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	lord_n	time_n	2,016	5	3.3947	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A72063	A sermon preached at Paules crosse the firste Sunday after Newyeeres day, beeing the thirde day of Ianuary. 1580. By William Fisher student of diuinitie	Fisher, William, student of diuinitie.	1580 (1580)	STC 10920.3; ESTC S124925	28,377	84

doth likewise call vs to repentance and amendment of life Lastly his death conspired by his owne disciple pursued by his owne nation purposed by his owne father purchased by our sins without any desert of his own doth it not strike our hearts and wound our consciences with remorse Those bloody tears those piteous grones those cruell scourgings those reprochfull buffetings those bitter tauntings and raylings which hee put vp in al patience as the due rewards for our sins shal they not make vs morne and lament when they made the vayle of the temple to rent in sunder the gates to open the dead bodies to arise the earth to quake and tremble and the sunne to waxe darke If an earthly prince shuld punish euery rebellion treason conspiracy contempt offence and default which his subiects make vpon his beloued son would they not in pitie be ashamed sory too Our heauenly father punished the sinnes of the whole worlde vppon Iesus Christ his only begotten sonne hanging him vpon the crosse Oh then where is our sorrowe why are we not ashamed to heape sinne vpon sinne and to nayle him to the crosse againe Thus is Christes cōming the meanes of our calling wherin are included other more special means as ye shal heare in the next circumstance The second circumstance Moreouer in these wordes we are giuen to vnderstande who they are which Christ came purposely to cal I come not to cal the righteus but sinners c Yea and this circumstance may stirre vs vp to magnifie the benefite of our calling as much as any For here we see plainly that he renounceth al those which think better of themselues then sinners as these Pharises who dreamed that their owne righteousnes was sufficient to fulfill the lawe without Christ But what is the matter that he doth so flatly deny that hee came to cal the righteous It is wel worth the noting For whom doth he cal righteous but those which trust onely in their owne righteousnes and make no account of the righteousnesse of Christ Nowe these he doth renounce First because it was the determinate wil purpose of his father which sent him that whosoeuer wil make himself righteous is his owne Christ his own Iesus shal lye stil in blindnes sleep in his own cōfusion An other cause may be that forsomuch as he came purposely to seeke to saue that which was lost the righteous imagin that they neu●r went astray therefore he lets them be as they are An other reason may yet be taken of the setting forth his fathers glory for that there shal be more ioy in heauen ouer one sinner that repenteth then ouer ninety and nine iust persons which need no repentance And no doubt if hee had offred to cal them he had but lost his labour For had he said to them as he did to Matthewe Come folow me they would haue answered by and by We folow Abraham our father we folow Moses our Prophete wee followe the lawe of God we haue ceremonies we haue traditions wee haue prescriptions wee haue our inuentions to followe we looke for another maner of Messias to followe then such a beggerly outcast as thou art Therefore go where thou wilt we will not follow thee Wherfore dearely beloued beware howe you stand vpon your owne righteousnes because of a few good workes surely you haue no more portion in Christ then the veriest Pharisie that euer was For if our Sauiour Iesus will be found faithfull in his Messiaship he must renoūce you and say I came not to call the righteous Not the righteous whom then sinners sinners Beholde dearely beloued if you thinke to reape the benefites of Christes comming you must humble your selues and become sinners But how or in what maner doeth he call sinners The callyng of Christ is of two sorts the one is cōmō wherwith we are in deed stirred vp after a sort but not effectually boūd brought to the purpose for that they are not pleased with the meanes as Gods worde the Sacraments Sermons c and this is common to the reprobate righteous as wel as to the elect sinners Now the other is a conuenient and a mightie calling wherby the minds of sinners are touched and thorowly charged For in this very manner hee doeth call sinners to repentance First hee soundeth in their eares by the voyce of his Lawe the greate daunger of death and dampnation wherein they stand because they haue so wilfully transgressed his cōmandements this striks them in such horror of their sinnes feare of his vengeance that they would be glad to be reconciled to God the father lest he shuld poure vpon them their deserued punishment Then he sends them the sweete comfort of the gospel which shews them that Iesus Christ is become their mediator aduocate if they beleeue in him they shal be safe sure whervpō he giues thē faith plants it so fast in thē that nothing can drawe them from Christ And lest this faith shuld be Idle frutlesse he sends them the holy ghost the spirit of adoptiō to work in their hearts according to their calling And thus you see how Iesus Christ calleth sinners to repentance If you should question farther with me enquire of the time when hee calleth sinners That is counsaile to vs. For there is no time excepted there is no time to be in this world Therefore let no man dispair For hee cannot bee called so late into the Lords vineyard but he shal haue his peny wel truely paide him Lastly if you yet question further with me and enquire the cause why he calleth sinners and not righteous I must either hold my peace or els with Paule exclaime saying O the deepnes of the riches both of the wisdome Rom. 11. knowledge of God How vnsearchable are his Iudgements and his wayes past finding out Who hath knowen the mind of the lord or who was his counsailor c. For dearly beloued be it knowen vnto you heauen earth shal beare me witnes that the Lord in his doings is neither vniust nor vnmerciful No he is most iust and most merciful Is not hee most iust which hath punished with extreme rigor the offences of al those sinners whom he calleth vpon his own dear son Iesus Christ yea and wil no vou●safe to receiue them into his glory vntill hee hath perfectly iustified and sanctified thē in Christ is he not most mercifull who hath elected and called those which had neither worke nor meat but onely a liuely faith in the blood of Christ which hee himself had giuen them Therefore let al sinners reioice in the Lord againe and againe for Christ came to cal them c. The third circumstance Lastly we see here to what end purpose we are called in Christ to repētance To call sinners to repentance is to work two things in them that is to make thē knowe

