Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	call_v	father_n	son_n	3,252	5	5.6495	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12181	Divine meditations and holy contemplations. By that reverende divine R. Sibbes D.D. Master of Catherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Grayes Inne in London	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Culverwell, Ezekiel, 1553 or 4-1631.	1638 (1638)	STC 22490; ESTC S112642	60,923	350

all and therefore oftentimes God in justice to them suffers good men to fall that such men may take scandall at them to their ruine A man may know that the Word hath wrought upon his conscience when hee comes to it that hee may heare and learne and reforme A man that hath a heart without guile is glad to heare the sharpest reproofes because he knowes that sinne is his greatest enemy but if we live in a course that wee are loath should be touched it is a signe our hearts are full of guile corrupt men they mould their Teachers and fashion them to their lusts but a good and upright heart is willing that Divine truths should have their full authoritie in the soule giving way to our dutie though never so contrary to flesh and blood It is the duty of Ministers to labour to prevent objections that may arise in the hearts of the people so as to hinder the passage of their Doctrine and that truths may more readily come into the heart wee should labour to rellish the person for secret surmises are stones to stumble at therefore both Ministers and people should be carefull to remove them A man ought not to commend himselfe but in some speciall cases first because pride and envie in others will not indure it secondly it toucheth upon Gods glory and therefore we should take heed thirdly it deprives us of comfort and hinders the Apologie of others The Heathens could say that the praising of a mans selfe is a burdensome hearing Le ts take heede therefore that wee snatch not our right out of Gods hand but now on the contrary in some cases wee may praise and commend our selves as when we have a just calling to make an A pologie in way of defence and for the conviction of them that unjustly speake evill of us secondly wee may speake well of our selves in way of example to others as Parents to their children and this doth well become them because it is not out of pride or vaine-glory because the end is discovered to be out of love unto them It s the dutie of those that are Gods children when they have just occasion to take the defence of others upon them and thus did the blind man Iohn 6. He defended Christ against the Pharisees and Ionathan spoke to his Father in the behalfe of David though hee was called the sonne of a rebellious woman yet he knew that hee ought this unto the truth God hath a cause in the world that must be owned and therefore when the cause of Religion is brought upon the stage then God seemes to say as Iehu did Who is on my side who God commends his cause and his children to us And therefore curse yee Meroz said the Angell of the Lord curse yee bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to the helpe of the Lord to the helpe of the Lord against the mightie so a curse lies upon those that when the truth suffers have not a word to defend it Vsually the defamers of others are proud vaine-glorious persons if a man will search for the spirit of the devill in men let him looke for it amongst vaine-glorious Teachers Heriticks and superstitious persons the ground of it is from the neerenesse of two contraries there the opposition is the strongest as fire and water when they are neere make the strongest opposition and who are so neere Gods children as vaine-glorious Teachers that are of the same profession Pilat a Heathen shewed more favour to Christ than the Pharisees and this use we should make of it not to take scandall when we see one Divine deprave another for it hath beene so and will be so to the end of the world All things out of God are but grasse when wee joy in any thing out of God it is a childish joy as if wee joyed in Flowers that after we have drawne out the sweetnesse we cast them away all outward things are cōmon to Castawayes as well as to us and without Grace they will provesnares at the houre of death what comfort can wee have in them further than we have had humilitie and love to use them well Therefore if wee would have our hearts seasoned with true joy le ts labour to be faithfull in our places and endeavour according to the gifts wee have to glorifie God To glorie in any thing whatsoever is Idolatry because the minde sets up a thing to glory in which is not God secondly its spirituall adultery to cleave to any thing more than God thirdly its false witnesse bearing to ascribe excellency where there is none wee have a prohibition Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches God will not give his glorie to another and therefore when men will be medling with glory which belongs to God alone he blasts them and sets them afide as broken vessells and disdaines to use them A Christian joyes aright when it proceedes from right principles from Iudgement and Conscience not from Fancie and Imagination when Iudgement and Conscience will beare him out when there is good termes betweene God and him for our joy must spring from peace Rom. 5. Being justified by Faith wee have peace towards God The Apostles beginne their Epistles with Mercy Grace and Peace Mercy in forgivenesse Grace to renew our natures and Peace of conscience here these are things to be gloried in if wee finde our sinnes pardoned our persons accepted and our natures altered then we may comfort our selves in any thing in health in wealth in wife in children in any thing because all come from the favour of God we may joy in afflictions because there is a blessing in the worst things to further our eternall happinesse and though we cannot joy in affliction it self as being a contrary to our nature yet wee may joy in the issue so that we may joyaright when having interest in God wee glory in the testimony of a good conscience when looking inward we finde all at peace when wee can say upon good grounds that God is mine and therefore all is mine both life and death and all things so farre as they may serve for good The hearts of men yea of good men are apt to be taken up with outward things when the weake Disciples had cast out devils they were ready to be proud but Christ quickly spies it and admonishes them not to rejoyce that the devils were subject to them but that their names were written in the Booke of life Therefore when wee finde the least stirrings to glory in any thing wee must checke our selves and consider what Grace wee have to temper them what love wee have to turne these things to the common good for whatsoever a man hath if hee have not withall humilitie and love to use it aright it will turne to his bane It hath beene an old imputation to lay distractednesse upon men of