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	ghost_n	holy_a	1,385	5	5.2286	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77976	The eighth book of Mr Jeremiah Burroughs. Being a treatise of the evil of evils, or the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Wherein is shewed, 1 There is more evil in the least sin, than there is in the greatest affliction. 2 Sin is most opposite to God. 3 Sin is most opposite to mans good. 4 Sin is opposite to all good in general. 5 Sin is the poyson, or evil of all other evils. 6 Sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it. 7 Sin makes a man conformable to the Devil. All these several heads are branched out into very many particulars. / Published by Thomas Goodwyn, William Bridge, Sydrach Sympson, William Adderly, [double brace] William Greenhil, Philip Nye, John Yates.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1654 (1654)	Wing B6063; Thomason E819_1; ESTC R207405	254,421	485

the contrary But now you have heard there is nothing contrary to God to speak properly but only sin and if sin be the only contrary that God hath then certainly sin doth seek the destruction of God so much as it can though it be true a sinner can never do God hurt nor cannot hinder Gods working or Being at al whatsoever become of this wretch though he be destroyed and perish to al Eternity God will remain blessed for ever But this is the Nature of sin to seek the destruction of the Eternal God of glory Oh charge your hearts with this do not stay till God come at the day of Judgment to charge you with this for many poor sinners that went on blind-fold all their daies and never saw sin what it was then comes God upon their death bed and chargeth them with this and then their hearts are full of horror And so at the day of Judgment when God comes to charge them with this then they will be amazed and will see the truth of this Therfore seeing God doth it now before the day of Judgment do you now charge it upon your own hearts that so you may be humbled This is the Third Particular It strikes at God Fourthly Sin wrongs God exceedingly It doth that wrong unto God that all the Angels in Heaven and men in the world cannot make up again Any one sin take but the least sin that thou dost commit I say it doth that wrong unto God that all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World can never make up again if all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the world should come and say Lord God this poor wretched Creature hath committed this sin this day O Lord we are content to suffer ten thousand yeers torment in Hell to satisfie for that wrong that is done to thee by this man or womans sin God would say it cannot be done by all Men and Angels they can never make up this wrong and yet as I shall shew hereafter God wil have this wrong made up or thou must perish Eternally Many men plead thus Who can challenge me and say I have wronged them in al my life they think this enough well suppose thou hast lived so that thou hast not wronged man either in word or deed Oh but thou hast wronged God the Living Eternal God can charge thee though man cannot that thou hast done him that wrong that all the Creatures in the world cannot make it good It were a sad thing if a man had done that wrong to a Kingdom that all the Blood in his Veins and in ten thousand generations more could not make up again he would be weary of his life You have done that wrong to the God of Heaven that all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World can never make up again Well to conclude Though the things be hard and sad to think on God knows I treat in tender bowels and compassion to you and I do not know that ever I spake to any people in the world with more compassion and that in this particular And know though I speak of these things now yet if God give liberty I shall be as glad and willing to be large in shewing you the riches of the grace of the Gospel in Christ and Gods mercy in Christ And I hope your hearts will be as free and large in this as I am in speaking of this And if I were now treating never so much of the riches of Gods mercy in Christ I could not do it with more Bowels of Compassion than I do this but I do this that you may come to know your selves that you may come to know Christ that Christ may be precious in your thoughts For the special end of Christs coming was To take away sin to deliver from sin therfore we must know sin and charge our souls with sin that Christ may be precious Therefore if any soul shal go away and say Wo to me what have I done yea then such a soul is fit to hear of the Doctrine of grace and mercy in Christ and that in due time if God give liberty may be declared to such a soul But now for the present I beleeve this is a necessary point for you to know and this is that though some may perhaps rise against it that thousand thousands wil have cause to bless God for to all eternity when it is preached home upon their Consciences by the Spirit of the Lord which convinceth of the sinfulness of sin CHAP. XI How sin wrong God 1 In his Attributes 2 Relation of Father Son and Holy Ghost 3 His Counsels 4 In the End for which God hath done all he hath done And First Sin wrong Gods Attributes 1 His All-sufficiency shewd in two particulars 2 It wrong his Omnipresence and Omnisciency 3 Sin wrong his Wisdom 4 Wrong his Holiness 5 Sin wrong God in setting mans will above Gods 6 Sin wrong Gods Dominion 7 Sin wrong Gods Justice 8 Sin wrong God in his Truth THis was that which we proposed in the third place but we shall handle it in this fourth place that we may enlarge upon it But how doth sin wrong God The wrong you do to God by sin is such wrong that if all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World would be content to endure thousands of yeers of torment in Hell to make up that wrong it could not be any one sin that you commit doth such wrong to God How doth this appear To make it out I shal shew unto you four things 1 How sin doth wrong God in all his Attributes 2 How it wrongs God in his Personal Relations Father Son and Holy Ghost 3 How it wrongs him in his Counsels in that order he hath set in the World in all Creatures 4 How it wrongs God in the very End for which he hath done all that he hath done in the end of all his Works even his Glory First Sin wrongs God in his Attributes As thus First Sin doth hold forth this That there is not a sufficiency of good in God for the satisfying of a soul this language is apparant in every sin and it holds this forth so far as sin doth appear it holds this forth before all and speaks this language That there is not enough good in God That is the Blessed Glorious Al-sufficient Eternal Unchangable good and Fountain of all good yet sin makes this profession That there is not enough good in God to satisfie this soul or else why doth the soul depart from him in any sinful way and go to the Creature for any good if there be enough in God himself Now there is great wrong done to that blessed God who is goodness it self for any Creature to hold this forth That there is not sufficient good there but that the Creature must be fain to seek for it elswhere out of God So long as we seek comforts in the Creature in