Secondly we must honor him the best we can This president is but meanly followed in most places in England God knowes For so far foorth as Christ will feede their bellyes they will followe him through thicke and thinne And they are so farre from honouring him at their feastes that they will not stick too say they cannot be mery at their meate when a Preacher is at their Table But there is good cause the Citie of London should become an other Thessalonica in seeking and honouring our Phisition Christ Iesus There is so much Preaching and so diligent hearing that needs there must be some following If London haue stopped her eares and shutte her doores against Christe and his messengers there were iust cause why shee should tremble and quake in the guiltinesse of her owne conscience But if shee haue played the sicke Publicane in seeking and honouring Christe her Phisition let her not faint but in the testimony of a good conscience pluck vp her harte in these dreadfull times and dayes of perill For the Lorde will be founde of those that seeke him he wil not forsake those that feare him If Sodom or Gomorrha or Samaria or Ierusalem or Antwerpe could haue pleaded for themselues no more but that they sought the Lord honored his Christ euen as sicke men do their Phisition I am sure their confusion had beene farther from them then the Easte is from the west Therfore London seek thou thy Phisition Christ Iesus beleeue in him pray to him serue him in singlenesse of heart as thou oughtest to do and he wil not deliuer his power into captiuitie nor his beautie I meane his Gospell into the enemyes hand The second part of the Answere Goe learne what that is I will haue mercie c. A good Lawyar perceiuing the subtletie of his aduersary will speake to the case and bee earnest in the matter And commonly a skilfull Chirurgian seeing the rotten flesh begin to fester and corrupt the sound will launch it too the quick Much after the same manner doth our Sauiour Christe shewe him selfe in his second answere Go learne what c. As if he should say in sharpe and rounde speech Doe you make your selues so perfect in the Scripture and yet doe you finde faulte with him which sheweth mercie to the miserable and comfortles Goe learne goe learne of the Prophet who in the person of God him selfe saith I will haue mercie c. Then shall you see that I doe nothing against the will of God I warrant you I will haue mercie and not sacrifice c. When the Lord maketh choise of mercie rather then sacrifice we haue to vnderstand that his will is that we shoulde bee pittifull one tending an others distresse and not bleare his eyes with an outward shew of godlinesse Now for your better instruction in the will of God it shall be expedient that I speak seuerally Firste of Mercie then of Sacrifice I will haue mercie c. It should bee of no small force to make vs shewe mercie and compassion one towardes another When the Lorde sayeth I will haue mercie c. For if wee bee seruaunts we must doe the will of our maister And if we be children we must obay the will of our father But alas it fareth with vs as often times with young Children the more the father doth cocker and dandle them the lesse they care for him and if he say vnto them I will haue this or that doone none so ready too bid him commaunde and doe it him selfe as his owne Children So it falleth out with vs God our heauenly Father hath blessed vs and blessed vs again and yet when he sayth I wil haue you to be mercifull and pittiful to your needy brethren like stubburne children we sit stil stop our eares as if we heard not There is no one thing so much called vpon and commended vnto vs in Scripture as mercy yet on our partes there is no one thing so little regarded He that is merciful saith the Prou. 11. wiseman rewardeth his own soule And Micheas sheweth Israel what it was that Mich. 6. the Lord required at their hands indeed bidde them first doe iustly and next loue mercie c. In the fifte of Matt. Blessed Matth. 5. are the merciful for they shall c. In the 6 of Luke Be ye therfore mercifull Luke 6. as your heauenly father is merciful S. Iames also in his 2. Chapter saieth in Iames. 2. plaine words that there shall be iudgement without Mercie too him that will shewe no mercie And all this is to stirre vs vppe and to pluck vs forewarde too shewe mercie and compassion one towardes an other And surely happy is that Christian whose faith is exercised in mercie For as the wiseman sayth Prou. 20. Mercie truth preserue the king c. His throne shal be established with mercie So al estates may be sure that mercy is one of the strongest Pillers of their health safetie And therefore I beseech you right honourable deerely beloued haue due regard of your health welfare which partly cōsisteth in mercy For this your noble citie of Lond is builded scituate vpon foure Golden pillers Iustice Concorde Sobrietie and Mercie the Foundation beeing Iesus Christe And so long as these stand and florish in London shee is safe and sure by the grace of God But if they shoulde by any meanes decay then great and woefull should bee your downefall Therefore it stands you vpon so much the more heedefully to looke about you and to preuent the worst For you haue not so many pillers to vpholde your welfare and safetie but there be as many wayes too vndermine them if that they be not the better forseene First Iesus which vpholdeth right and suppresseth wrōg wtout respect of persons may bee vndermyned and ouerthrowne through bribery For hold you the sword right honorable neuer so vpright in your hands yet if your substitutes whōe you put in trust haue their handes ful of brybes they must needes wincke at scant measures and iustifie the bagge of deceitful waigh●es and alowe of the wyne which is mixed with water and so bleare your eyes with omnia ben● and so shall Iustice bee vndermyned and fall too the ground Therefore it behoueth your Honor to be the more circumspect in appointing your Substitutes and too haue an eye too their dealing vnder you for feare of the worst Secondly Concorde which is the bond and sinewes of euery well ordered Citie may be vndermined by the roote of bitter discentiō which maketh the members of the selfe same body too iarre an● snarle one with an other is commonly found by Pickthanks and talebearers which carry speeches and reportes from partie to party of whatsoeuer they heare or see and all to feede the humors of such cancred natures as delight in debate Therefore such Merchants are woorthy of seuere punishment and to be thrust out of