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	work_n	3,639	5	6.0437	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69089	An excellent and godly sermon most needefull for this time, wherein we liue in all securitie and sinne, to the great dishonour of God, and contempt of his holy word. Preached at Paules Crosse the xxvi. daye of October, an. 1578 by Laurence Chaderton Batcheler of Diuinitie.	Chaderton, Laurence, 1536?-1640.	1578 (1578)	STC 4924; ESTC S117846	46,847	118

gouernment of Israel so also did he in the acknowledging publishing vnto them this doctrine as appeareth in the 22. chap. of his booke saying But take diligent heede to doe the commandement and lawe vvhich Moses the seruant of the Lord commanded you that is that ye loue the Lord your God vvalke in all his waies keepe his cōmandements cleaue vnto him serue him vvith all your heart vvith all your soule Wherein the same doctrine concerning both the worke and the maner of doing almost in the same wordes is plainely confirmed Iohn Baptist the forerunner of Christ preached the same saying Bring foorth therefore fruits vvorthy the amendment of life Iames the Apostle of Christ vtterly condemneth all profession of faith as vaine vnprofitable if it want workes when as he saieth What auaileth it my brethren though a man say he hath faith vvhen he hath no vvorkes can the fayth saue him as if he shoulde say in plaine words Faith outwardly professed without good works can be no pledge or testimony at all of our saluation Peter in his 1. Epistle teacheth that because Christ hath suffered for vs in the flesh therefore we shoulde suffer after a sort in our flesh by dying vnto sinne and liuing to God so long as we remaine in the flesh For he saieth speaking of the regenerate that he henceforvvarde should liue asmuch time as remaineth in the flesh not after the lustes of men but after the vvill of God. Iohn also in his first Epistle denieth vs to haue any felowship with God or any benefite of the blood of Christ if we walke in darknes and not in the light of trueth and godlines For he saieth If we saye that we haue felowship with him and walke in darknes we lye and doe not truely But if we walke in the light as he is in the light we haue mutuall felowship with him and the blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth vs from all sinne Paul in the sixe twentieth of the Actes professeth before king Agrippa that he taught this doctrine touching the necessitie of workes both to Iewe and Gentile saying Wherefore king Agrippa I was not disobedient vnto the heauenly vision but shewed first to them of Damascus and at Ierusalem and throughout all the coastes of Iudea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turne to God and doe workes woorthie amendment of life Moreouer the Spirit of God witnesseth in the twelfth to the Hebrues that without workes no man shall see GOD saying Followe peace vvith all men and holines vvithout the vvhich no man shall see the Lorde an especiall place to prooue the necessitie of workes Lastly our Sauiour Christ in the fiue and twentieth of Matthew teaching that in the day of iudgement all flesh shal be tried and iudged according to the workes of loue and mercie done in this life towardes him in his members confirmeth and establisheth in his owne person and worde the infallible trueth of this doctrine in whom as in all other pointes of religion so especially in this we ought fully and perfectly to rest For there it is briefely concluded that they which gaue vnto his members meate drincke lodging clothing and visited the sicke and imprisoned shal be pronounced righteous and goe into life eternall But the vnmercifull being voyde of these workes shal be pronounced cursed and goe into euerlasting fire and paine Seeing then we haue so many heauenly witnesses of this trueth and that all the Prophetes in their prophecies doe most earnestly and zealously call the people of GOD to the obedience of his lawe and most pitifully complaine of the want thereof threatning both temporall and eternall punishments against disobedient malefactors we may safely conclude and determine that the workes of the first and second table are necessarilie required to the doing of the Fathers will. Nowe then if it be truely preached that without workes there is neither doing of the will of God neither entrance into the kingdome of heauen O Lord what shall we thinke of the licentious life of our English Protestantes or what shall become of this barren and fruitlesse profession of the glorious Gospel of Christ for a man may trauaile almost from the one ende of the land to the other before he can finde one man like vnto iust Iob that feared God and eschewed euill or one woman like vnto Dorcas full of good works and almes As therefore our sauiour Christ the Prophets and the Apostles had most iust cause to complaine in their times of the want of workes and to be grieued with the sinnes of the people so we in this last age haue no lesse cause to complaine neither lesse occasion of sorowe For to come vnto particulars what estate calling or degree is there which doth not content it selfe onely with saying Lorde Lorde being notwithstanding so barren in the bringing foorth of good workes And first concerning the state Ecclesiasticall and vs that be ministers and preachers of the worde whome this place principally doth concerne where are the lippes of those ministers which doe preserue knowledge or those messengers of God at whose mouthes his poore people shoulde seeke his lawe Naye rather where be not whole swarmes of idle ignorant and vngodly Curates and Readers who neither can nor will goe before the deare flocke of Christ in soundnes of doctrine and integritie of life The cause of which enormitie resting principally in the persons them selues and then in those which sent them and nowe suffer them in the Church I charge in the Lord the one that they seriously waying the worthines of the Lordes embassage for the which they are most vnworthie would voluntarily forgoe that calling wherein they can not doe the Fathers will and betake them to some other which they may in a good conscience without offence in some godly and profitable measure discharge The other I counsell and beseeche as a brother in the Lorde that they would more diligently looke vnto their ministerie committed vnto them lest not onely this grieuous offence but also all other their sinnes against God and their brethren be laide vnto their charge when the heartes of all men shal be made open and manifest before the Lorde of life And to proceede to the learned gouernours of the Church is there no tything of Mynt Anyse and Cummin and pretermitting waightier matters of the lawe as Iudgement Mercie and Fidelitie Doe they feede the flocke of God willingly and carefully as being examples vnto it and not for filthie lucresake as being lords ouer Gods heritage yf these things be so howe can they thinke they are doers of the Fathers will What shall I saye of our domme dogges non residents and all those that serue mortall and sinfull men with symonie flattering wordes and seruile obedience not lawfully to obtaine one roome in the vineyard of the Lorde but two three foure or moe places which is

