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 good_a work_n 2,437 5 5.8344 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A03695 Life and death Foure sermons. The first two, of our preparation to death; and expectation of death. The last two, of place, and the iudgement after death. Also points of instruction for the ignorant, with an examination before our comming to the Lords table, and a short direction for spending of time well. By Robert Horne. Auspice Christo. Horne, Robert, 1565-1640.; Horne, Robert, 1565-1640. Points of instruction for the ignorant. aut 1613 (1613) STC 13822.5; ESTC S118515 156,767 464

There are 4 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

bodies bee raised O then let vs so prepare for death by a good life that the day of our resurrection may bee a day of refreshing to vs from the Lord. Act. 3.19 When the wicked as seede that rotteth in the earth which God doth not blesse shall arise without comfort let vs endeuor to lie downe in that fauour of God wherein who so falleth a sleep shal out of the same be sure to awake comfortably and ioifully hauing no more woe nor sorrow And as Christ is the first fruits of them that sleepe 1. Cor. 15.20 there resurrection beeing yet in the blade and greene eare and their bodies at rest in their graues as it were beds of peace in which they sleepe quietly till he shal raise them who raiseth the Sunne daily from his den So let vs so liue in Christ by our good consciences that when the night shall come that night or hour in the night whereof our Sauiour spake when hee said the night commeth when no man can worke Ioh. 9.4 we may goe down peaceably to our sepulchers as into our beds with confidence to stand before God in the resurrection of the iust The day will come let vs thinke of it earnestly when we must meete the Lord face to face It is good therefore to meete him heere in his word and in our honest conuersation seeking the things aboue Col. 3.1 that when we shall goe forth to meet him with the Virgins that had oile in their lampes and store of oile that is grace in their hearts wee may not bee ashamed Math. 25.1.10 If we will attaine to the resurrection of the iust we must begin it here in the New birth of a Christian and new life of one that is so borne For as in the first birth man is brought forth consisting of soul and body so in this second of our spirituall resurrection wee must haue a new soule and bodie as it were new heauen and earth created in vs. Of flesh we must be made spirit and of fleshly diuine so wee may comfortably looke for the last resurrection or our parts in it a day that sweeteneth more then sugar the crosses and miseries of our hard life here The comfortable day of the Saints and Christs glorious and welcome day after which he will raigne in the middes of the people for euer Againe shall the iudgement be of all men good and bad then it concerneth vs all if we meane to receiue from Christ the Iudge a comfortable sentence in that day to looke well to our estate and matters here that we bring a good cause and the witnesse of a good conscience to that iudgement seat He that hath a matter to be heard before some earthly Iudge and vpon some certaine day will at the time and about the day appointed be in some good readinesse That is He will bring his sufficient counsell to the barre be sure that his matter be good and eu●dence without exception haue his witnesses to speake for him and the truth of the cause to speake for it selfe And shall we negligently deale in so waighty an action as that which must come to hearing before so great a Iudge of quicke and dead The day is set and we know not how suddenly it will come and in how short time Besides the matter to be heard concerneth not lands or goods but life or death eternall Christ is our onely Counsellour or Aduocate in that court our good deedes are our good euidence The witnesses are the word that must iudge vs and our owne consciences And shall we now despise the Son of God and count his couenant a prophane thing shall we crucifie by our sinnes Christ our Aduocate and thinke to haue him on our side and part or dreame that he will be for vs whom we haue crucified should we not rather kisse the Sonne with the kisse of our reconcilement to Christ who must speake for vs and be for vs if euer we be saued our good deedes are our best euidence and shall we follow after vnrighteousnesse doe bad deeds with greedinesse and shew no good euidence why we should not be damned our witnesses are the word and our owne consciences and shall we make a mocke of the word and not regard the witnesse of our conscience whether it be with vs or against vs if we despise the Gospell it cannot speake for vs and if we goe against our conscience it will surely be against vs. And should not man feare to bring a witnesse specially in such a court that will fearefully speake against him Let vs therefore endeuour by making much of the word by preferring it to our chiefe ioy by hearing it diligently by being moulded in it and fashioned like vnto it to get one witnesse for vs that is more worth then all the pleasures and profits of sinne that wretched men so admire And for the waies of our heart and actions of our life let vs so approue them to God who will giue an vpright sentence vpon them and vpon vs for them and doe them