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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	death_n	die_v	sin_n	7,620	5	5.8816	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09450	The reformation of couetousnesse Written vpon the 6. chapter of Mathew, from the 19. verse to the ende of the said chapter. By William Perkins.; Reformation of covetousnesse.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Clapham, Henoch.	1603 (1603)	STC 19735.6; ESTC S106356	66,232	268

was but a foole that a miserable foole because he sought not this Say that a man could get all the world into his hands though it be not possible I pray you what would it profit him if hee loose his soule for his labour What madnesse is it then to heape vp treasure in earth and not to regard the true treasure in heauen But lay vp treasures in heauen c. In this last part of this chapter Christ goeth about to reforme his hearers in regard of the practise of couetousnesse and begins at the 19. verse teaching thē first what to eschew not forbidding them to haue riches but forbidding to seeke and get them and to gather them without measure moderation and with excesse Secondly when they seeke them onely and principally Thirdly when they make them their felicitie Fourthly when they gather riches for themselues without respect of the commō good eyther of the Church or of the Common-wealth These foure abuses are here forbidden Now because it is mans nature to seeke treasure and men cannot be broken from it but they wil haue a treasure Christ addes this commaundement in which he teacheth his seruants in all ages what to doo in this case But lay vp treasures in heauen c. These words containe a commandement informing vs in our dutie and a reason of the same Lay vp c. As if he shuld haue said seeing your naturall disposition is such that you wil and must neeeds haue a treasure I will shewe you what you shall do if you will be ruled by mine aduise and followe my counsell you shall lay vp treasure in heauen because there neither moath nor canker can come to corrupt Quest. Touching the commaundement it may bee demaunded why Christ gaue it to his Disciples seeing it is not in the power of any creature to do this no more then to saue himselfe but the beginning progresse and end of saluation is from God Therefore why doth hee propound the commandement in this forme and tenure Answer It is an vsuall thing in the scriptures to ascribe and attribute the worke and effect of the principall cause to the Instrument whereby a thing is effected Thus in the last verse of Obadiah Preachers are expresly called Sauiours So 1. Tim. 4. 16. Paul saith In doing this thou shalt both saue thy selfe and them that heare thee Yet saluatiō is the proper worke of God alone but because Preachers are Gods Instruments for the saluation of his people therfore they are called sauiours So here to gather and lay vp treasure in heauen it is the worke of God alone it is not in the power of any mā nay as much as in vs lieth we treasure vp nothing but wrath Rom. 2. And yet because we are instruments of it it pleaseth God to ascribe his owne worke to vs who are but instruments that by his grace Now they to whom the cōmandement is giuen must bee conceiued as mēbers of Christ and instruments of God That we may the better conceiue of this commandement and practise it two points must be considered First what this treasure is Secondly how euery one may lay it vp for himselfe Of these in order with reuerence for they are points of great waight and moment The very maine point of our saluation standeth in the practise of these Consider what is erroniously counted to be this treasure and then search the word to finde out the truth The Papists haue long abused the world with shewing the false treasure for they make it a commō chest in which is gathered and stored all the ouerplus of Christes merits and of the Saints merits of all ages And this chest is in the Popes custodie and hee onely hath the ordering disposing opening and shutting giuing out of indulgences pardons when where and to whom hee listeth and by this treasure he vpholdeth and maintaineth his kingdome hereby comes his riches and reuenewes But this treasure is not good and currant for it hath two defects First they make Christ his merits to be vnsufficient For if his passion must haue an addition and supply from men it is a poore treasure Secondly they make the merits of Saints deceased to bee our merits and that is not possible for if men could merit yet it should but be for themselues alone All men are but priuate men in regard of saluation and so their merits if they were any should be proper and personall Thus you see their treasure is defectiue in a double respect and therefore to let it passe we are to renounce it and leaue it to them Now let vs with reuerence come to cōsider what is indeed the true treasure here ment and mentioned It is the true God to speake in fewe words one God in three persons Creator of all things in whom all the treasures of happinesse are to be found Gen. 17. 1. I am God all sufficient And Gen. 25. Thy exceeding great reward And Psal. 16. A large beautifull portion And this is as much as if hee had said The Lord is my treasure I will not stand long vpon this for men by light of nature haue seene and said this And S. Paul saith God is all in all to the elect Cor. But marke how he must bee considered that he may be our treasure To this ende wee must conceiue of God as hee hath reuealed himselfe to vs in Christ for God in Christ made manifest is our treasure and not otherwise without Christ. This the Gentiles neuer knew Col. 2. 3. In him is the treasure of all wisedome and knowledge There he is made the Churches treasure And Coloss. 3. Our felicitie and life eternall is hidde with God in Christ. There hee is made the treasure fountaine and store-house of our eternall happinesse Iohn 1. Iohn Baptist saith Of his fulnesse wee receiue grace for grace Hee makes Christ that treasure whence wee receiue that grace which wee haue And 2. Corinthians 1. 31. Christ is our treasure whence we receiue our righteousnesse wisedome sanctification aud redemption Therefore it remaineth that GOD reuealing himselfe in Christ or God incarnate or Christ God and man is the treasure of the Church Now that hee may bee our treasure we must cōsider him as hee is reuealed and set forth vnto vs in his word and Sacraments for so is he a treasure and no otherwise Therfore Christ crucified dying and rising againe is our treasure Our treasure lyeth all in his suffering death and bloud-shed and for this cause we must so conceiue of him as crucified for our sinnes Quest. Why is Christ called our treasure Hee is the fountaine of all true blessednesse that is conueyed from God to man and from him doth proceed all our felicitie happinesse whatsoeuer Wouldest thou haue remissiō of sinnes life eternall Wouldest thou haue any temporall blessings or comfort by them or comfort in distresse Thou must haue it from Christ crucified The good things that come vnto vs if

