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	great_a	world_n	1,652	5	4.2491	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34984	An alarum sounded in the borders of spiritual Egypt vvhich shall be heard in Babylon, and astonish the inhabitants of the defiled and polluted habitations of the earth. And the power of the Prince of Darkness called into question; and he himself examin'd by the truth, how he came to raign over mankind; and how long his time shall be, till he comes to be cast out of his dominion, and the creature be deliver'd from under his tyranny; to serve God in spirit and in truth, as Christ, the prince of peace, has order'd them. Also the number of him whom the world hath wonder'd after, found out; and demonstrated to be near at an end: and withal, that it is no wayes unlawful, nor in vain, both to hope, and to expect the utter desolation, and destruction of sin in this life, and the setting up of perfect righteousness in the souls of men, where sin has too long raign'd. Written in a testimony to the truth, and against the false position of the devil, and his servants; by a servant of God, Steven Crisp.	Crisp, Stephen, 1628-1692.	1671 (1671)	Wing C6922; ESTC R215182	35,940	50

that the Enmity is great in the first birth and so that although he grew up to be an Offerer yet he did not grow up in dominion over the Serpent nor over the quality of the Destroyer in himself and that sort of Offering was more acceptable to the Devil then to God And now mark that man was a Sinner and yet religious his Sin and Religion were consistant and could have place together at one and the same time in one man as it is now with the Professors of this Age who say they are Sinners and that their best Works are polluted and defiled with Sin and that they must remain so whilst they live and yet they will seek acceptance with God in these poluted Offerings notwithstanding they do profess him to be pure to whom they Offer Thus was this first Sacrificer blind and darkned and so are many Thousands after him and the dominion of the Devil was over him First Deceiving him by Leading him to Expect an Acceptance because he Offered though with an Evil Heart Secondly to lead him into the evil which had kept him from acceptance Thirdly by making him so Wrath and Angry because he was not accepted against his Brother that did well and was partaker of the one sure Faith of the Elect Seed of God And the Serpent having thus darkned his mind then he durst come before him with a Lye though he was a Man of whom Eve thought that she had gotten him from the Lord perswading him that if that Faithfull Abel was out of the Way that then it would be better with him So he hearkned to the Counsel of this evil spirit and shed Innocent Blood about Religion here Persecution got his entrance into the World by one that was an Offerer and an evil Doer together a fit Instrument for such a Work But behold what became of this Man the Blood which he had shed and the Earth which had drunk it up cry'd for Vengance against this bloody Offerer and he fear'd exceedingly and said He could not bear his Punishment and said Every one that finds me will slay me and to prevent that he went and Built a City in the Land of Nod hear was the beginning of Fortifications which was to defend the Transgressor for the Righteous have a Tower namely the Name of God and there they are safe without such Gates or Walls Now let every one consider how little right this spirit had in all these things but he entred by a Lye and Reigned by a Lye and Darkness and deceit was his defence for his Government and how little reason there is to plead for such a spirit let the wise in heart judge It would go beyond my present aime and purpose to trace this spirit who is called the Devil and Satan the Dragon and old Serpent through all Ages since the beginning to see with how little Truth Right or Equity he came up to Reign among Men. The understanding Reader of the Scriptures of Truth can see it clear enough and it is a great wonder and one of the greatest that is in that part of the World called Christendom that there are so many men being men of knowledge in other matters and such as set up the Scriptures so much as they seem to do calling it the Word of God the Rule of Christians the Light of the World the Guide of Life c. that they should go with such a Book in their hands pleading for the Devil's Kingdom and for a necessity that it must continue as long as there is a man upon Earth Whereas the Scripture in substance is nothing else but as a Declaration against him and his Government and sheweth how he ought to be forsaken opposed resisted and cast out and withall how that Primitive pure and holy and Righteous Law of that Spirit which is called God and is holy pure and Blessed for ever how that ought to be imbraced received and exalted in the whole Creation I say this is a very great wonder of which and of the consequences thereof the Christians so called have cause to be ashamed yea are a Reproach to the whole World and it is high time that some do arise for God and the call is gone forth Who is on the Lord's part Exod. 32.26 The Devil has an innumerable Host to plead for Sin some with Arguments and some with cruel Weapons but who is on the Lord's part that can say the Lord Reigns in Righteousness and in Truth he Judges the Earth Oh! All ye carnal Professors of God and Christ in words but in works deny him and sayes that Sin must stand and remain as long as you live Be it known unto you in the Name of the God of Heaven that where Sin remains there the Devil is Prince and Ruler And if that must remain as long as you live the Devil desires it no longer for he that will be his Servant in this life must be his Companion in the World to come But hear ye the Word of the Lord thou great Host and mighty Army of the Devil Beast Serpent and the old Deceiver who plead that his Government shall stand as long as there is a man to live upon Earth The Controversie of the Lord God Almighty is Proclaimed and begun against you all and your Prince yea the Arm of the everlasting God is stretched out against you and henceforth ye shall not be prosperous but the Dominion of your Prince shall be lessened and both his and your Power shall be weakned and your Weapons both of Deceit and Cruelty shall be broken and come to nought The Inheritance of of the Wicked shall be laid waste and the design which hath been carried on so long shall be frustrated Deceit and Falshood shall fall before the Truth and Darkness shall flee before the Light and your fortified City shall fail you and the Land of Nod will not be a hiding place for you For the Arm of the mighty God of Jacob shall scatter you as a reproach and make y●u ashamed of your Work and of your Prince Now to touch a tittle at your Arguments which the Servants of this spirit make use of for to hold ●p his Kingd●m of whi●h they say It is impossible tha● it should be brought down even as if God had given up all Man kind which is the best of his Creation unto t●e Devil and that he should keep none of them for himself to serve him till they have fulf●lled the Devi●'s work to the ●●ll and can serve him no longer Certainly t e Heathens M●ors and Indians have a better D●ctrine then these in the ground though Darkness is over their understandings as concerning God and Heaven and such things yet many of them do not judge that there is such a necessity to do evil as long as they live but abstain from that which they know to be evil and they that do so are esteemed to have their pleasures and delight in the