in such an integrity before God and innocencie before men when we either deale with God or haue dealing with our Neighbor that wee may haue two witnesses clearely for vs in that great day of hearing Lastly Vse 3 if all matters and persons must be iudged by Christ they are here reproued who take from God his seat and iudge their brother that is iudge him to condemnation For this Christ hath forbidden who is Iudg. Math. 7 1. And the Apostle Saint Paul would not haue vs thus to iudge our brother giuing this for a reason for we must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ Rom. 14.10 as if he should haue said by iudging in this manne● we would seeme to step before God and to preuent his sentence exposing our brother with great wrong to a double iudgement one which we pronounce another which Christ will giue at the last day So our brother shall be twice iudged once by vs who are vsurpers and againe by Christ who is Iudge indeed or by such manner iudgement we argue Gods righteous iudgement of insufficiencie and iudgement seat of corruption and so wrong the Lord and not only our brother when we so iudg him But though rash iudgement be forbidden yet all iudgement is not For the Iudge may censure a fault that deserueth death with death and may condemne a malefactor to the gallowes whom he may not condemn to hell The Minister may censure faults by the doome of the word of God and by ecclesiasticall correction Nay the priuate man may iudge a wicked person by his life so farre as he may know him by it and iudge him by the word though he may not iudge him to hell nor iudge him before the time 1. Cor. 4.5 we may iudge the tree by the fruit because by the fruit we may know it Math. 12.33 and so as farre as we know we may speake so we speake charitably
time they are sorrie for the losse and confesse it And thus great difference is to be put betweene the fals of Gods children and the breake neckes of the wicked who fall into death A comfort to repentant sinners Vse 2 For though their sinnes haue hurt them their repentance may heale them Ier. 18 8. Though they haue beene great sinners as Saul and Manasses were Yet if they bee repentant sinners neither they nor their sinnes can change the new testament that God will be mercifull to their sinnes and blot out all their transgressions Though their sinnes were many the matter is not how many their sinnes are but how penitent they be that are sinners and the more they are the greater is his mercie who hath forgiuen them But is this for the worke of repentance No but because the repentant soule doth by faith apprehend Christ in his promises and beleeue that vpon his true conuersion or comming home God will receiue him and the father welcome home his straying sonne Luk 15.20.22.23 Quest Some will say My sinnes were committed vngodlily Answ and with purpose of heart Say they were so now that you are sorie for them it is not iudged so and your mercifull God will take you as you are not as you haue beene A repentant sinner you are and as a repentant sinner you shall haue mercie at Gods hands Onely look that your repentance be sound so you may haue confidence for pardon that God will bee mercifull to your vnrighteousnesse and forgiue you your sinnes Ezech. 18.21.22.23.32 Luc. 17.4 Though your conscience be full of wounds the Lord who is your Surgeon hath plaister inough of his tender mercie and long compassions to heale them Though the debts you owe bee great summes Gods mercie is not stinted to any number and he that is infinite in his pardons will as soone and doth as graciously pardon many as few sinnes yea when the summe of them is growne to a great reckoning and maine totall And though like a wretched subiect you haue raised against Christ many commotions in his owne kingdome yet the King of the Kings of Israel is a mercifull King and when you come to him with true submission as Benhadads seruants did to the King of Israel with signes of submission 1. King 20.31.32 he will be as readie to grant your pardon as you to aske it Of all their vngodly deedes c. Secondly where the vngodly shall be called to their answere for all that they haue done we learne that all the deeds of the wicked shall be rebuked to damnation So saith the Apostle S. Paul where he sheweth that in the day of wrath the wicked shall be rewarded according to their deeds meaning by their deeds their euill deeds Rom. 2.5.6.8 And the same Apostle saith we shall receiue according to that wee haue done the godly for the good they haue done in Christ the wicked out of Christ for the euill they haue done in their owne bodie 2. Cor. 5.10 And S. Mathew the Euangelist saith as much where speaking of the comming of the Sonne of Man he saith when the Sonne of Man commeth in his glorie he shall giue to enerie man according to his deedes His meaning is the godly shall beare vnto iudgement the good deeds of Christ imputed to them and the wicked bring into iudgement the bad deedes of sinne properly theirs Math. 16.27 The like we read in the booke of the Reuelation or rather the same where it is said that all the dead shall be iudged according to their works The good for Christs righteousnesse and by it shall liue the wicked shall be damned for their owne vnrighteousnesse Quest Apoc. 20.11.12 But some may say if euill deeds deserue damnation why should not good