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	good_a	great_a	3,277	5	2.6620	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62392	The faithful souldier's reward, or, A glimpse of the saints happiness discovered in two sermons, occasioned by the death of that truly vertuous and religious gentle woman, Mrs. Katherine Disney : the former preached at Kirkstead, the place of her last abode here upon the earth, on the 18th day of May, 1690, being the Lord's Day, and the latter at Swinderly, near Lincoln, where she was interr'd the Tuesday following / by William Scoffin.	Scoffin, William, 1655?-1732.	1692 (1692)	Wing S933; ESTC R11432	41,514	126

My Life hath been a military Life even a continual Warfare yet have I not fought the evil Fights of ambitious or quarrelsom Men but the Fight which I have fought is the good Fight of Faith I have stoutly opposed the Enemies of my Salvation and through Christ my Captain and Leader have conquered and overcome The Life of a Christian is often is Scripture compared unto a Warfare because of those spiritual Enemies which are continually Warring against us There are three great Enemies which every Christian has to grapple with As 1. The Devil which is a very subtil watchful and powerful Enemy 2 Cor. 11.3 14. He hath many Devices Wiles and Stratagems 2 Cor. 2.11 Ephes 6.11 He 's a malicious and enraged Enemy 1 Pet. 5.8 Who roveth about with unwearied Diligence seeking whom he may devour He hath his fiery Darts to molest those whom he cannot entice by his ensnaring Wiles Ephes 6.16 Yea we have not only this great Adversary the Prince of Devils to grapple with but whole Legions of Devils even all the Powers of Darkness Ephes 6.12 2. Another Enemy of our Souls is this evil World There are two ways by which the World overcomes Multitudes 1. By its Smiles and Allurements 1 Joh. 2.16 2. By its Frowns and Threats Joh. 15.19 20. Thousands are drawn from God and eternally ruined by the Smiles and Allurements of this evil World Some are taken with Pleasures some with Riches and some with Honours These are Satan's Baits whereby he catcheth Multitudes and keeps them in his Power Luke 14.16 20. Mar. 4.18 19. 1 Tim. 6.9 12. Mat. 19.16 22. Again Many who have in some measure escaped the World's Allurements have been conquered and overcome by its Frowns and Threats Mat. 13.20 21. Joh. 12.42 Yea such an Enemy is this evil World that none can overcome it but such as are spiritual they who are Believers indeed and are born from above 1 Joh. 5.4 5. 3. Another Enemy that Christians have to grapple with is Carnal-self Gal. 5.17 or our unmortified Corruptions I find a Law in my Members warring against the Law of my Mind and bringing me into Captivity to the Law of Sin saith the Apostle Rom. 7.21 23. Now the Flesh or Carnal-self is a very dangerous and deceitful Enemy Jer. 17.9 The Heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it It 's an old saying and in this respect a true one that a Man has need of no worse an Enemy than he brings from home For sure I am there is no Man hath a more dangerous Enemy than Carnal-self Our Enemies without could never hurt us if it were not for this Enemy within For look as when an House is beset then one Enemy within is much more dangerous than many without So this home-bred and indwelling Enemy Carnal-self le ts in the Devil and the World to the spoiling and undoing of the poor Soul No wonder then that the first Lesson which Christ teacheth his Disciples is a Lesson of Self-denial Mat. 16.24 If any Man will come after me let him deny himself c. Keep down Self and we conquer all but if Carnal-self get the upper-hand the Devil and the World will easily overcome us It is safe Advice therefore which the Apostle gives 1 Pet. 2.11 I beseech you as Strangers and Pilgrims saith he abstain from fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul These are the dangerous Enemies that Christians have to grapple with and none can overcome them but through Faith in Christ Jesus Now some may ask why this Fight of Faith is call'd a good Fight Unto which I answer It may be so called upon several accounts As 1. Because they that are ingag'd in this Warfare do fight for a good Cause the best that ever Souldiers fought for they being God's Enemies as well as theirs whom they fight against and his Glory as well as their own Salvation is that which is contended for 2. They have a good Captain the best that ever Souldiers fought under for the Lord Jesus Christ is their Captain and Leader Heb. 2.10 3. They are furnished with the best Armour and Weapons that ever Souldiers made use of The Christian Armour lis Armour of proof and their Weapons are spiritual and mighty through God for the pulling down the strong Holds of Sin Ephes 6.10 17. 2 Cor. 10.3 4 5. 