Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	motion_n	natural_a	2,016	5	6.5181	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85985	The blessed peace-maker and Christian reconciler: intended for the healing of all unatural and unchristian divisions, in all relations: according to the purport of that divine oracle, pronounced by the Prince of Peace himself, Matth. 5.9. By Claudius Gilbert, B.D. minister of the Gospel at Limrick.	Gilbert, Claudius, d. 1696?	1658 (1658)	Wing G701; Thomason E939_3; ESTC R202209	119,212	155

stirred by so many convulsive motions in the body of Christ Our sinfull corruptions are still breeding the malign humours which cause such direful symptoms therein Our Pride and Passion our errors and folly our self-seeking and self-conceitedness prove the sad grounds of many distempers Our dividing Principles and practises are so many and so prevailing that the abuses shewed to Christs natural Body by the Barbarian Crue are most desperately revived thereby upon his mystical Body It much aggravates our sins and Christs sufferings that the members themselves of his own Body have a chief hand therein To be a self-murtherer a felo de se is horrid to think of How much worse is it to be murtherers of Christs Body of our souls and others as far as in us lies Our unchristian jars are so unnarural that Pagans themselves would be ashamed of them Infidels of all sorts agree in their wayes Christs followers are still disagreeing We are too ready to lay the blame on others whereas we should charge it on our selves each of us What was observed by an Infidel about the Christians of his time that they were worse to each other then wolves are to men is upon sad grounds cast into our teeth by all Christs enemies that do surround us Those lusts of ours that disturb the Church have the like ill Influence upon all our civil Relations Satan hath a great stroak in all our divisions and finds it best fishing in such troubled waters The least spark of Ingenuity cannot but make the hearts of Christs friends to break and relent at these considerations But some think and say Object Divisions are indeed sinfull and wofull hindering all good and procuring all evil but we cannot help it the fault is not ours we must contend for Truth blame others for opposing it if they come not up to our Light how can we agree as things are now it cannot be otherwise there were such before and the Lord will turn all to good at last Answ 1. We should the more judge our selves for these evils because they are increased to such a height that little help can be afforded thereto Is not our sin and danger so much the greater thereby that our diseases are so inveterate so complicate and desperately incurable The more shame for us that have let them grow so long on us till they be thus radicated within and spreading as so many ulcered Cancers and dreadfull Gangrenes 2. Excuse we not our selves by blaming of others for we have all had too much hand in this Epidemical evil We should not imitate our foolish children that will be still justifying themselves though they be guilty and charging of others Should not we rather imitate David and condemn our selves Which of us can say that his heart is clean Were we never moved by any Lust of ours to cast in fuel into these Incendie The most gracious judge themselves most still 3. Though we are bid to contend mightily for the faith yet are we also bound to speak the Truth in love and to avoid perverse disputings There is a good contention for Truth against the Subverters of it carried on graciously and an ill contention about lesser things and against Christs friends carried on sinfully Gods work is never well done with the devils Tools He never needs nor likes Satans help Mans wrath doth not fulfill the righteousness of God Is it not pitty that Gods Truth should suffer by our ill handling and be made a patron to mens base lusts and a disguise to them Do not our dissentions savour too much still of self sin Satan 4. There is an unseasonable profession of some Truth wherein we are ready to discover much evil and to do much hurt We must indeed be alwayes ready to give a reason of our faith to any one that asks not in diriding scorn nor ensnaring malice but with meekness and fear so as to honor God prevent scandals be helpfull to others discharge a good conscience and own the name of Christ when duly called But this Command as all other Affirmatives though it binds still yet not for every season to be published There is a time wherein silence is expedient as when others cannot bear a Truth of lesser weight which would hinder a more important Truth or prove a block to the work of Christ and my profession or when its like to be basely abused by the palpable corruptions of Standers by or asked in scorn or malice c. Hast thou faith saith the Apostle have it to thy self in such a case a fool utters all his mind but he that is wise keeps it in till afterwards Should we not be humbled for our Imprudence and rashness in not observing the times of speech and silence 5. Though others come not up fully to our Light it excuses not our unchristian janglings Cannot Christians agree unless their complexions agree in all things Is there not a great variety of Gifts and Graces in the Lords school and family as there is diversity among the members of all Societies is it not our weakness and sin rigidly to measure all others by our line and force them to our standard Doth not the Lords word still direct the strong not to dispise the weak and the weak not to judge the strong but to be mutually compassionate and helpful as becomes the members of Christs body Should not Christs servants attend their work together so far as they understand his Will walking in love till they can receive and give further satisfaction mutually 6. There have been indeed sad distractions in former Ages but was it not the sin and sorrow of Gods people That Abraham and Lot Paul and Barnabas Moses Aaron and Miriam should fall out was very sad indeed The various wranglings of the Corinthians as of other Apostolical Churches and of all after ages to this day in every Nation hath still moved Gods people to singular Humiliations should they not do so with us 7. God also hath an over-ruling hand in the disposal of our distempers as of all things else to his Glory and Mans good His way is made through such whirl-winds his paths appear in the storms and depths he suffers the poison of sin as the Soveraign Physician who can correct it so as to bring forth a greater Good out of it He will still so curb both sin and Satan that they shall be subservient to his Ends as all things else also Surely the wrath of man shall praise him and the remainder thereof will he restrain But is this any excuse either to man or devil Doth it lessen our evil against so great and so good a God Should it not the more deeply affect us that we wound our selves and others still to make work for him Is it not pitty that the riches of his Divine Bounty and Patience should be thus abused Will the Lord alwayes bear with such horrid Affronts

