Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bring_v	effect_n	good_a	1,532	5	3.6660	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15726	The ground of a Christians life Deliuered in a sermon at Harwood in Lancashire, the first day of December 1618. By Robert Worthington minister of Gods word at Acceington.	Worthington, Robert, minister of Gods word at Acceington.	1620 (1620)	STC 25999; ESTC S103650	35,929	86

is guiltie of impietie before God which is expounded in the words following because he eateth not of faith To conclude by an Antithesis in my Text Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Where there is not faith there must A wicked cause bringeth forth a bad effect needes be doubting and where is doubting there is sinne a miserable cause ordinarily produceth a lamentable effect for so much is verified in this conclusion Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne In these words are three things remarkeable The diuision 1 The generalitie Whatsoeuer that is anie actiō though not indifferē● wherin is included thoghts words works 2 The cause Not of faith that is not assured in conscience vpon sound ground 3 The effect Is sinne that is impietie a breach of the Law of God It is not said That which is against The opening of the Text. faith but that action which is without faith displeaseth God whether greater or lesser matters either things absolutely necessary or casually indifferent Now There may be a conscience where there is no faith 1. Cor. 10. 29. some take faith for the conscience which cannot be for the weake may haue a conscience when they haue not faith as witnesseth the Apostle himselfe And the conscience I say not thine but of that other meaning the weake For why should my liberty be condemned of another mans conscience Secondly errour is not faith but the conscience is oftentimes erronious therefore the faith of hereti●kes is no faith but rather credulitie yet they haue a conscience Neither is euery opinion perswasion of the mind and conscience faith but that which is grounded vpon the word So then faith is a sound perswasion of Fides dicitur firma animi certitudo quae ex Dei veritate concepta sit à qu● si minimum deflectit non iam fides sed incerta est credulitas vagus mentis error Caluin in lib. Instit cap. 5. The maine doctrine from the full scope of the Text. the mind conceiued from Gods truth the man that would do an acceptable worke with the Lord must worke it of faith that is as I haue partly said an assurance in conscience grounded vpon the word that it may be done or not be done For such things as are required in the Scriptures are pleasing vnto him wherefore where the word of God is not there is no faith The doctrine then to be examined and extracted from hence is this That whatsoeuer is done without knowledge and perswasion from the tenor of the Scriptures to be truth to them that do it that action is a sinne Many haue aduentured from their variable opinions and vanishing conceits to draw peremptorie conclusions and these in themselues haue carried a golden glosse and appeared as Cristall but when they haue beene laid to the touchstone of Gods sacred truth for further triall they were found to be but splendida peccata beautifull deformities yea meere fallacies not any whit auaileable to pacifie the minde or giue full and sound satisfaction to the conscience In what high esteeme and reputation Humane wisdome and carnall imagination not a sufficient guide in diuine and spiritual affaires among the people were the Pharisees phylacteries and what glistering shewes of an vnblameable profession did they make But when the day-starre arose and he who was brighter then the Sunne appeared their glorious profession is but like an house without a foundation yea as vaine as Agrippaes pompe or Herods apparrell Christ with his owne mouth giueth testimony of their folly telling them in plaine speeches that That which Luke 16. 15. is highly esteemed of among men is an abhomination in the sight of God Nay further what good intentions as they are called yet how naked without their garment of faith how slipperie for want of a stay taxed by our Sauiour and reproued in the disciples themselues Peter put vp thy sword into his place As if Matth. 26. 52. he should say Thy intent is good but thou wantest a ground for I must suffer How could I be deliuered into the hands of the Iewes but that the Scriptures Verse 54. must be fulfilled which say it must be so I haue a groūd for my suffering but thou hast none for thy striking Peter therfore put vp thy sword for Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Iames and Iohn likewise are very peremptory Luke 9. 54. for want of entertainement among the Samaritans but Christ taxeth them of a preposterous zeale and an vnwarrantable assertion For he came to be a Sauiour and not a destroyer therefore at this time they want a ground for their rash purposes and indiscreete desires though otherwise they make neuer so goodly a shew in zeale and intention Num. 15. 32. Furthermore the man that gathered stickes vpon the Sabbath and Vzzah that put 2. Sam. 6. 7. Bare intentions and naked suppositions cannot be the ground of a sound faith foorth his hand to stay the Arke of God the open shaking it cannot be thought to want good intentions for that they enterprised yet because they went against the great command of that high Commander his direfull hand of iustice irreuocably subuerteth them for Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne The reasons follow First because without faith no action is not can be good or acceptable as witnesseth the Authour to the Hebrewes Without faith it is impossible Heb. 11. 6. to please God If God accept any worke it is through Christ● 〈◊〉 which worke there is required not onely the doing but the well doing vnto the which there is needfull sound ma●er a right maner and a good end the Lord Iesus himselfe being not onely adiutor but also a Doctor to his Church The materiall tabernacle must be framed and fashioned and Exod. 25. 9. furnished according to the Lords owne direction there must likewise be neither addition nor abstraction from those ten words deliuered in the Mount as it is written in Deuteronomy Take heed therfore Deut 5. 32. that you do as the Lord your God hath commanded you turne not aside neither to the right hand nor to the left The Iew and Papist they worship the true God but Wil-worships were euer abhominable before the Lord. not according to that manner the Lord requireth therefore their seruices are not of faith and if not of faith not acceptable Christ and his Father are one so are their lawes therefore whatsoeuer we ask the Father in his name he heareth vs. Yea saith the Apostle whatsoeuer we aske we receiue of him because we keepe his 1. Iohn 3. 22. commandements and do those things which are pleasing in his sight but without faith we cannot please God therefore without faith there can be no acceptance for whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Reason 2 My second reason is taken from the infallibilitie and truth of Scriptures We haue saith the Apostle a most true word

