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	see_v	soul_n	2,772	5	5.0753	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53272	The first, last, or, The formal hypocrite further from salvation (as to the way of God's ordinary working) than the prophane sinner being the substance of several sermons preached in course at a lecture in the countrey / by J.O. ...	Oldfield, John, 1627?-1682.	1666 (1666)	Wing O219A; ESTC R17591	60,026	155

Religious Performances 'T is a sad sign thou art yet a Formalist and to thee the Text speaks terror 5. He is a Formalist whose Duties do no execution upon his sins he Prays and sins Hears and sins goes in a round as a Horse in a Mill Take him at his Prayers you may hear him perhaps confessing his Worldliness but take him in the World and you find him as covetous as griping as apt to defraud as ever he comes off his duties as if he had but begg'd leave to sin yea sin gets strength by his performances As the Harlot Prov. 7.14 15. I have Peace-offerings by me this day I have paid my vows Come let us take our fill of love So he thinks his morning and evening-Duties procure him liberty to sin all the day when he hath heard though the Word was never so pierceing he never thinks more of it to reform his heart or life by it that he hath heard satifies him never thinking what or to what end he hath heard hence it is that no execution is done upon his lusts Now with the sincere Christian 't is far otherwise his Duties give sin a shake loosen it at the root True indeed a corruption may out-live many a Prayer Sermon Humiliation-day without any sensible decay yea may seem to get head and grow more turbulent yet every Duty rightly performed doth something towards the mortification of it as in cutting down a tree every stroak doth not bring it down yet some chips are cut off and in battering a Fort every shot doth not beat it down yet makes it weaker and prepares it for the next So every Duty doth something weaken sin at least thus for that it increases the Soul's hatred of it and puts upon him a fresh engagement to pursue it to the death examine then doth sin get strength by thy Religious duties dost thou grow into more love and liking of thy bosome corruptions for that 's the surest evidence of sins growth Then hast thou just cause to suspect thy self of formality and to apply this terror to thy self 6. The Formalist is ordinarily full of confidence and self-conceit very supercilious towards poor bruised reeds and doubting souls he looks upon the weak Believer as no body in comparison of himself Thus you see it in the Pharisees Joh. 7.48 Luk. 18.9 12. Paul was once of this temper Rom. 7.9 He was alive without the Law once i. e. highly conceited and strongly confident of his good condition so the Formalist seldom suspects himself never is at a loss for his Evidences The Devil befriends him and helps him up to this Pinacle he is not more an enemy to true saving Faith then a friend to Presumption The sincere Christian on the other hand is very suspitious often trying dougbting searching works out his salvation with fear and trembling 'T is true some healthy well-complexion'd Christians but oh how rare are they keep up faith in a lively and constant exercise can look within the veil and are not subject to those frequent tossings and doubtings as others but then they do not brow-beat and carry scornfully and contemptuously towards those that have not attained to their Measure they are very tender towards the weakest Lambs in Christ's fold and can sympathize in their weaknesses and help to bear their Infirmities That supposed assurance that is joined with the contempt of weak ones and separated from a holy humble watchful walking with God is a sure note of a Formalist There is fear and jealousie in the best David Psal 139. 20 end professes his sincerity yet suspects there ma be some way of wickedness in him so that if thou hast high presumptions and low performances strong confidence upon weak grounds and this lifts thee up in thy own conceit above thy weak brethren conclude thy self but yet a Formalist 7. The Formalist hath some regard to the matter of the first Table little to the second Piety as to the face of it he practiseth but equity and charity he little looks at perhaps nor sobriety neither he thinks his duties towards God may excuse his deficiencies towards men And herein by the way the Moralist and Formalist differ the former being onely or chiefly for second table duties though both do convenire in tertio agree in this third thing that they neglect Christ and put confidence in their own righteousness This that I say of the Formalist is evident Psal 50.8 with verse 18 19 20. They were constant at their sacrifices but deeply guilty of Theft Adultery evil-speaking and false accusations with the same mouth did they bless God or curse or speak evil of man made after the image of God Jam. 3.9 so Jer. 7.4 They cry The Temple of the Lord. i. e duties sacrifices but verse 5 6. They did not execute judgment between a man and his neighbour they oppressed the stranger the fatherless and the widdow they shed innocent blood c. so verse 9. They did steal murder commit adultery and swear falsly The like you may see Isa 58.2 They seek me daily and delight to know my waies c. yea verse 3. They challenge God and charge him as not having regard to their fasting and afflicting their Souls yet these verse 4. did fast for strife and debate and to smite with with the fist of wickedness See more of their failings towards their neighbour verse 6 7 9 10. Where Gods calling for such duties at their hands sufficiently intimates their defectiveness in them Possibly some smaller acts of righteousness or mercy they may doe so did the Pharisees Matth. 23.23 They tithed Mint Annise and Cummin but the weightier points of the law judgment mercy or faith that is as some with good reason interpret faithfulness in their dealings with men these they neglected Yea by their rare device of Corban i. e. a gift given to the Priest or Temple that their Parents might be prayed for disoblige the child from that necessary duty of succouring his necessitous Parents Matth. 15.5.6 with Mark 7.11 12. Thus making pretended piety towards God a cloak for neglect of duty towards man and upon this account how many Formalists are to be found amongst us are not many that have set up Prayer and reading in their Families who frequent Ordinances and seem to be eminent in piety as bad yea much worse in second-Table-duties then the prophanest Who more griping and oppresive Who more ready to over-reach in Bargaining To defraud or abridg their Minister of his due So that as to the business of equity and justice of people towards their Minister we could rather desire to be cast upon a prophane superstitious ignorant people then amongst knowing Formalists Besides who more quarrelsome fuller of strife and debate more apt to go to Law for trifles then these Can these things consist with sincertty are they not plain evidences of a rotten heart a meer Formalist Surely sincerity hath an equal respect to all God's Commandments will