the name of Christ It s also too clear by sad experience that many such are ranging among us But you had need beware that you mistake not Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light that you put not bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter There is a woe denounced against such perverse Over-turners of persons and things Ponder well therefore what it is you dislike and oppose in them Is it not that purity and power of his Word and Grace which they own and promote Do not you think them too rigid and strait laced for your loose and wanton Spirits Are not you afraid of lessening your sinfull pleasures profits and credit if they should bear sway Are not you secretly moved with envy and indignation at the advancement of Christs Name by them Do not you feel sometimes the Truth they declare gnawing your conscience and stabing your heart Are not the Persons often so nicknamed humble and holy meek and yielding still desirous to promote true Peace Is it indeed for evil or for good that you malign and oppose their work Were it for sin in them you would abhor your selves and your Companions much more then you do them for your sins exceed theirs notoriously Were it not for their good that you oppose them you would honor and practise that good to better purpose But is not your case much like that of the Scribes and Pharisees They adorned the Tombs of the Prophets speaking well of the times and persons past But they maligned and still persecuted the living Prophets and servants of Christ who taught the same Doctrine Thus ye speak well of our first Reformers and Preachers that are dead and cannot now touch your conscience but do not you slight and oppose the liviug Prophets and Ministers of Christ who tread in their steps and teach the same Doctrine of his Word and Peace Fourthly You call their Way a new Religion that would over-turn all But are not you deceived and grosly mistaken There are indeed too many old errors raked up out of Satans old dung-hill set out with a new dress and passing for new Light Such a new Religion would indeed over-turn all if but let alone and is justly to be abhorred of all But that which you mis-call is it not the Religion of the new Testament renewing the gracious Edition of the Lords Covenant Is it not that Truth of Divine Scriptures wherein both Old and New Testaments agree Is it not the good old way of believing Abraham and David of all the Patriarcks Prophets and Apostles renewed by Christ for Evangelical use Is not Truth ancienter then error as much as God is elder then the Devil Suppose it brings something new to you in Doctrine Worship or Discipline Doth your Ignorance make it a new Religion Or is every lesser difference in the things of Christ a new Religion Suppose it come to reform things amiss in your persons and families as in Church and State Is the redress of things an over-turning Is weeding of the ground and dressing of ●t hurtfull or usefull Are not you content to have your body troubled with Physick to purge out ill humours and recover health Will not you be willing that Gods Physick should work effectually on your selves and others Suppose your own and others Corruptions be thereby over-turned by the Root will not Church and State be the better for it and your selves also If you get no good and see little Peace from this Gospel of Peace you must blame your own and others Lusts still set in opposition thereto Is not mens folly signally notorious that oppose Gods Word and his Ministers and then complain of the Breach of Peace Is not their misery of the like magnitude that abuse and oppose both the messengers and message of Peace like the mad and wretched Patient that abuses both Physitian and Physick Doth not your complaint of the Lords servants resemble that of Ahab to Elijah calling him the Troubler of Israel and his enemy May they not answer you as Elijah did to him As Paul to the Galathians are they become your enemies because they tell you the Truth Whilst you are enemies to the Peace-makers of Gods own sending what can you expect from the God of Peace Thirdly We have here also a just reproof to the professed friends of Peace-making There is altogether a fault among such even the best of them Our deadness and dulness our backwardness and frowardness about it deserves sharp Rebukes No wonder if we miss of the Blessings of Peace that take so little pains about Peace-making Yea we not only neglect our duty and omit much good but we also commit very much evil which hinders the good that we should promote It s our sin let it be our shame and sorrow that we have done so little about this great Work The many Rebukes sent by the Apostle to the Christians at Corinth and Rome at Phillipi Colossus and other places should be pressed home upon our Consciences to awaken and humble us Our sins therein are the more provoking because of our near relation to the God of Peace that calls us to this work If it be so dreadfull to be thus abused by strangers and enemies how much worse is it for Christ to suffer this from his nearest friends and dearest Relations How ill do we take it from our menial servants when they do neglect any special Business committed to their care Peace-making is the work whereto Gods servants are peculiarly called the neglect whereof must needs displease him much Our Peace with God is often much ecclipsed and clouded through our own default and neglect of the means appointed to us for acquaintance with the Lord our Peace How much help might we afford to others to the making of their Peace if we were but faithfully industrious The Lord is pleased to honor his so far as to create the fruits of their lips to be Peace Peace for the good of many Should it not grieve us much that we dishonor him so much in that work for lack of prudence activeness and zeal Christ himself made it his chief business to speak words of Peace to the troubled souls and comfort his Mourners in reviving thei● contrite Spirits how unl ke are we to him about that very thing Do not we too often act like Peace-breakers rather then Peace-makers with respect to our own and others consolation by omitting good and committing evil The Peace of his Church is most dear to him who spent and was spent for that very end But doth it not appear of little worth to us considering how little we do for it It offends us much to see our families disturbed with brawls between our children and servants yet what sad jarrings do we too often behold and occasion in the Lords family with little feeling and less helpfulness It would trouble us much to feel Convulsions in our own bodies but how little are we