4. Their Wages are the best that ever Souldiers receiv'd He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my Son Rev. 21.7 So chap. 2.7 10 11 17. chap. 3.5 12 21. There is good reason you see why the Life of a Christian may be compared to a Warfare and why this spiritual Combate or Fight of Faith may be said to be a good Fight Let us all then be perswaded to fight this good Fight of Faith Never had Souldiers greater Encouragement to fight than we have under Christ's Banner and never had Souldiers more need to fight than we for we must either fight or die fight couragiously or perish eternally And if we will resolve upon this we must see that our Faith be true and saving for such as want a true Faith cannot possibly fight the Fight of Faith therefore labour we for a lively Faith and then live we in the lively Exercise of it Thus you see what is meant by the first Words in my Text I have fought a good Fight I proceed now to the next Words I have finished my Course q. d. God appointed me a Race to run both as a Christian and also as an Apostle and Minister of Christ the which Race I have now finished and am come to the End and Period of my Days Act. 20.22 24. The Life of a Christian is often in Scripture compared to a Race as well as to a Warfare 1 Cor. 9.24 27. Heb. 12.1 Well then let us lay aside every Weight and the Sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with Patience the Race that is set before us Let us press forward towards the Mark as this great Apostle did Phil. 3.13 14. He ran the Christian Race with an holy Activity and Vigour till he got to the Goal and won the Prize Let us so run that we may obtain What a blessed Condition is that Person in who can think of his Dissolution with Joy and Comfort and can say with an holy Triumph I have finished my Course Such a Condition was this holy Apostle in when he writ this Epistle to Timothy he knew Phil. 1.21 that to die was his gain having fought a good Fight and thrô Christ overcome Having run the Race that was set before him and kept the Faith unto the end i. e. adhered constantly in Judgment and Practice to the Faith he professed and preached to others he could therefore say with the fullest assurance Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness c. Heaven is express'd in Scripture by

the Apostle there from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile Body that it may be fashioned like unto his Glorious Body according to the Working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself O blessed Change indeed They shall be fashioned like unto his glorious Body Now the Bodies of the Saints are vile but then they shall be glorious For Christ's Body now glorified in Heaven is surely a glorious Body indeed * Rev. 1 13 16. Mat. 17.1 2. And the Bodies of the Saints shall be like his O how joyfully will the Soul reunite with the Body when this glorious Change is passed upon it And what a blessed Union will this be nevermore to be broken O then will the Saints be in a Capacity of enjoying the highest Felicity 3. Their Bodies and Souls thus re-united shall be received into Mansions of Bliss and Glory where they shall for ever be with the Lord and be perfectly happy to all Eternity And O how should the Thoughts of this chear our Hearts and fortify us under all our Trials Let not your Hearts be troubled Joh. 14.1 2 3. saith Christ ye believe in God believe also in me In my Father's House are many Mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a Place for you And if I go and prepare a Place for you I will come again and receive you unto my self that where I am there ye may be also O comfortable Words indeed Yea and Christ has left them for our Comfort Wherefore comfort one another with these Words 1 Thess 4.18 saith the Apostle With what words Why that Jesus Christ will come in the Clouds Ver. 16 17. and meet Believers in the Air and they shall for ever be with the Lord. O blessed and glorious Day when Christ shall pronounce that blessed Sentence to such as have been his faithful Followers Mat. 25.34 Come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World The Members of Christ are now look'd upon by the World as a Company of Hypocrites and vile Miscreants even such as are unfit to live in a Common-wealth but Christ pronounceth them Blessed The World saith Act. 22.22 Away with such Fellows from the Earth for it is not fit that they should live but Christ saith Mat. 25.34 Come ye Blessed And Christ calls them the Blessed of his Father shewing thereby the Orignal Cause and Fountain of all our Happiness The beginning of our Salvation was from an higher Cause than our own Holiness yea than Christ's Merit even from the free Grace and Favour of God the Father He is the principal efficient Cause of the Saints Blessedness Christ as Mediator is but the way to the Father Joh. 14.6 It is the Father that appointed Christ and gave him to Sinners Joh. 3.16 And in time brings them to close with him Joh. 6.44 It is the Father that prepared this Kingdom for them before the Foundation of the World They are not less beloved and blessed by the Father than by the Son who redeemed them but whosoever is dear unto the Son is dear also unto the Father O what Soul-enravishing Joys will the Saints be filled with when Christ shall pronounce this blessed Sentence Come ye Blessed of my Father To the Wicked he will say Depart but to the Saints Come as the Quintessence of all Misery lieth in the one so the Consummation of all Blessedness lieth in the other We see here what the Sentence will be at the Grat Day the reason of this Sentence followeth For I was an hungred and ye gave me Meat I was thirsty and ye