Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	death_n	life_n	sin_n	9,880	5	5.5192	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47561	The gospel minister's maintenance vindicated Wherein, a regular ministry in the churches, is first asserted, and the objections against a Gospel maintenance for ministers, answered. Also, the dignity, necessity, difficulty, use and excellency of the ministry of Christ is opened. Likewise, the nature and vveghtiness of that sacred vvork and office clearly evinc'd. Recommended to the baptized congregations, by several elders in and about the City of London.	Knollys, Hanserd, 1599?-1691.	1689 (1689)	Wing K711A; ESTC R213604	49,141	150

they Preach but now and then Answ That must be left to the Wisdom and Consideration of the Church who ought to consider the Persons Circumstances with the Call he hath to Preach c. But principally it belongs to those who are set a part to that Work whose Strength and Time is taken up about the great Affairs of Christ and the Gospel Thus we have indeavoured to discharge our Duty as touching this great Work and have we hope Answered all the material Objections any have to bring or urge against the Ministers Maintenance But since we have a little Room we shall add some brief hints further to shew the great charge and work of a true Gospel Minister and so conclude that all may see how needful a thing it is that every one take care to discharge their Duty in this matter to them whereby also the Justness and Righteousness of the Law and appointment of God herein may yet further appear to all The Great and Weighty Work of a True Gospel Minister opened THE Nature and Weightiness of the Work of the Faithful Servant of Christ together with the necessity and difficulty of it we shall consider in its parts in a brief and compendious manner First 'T is a Holy and a sublime Office he is placed in a very high Sphere and Station hence called the Ambassador of Christ What higher Dignity can be conferred on Man The greatness of the Prince whose Messengers they are sets forth their Dignity they are in Christ's stead Imployed in the great Affairs of His Spiritual Kingdom and have received Authority from Him and are also prepared and qualified for this Sacred Work by Him and indeed therefore ought to be blameless as the Stewards of God And hence it is that those who are said to receive them receive Him and those who despise them despise Him. O! with what Holy Fear Dread and Reverence ought they to enter upon this Work and Office least they should dishonour their great and glorious Prince and Heavenly Soveraign whom they represent Is it not a weighty thing to be made the Mouth of Christ 2. Nay and this is not all they are intrusted with matters of the highest moment in the World Christ having committed the Management of his Glorious Interests and great concerns he has on Earth into their Hands they are sent to treat with poor Sinners about Eternal Matters even the Eternal Life or Eternal Death and Damnation of their Precious and Immortal Souls in and about these things Ministers of the Gospel are Fellow Workers together with Christ 2. Cor. 6.1 Though but as Instruments serving him as the principal Agent and efficient Cause He trod the Wine-Press of his Fathers Wrath alone but in the Application of the purchase of Man's Salvation he admits of Fellow-workers tho the internal Work be his i. e. the effects of his Spirits upon the Souls of those whose Hearts are changed yet there is a Ministerial part which lyeth on the faithful Discharge of the Minister's Duty which consisteth partly in Exhortations Motives and Arguments by the Ear conveyed to the Soul and thus Ministers may be said to be Workers together with Christ and without him they can do nothing they are Workers but they must have Christ Work with them or they will find that they Labour in Vain But is it not think you a high and most sacred Place and Office thus to be imployed May not every one of us say who are sufficient for these things for we are unto God saith the Apostle a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish 2 Cor. 2. for that God whom we serve will not Judge of us nor reward us according to our Success as a worthy Author observes but according to our Faithfulness and Diligence in his Work we give as if Paul should say a good savour by our Doctrine unto all and our Labours are a sweet savour in the Nostrils of God whatever effects they have upon the Souls of Men God accepteth of our Labours as to good Men to whom we are Instruments of Eternal Life and Salvation and though others despise the Gospel and refuse