deeds merit life I answere Answ It followeth not seeing that here good and bad workes cannot be opposed directly For our good workes are imperfitly and faultily good but our bad deeds are perfitly naught our good deedes are Christs in vs our bad are our owne and Satans our bad deeds because perfectly bad iustly deserue hell our good because so mixed with infirmities cannot merit heauen And now that bad deedes shall be rebuked in iudgement may further appeare by the reasons which follow As first The deeds of the wicked more harme the Church then words doe or thoughts can but words and thoughts shall be iudged therefore deeds much more els why doth Christ say that God will auenge his elect that crie day and night vnto him Luc. 18.7 Secondly these things saith Amen now if Amen say it the same Amen who is faithfull will doe it Apoc. 3.14 Amen hath said by his Seruants and in the Scriptures that he will bring euery work vnto iudgement Eccles 12.14 And therefore euerie vngodly worke deed of euery vngodly man shall be ludged Thirdly for this cause as hath been said the Lord will stretch out his hand in the rebuke of the vngodly as one that swimmeth spreadeth his armes abroad to enclose all before him The meaning is God will enclose so in the fadome of his second comming euery work of wicked man that no one shall escape the seuerity of his throne Esa 25.11 Fourthly if any wicked worke should not be iudged it were either because God could not and then were he not almighty or would not iudge it and then should he loose his righteousnesse But none can stand before his great power Ier 49.19 And he that is Iudge of the world wil iudge it with righteousnesse Psal 98.9 An instruction to doe good deeds Vse 1 seeing bad deeds shall be iudged to hell For though good deeds may not sit in the chaire of merit yet we must giue them their proper place They are not merits of eternall life yet they must be witnesses of our being in Christ Good workes cannot saue vs and yet if we doe not good workes we cannot be saued I speake according to the ordinary rule and of persons able to doe good workes not of infants nor what God doth extraordinarily as when he saued the confessing thiefe at the last houre and yet he not onely had faith but shewed it by diuers testimonies and effects of grace Luc. 23.40.41.42 Therefore though good workes cannot saue vs yet bad workes and the want of good may damne vs. They be euidences of our saluation though not causes As therefore he who holdeth a peece of land holdeth it by his euidence his euidence was not that that procured it but his mony so the good euidence of our saluation is in our sanctified liues the cause of it in Christs merits no other coine either of gold or siluer could purchase it at the hands of Gods iustice in our redemption 1. Pet. 1.18 wherefore as S. Iames saith If thou hast faith shew it by thy workes Iam. 2.18 so with the Apostle S. Iames I say If thou hast this hope let me see it in that euidence of thy good conuersation in Christ A terrour
Lord and in his feare and word to serue him Iob 28.28 to loue the good and hate the euill that oursoules may liue Am. 5.15 wee can encourage one another in wickednesse and say let vs eate and drinke for to worrow we shal die Esay 22.13 that is we remember our end but we remember it not wisely but as beasts to eate and drinke or we put off and make our end long but who prepareth for it and who is wise and of an vnderstanding heart Deut. 32.29 to consider it The rich man maketh his small barnes big as if he would make his short life endlesse Luk 12.18 The euill seruant saith my master deferreth his comming as if that which is put off would neuer come Math. 24.48 Nabal he that yet liueth in the carnall churles of this age applieth all his mind to riches and forgetteth his sudden end 1. Sam. 25.10.11.38 Absalons whol studie is to mount neuer thinking of his destruction so neare whose bodie though it stand at the lower end of the presence yet heart sitteth vnder the cloth of estate practising for the kingdome 2. Sam. 15.1.2.3.4.5 c. In the daies of Noah they eate they dranke they builded and remembred not the flood Luk. 17.27 In our daies men feede themselues without feare and forget their end Let vs therefore be warned better to remember our few and euil daies Gen. 47.9 to do the workes of God while it is day Ioh. 9.4 before the long night of sleepe come out of which there is no awaking till the last great trumpe call vs vp to iudgement Behold now is the accepted time behold now the day of saluation 2. Cor. 6.2 the rich man in hell once might and would not heare Moses and the Prophets afterward that is too late hee would and could not Luke 16.25.29 The enemie that is prepared for hurteth lesse and hee that maketh himselfe readie for the last enemie which is death neede not feare to such it bodeth no danger for such it hath no sting nor breath that can doe hurt If we first see this Basiliske death armed with repentance and with the shield and target of faith in our last houre by preparing for our end there is nothing in it that shall not be for our preferment and the full conquest of our troublesome life for then we may take it by the hand as a most welcome guest and as that last seruant whom the Master will send to bring vs to his great Supper and that at supper time when all things are