gave me Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me in Naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in Prison and ye came unto me Mat. 25.35 36. These good Works are mentioned by Christ and given as a Reason of the Sentence not as if Heaven was merited by them but as the undoubted Evidences and Fruits of a true and saving Faith And that a true Faith is implied in the Works here mentioned is very clear and evident 1. From the Expression it self For I was an hungred and ye gave me Meat saith Christ 't was Christ they respected in his Members Now it requireth Faith to see Christ in a poor needy Person or Prisoner to love Christ in them above our worldly Goods and to part with our Wealth for their Relief because they belong to Christ This is a great Piece of Self-denial and doubbless the Fruit of a saving Faith for 't is not meerly the relieving the Poor but the doing of it as in and to Christ 2. Faith and good Works are very nearly linked together for Faith is not sound and saving unless it produce these good Works and these Works are not acceptable unless they proceed from Faith and are done in Faith Heb. 11.6 1 Tim. 1.5 Where there is true Faith there will also be good Works as the genuine Effects and Fruits of it yet certain it is that the best of those Works do no ways deserve Heaven Luk. 17.10 Ephes 2.8 9. And the Saints will be so far from pleading their Works in a way of Desert or Merit that they will rather altogether disown them being sensible of their many and great Imperfections and how far short they came of their Duty Then shall the Righteous answer him saying Mat. 25.37 Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fed thee or thirsty and gave thee Drink Ver. 38. When saw we thee a Stranger and took thee in or naked and clothed thee Or when saw we thee sick Ver. 39. or in Prison and came unto thee And the King shall answer and say unto them Ver. 40. Verily I say unto you in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my Brethren ye have done it unto me By the way we may observe these three or four Particulars 1. The wonderful Love and Humility of the Lord Jesus Christ the King of Glory in owning the poorest Joh. 20.17 Heb. 2.11 12. and least of his Members for his Brethren In as much as ye have done it saith he unto one of the least of these my Brethren ye have done it unto me O wonderful condescending Love that the great God should take such poor Worms as we into so near a Relation unto himself 2. Observe that Christ takes that which is done to his Members as done to himself I was an hugred saith he and ye gave me Meat I was thirsty and ye gave me Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me in Naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in Prison and ye came unto me For in as much as ye have done it to one of the least of these my Brethren ye have done it unto me So that we

see whatever Favours are shewed to Christ's poor Members Mat. 10.40 41 42. whatever Acts of Mercy and Charity are exercis'd towards them Christ takes all as done to himself And on the other hand whatsoever is done against the Members of Christ whatsoever Unmercifulness or Acts of Cruelty are exercis'd towards them Christ takes it all as done against himself When ever they are slighted and neglected he looks upon himself as concerned therein I was an hungred Mat. 25 42 will he say and ye gave me no Meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no Drink Ver. 43. I was a Stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye clothed me not sick and in Prison and ye visited me not For in as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these my poor Members Ver. 45. ye did it not to me So Act. 9.4 5. Saul Saul why persecutest thou me saith Christ And Saul said Who art thou Lord And the Lord answered him and said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest Why the Lord Jesus was in Heaven quite above Saul's reach How the could Saul persecute him It was in his Members For Saul had been persecuting the poor Members of Christ and was now going to Damascus on the same Design and Christ took all those Acts of Cruelty which were exercised towards his Members as if they had been done to his own Person Thus also saith the Prophet to the People of the Lord Zech. 2.8 He that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of my Eye This speaks Comfort to the Members of Christ who are hated and persecuted for Righteousness sake but sure it speaks Terrour to their Enemies Isa 34.8 For the Day is coming when the Lord will vindicate his own Cause and will call all such to a Reckoning And then they will assuredly find it hard to have kick'd against the Pricks Act. 9.5 3. We may further observe how very acceptable unto the Lord the Works of Mercy and Charity are These are the only Works which are mentioned in the Description of the Last Judgment The Lord takes delight in nothing more than he doth in shewing of Mercy no wonder then Luk. 6.36 that Acts of Mercy are so very acceptable unto him Jam. 1.27 Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Afflictions and to keep himself unspotted from the World And on the other hand as God is well pleased with Acts of Mercy so he 's greatly provok'd with Vnmercifulness and Acts of Cruelty As he will say to the Righteous and Merciful Come ye Blessed So he will say to the Wicked and Unmerciful Depart ye Cursed He shall have Judgment without Mercy that hath shewed no Mercy Jam. 2.13 4. Observe the different Tempers of the Righteous and Wicked in Judgment The Righteous who have done many good Works will be asham'd to hear any of them mentioned by Christ so sensible are they of their great Imperfections Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fed thee c. will they say But the Wicked who have done little or no good at all will be ready to excuse and justify themselves saying When saw we thee an hungred Matth. 