Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	charity_n	faith_n	justification_n	2,032	5	9.8267	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09086	The seconde parte of the booke of Christian exercise, appertayning to resolution. Or a Christian directorie, guiding all men to their saluation. Written by the former authour. R.P.; Booke of Christian exercise. Part 2.	Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. Christian directory.; Parsons, Robert, 1546-1610. First booke of the Christian exercise.	1590 (1590)	STC 19380; ESTC S110194	217,337	475

be saued as well as other men then it wyll be to purpose to haue a foundation without a building vppon it or a stocke or tree that beareth no fruite Which thing S. Iames speaking of that historicall and dead fayth whereby the wicked the very deuils thēselues beleeue that there is one GOD expresseth most excellently in this fitte similitude As a bodie without a spirit is dead euen so saith he is fayth without workes Thys poynt of doctrine of vertuous life and obseruing of Gods commaundements not our Sauiour Christ alone in his Sermon most earnestly vrged as hath beene sayde but his fore-runner also Saint Iohn the Baptist and hys followers the holie Apostles whereof the one continually called vpon the people to bring foorth fruites meete for repentance the other in all theyr writings no doubt in all their Sermons after matter of doctrine and faith propounded do proceede to exhortation and precepts of Christian life In so much as Saint Augustine other auncient Fathers are of opinion that the rest of the Apostles S. Peter S. Iames S. Iohn and S. Iude perceiuing the loosenesse and securitie of the people in theyr tymes directed theyr writinges eyther onely or principally to this ende euen to perswade and enforce the necessitie of good life and conuersation among Christians Yea and that Saint Paule himselfe when hee concludeth that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Lawe doth not exclude the works of charitie as effects and fruites of fayth which followe him that is alreadie iustified in the sight of God but hee excludeth thē as causes of saluation which goe before him that is to be iustified Wherby it appeareth that S. Paule handling the causes of our iustification in the sight of God is not repugnant or contrary to S. Iames speaking of the notes and signes whereby we are iustified that is as the word is taken els where declared or known to be iust or righteous before mē The sum is that although good workes are not the causes of our saluation yet they are the way as it were and the path that leadeth thereunto because by them as by certaine markes we perceiue our selues to haue entered and to haue proceeded in the waie of eternall life Yea they are the fruites and effects whereby we testifie and declare both vnto our selues and to others the trueth of that faith which we professe And therefore our Sauiour Christ willeth vs in the Gospel to let our light shine before men that they seeing our good works may take occasiō therby to glorifie our heauenly father And his holy Apostle Saint Iames biddeth those carnall sensuall Christians that stood so much vpon the only name of faith to shewe him theyr fayth by their workes as he would shew them his faith by his works● that is they should declare and testifie vnto men as I haue said the fayth which they professed by the fruites thereof To men I say because men which iudge but by the outward appearaunce onely cannot knowe the goodnes of a tree b●t by the good fruite which it yeeldeth they cannot discerne the inwarde faith but by the outwarde workes But as for God that searcheth the secrets of the harts and reynes it needeth not that wee shoulde shewe him our faith by our workes nor may wee looke for iustification at his handes by the best of them for then might wee haue whereof to boast but there is no boasting with God and therefore no iustifying by workes in his sight Yet notwithstanding the Lorde requireth good workes at our hands to the end that himselfe might be glorified our needie bretheren releeued and comforted others gained wonne by our example to the embracing of the same faith and Religion which we professe our owne faith exercised and strengthened and our calling and election made sure and confirmed And it is very requisite that the children of GOD which are bought with so high a price as with the blood of Iesus should glorifie God both in soule body because they are redeemed both in soule and body and not liue vnto thēselues but vnto him which died and rose againe for them Thys is the ende of our election before the foundations of the world were layde as the Apostle testifieth Ephes. 1.4 euen that we should be holy and blameles before him in loue Thys is the ende of our creation as the same Apostle witnesseth Ephesians 2. 10. Where he saith that we are Gods workmanshyp created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes wherein he hath ordained that wee shold walke This is the end of our redemption as olde Zacharie prophecied Luke 1. 74 75. that beeing redeemed and deliuered from all our spirituall enemies and from eternall destruction whereunto we were subiect we should serue God without feare in holines and righteousnes before him all the daies of our life Finally this is the ende of our vocation For God hath not called vs to vncleannesse but vnto holinesse and as hee that hath called vs is holy so must we be holie in all manner of conuersation And it can not be that they which are truely iustified that is to say made righteous by a liuely fayth in Christ should not also in some measure be sanctified that is made holie by a faithfull lyfe in him Let not men therefore deceiue themselues with the onely name and shadowe of faith without the nature substance therof Let them not promise vnto themselues euerlasting life because they knowe the true God and whom hee hath sent Iesus Christ but let them remember howe Christes Apostle whō he deerely loued expoundeth that saying when he writeth By this wee knowe God truely if wee keepe his commaundements and whosoeuer sayth that he knoweth him and yet keepeth not his commaundements is a lyer and the trueth is not in him For as it is a true saying and by all meanes woorthy to be receiued that Christ Iesus came into the worlde to saue sinners so is it as true a saying and no lesse woorthie to be affirmed that they which haue beleeued God should be carefull to shew foorth good works Saint Gregorie vpon the words of Christ to S. Thomas Blessed are they who haue not seene and yet haue beleeued hath a notable discourse to this purpose If any sayth hee inferre heereof I beleeue and therefore am blessed and shall be saued he saith truely if his life be aunswerable to his beleefe for that a true faith dooth not contradict in manners the things which hee professeth in words For which cause S. Paule accuseth certaine false Christians in whom he found not vertuous life aunswerable to theyr profession that they confessed God in wordes but denyed him in theyr deedes And Saint Iohn auoucheth that whosoeuer saith hee knoweth GOD and keepeth not his commandements is a lyer Which beeing