by themselues and to themselues For example sake it is the manner of wise men to prescribe how they will bee saued they take it for a small matter to come to saluation if they can but make a prayer at the ende of their life I speake of them which are not guided by the word some by their workes and others by their faith and all is one for they vnderstand nothing by faith but theyr good intent and well meaning Naturally and commonly men prescribe to themselues how they will be saued how they will worship God and in vsing what meanes they will liue and dye But they doo ill Wherefore in a word bee not wise to thy selfe in this for the matter of thy saluation Let God be wise be thou a foole prescribe no religion to thy selfe content thy selfe to bee wise according to the word for by nature thou hast an euill eye and this eye cannot shewe thee the way of life Away therefore with this damnable practise Lastly our dutie is to seeke for a better eye that is the eye of faith that which is wanting in this eye may bee supplyed And this is faith by which wee rest on the mercie goodnesse of God on his prouidence and protection in life and death This eye is able to see a farre off and to discerne things that cannot otherwise be discerned the euidēce of things not seene And the Patriarkes sawe the promises a farre off Let vs all be careful to seeke this eie of faith without the which wee cannot walke the way to euerlasting life So much of the secōd kinde of eye Now of the third eye briefly according to the compasse of the time Wherfore if the light that is in thee c. This is the blinde eye yea starke blinde that hath no power to discerne or iudge that is to see what is meant by light naturall knowledge of God and iustice which is in the minde It is further said that if this light be darkenesse it is onely buried so as there shall be no vse of it but it cannot be quite put out extinguished Some light of nature is remaining in the most wicked men because conscience remaineth Now heere it is said to bee none but darknesse because it may be buried hid couered but not wholy put out The veriest Atheist that liues hath this light in him This must bee remembred for the vnderstanding of these words as it is plaine in them that haue a reprobate minde they are as if they had no light of nature remaining because it is buried What is the cause that the light of nature is turned into darknesse The cause is in the will and affections of men the desires and lusts of the heart it is sinne that puts out the light of nature actuall sinne the will and affections make men to sinne against the light of nature and against conscience and so put out both and burie them This makes a man not to know that which by nature hee might know Now see the fruite of it Rom. 1. in most horrible and brutish sinnes vpon the blinde minde and reprobate sense The consideration of this point that the vnderstanding may be quite buried by actuall sinne teacheth vs to enter into an examination of our selues Wee haue in vs euen the best of vs all wretched diuellish and damnable desires such as would put out the light of nature in the vnderstanding This teacheth vs to bee vile in our owne eyes who haue such vile hearts that they can put out that light which Adams fall did not Secondly in that the will and affection blinde the mind dazell and dimme the light of our vnderstanding we learne to looke to these principally that they bee mortified and brought in subiection to the obedience of Gods commandements for now the case is altered Before the fall the mind ruled the will but now the will ouerrules the minde Therfore a speciall regard must be had of this wee must renounce our owne wils and affections they are those that bring the ruine of the soule and conscience Therefore aboue all things looke to them that they bee tempered ordered and squared It is best with men when God breaketh them of theyr wills for when they haue their wils in all things of this life they carrie the whole man headlong like a wilde and vntamed colte Though thou hadst all the wisedome knowledge and learning in the world if thy will and affection bee naught they will cast a myst a vaile and a couer or scarfe ouer it wherefore bring these into order and subiection then a little vnderstanding out of the word will giue great light Remember this It is not knowledge principally that should bee sought for or the minde to be instructed and no more but the wil and affection must especially be regarded for from the heart comes life and death saluation or damnation There is the beginning of thy comfort or woe for if they be out of order they will maister ouerrule the vnderstanding Further I gather hence that the doctrine of saluation may bee turned to darkenesse If the light of nature which is so deeply imprinted engrauē in the heart then much more this And this is plaine by experience of all them which begin in the spirit and ende in the flesh which are worldly wicked This could not be otherwise See Heb. 3. 12. there is a most excellent place of scripture which dooth shewe how this light by little and little is put out going backe from the last to the first there bee fiue degrees 1 First the deceitfulnesse of sin 2 Secondly the hardnesse of the heart when sinne hath deceiued 3 Thirdly infidelitie or incredulitie whē the heart being hardned is made vnbeleeuing which beginnes to doubt of the word and to call the truth into question 4 Fourthly the euill heart when the Gospell begins to goe to decay 5 Fiftly falling from God Apostasie And so the light of nature and of the Gospell is put out Then furthermore there is declared how wee hauing receiued the light of the Gospell may preserue it namely by obseruing and watching the liues of one an other and by exhorting one an other Quest. Lastly if the light of nature may be turned into darknesse it may be demaunded whether sauing grace and faith may bee lost If the light of nature which is so deeply imprinted in the heart may be extinguished why may not the grace of regeneration be lost Answer There is no grace of God considered in it selfe but it may be lost for it is a creature and therefore changeable because nothing is vnchangeable but God Wherefore if you consider faith and regeneration in their owne nature they are changeable and may be lost it cannot be denied but in regard of the promise of God to continue and preserue it to vs then it is vnchangeable and cannot be lost God gaue Adam grace but it was changeable hee did determine to