25.44 or a thirst or a stranger or naked or sick or in Prison and did not minister unto thee But their vain Excuses will do them no good For these shall go into everlasting Punishment Ver. 46. but the Righteous unto Life Eternal And now I come to the Second Thing propounded which is to shew you as the Lord shall enable me wherein the Happiness of Believers in the other World will chiefly consist And I humbly conceive it will chiefly consist in these two Particulars following 1. In a perfect freedom from all that is really Evil. 2. In the full enjoyment of all that is truly Good There is no Tongue indeed can possibly express the greatness of the Saints Happiness Yet so much may we conceive thereof by seriously considering these two Particulars as might fill our Souls with breathing Desires after the Enjoyment of it and with admiration of God's wonderful Love in providing such an Happiness for us Quest What then are those Evils that Believers shall be freed from at Death Why Heb. 12.23 1 Cor. 13.10 Eph. 5.27 1. They 'l be freed from all their Sins Infirmities Weaknesses and Imperfections And O what an Happiness will this be to be perfectly freed from Sin You that groan under the burden of Sin can set your Seal to this Truth that a perfect Freedom from all our Corruptions will make us happy indeed Chear up then believing Soul whose Infirmities and Weaknesses are thy greatest Burden for a time of Refreshment will shortly come Yet a little while and thou shalt sin no more nor sorrow any more Thou art now troubled for thy Unbelief thy hardness of Heart and deadness of Spirit and that thy Affections are so flat and low thy Corruptions so strong and thy Failings so many and that thou walk'st on so heavily in the Ways of God and canst not do the good thou wouldst but Death will knock off all these Fetters and set thee free within a while O that I might never sin more against my good and gracious God! Rom. 7.24 says a poor gracious Soul Why I tell thee poor Soul and take it for thy comfort that it is but a little while and thou shalt sin no more nor sorrow any more nor dishonour thy gracious God any more which is now the chief cause of thy greatest Sorrow There is no Comfort ariseth from hence to such as are in Love and in League with Sin but to those whose Sin is their great Grief and Burden it affordeth matter of very great Comfort 2. Believers shall likewise be freed from all their Temptations and Enemies 2 Cor 7.5 Now they are troubled on every side and molested with many Temptations but Death within a while will set them free For if the time will come when God's People here on Earth shall obtain Freedom from their Enemies in a very great measure how much more when they come to Heaven See Isa 11.9 and chap. 65.17 25. Rev. 20.1 2 3. Chear up then Believing Soul who art here surrounded with many Temptations for there is no Tempter in Heaven either to entice thee to Sin or to trouble and molest thee there are no Snares there to entangle thee no Enemy there that shall in any-wise hurt thee No no thou 'lt have none but Friends in Heaven and the best of Friends There Triumph over Sin is won The Devil and Death defac'd The Kingdom of the Just begun And there in Glory plac'd There Tyrants nothing have to do Nor Rack nor Rope is known Tormentors all and Satan too Are fully overthrown As one thus expresseth it in Metre 3. Believers shall be perfectly freed from all their Sicknesses Pains and Sorrows Rev. 7.16 17. They shall hunger no

banish you therefore that Presence which you never loved I deny you that Vision which you did always shun Joh. 3.19 20. and the Impressions of my Likeness which you did ever hate I eternally abandon you to the grossest Darkness seeing Darkness was so grateful to you Depart from Me Luk. 13.27 28. and from the Happiness you slighted into endless and easeless Miseries and Torments O! what will impenitent Sinners have to say when the Righteous Judge shall plead the Case with them and shall pass the irrevocable Sentence upon them All Mouths assuredly will then be stopped and their Conscience will tell them that the Sentence is just Think of this therefore Heb. 3.15 18. and consider it seriously while a Door of Hope is yet open unto you And if the Heavenly Happiness will not invite you 2 Cor. 5.11 let the Terrours of Hell affright you from your Sins For it 's certain if you slight the Glory that 's offered you will bring upon your selves Everlasting Confusion Flee therefore unto Christ as your only Refuge Josh 20. with Heb. 6.18 that he may deliver