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	power_n	soul_n	2,506	5	5.3976	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88993	A sermon preached to the Honorable House of Commons, at their late solemne fast, Wednesday, Feb. 26. 1644. / By John Maynard, minister of the Word of God at Mayfield in Sussex, and a member of the Assembly of Divines.	Maynard, John, 1600-1665.	1645 (1645)	Wing M1452; Thomason E277_2; ESTC R200000	34,511	39

dependeth wholly upon the death of the Testatour To this end saith he was I borne and for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse to the Truth How many thousands of God his Saints have drunk of the same Cup in severall Ages It is appointed to all men once to dye and that is a blessed improvement of death when a man dyeth not onely in the Lord but for the Lord and His Truth He that loseth his life shall find it He shall find mortality swallowed up of life His life is hid with Christ in God far above the reach of any weapons of warre and when Christ who is his life shall appear then shall he also appeare with him in Glory And now give me leave Much honoured Worthyes to bespeake your selves in the Name of the God of Truth whom I looke upon as precious Instruments of the Lord for the advancing and promoting of His Truth Truth of doctrine of worship of discipline truth and power of Godlinesse Ye are farre engaged in this Cause of truth already and it concerneth you to goe on both in Conscience and in point of Honour but chiefely for the Honour of your God who hath so highly dignifyed and so many wayes encouraged you by notable testimonies of His Presence Let it appeare that ye are so possessed with the truth so overpowered by the truth that ye may justly apply that of the Apostle to your selves We can do nothing against the truth but for the truth and then Christ will not fayle to make good that title which he hath assumed to himself The Amen the faithfull and true witnesse The People of God have reposed a great trust in you and they expect truth from you And blessed be God they have had their desires in great measure already answered and the Worke is yet in your hands these first-fruits seeme to be pledges of a full Harvest if our sinnes doe not blast our hopes One of the cleerest evidences I conceive which ye can give of the truth of your hearts to the Publick Cause is Selfe-denyall and quitting of Private Interests Of this ye have given reall demonstration in your readines to devest your selves of militarie and civill dignities that ye might reserve your selves for your proper worke Hereupon yee may with greater Authority exact truth from those whom yee shall imploy a true accompt of the publick service and for the future at least a true accompt of the publick treasure though perhaps for the time past it may be difficult if not impossible in regard of those many sudden exigents confusions unexpected occurrences which have happened yea inasmuch as ye have made your selves such eminent precedents of self-denyall how can others in modesty refuse if you require them not to seeke great things for themselves in making over much advantage of the publick miseries especially such whose service is attended with no hazard and very little labour some redresse in these things might encourage the well affected to more cheerefulnesse in assisting the common Cause and stop the mouthes of others More particularly let me beseech you in the first place to examine every man the truth and sincerity of his owne heart in managing the great businesse which yee have in hand To professe a mans selfe engaged in the Cause of truth and yet to be salfe-hearted toward it and to harbour treacherous aimes against it is not onely contrary to the duty of a Christian but a thing far below the spirit and ingenuity of a Gentleman it suiteth better with the basenes of common cheaters then with men of place and worth A man who by his corrupt principles is led out of the way and put into a posture of defiance and open hostility against the truth is lesse odious by many degrees then a false brother I am perswaded there was more of the Devill in one Judas then in all the High Priests Cavaliers and that Christ resented more hellish malignity in that one Traytours kisse than in all their swords and staves Wherefore Let every man prove his owne worke and then shall he have rejoycing in himselfe and not in another For every man shall bear his owne burden It is not enough to joyne with those who are sincere in the Worke of the Lord but every man must prove his own worke with what heart out of what inward principles to what end upon what grounds and motives in what manner he doth it that he may have rejoycing in himselfe and not in those with whom he joyneth in a good cause nor by comparing himselfe with those who either directly oppose or basely desert it For in the great day of account every man shall beare his owne burden men shall not be ranked on the right hand by whole Companies Corporations Regiments Brigades Armies Houses of Parliament but as in that search which was made in Achan his case they shall be singled out man by man and every mans worke shall be tried in particular 2. Be united among your selves in the great cause of Truth according to that of the Apostle Stand fast in one spirit with one minde striving together for the Faith of the Gospel The expressions are strong he speaketh to them as to Champions of the Truth as the originall word importeth and to whom may it bee applyed if not to such ●oble Champions as your selves stand fast keep your ground Servate gradum as Beza maintain your station and that in one spirit in the power and strength of that Holy Spirit of Truth with one minde or one soul wrestling or striving together as if ye were a combination of many bodies associated and concentred together by one soul as one man with joynt forces contending for the Truth of the Gospel and for the cause of Truth so should ye be able to strengthen your spirits with that encouragement following In nothing terrified by your adversaries which is to them an evident token of perdition but to you of salvation and that of God Your uniting would be a terrour to the adversaries a strengthening to your selves an encouragement to those who are friends to the truth and your friends and servants for the Truthes sake If a noble Heathen out of a morall bravery of spirit could privatas inimicitias reipublicae condonare passe by private quarrells for the Common-wealthes sake far be it from any Member of a Christian Parliament not to lay down all private grudges and crosse designes at the feet of this afflicted Church and State far be it from them not to quit them for the truthes sake lest the cause of truth should miscarry through their default If the greatest persons who will approve their hearts to God must throw down their Crownes at the footstoole of Christ how much more their corruptions But especially let every one take heed of raising or fomenting divisions out of a secret desire to hinder the carrying on of the great work