in the Power of Christ believing that the Devil is more able to keep the Creature and to hold fast that which by Deceit and Treachery he has gotten in it then God who made the Creature good in his nature is ●ble to restore it to his first purity that the Creature might come to serve him in Righteousness and Holiness And such as so believe are no true Christians nor true Believers But are standing in the corrupt nature that has unity with the Devil and plead his Cause who is willing that his corrupt birth should live in Man as long as he lives in the World For he knows that so long no acceptable Sacrifice can be offered up to God for you cannot bring forth a clean Sacrifice out of an unclean Vessel and as long as nature is defiled the works will be unclean that are wrought in that nature Secondly The second pleading is That never any Man was freed from Sin ever since Sin first entred into the World and that therefore it is Presumption to expect such a thing in this Life Answ If this Position were true That there was never any Man freed from Sin yet it would be presumption to say that God should not be able to do that which he never did and it is also presumption to conclude that never any Man was freed but if this Position be false then not only the consequence is false to wit that none can be freed but also the Argument it self is proved to be a Lye and so is swept away and a Door is opened unto all that has more love to Righteousness then to Sin both to hope and to expect that the same work should again be wrought in and for them without presumption Now that all men are Sinners by nature is evident and that some were changed out of that natural State is as evident so that the Question is only whether those that are translated out of that sinfull nature remain sinfull yea or nay which if it be so what advantage have they beyond others if they after they are translated must remain unfreed But I answer with the words of the Apostle 1 Pet. 4.1 He that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from Sin And here he spoke of such that were yet in the Body but had suffered with and were made partakers of the Sufferings and Death of Christ which was to Sin through which every one must pass before they can come to the Resurrection that is in Christ by which said Peter They obtained the answer of a good Conscience in the Sight of God which he calls the Baptism that Saves now some having been Partakers of that Death Baptism and Resurrection of Christ by which they came to cease from Sin and to have an answer of a good Conscience without offence both to God and Man which none that sins can have then may there some lawfully expect to come to the enjoyment of the same state of freedom and clearness as well now as formerly without presumption Secondly I answer with the words of the Apostle John 1 Joh. 3.9 He that is born of God sinneth not because his seed abideth in him and he cannot sin for he is born of God Now whereas there have been some that were born of God and have been his Children and that they that were so had overcome the Wicked one so that he could not touch them but they had kept their Garments white and unspotted and that some have been freed from the Law of Sin and Death and that some have Walked unbl●mable and without spot and had put off the old Man with his Deeds and had known the new Birth and could by the Holy Spirit call God Father which things are all manifest in the Scriptures of Truth which none can deny but those that will deny the Scripture Why then should any man question that the same Works of Redemption should not now again be brought to pass And therefore it is lawfull to expect it without presumption This Argument being confuted by the experience of the Saints Thirdly The Faith of Gods Elect is but one in all Ages and that Faith has purified the Hearts of many in former Ages and has taught them to Walk with God as for Instance Enoch Walked with God several hundreds of years Gen. 5.21 and it would be a horrible thing to say that he Walked with God when he Walked in Sin as if God Walked in a Sinfull Way for the Prophet said the Bloody-man nor the Worker of Iniquity Dwells nor walks not with the Lord But Enoch Dwelled and Walked with the Lord and did not Iniquity for if he had he should not have obtained a Testimony that he pleased the Lord for Sinners and Evil-doers do not please him By Faith Noah Walked with God and was a Preacher of Righteousness in the old World 2 Pet. 2.5 also Lot in Sodom which they could not have been if they had been Sinners except they had been such Preachers as the Preachers at this day but they were owned of God though they were mocked of men and it is said of them that they did Inherit Righteousness which they preached And of Lot it is said that his Soul as well as his Doctrine was Righteous And by the same Faith Job was kept in the fear of God in the Land of Vz for that taught him to eschew evil by which he obtained a Testimony of God that he was perfect and upright which no Sinner is 1 Job 1.22 and if he had not been free from Sin it would have been false to say of him that he eschewed the evil and was perfect and though his Tryals were many yet he sinned not with his Lips neither did he charge God foolishly and in the end of all his Tryals God cleared him of having sinned witnessing that he had found him faithfull and received a Sacrifice from his Hand for those zealous Professors that had charged him with Sin whom God had cleared And the same Faith caused Abraham and Sarah to be partakers of the Promise and Abraham was a Friend of God of which Christ said That none could be but by fulfilling his Will and those that do so are no Sinners And by this Faith Moses chused rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God Heb. 11.25 then to enjoy the pleasures of Sin So mark he left Sin and the pleasures of it and then he must be without Sin by which he obtained a Testimony that he was a Servant of God which Sinners are not By Faith David's Heart was made after the Mind of God and that is not sinfull but free from it for in him is no Darkness at all By the same Faith the Prophets were chosen Vessels of God and were upheld in their Testimony for God till they came to obtain that Testimony that they were the Men and Servants of God which they could not have been and withall Servants unto Sin And the Scripture beareth