you from avenging Justice and from the wrathful Displeasure of a provoked God Psal 2.12 And O! let him not still have fresh cause to complain Joh. 5.40 Ye will not come to me that ye might have Life 2. It should also excite Believers to greater Diligence in the Service of God 2 Pet. 1.5 11. For so an entrance shall be ministred unto us into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ If the Hopes and Fore thoughts of the Happiness above will not excite and quicken us to our Duty what will Let us then be convinced that there is such an Happiness and when we believe let us look for it and long for it and live in the hopeful expectation of it Looking for that Blessed Hope and the Glorious Appearing of the Great God 1 Pet. 1.13 Tit. 2.13 14. Now this Hope should put us upon serious Diligence and earnest Pursuit after such a Blessedness Phil. 3.20 Let us therefore endeavour to live Heavenly Lives as we hope to partake of the Heavenly Blessedness There is nothing should influence our Hearts below but that which doth suit Christ's Heart above 1 Joh. 3.2 All must be like the Lord that are to live with him And if we do hope to be like him hereafter then sure we should strive to resemble him here Ver. 3. Yea And every Man saith the Apostle that hath this Hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure i. e. as Christ is pure Yea certain it is if we do not desire further degrees of Holiness we cannot be said to desire Heaven for Heaven is the persection of Holiness A lively Hope therefore of our Conformity to Christ in Glory and Blessedness hereafter will assuredly put us upon a vigorous pursuit of Conformity to him in Holiness here O! were but our Hopes more strong and lively they would give us a Taste of the Blessedness above and this Taste would set us upon earnest longing after the Enjoyment of it Rom. 5.2 Chap. 8.19 23. 2 Cor. 5.2 For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our House which is from Heaven So ver 8. We are willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him ver 9. Let us labour then Heb. 11.1 by a lively Faith to realize the Happiness of Heaven to our Souls as also to get a well-grounded Hope of our Interest in this Happiness That so our most frequent and serious Thoughts and delightful Meditations may be of it For 't is impossible a Man can hope for any Thing but he will be thinking of it And the more we think of the Happiness Above the more we shall long for it And where there are longing Desires and Breathings after the Enjoyment of such an Happiness Heb. 4.1 there will also be a heedful and cautelous Fear lest we should miscarry or fall short of it and this accompanied with a diligent Care and most earnest Endeavour to make sure 1 Cor. 9. 24 27. Well then Phil. 3. 10 14. Ver. 17 20 Mat. 11.12 Rom. 8.25 Heb. 10.32 36. Let us make it appear that our Faith is true and our Hopes lively by a more Holy Activity Vigour and Diligence in the Ways and Service of God 1 Tim. 6.12 And let us wait with Patience for the expected Happiness against all Oppositions and Discouragements For in due season we shall reap if we faint not Gal. 6.9 I shall conclude this Use with the Apostle's Exhortation 1 Cor. 15.58 Therefore my Beloved Brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the Work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord. Now Vse III. For Consolation The Last Vse may be for Consolation to Believers against Wants Troubles and Death it self And 1. It administers Comfort to Believers against all their Wants and Necessities It may be now you are very poor Prov. 8.18 21.1 Pet. 1.4 but there 's durable Riches provided for you even a full incorruptible and glorious Inheritance Let the Fore-Thoughts of this support and comfort you under all your Straits and Necessities Luk. 16.25 for your best Days are yet to come Consider It is but a very little while that we shall have need of these outward Enjoyments And while we do need them Psal 34.9 10. Psal 8.11 we have good ground to hope for such a measure thereof as is convenient for us Whosoever he be that doth seek God's Kingdom and Righteousness above all other Things Mat. 6.31 33. and that waits upon God in a diligent use of those Means that he hath appointed shall certainly enjoy so much of these Things as the All-wise God sees requisite for him Rom. 8.32 And what can we desire more How soon alas should we ruine our selves Deut. 32.15 if God should leave us to be our own Carvers or should give us whatsoever we desire in the World Psal 37.3 9. Ver. 16. Rom. 8.28 But it 's well for us that we are under the care of so Wise and Gracious a Father who will give us nothing but what 's really good for us nor deny us any thing here in the World but that which he sees would be hurtful to us We are often desirous of several Things which are good in themselves and good for some Persons and which we apprehend may be good for us also and yet God doth in Mercy deny us such Things as knowing them not for our good And shall we not trust his infinite Wisdom before our own shallow and dark Understandings Pro. 3.5 6. Yes surely We need not therefore to trouble our selves with distracting Thoughts and with carking Cares Phil. 4.6 who have such a wise Father