the certaintie of their election Therefore to stoppe the slaunderous mouth of the aduersarie and to terrifie the secure and presumptuous professor we conclude that woorkes are necessarily required not onely for doyng of the Fathers will but also for the declaration of our faith for the confirmation of our hope for the separating of vs from all infidels and hypocrites for the example of those which are without and within the Church for the relieuing and succouring of all especially of those which are of the houshoulde of fayth for to iustifie our religion to be pure and vndefiled before God the Father for to testifie our obedience and thankefulnesse to God the author thereof finally to prayse and magnifie the great power Iustice and mercie of God the Father his Sonne and the holie Ghost one God and three persons in the whole and perfect worke of our redemption Hitherto of the necessitie of woorkes now followeth the maner of doyng which is no lesse necessarie to the fulfylling of Gods will then workes themselues because it is the cause why all our workes are acceptable to god For albeit we doe continually cal vpon God with our lippes and heare his worde with our outwarde eares and bryng foorth all other apparent workes of godlines and ryghteousnes yet if we pray not in spirit heare not with vnderstanding and beleeue and woorke by loue according to God his wyll we do not the Fathers will but our owne we walke not according to the Spirit but according to the fleshe and therefore must reape of the fleshe corruption But let vs see what this ryght maner of doyng is whereof our sauiour Christ speaketh in this place whence it is whereof it is made and to what end it must be directed the knowledge of which causes wyll breede in vs a perfect knowledge of this vpryght maner of working whether it be inwarde in minde or outwarde in maners There is but one onely author and gyuer hereof euen the Spirite of God and Christ from whome proceede and come all good counselles pure desires and godly purposes For although it bee left in our power in asmuch as the Lorde hath made vs reasonable creatures in some sorte to resemble his Image to wyll this or that thing to reason vpon this or that question to thinke vpon this or that matter to speake this or that sentence and to doe this or that woorke yet to wyll to reason to thynke to speake and to doe all these so as our mercifull God requireth of his children and so as they may bee acceptablie receyued in Christ as syncere obedience vnto God it proceedeth not from fleshe and blood neyther from the wyll of man neyther from any other creature in heauen or in earth but onely from the moste comfortable Spirit of our regeneration whose peculiar office is to begynne continue and finishe in vs his holie vesselles this gracious maner of doyng the which our heauenly Father in the multitude of his mercies hath vouchsafed vs and his Sonne our only sauiour by his death and resurrection hath most perfectly deserued and purchased for vs So the blessed Apostle Paule teacheth in the second to the Philippians who after he had charged them to woorke their saluation with feare and trembling addeth immediately in the verse following For it is God that vvorketh in you both the vvill deede euen of his good pleasure Which is a most strong and forcible reason to stryke into their heartes a reuerent feare and trembling vnder the myghtie hande of God because that although they had power to wyll and worke yet the chaunging of our wyll and drawing it vnto good the power to doe that which is vnfaynedly good and acceptable in the sight of God doe proceede onely from the spirit of regeneration Agayne the same Apostle in the eyght to the Romanes witnesseth that we knowe not what to praye as we ought but the spirit helpeth our infirmitie and maketh request for vs with syghes that cannot be expressed according to the wyll of god Wherein as he remooueth from vs this poynt of wisedome to knowe both what to praye and howe or after what maner so contrarilie he ascribeth it vnto the spirite of Adoption the onely worker thereof For it is he that moueth and stirreth vp in our heartes sighes vnspeakeable and not onely helpeth our infirmities but also teacheth vs to pray in such maner that our worke prayer may be according to the wil of god So it is in al other workes which are acceptable vnto God for those only are his children which are in the maner of doing working the wil of God led and guided by his spirit Wherefore it is said that we haue not receyued the spirit of bondage to liue and worke in a slauish and seruile feare but the spirit of Adoption which sealeth and printeth in our heartes a full assurance of faith and hope whereby at all times and in all extremities we may boldly cry Abba Father So that it is manifest and plaine hereby that all those works are carnall earthly and d●uelish which are done after any other maner then this and contrarily that those onely be good works which are done after this heauenly maner which Gods spirit doeth teach by the word who therefore is called the spirit of trueth and sanctification because he onely leadeth vs into all trueth and holynes Many mo places might here be alledged for the proofe of this doctrine but because the matter is plain cannot be gainsaid with any soundnes of reason I will omit them onely aduertising the Reader of the difference betweene vs the Catholicks in the doctrine of freewill We teach and beleeue that although we haue a natural abilitie power to wil desire speake worke yet the whole maner of vsing these gifts according to the will of God proceedeth onely from the holy Ghost as we haue taught They holde and teach the contrary if not let them declare plainely wherein they differ from vs or els ioyne with vs at the least in the vnitie of this doctrine which ascribeth the whole glory of our new birth to God alone Thus then we know the author of this worthy maner of doing now let vs further cōsider whereof it ariseth wherin it doth consist that we may stand stedfast vnmoueable in the hope of our inheritance both in regard of our works also in respect of the maner of doing It is certeine that it ariseth of diuers and manifold graces of the holy Spirit which are proper and peculiar to his vessels neither can be at any time in the wicked reprobate what pretence soeuer they make of religion godlines But the time will not suffer me to speake of all I will briefly speake of the chiefest most principal gifts wherunto also al the other almost may be referred The first and chiefest of all is true faith rooted and established in our