the sweet sound thereof yet as to them also we are a sweet savour in the Nostrils of God tho Israel be not saved saith the Prophet yet I shall be glorious it is not through any neglect in us as to our duty if any perish but from their own Willfulness and Rebellious Hearts To the one we are the savour of Death unto Death and to the other the savour of Life unto Life And who is sufficient for these things ver 16. As sweet smells which are to some pleasant and comfortable saith a Worthy Author yet are to others pernicious and deadly so it is with the sweet savour of the Gospel the report which we in all places make of Christ to some through their unbelief and hardness of their Heart and fondness of their Lusts proveth but the Savour of Death unto Death hardning their Hearts to their Eternal Ruine and Destruction but to such who being ordained to Eternal Life believe our Report and imbrace the Gospel and live up to the Precepts and Rule thereof our Preaching proves a Cause of Spiritual and Eternal Life to which that leadeth but O how great a work is this What Man What Angel is sufficient for it O it is a mighty VVork to Preach the Gospel as we ought to Preach it it is that by which Faith cometh How shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard And how shall they hear without a Preacher And how shall they Preach except they are sent Rom. 10.14 i. e. Unless they have an extraordinary or ordinary Mission i. e. either from God more immediately which Call is long since ceased or else by the Election of the Church and Ordination of the Elders or Presbytery this is necessary in all Regular Ministers How else can they duly or profitably in the Name and Authority of Christ preach the Word of Life Brethren you who are Christ's true Ministers being orderly called to this sacred Work your Preaching hath attendency either to save or eternally to condemn the Souls of Men and with what trembling then ought this Work to be undertaken and performed you are intrusted with Men's Souls and must be accountable for them especially such who are committed to your Charge did we consider it and duly ponder upon it in our Minds certainly we should have little else to think upon nor trouble our Heads and Hearts about it would be sure cause us to be more Serious and Laborious we are perswaded than we are VVhat shall we do if through our Neglect and Remisness in this great VVork any should die and perish in their Sins Mind what God saith in that of Ezek. 3.18 Unto his VVatchman When I say unto the wicked thou shalt surely dye and thou givest him not warning nor speakest to warn the wicked from

the excellency of the Gospel Ministry above the Ministry of the Law And what great Blessings and Priviledges upon many Accounts we have above them One would think these things were enough to stir up all Faithful Christians to leave their Disputings and heartily with a cheerful Mind be ready to contribute towards the defraying the moderate Charge of a Gospel Ministry in such a manner as may give Reputation to our Sacred Profession certainly the Labourer is still worthy of his Hire and every one will say not less worthy because he Labours under the Gospel than they who Laboured under the Law. Eighthly An Elder or a Pastor of a Church is under a special Charge to Use Hospitality and to let himself be a Pattern of Charity and other good Works that so he may the better adorn his Profession This is his Duty and if he fails herein he loses some part of those most excellent Virtues in which he ought to shine but if he be Poor and left 〈◊〉 the thorny cares of this World and the Church not administring so to him 〈◊〉 to put him into a Capacity to answe● this requirement of the Gospel whe●… will the fault and blame lie Therefore since he ought to be a patern of Hospitality and Charity we argue 't is doubtless the indispensible Duty of the People to whom he Ministers to be conce●ned to the uttermost of their Abilities to make him capable of giving Proof 〈◊〉 this Grace by the Exercise of it as the●… may be Occasion Ninthly We also argue for this Duty from the Consideration of the Honourableness of it when 't is faithfully discharged it being one of those things which 〈◊〉 Honest Just Pure Lovely and of g●… Report there is both Vertue and Pr●… attends it Phil. 4.8 First of all Ho● can Men think you are the People yo● profess your selves to be viz. Such w●… endeavour to VValk Blamelessly i● observing all the Ordinances an● Commandments of the Lord Jesu●… whilst you neglect this so plain and undeniable an Institution even such a one that 't is expresly said So God hath Ordained it c. VVhy