readie Luke 14.17 when our warrefare is accomplished and our iniquities are pardoned when our weary course is finished and ioy commeth after the night of life which life was not properly nor can be truely called life but the shadow of death The person to be remembred followeth Thy Greatour c. The person in whose eye Salomon exhorteth his young Man to walke reuerently is God his Maker By which name or title hee doth secretly imply the great power of the Maker of all things and of mans Creatorr and sheweth that the end of Mans creation is to glorifie continually God his Creator as if hee should haue said Hee that gaue vs breath is Mightie and if he take away his breath by stopping our mouth and nosthrils we are gone and wherefore did he put his spirit of life into vs Was it to giue vs some large libertie to liue as wee list or was it not rather to prouoke vs to seeke his glorie that made vs This is Salomons meaning where we first are taught that the Al-mightinesse of the Creator and the worke of our strange and fearfull creation should make vs feare to liue in any forgetfulnesse of God by an impenitent and obdurate heart By such an argument the Prophet Amos stirreth vp a carelesse people to turne to God by repentance saying He that formeth the Mountaines and createth the winde which maketh the morning darknesse and walketh vpon the high places of the earth the Lord God of hosts is his name Ames 4.13 as if hee should haue said if God who is your mightie Lord and shall be your righteous Iudge bee able to create the windes to forme the Mountaines and to turne the morning into darknesse then is he able to persecute you with his storme to tumble the Mountaines vpon you and to couer you with the darknesse and shadow of death and to prepare an eternall iudgement of confusion for you to the destruction of soule and bodie For hee that made hell can cast into hell and he that causeth darknesse punish with vtter darknesse Dauid by a like argument inureth himselfe to the feare and reuerence of his wonderfull Maker saying I will praise thee that is I wil acknowledge thy goodnesse in all my life for I am feare fully and wonderfully made Psal 199.14 the meaning is if he should goe on in sinne the God who is fearefull can open hell to deuoure him and can shew himselfe as mighty in his iudgement to his destruction as hee was great in his loue to giue him being when before he was not So in Psal 119. ver 37. the Prophet hath these words thine hands haue made mee and fashioned me giue me vnderstanding therfore that I may learue thy commandements and he reasoneth thus Lord thou hast made mee in thy image therefore new-make me by thy word and as thou hast giuen me the shape of man so by teaching make me a new-man in the shape and soundnesse of a true worshipper Our Creation therefore should teach vs the life not of libertie but of repentance and holinesse in the feare of God The reasons Our life is nothing but a little breath and how easie is it for God to take away our weake life when weake man by stopping our breath is able suddenly and most certainely to send vs to our dust Gal. 2.22 Psal 104.29 And should not this weake and poore life fed with a little breath breath forth continually the praises of that God that so feedeth it from the shop of his prouidence Secondly God hauing greater power ouer vs then the Potter hath of the clay which he fashioneth who yet hath power to put it to some seruice or if it content him not to breake it to fitters Rom 9.21 Esa 45.9 should not this Clay Dust Man striue to please him in newnesse of life who hath power to bring him to glorie in his presence or if he be in no conformitie with his righteous will hath like power to breake him in peeces like a Porters vessell This condemneth those who set out no time for the dutie of meditating on their fearefull creation that the strange worke thereof may warne them to feare alwaies to doe euill Vse One cause why the people of Israel did so often and presumptuously prouoke God was because they forgate his wonderfull workes Psal 78.10.11 And it is said that the workes of God are sought out of all that loue them Psal 111.2.5
Scripture speaketh of such an one crucified at the right hand of the Sonne of God who crauing with faith mercy to saluation receiued this answer To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise But it speaketh but of one that was so saued And it speaketh of another in that very place and at that very time that was damned And here a Father saith Wee reade of one that no man should despaire and but of one that no man should presume This example therefore is a medicine against desperation no cloake for sinne Let vs therefore passe the time of our dwelling here in feare seeing wee are redeemed from our vaine conuersation not with corruptible things as with gold and siluer but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot 1. Pet. 1.17 To whom with the Father and Holy-ghost be all glory for euer Amen The end of the first Sermon THE SECOND SERMON IOB Chap. 14. Vers 14. All the daies of my appointed time I would waite till my change were come THese words were spoken by Iob of whose patience and prouocations to impatiencie this whole booke and the testimonie of Saint Iames are liuely proofes Iam. 5.11 In the thirteene verse of this chapter Iob hauing as it seemed to