thee to buy the truth let not their differences about few and lesse materiall things discourage thee 4. Cast off that prejudice which Satan may suggest unto thee in regard of the meanenesse of those persons who hold forth the truth either as the Lord his Agents whom he maketh use of to invite buyers the Ministers of the Gospell or as purchasers who having bought the truth desire to commend their penny-worths to others as Philip did to Nathanael We have found him of whom Moses and the Prophets did write Jesus of Nazareth Come and see If any such be contemptible in the eye of the world as those were who followed Christ whom the proud Pharisees overlooked with so much scorne This people who knoweth not the Law are cursed Let not this seeme any disparagement to the Truth of God which needeth not borrow any thing from man it s owne soveraigne Authority is enough to command all its native beauty and proper worth is sufficient to commend it to all When King Amaziah had set up and worshipped the Idolls of the same people whom himselfe had lately overcome in battle the Lord sent him this Message by a Prophet Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people which could not deliver their owne people out of thine hand This was a Truth which carried so much strength and evidence of Reason in it that it seemeth to preclude all contradiction yet see how pride and prejudice against the person that held it forth prevailed saith the King Art thou made of the Kings Councell forbeare why shouldest thou be smitten Art thou a fit person to reprove a King thou art none of the Privie Councell marke how the Prophet replyeth and twice descanteth upon the Kings words I know that God hath Counselled to destroy thee because thou hast done this and hast not hearkened to my Counsell Doest thou despise my Message because I am not made of thy Councell Know this that in this particular the King of Kings hath made me of his Councell and the word which I brought is the very Truth and Counsell of the great God as thou shalt find to thy ruine inasmuch as thou hast despised it The Truth of God needeth not receive any reputation from rotchets or scarlets if thou despisest it for the meannesse of those that bring it thou despisest Him that sendeth it 2. Let us consider what we must give up or lay out for Truth when the Lord calleth for it And here observe that although truth be alwaies alike precious in it selfe yet at some time the purchase of it is more costly then at other Bread-Corne it is as good in it selfe and as necessary for the life of man at one time as at another yet ye know in some time of scarcity one bushell may cost as much as three or foure in times of plenty but whatever it cost it must be had Men must live so Truth hath its deare yeares when those that will buy it must give greater rates than ordinary but whatsoever it cost it must be had we must buy it or else we perish Now we must alwayes give up our selves to God that we may buy truth our understandings wills affections our soules and bodies to his guidance soveraigne command and disposing And as it is said concerning God He that spared not his owne Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things so on our part he that sincerely giveth up himselfe to the Lord to be wholly his how can he thinke any thing too dear when the Lord requireth it why did not the young man give up his possessions upon Christs demand because he had not given up himselfe When the Lord told Peter what he should suffer for the truth and by what death he should glorifie God he questioneth about his Fellow-Disciple whether out of curiosity or some spice of envie I know not And what shall this man doe Jesus saith unto him If I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee If I will that he live till I come and call him in an ordinary way of visitation and that the Truth of the Gospell shall prove more costly to thee than to him what doeth that concerne thee If both of yee give up your hearts to mee and my truth it is no great matter whether it cost you more or lesse in other regards 2. Then yee must buy truth though it cost yee never so much of your treasures either to procure the meanes or to maintaine the cause or to retaine the profession and practice of Truth All these things must be looked upon as losse and dung in comparison of the excellency of Christs truth What is a man profited if he shall gaine the whole world and lose his soule and if he leave the truth he loseth his soule It may seeme the times are come upon us wherein the Lord will make discoveries who they are that prize this earthly drosse above those rich treasures of his Kingdome Let us not say in our hearts we could willingly purchase truth if it might be had at such easie rates as our Fathers bought it No if we will not buy it now at such a price as it may be had whatsoever it be neither would we have bought it then though at a lower rate And those who lived and died in those times and purchased truth indeed would have bought it at a farre higher rate had it beene exacted of them He that giveth up his heart to God for truth will never breake off for the price he that doth not yeeld up his heart doth never truly buy though he liveth in the cheapest times 3. Be content to lay out your strength for truth to take any paines to undergoe any labour What if any of you be forced to travell more miles than others such a reason doth not keepe people from Faires and Markets although the English Merchant hath a longer voyage to the East Indies than the Portugals by many leagues this doth not make them give over trading Though it cost thee more paines in reading studying meditation by reason of the slownes of thy apprehension weakenes of judgment or memory more striving in prayers more fears more labouring with thine own heart to bring it in subjection unto truth than it doth some other let nothing beat thee off buy it whatsoever it may cost thee 4. Be content to engage all the credit which thou hast with the world for the purchase of truth Buy it with the hazard and if need be the losse of thy reputation Among the chiefe rulers many believed ●n Christ but because of the Pharisees they did not confesse him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue for they loved the praise of men more then the praise of God They valued their credit with men above the truth of God miserable folly though the way of truth should be