All things are lawfull for me but all 1. Cor. 10. 2● things are not expedient all things are lawfull for me but all things edifie not Now whatsoeuer is not expedient nor profitable may not accidentally be lawfull In some cases things lawfull become vnlawfull although in it selfe it may be so It is true that there is no indifferent thing vncleane of it selfe but Vnto him saith the blessed Apostle that iudgeth any thing to Rom. 14. 14. be vncleane to him it is vncleane It is requisite therefore that we stand fast in the libertie wherein Christ hath set vs free Galat. 5. 1. yet withall we must beware that we giue offence neither to Iew nor Gentile 1. Cor. 10. 32. nor to the Church of God And for the better doing of this we must looke to The edification and building vp of the Church must be a thing deare vnto vs. the right vsing of things indifferent for we easily infringe and abuse our Christian libertie There be three principall grounds or maine directions for the well vsing and ordering of things of this nature First when we vse them lawfully that is to Gods glorie not superstition or prophanenesse Therefore the Apostle commandeth that Whether we eate or 1. Cor. 10. 31. drinke or whatsoeuer we do we do all to the glorie of God Thus in eating and drinking which are in themselues things indifferent we are to seeke God Secondly when we vse them profitably to edification the good of man All things saith the Apostle must profit yea Euery Rom. 15. 2. man must please his neighbour in that which is good as Christ pleased not himselfe but others This belongeth properly to the weake and ignorant that Gods glorie and mans good the maine ends of all our actiōs may be in the Church whom I am bound to edifie support build vp and not by any meanes to weaken or grieue much lesse destroy although the thing be neuer so lawfull in it selfe Thirdly when we vse them proportionably that is in sobrietie not failing in the manner nor exceeding in the measure but so vsing them as they further vs in all duties of godlinesse being alwayes vigilant ouer our affections lest we be brought into bondage by them Let vs rather be said to enioy them then they vs. Thus for the strong Christian But the weake conscience may here Duties to be done and not simply grounded in the word must necessarily be examined obiect How shall I do all things of faith seeing there are so many lawes which are not simply prescribed in the Word Answer Lawes that simply and primarily binde in conscience are such as binde though there were no humane lawes to vrge them such as preaching hearing praying with others of the same qualitie and necessitie Thus the Apostle is said to preach Christ crucified although vnto 1. Cor. 1. 23. the Iewes a stumbling blocke and to the Gentiles Dan. 6. 10. foolishnesse And Daniel is said to pray three times a day and praise his God daily albeit the King and the people rage at him For this cause may it be lawfull to compell the Papist to come to the sacred ordinances and publike worship of God albeit it seeme to offend them for good king Iosias made a co●enant with the 2. Chro. 34. 32 Lord and caused all his people to stand to it Other lawes there are which do not simply primarily binde in conscience but secondarily and in respect wherefore although the wholesome lawes of the Magistrate bind not simply primarily the conscience but secondarily yet Magistrates must be obeyed of conscience in all lawful things we must obey their wholsome lawes for conscience sake our consciences being bound not by the law of the Magistrate but by Gods law which bindeth to the obedience of the Magistrates lawes in all lawfull and honest things according to the rule of the Apostle Romans 13. 5. Rom. 13. 5. Ye must be subiect for conscience sake Neither are we curbed any whit in our Christian libertie since vnto humane lawes which fight not with Gods lawes the outward man is bound directly and not the inward but by accident The law therefore that forbiddeth the All humane lawes must tend towards God and godlinesse frequenting of Alehouses for the auoyding of drunkennesse is by good consequent grounded vpon the Scripture also the law that forbiddeth the wearing of weapons for the auoyding of bloudshed and such like So likewise Ecclesiasticall lawes helping forward towards the obseruation of the first and second Table although they binde not in particular yet in the generall as the place of Gods worship the time maintenance for the Ministers silence in the Church with such like The Arrian heretiks refused the word Some things are lawfull agreeable to the Scriptures which are not simply expressed in th● 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and denyed Christ to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of the same substance with the Father because it was a word no where found in the Scriptures But Athanasius answereth that Etsi haec vox in Scripturis non rep●ritur habere tamen ●am sententiam quam Scripturae volunt that is Although the word it selfe be not found in the Scriptures yet it hath that sence which the Scriptures do allow of There are also other ciuill and Ecclesiasticall orders which do binde neither generally nor simply but accidentally in respect of the contempt of authoritie and scandall that may ensue vpon the breaking of order Now the weake conscience is in things indifferent most like to stumble they wanting expresse warrant from the Word and he feareth to enterprise any action without warrant In which cases tender consciences Tender consciences must not be racked must be tendered rather then racked by authoritie For be the things neuer so lawfull in themselues be they neuer so generally entertained in the iudgement and practise of others yet they remaine vtterly vnlawfull to me without such information for the Apostles command is Let euery man be fully perswaded Rom. 14. 5. in his minde It standeth therefore euerie Christian vpon to examine narrowly all his actions especially his diuine and spirituall duties yea surely to be grounded in all matters concerning the worship of God Quest Whether hath the Prince power to make Ecclesiasticall lawes and constitutions of his owne since there is one Law-giuer Iam. 4. 12● which is able to saue and to destroy Yea either edicts authorising and commanding the lawes of the Law-giuer or constitutions circumstantiall and indifferent which may vary according to the variablenesse of times places and dispositions of Churches The Apostles rule being euer obserued 1. Cor. 14. 4● Ecclesiasticall constitutions must tend to order decency and edification and remaineth as variable namely that they tend to order decency edificatiō Besides that al such changeable constitutions be not vrged as any part of Gods essentiall worship or