him beheld Gods anger in the chastisements that his soule felt wherein as hee said the Lord wrote bitter things against him desiring to bee hid in some secret place of the earth till the Lords face were changed toward him and till hee might see those frownes to goe out of his countenance that had cast such knots vpon his soule In this verse he professeth that if he could perperswade himselfe of any hope yet behinde God shewing himselfe to be an enemie and setting him vp as a marke for all his arrowes he would wait for it euen till death And this I take to bee the occasion of these words of Iob in this Scripture Where it may be thought a strange thing that a man commended for such patience should so distemperately plead the cause of his affliction with God But no man meerely man and clothed with the garment of mortalitie could euer so wait vpon God as not to be led aside from his attendance for a season when he saw the Lord to fasten in him his sharpe arrowes and to let him vp as a Butt to shoote at And in this respect it is that this glorious patterne of patience could not beare his griefe in a minde so battered with sorrowes For the bodie of sinne which in our weakest times and estate thrusteth into the motions of our minde diuers carnall distrusts and fleshly feares will neuer cease to molest keep vs downe so long as we liue here and a wounded spirit who can beare Pro. 18.14 Neuerthelesse Iob stil waited on God for a good end in these matters and lost not his hope as appeareth by the last chapter of this booke where hee receaueth the crowne of his patience and is exceedingly blessed in his person and children And therefore though in the storme he spake with some distemper yet his meaning was that he did and would wait for Gods help and deliuerance though it should bee deferred till hee must put off this tabernacle and change mortalitie for immortall Where let vs consider the attendance spoken of and the terme or continuance The terme is expressed by the mid-times or extremitie of naturall life The mid times are called largely daies and with limitation the appointed daies The extreame point of this is called a change The attendance is in respect of the season wherein hee attended or of the attendance it selfe The attendance was in a time of trouble and much anguish which he quietly endured Doctr. Which doth teach vs in euery hard estate patiently to beare what commeth relying on God and waiting for his word The Prophet was in great miserie who praying to God said My soule fainteth for thy saluation Psal 119.81 His affliction was great and through the infirmitie of the flesh he fainted yet he waited on Gods promise for deliuerance and beleeued his word by which he was deliuered Dauid opened not his mouth in great troubles to any impatience because God had sent them Ps 39.9 The same Prophet Psal 37.5.7 exhorteth others to a like silence and yeelding in trouble because God hath done it and therefore saith Commit thy way to God and trust in him And againe Wayt patiently on the Lord and hope in him His meaning is reason not in your affliction with God but in patience possesse them vnder his mighty hand seeing you haue sinned against him then shall you see your hope and God will surely bring your soule out of aduersitie Also the speech of Moses to the Israelites at the red sea and when they had the sea before them the Egyptians their enemies behind them and steepe mountaines and high hils on euery hand side of them was Stand still and you shall see the saluation of God Exod. 14.13 As if he had said Go not backe by despaire nor forward by presumption and though you see nothing but death in men and destruction in creatures you shall see life in God and the saluation of God for life to euery one of you in your present helpe and deliuerance if you faint not The reasons further prouing this doctrine are first we haue deserued the paines of Hell by our sinnes much more the sharpest paine temporall Now if God inflict a light chastisement and we deserue the chaines of hell if he punish for a short time we deserue for euer to be afflicted haue we cause to complaine though the arrowes of the Almighty sticke in our flesh and his hand lie heauy vpon vs Psal 38.1.2 c. Secondly it is the Lord and we must patiently attend his worke He doth not deuise and leaue the execution to another but whatsoeuer is done he doth it himselfe in the point of correction and sense of paine his head and hand goe together Act. 4.28.2 Sam. 16.10 Thirdly we must be followers of Christ in affection to Gods will Now Christ seeing his father had so appointed desirously entred into his bath and passions for our sakes yea thought the time long and was greeued till he fell into his last agonie and cold sweat in the which he was couered after a sort with clodded blood that ran abundantly from his face downe to the ground Luc. 12.50 22.44 and shall a little so trouble vs who as the theefe said to his fellow receaue things worthie of that we haue done where Christ suffered innocently and so much for vs Luc. 23 41. or shall we see the sonne of God all in goare blood and all in a sweat though no man touched him though no man came neere him and in a cold night when he lay out in the open aire and vpon the cold earth to sweat so plentifully not a thin faint sweat but a sweat of great droppes and those