watchman set vpon the walles and a Lyon to denounce wyth open mouth whatsoeuer daunger hee sawe comming towards them And GOD taught the Prophet to cry in this sort to their Sentinell or watchman Custos quid de nocte custos quid de nocte Thou watchman what seest thou comming towards thee by night what espiest thou ô Sentinell drawing on vs in the darknesse By all which circumstaunce what els is insinuated but that God wold haue vs stand vpon our watch for that his iudgments are to come vpon the world by night when men least thinke thereof they are to come as a theefe at midnight as also in another place we are admonished and therefore happy is the man that shall be founde watchfull But nowe the doore and sole entraunce into thys watch whereof the securitie of our eternall life dependeth can be nothing els but consideration for that where no consideration is there can be no watch nor fore-sight nor knowledge of our estate and consequentlie no hope of saluation as holy S. Bernard holdeth which thing caused that blessed man to wryte fiue whole Bookes of consideration to Eugenius Consideration is the thing that bringeth vs to know GOD and our selues And touching God it layeth before vs his Maiestie his mercie his iudgments his commaundements his promises his threatnings his proceeding with other men before vs whereby wee may gather what wee also in time must expect at his hands And for our selues consideration the key that openeth the doore to the closet of our hart wher al our bookes of account doe lye it is the looking glasse or rather the very eye of our soule wherby she taketh the view of herself looketh into all her whole estate into her riches her debts her dueties her negligēces her good gifts hir defects her safety hir danger hir way she walketh in her course she followeth her pace she holdeth and finally the place ende whereunto she draweth And without this cōsideration she runneth on headlong into a thousand brakes and bryers stumbling at euery steppe into some one inconuenience or other and continually in perrill of some great deadly mischiefe And wonderfull truely it is that in all other busines of this life men can see and confesse that nothing may be begunne prosecuted or well ended without consideration yet in this great affayre of winning heauen or falling into hell fewe thinke consideration greatly necessarie to be vsed I might stand heere to shew the infinite other effects and commodities of consideration as that it is the watch or larum bel that stirreth vppe and awaketh all the powers of our minde the match or tynder that conceiueth and nourisheth the fire of deuotion the bellowes that enkindeleth and inflameth the same the spurre that pricketh forwarde to all vertuous zealous and heroycall actes and the thing indeed that giueth both light life and motion to our soule Our fayth is confirmed and increased by consideration of Gods workes and miracles our hope by consideration of his promises of the true performaunce thereof to all them that euer trusted in him our charitie or loue to God by consideration of his benefits and innumerable deserts towards vs our humilitie by consideration of his greatnes of our owne infirmitie our courage and fortitude by contemplation of his assistaunce in al causes for his honor our contempt of the world by consideration of the ioyes of heauen eternall and so all other vertues both morrall and diuine doe take their heate quickning and vitall spirit from consideration By the exercise of consideration and meditation holy Dauid saith that he felt a burning fire to flame within his breast that is the fire of zeale the fire of feruour in Religion the fire of deuotion the fire of loue towards God and his neighbour And in anoplace he saith that by the same exercise hee swept and purged his owne spirit which is to be vnderstoode from the duste of this world from the dregges of sinne from the contamination and coinquination of humaine creatures for that consideration indeed is the verie fan that seuereth and driueth awaie the chaffe from the corne For which cause wee shall neuer reade of any holy man from the beginning of the worlde neyther before Christ nor after who vsed not much familiarlie this most blessed exercise of consideration pondering And for the first three Patriarches it shall be sufficient to remēber the custome of young Isaac recorded in Genesis Which was to goe forth towards night into the fieldes ad meditandum that is to meditate consider and ponder vppon the workes iudgments and commaundements of GOD. And thys hee did beeing yet but a childe and vnmarried farre different from the custome of young Gentlemen nowe adaies who frequent the fieldes to follow their vanities and as lyttle Isaac could not haue this custome but from his Father Abraham so no doubt but hee taught the same to his sonne Iacob Iacob againe to his posteritie And as for Moses and his successor Iosua it may easilie be imagined howe they vsed this exercise by the most earnest exhortations which they made thereof to others in their speech and wrytings The good kings of Iuda also notwithstanding their manie great temporall a●faires do testifie of themselues concerning this exercise as Dauid almost euery where that the commaundements of God were his dailie meditation not onely by day and that tota die all the day et per singulos dies euery day in matutino in the morning et septies in die seauen times a day but also hee insinnuateth this custome by night meditatus sum nocte cum corde meo I doe meditate by night in my hart vpon thy commaundements ô Lord signifying here by both his watchfulnesse by night when other men were a sleepe and the hartie care that he had of this exercise which we esteem so little Salomon also King Dauids sonne so long as hee liued in the grace and fauour of God obserued this exercise of his Father and exhorteth other men to haue continuall daily cogitation in this affaire Which if himselfe had continued still it is likely hee had neuer fallen from God by women as he did The good King Ezechias is reported to haue meditated like a Doue that is in silence solitarinesse with himselfe alone which is the true way of profitable meditation Esay testifieth of his own watching by night in this exercise and howe he did the same with his spirit alone in the very bowels of his hart Holie Iob maketh mention not onelie of his manner of considering but what also hee considered and what effect he found in him selfe by the same First hee considered as I sayde the wayes foote-steppes and commaundements of GOD then his dreadfull power to wit howe no man was able to auert or turne away his