane to continue it our owne triall how affl●ctions may be easeliest borne and come to best end is our best rule for ever after The example wee have in David Psalm 120.1 1 Sam. 17. 34. Psalm 77.10 Psalm 37.37 In summe as in all Trades the beginning is hardest and experience bringeth facility so it is in the practice of Christianity Woefull therefore it is that in this of all other men will not labour for experience 4. The fourth generall fruit is the benefit of this armour which is not small for hee that putteth it on and goeth cloathed with it thorow the day though the Divell and his instruments doe assault by craft and deceit or by force and might hee shall mightily prevaile against them and preserve himselfe he shall be able to live with comfort in all estates that God shall set him in and in all places which hee shall bring him to and change by no occasions but hold out untill an end be made of all difficulties and uncertainties Object We may serve God well enough without putting on this armour after so strict a manner It is true indeed Answ that a Christian serving God may be ignorant of this armour but hee cannot then say he serveth God well enough because that kind of life must needs be wandring unsettled and not to be rested in At least it is not expedient to impose so heavie a burthen upon weake Christians Obiect The childe of God is no sooner borne Answ but he desireth to continue in that estate of life and salvation to please God in all things and to maintaine peace and joy within himselfe all which is effected by the use of this armour NOw to come to those helpes either by our selves alone or others also for the other kinde shall have another place these are prayer and reading First of Praier Prayer is a cal●ing upon God accordling to his will it hath two parts Thankesgiving and Request whereunto is added the Confession of sinnes Thankesgiving is that part of Prayer in which we being comforted by some benefit which in favour God bestoweth upon us are drawne to love and praise him and shew forth the fruits thereof In this direction there are to be observed three things and three motives unto them 1. The first motive is knowledge and due consideration of some particular benefit received or promised us 1 Sam. 25.32 Gen. 24.27 Luk. 17.15 Without these three can be no true and heartie thankesgiving howsoever in words there be a protestation for fashion sake 2. The second is joy and gladnesse of heart for the benefit which wee thinke of or call to minde Psalm 126.1.2 Except wee finde this sweetnesse in the mercies no duty of thankes c●n in good sort be performed by them 3. The third is a perswasion that the benefit for which we give thankes commeth to us from God his fatherly love This is a farre greater cause of gladnesse than the benefit it selfe Psal 116.5 1. The first duty is a continu●nce of our love to God Ps 126.1 2. The second is a desire to set ●orth his glory and in words to ●rofesse and confesse his good●●sse for if wee love the Lord we ●annot but be carried with this ●ervent desire to advance and mag●ifie him Psal 116.12 and 111. 3. The third is a further pro●eeding in obedience and walking worthy his kindnesse this one if it be wanting from the rest maketh them all lame and maimed and as odious to God as the mortlings which were offered to him in sacrifices Deut. 6.10.11 Psal 50.16 If in this manner wee should frame our selves to thankefulnesse it must needes be a mighty and forcible meanes to mollifie the hard heart and to hold under the strudy corruptions of it so that they may be subj●ct to God yea even when strong provocations doe draw to the contrary Thus much of Thankesgiving Now for Confession Conf●ssion is an acknowledg●ment of our selves to be guilty and worthily to have deserved Gods wrath for our grievous offences together with a free and humble bewailing of them before the Lord such as are unknowne to us in a generall manner but those which we do know according to the nature of them particularly To the right practice of this there are foure things required 1 The first that wee feele our sinnes odious and burthensome to us 2 Secondly that we accuse our selves of them to God 3 Thirdly that we stand at his mercy having deserved condemnation 4 Fourthly that wee abase our selves thereby and so are weakned and our pride abated All these are in the confession of David Psal 51. of Daniel 9. of the Prodigall son Luk. 15.17 Now this confession being from time to time often made unto God will not suffer us to goe farre and lie long in any sinne but hunt it out before it be warme and nestled in us and therefore it must needes be of great force to strengthen us in a godly life The last part of Prayer is Request it is that part of Prayer wherein wee earnestly poure out our sutes unto God in contrition of heart according to his will with comfortable hope that through Christ we shall be heard and therefore forsaking the sinne which might hinder our sute In this duty also there are foure things to be observed 1 First that wee shew this contrition of heart by being pressed with feeling our wants unworthinesse miserable estate and manifold miseries earnestly desiring to be pardoned and eased 1 Sam. 1.15 Luk. 18.13 I● this be so as will soone follow upon right confession wee shall n●ither pray in lip-labour which God abhorreth nor thinke our selves too good to wait Gods leasure if at fi●st hee grant not our requests but continue them as he commandeth 2 That wee aske onely those things as wee have a word for and in such sort as hee hath promised them 1 Ioh. 5.14 3 That wee quicken our selves to come in faith and confidence and oft-times to come chearefully to this duty Jam. 6.1 Ioh. 16.24 Now to the end we may come with chearefull delight unto this duty let us consider the fruites which are especially three 1 First that by prayer wee are made in a sort acquainted and familiar with God and know his mind and will and how he is affected to us being admitted to speak unto him Iam. 4.8 Ioh. 16.26 Rev. 3.10 2 Secondly that it giveth life to God his graces