from thy self 4 Thou art not like to hold out Also two Answers to an Objection of those that think they avoid sin for fear of Hell 1. Thy Sensitive part may be most stirr'd by fear but yet thy rational part may be most carried against sin as sin 2. Those that avoid sin meerly for fear never come to love the Command that forbid the sin 3 They are willingly ignorant of many sins 4. Those that avoid sin and not out of fear even when they fear God will destroy them then they desire God may be glorified 5. Those that avoid sin out of fear do not see the excellency of Godliness so as to be inamored with it Thirdly It reprehends those that will sin to avoid affliction Fourthly It rebukes such as when they are under affliction they be more sensible of affliction than of sin Also there is five Discoveries whether mens affliction or sin trouble them Fifthly It reprehends those that get out of Affliction by sinful courses and yet think they do well Sixthly It reprehends those that after deliverance from affliction can bless themselves in their sins Use XVII COme we now to the last thing The last Use is this I wil but shew what might have been said and so wind up all There are six sorts of People that from this Point are reprehended You shall see all Naturally follow from the Point in hand that there is greater Evil in Sin than in Affliction First Such kind of people as be more afraid of Affliction than of sin There be many people very ●hy of Affliction and solicitous to prevent Affliction but not to prevent Sin Many reason thus I had need be a good Husband and lay up somwhat I know not what I may meet withal before I die I may want before I die many are penurious and covetous and will not enlarge themselves to good uses when God calls because they be afraid they and their Children may want before they die who knows what we may meet withal and thus they are careful to prevent Affliction But for Sin they do not lay up to prevent that whereas we should be very solicitous least we should be drawn into temptation and therefore we are taught to pray Lead us not into temptation as well as Forgive us our trespasses True God keeps me from such and such sins but what if God should leave me to temptation what a wretched Creature should I be if ever this corrupt heart of mine should prevail against me as I have cause to fear I find such wickedness boyling and bubling up and such pronenesse to such and such sin if the Lord be not infinitely merciful to me I shall break out to the dishonor of his Name scandal of Religion and wounding of my Conscience and this God knows causes the most solicitous care that I ever had least my heart should break out against God to the scandal of that holy Profession I have taken upon me Oh is it thus with you Oh this were a happy thing indeed As when men hear of one that is broke they wil inquire what is the reason he had such an Estate what is the reason he broke One may be saith he trusted Servants too much and that caused him to break Oh this will cause him to look so to it that he will never trust his Servants too much Another may be saith Because he lived above his means and this makes him that he will not live above his means And another He will have his Country House and his Servants riot at home when he is abroad And another He trusted too much and such like Reasons Now we will be wise to take heed of that which brings others to afflictions So it should be with us when we see any fall into sin Professors that made a shew of Religion and afterwards fall foully inquire now what is the matter this man broke he broke his Conscience what is the matter one that had such admirable gifts and made such a Profession Oh may be all the time he had a proud heart therefore I will keep my heart humble Oh he had Excellent Gifts and enlargements in Prayer but he had a slight vain Spirit Oh let me take heed of this root of bit ternesse in my Soul He is broke now but what is the matter Oh he began to be sluggish and cold in Closet work and such duties in his Family Oh let me take heed and keep up communion with God in secret in my Closet and in my Family He broke indeed but how Oh some secret sin he kept in his bosom there was some secret sin he let his heart hanker after and now God hath left him to it now by Gods grace I will look to my self I will by the grace of God take heed of secret sins Thus Brethren if we were sensible of the evil of Sin we would be thus careful to prevent the evil of sin as well as the evil of affliction And so many for their Children Oh they will be providing for their Children that they may live like men and have somwhat to take to but if you were apprehensive of the evil of sin you would provid for their Souls as well as their Bodies and therefore Oh let me put him in a good Family and there he may learn to prevent sin This is the First To reprove those that labor to prevent Affliction but not Sin Secondly It serves to reprove those that be careful to keep themselves from sin but 't is meerly for fear of affliction only upon that ground as if there were not evil enough in sin it self but all the evil were in affliction Certainly these men and women understand not this That there is more evil in Sin than in Affliction if thou didest understand and wert sensible of this Point I have treated upon thou wouldest find Arguments enough from sin it self to keep thee from sin though no affliction should follow Thou abstainest from sin what is the reason not because of any great evil thou seest in sin but because of affliction thy Conscience tells thee it will bring thee to trouble and into affliction and this keeps away sin 'T is true it is good for men and women to avoid sin upon any terms and this is one motive God propounds to avoid sin by but this is not all or the chief motive because of affliction and trouble Conscience tells thee God will be even with thee and the wrath of God pursues thee very few come so far to have such apprehensions of the evil consequences of sin and to avoid sin upon them grounds But you should labor not only to avoid sin from the evil consequences of sin but for the evil of sin it self for if thou avoid sin only from the evil consequences of sin Know 1 This may be without change of Nature a man or a woman may be in such an estate as they may not dare to commit some sin out of fear