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	sin_n	sin_v	3,111	5	9.7434	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68657	The price of our redemption A sermon preached at Paules Crosse, the sixt of Aprill last, 1617. By Charles Richardson, preacher at Saint Katherines neere the Tower of London.	Richardson, Charles, fl. 1612-1617.	1617 (1617)	STC 21015; ESTC S106048	53,639	140

doctrine and send it backe againe to hell from whence it came and let vs rely vpon the all-sufficient merites of Christ his sufferings for the saluation of our soules assuring our selues that Hee was made vnto vs Wisedome 1. Cor. 1 30. and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption Let vs acknowledge with that blessed Martyr Lambert in the midst of the fire * Foxe martyrol None but Christ None but Christ Secondly this great price that our Sauiour hath payed for our Redemption should mooue vs to godlie sorrowe and remorse for our sinnes It is true that the very bare consideration of our Sauiour Christ his sufferings without any respect to vs should worke sorrow and commiseration in our hearts For who is so hard-hearted that can but reade or heare the Storie of Abraham about to sacrifice his innocent sonne Isaac or the selling away of poore Ioseph by his most vnnaturall and cruell Brethren or the fearefull torments which many of the Martyres haue suffered and endured at the hands of cruell and bloody tyrants not be moued to ruth compassion Nay who can endure to behold euen notorious malefactors executed for their iust deserts without some sense of sorrow For the communion and mutuall participation of nature doeth so affect vs as wee thinke that part of our selues suffereth in them yea that very humanity that is bred with men cannot but bee troubled at the torments of brute beasts But when wee shall consider that our Sauiour suffered all that he suffered for our sakes and for our sinnes much more then ought we to greeue and sorrow It was ordained in the Law that when a man brought a beast to the doore of the Tabernacle for a burnt Offering he should put his hand vpon the head of it Leuit. 1 4. Thereby acknowledging that hee had deserued to die that the beast was to be slaine for his offences So should wee acknowledge that Christ was put to death nor for anie desert of his owne for as we haue heard before he was altogether without blemish but onely for our sinnes When Dauid saw the miserable death of his people by the pestilence and considered that his sinne in numbering of his men was the cause of it his tender heart was vexed within him and with great remorse hee cried thus vnto the Lord Behold I haue sinned yea I haue done wickedly 2 Sam 24 17. but these Sheepe what haue they done In like manner we haue all cause with bitternesse of heart to cry out in this case It is we Lord that haue sinned it is wee that haue done wickedly as for this innocent Lambe Christ Iesus alas what hath he done But that we may be the better affected it shall not be amisse a litle to consider the greeuousnesse of his sufferings And that will appeare first by the generality of them and that in diuers respects First hee suffered of all kinds and sorts of men Hee suffered of the Gentiles and of the Iewes of the Princes and of the people of masters and seruants of his acquaintance and strangers of male and Female So hee suffered in all things wherein it is possible for a man to suffer He suffered in his friends and followers who seeing him apprehended and carried away They all forsooke him and fled Mat. 26 56 58 Onely Peter followed him but it was a farre off and afterwardes most shamefully denied him He suffered in his good name which was wounded with blasphemies and reproches For besides the shameful indignities that were offered him whē hee was arraigned before the High-Priests and Pilate when hee hanged vpon the crosse and deserued to bee pittied of all that had but common humanity he was flouted and derided and scoffed at by all that behelde him a Lu. 23 36 37 by the souldiers b Ma. 27 41 42 by the high-Priests c Luk. 23 35. by them that stood and looked on d Math. 27 39 40. by them that passed by e Math. 27 44 Luke 23 39. yea by the very theeues at least by one of them that wer crucified with him He suffred also in his outward things such as he had for though he had nothing but the clothes to his backe Math. 27 35. yet the Souldiers stript him of them shared and diuided them before his face Thirdly he suffered in al his outward senses and in all the members of his body His glorious head was wounded to the braine with a crown of thorns his faire face was horribly defiled with the filthy spittings of the Iewes his bright eyes dazeled and languished in his head to beholde the outragious cruelty of his Tormentors his holy eares were wounded to hear the insulting blasphemies of the Iewes his sacred mouth which taught men all truth was put out of taste with Gall and vineger his hands which wrought so manie famous myracles and his feete that had wonderfully walked vppon the Sea were fastened vnto the Crosse with sharp nailes His blessed heart that was neuer defiled with the least euill thought was pierced with a speare In a worde his whole bodye was pittifully rent and torne with whipping and scourging so that we might say of him as the Prophet saith in another case Isaiah 1 verse 6. From the sole of his foote vnto his head there was nothing whole in him but woundes and swelling and sores full of corruption Secondly the bitternesse of his passion will appeare by considering the kinde of death that he suffered and that was the death of the crosse which the Apostle added as an augmentation of his torments Philip. 