are you so Zealous for some other Precepts and Remiss here Doth not the same God who commandeth you to Repent to Believe and to be Baptiz'd and to Love one another command you also to Communicate to your Ministers in all good things How is it then that any can be so partial in the Law of Jesus Christ 2. This will in a great measure de●iver you from that reproach of Covetousness What can any People ●hink should be the cause why Christi●ns should suffer their Ministers to want what is necessary for them when ●hey themselves are so full Unless it ●e from the Spirit of this World which is a Sin too often laid at the ●oors of the Professors of this Age Would to God there was no cause or ●round for it 3. Hereby the People will also rai●… the Reputation and Honour of the●… Ministry and shew their great estee● of them which well agrees with th● Exhortation of the Apostle Let t●… Elders that Rule well be accounted w●… thy of double Honour especially they w●… Labour in the Word and Doctrine F●… the Scripture saith Thou shalt not M●… the Mouth of the Oxe that treadeth 〈◊〉 the Corn For the Labourer is worthy 〈◊〉 his Reward 1 Tim. 17.18 By double Honour here is mean● as some conclude Reverence or H●nourable Esteem for Christ's Sake● whose Ambassadors they are said 〈◊〉 be and so represent His Most Sacre● Majesty 2. Maintenance And 't is evide●… this cannot be excluded in this plac●… considering the Connextion of t●… Words following for the ScriptU●… saith Thou shalt not muzzle the O●… that Treadeth out the Corn and 〈◊〉 Labourer is worthy of his Reward T●… Verse saith our Annotators maketh evident That Maintenance is part of the double Honour that is due to such as Labour in the Word and Doctrine This then must be granted it tends to the Honour of Christ's Ministers but 't is as evident to all that those Persons let them be of what Perswasion soever if they should leave their Ministers to the wide World to shift for themselves and though Poor take no care of them instead of honouring of them they would cast a slight and contempt upon them and hence 't is that others also for their following of some Trades do lay them under great reproach which the Churches to whom they belong if able might and oug●… to deliver them from We are perswaded there are some rich Members 〈◊〉 most Congregations that would not indure that any of their near Relations should fall under such or the like Circumstances or be exposed to such Inconveniencies because of the dishonour they Judge it would be to ●…em People knowing they are Wealthy and Great in the World an● able to do considerable for such nea● Kindred or else all would say they have no favour nor esteem for them And shall Men shew greater favou● and respect to their Carnal Relations than to Christ's Ambassadors Thi● surely ought not to be Tenthly Further to Evince thi● great Duty It may not be amiss to consider of other great Inconveniences that 〈◊〉 fellow the neglect of it There are som● Ministers in the Churches who wer● brought up to Learning and who ar● utterly uncapable to follow Secula● Trades and Callings now if Provision be not made for these Me●… What will become of them How 〈◊〉 it possible they and their Famili●… should Live Besides What Inco●ragement is here given to others wh● are Young whom God hath Grac●ously indowed with considerable Gif●… and are willing to give up themselv●… to the Ministry And for their bette● Accomplishment endeavour after th● Knowledg of the Tongues c. which we all confess is very good and serviceable though not of absolute necessity in a Minister Who will apply himself we say to gather and lay up those stores of solid Learning which oft-times in the Defence of the Truth against Opposers has been found very profitable when he can expect nothing but Poverty and Distress thereby Nay furthermore may not this neglect quite deter any Godly Young Men to exercise their Gifts in order to serve the Churches in after times when Death shall call away those Labourers the Churches have ●ow amongst them should they see ●he present Ministry slighted and ●ot provided for Or what ground ●ave we to expect a Blessing by the Providence of God to attend the Churches in respect of an Able and Honourable Ministry in time to come when His great Ordinance is slighted ●nd neglected which He in Wisdom ●ath Ordained for an Encouragement upon this very account In his own Way we may look for a Blessing bu● not out of it Nay to be plain with you Have not some in a few Years last past see● to their great trouble and grief how this neglect and ommission of Duty hath laid divers hopeful young Men who were indued with