2 8. Hee became obedient saith hee to the death euen to the death of the Crosse Now the death of the crosse was most greeuous in many respects First because it was an accursed death As the Apostle sayth Cursed is euery one that hangeth on a tree Galath 3 13. Not that all that were hanged if they did vnfeignedly repent were reiected and forsaken of God but because that kinde of punishment was accursed and hatefull to God and a spectacle of horrible malediction We do not reade any such thing of other kinde of punishments as stoning to death burning slaying with the sword c. onely God pronounced the hanging on the crosse to bee execrable and accursed And therefore Constantine the Great that good and mild Emperor * Tripartit histor lib. 1. cap. 9. made a law wherein he forbad that any Christian should be hanged vpon the crosse Secondly because it was also an ignominious and a shameful death For it was principally inflicted vpon slaues and seruants and therefore was called a seruile punishment either for accusing of their Masters or conspiring theyr death or for running away Such as were free men though otherwise verie vile and base were seldome punished with it vnlesse it were for some heinous and notorious crime As for robbery and therefore there were two robbers crucified with him Or

* Comment in Rom 7. where the death of Christ is duely meditated on in the minde there sinne cannot reigne For such is the force of his crosse that if it be set before our eyes and faithfully kept in minde no Concupiscence no Lust no Rage no Enuie can ouercome vs but presently vppon the sight of it all the army of sinne and the flesh is put to flight The Reason is because when as two contraries such as the passion of Christ and sinne are meete together the weaker must of necessitie giue place vnto the stronger Againe so many vertues doe appeare in the passion of Christ so many arguments and tokens of his loue are therein manifested and such and so great a benefite of our redemption is wrought by it as sinne cannot possibly stand with the diligent consideration thereof * Macrob. Saturnal lib. 2. cap 4. An old Souldier in Rome beeing cited to appeare before the Iudges and being in some daunger came openly to Augustus Caesar and intreated him to stand by him defend him who presently appointed him an Aduocate whomsoeuer he would choose in his Court The man by and by cried out with a lowd voice But I O Caesar when you were in danger in the warres did not seeke a Deputy to defend you but I fought for you my selfe and shewed the scarres which he had receiued in that fight whereat the Emperor was ashamed and came to be his aduocate as fearing lest hee should seeme not onely proude but also vnthankefull In like manner when we shal behold the scarres which our Sauiour Christ receiued in his flesh for our sinnes we shold be ashamed to shew our selues vnthankfull vnto him by continuing the course of our former wickednes We detest Iudas and raile vppon the Iewes and abhorre Pilate for putting him to death but there is more cause why we should detest and abhor our owne sinnes For they were but Instruments to effect his death our sins procured it yea our sinnes sharpened the speare that opened his side and caused his verie hearts bloode to gush out Wee must therefore take heede that We tread not vnder foote the precious blood of Christ Heb. 10 29. and count it an vnholy thing as the Apostle saith For if the bloode of Abel cried vnto God for vengeance against Cain Genesis 4 18. doubtles the blood of Christ will make a farre lowder out-cry in the eares of the Lord against all the despisers of it If thou wert sought for to bee put to death for thy due deserts and some friend of thine should put on thy garments and should suffer himselfe to bee taken condemned and haled vppon the crosse for thy sake if thou shouldest not pittie and greeue for him but rather on the contrarie side shouldest prouoke and stirre vp his Tormentors against him nay shouldest offer thy selfe to be his executioner wert thou not worthy of a thousand deaths Such is the case of euerie wilfull and impenitent sinner who as much as lyeth in him Heb. ● 6. by his sins Crucifieth the Sonne of God againe who for his redemption hath suffered such vnspeakable torments Last of all in token of our thankefulnesse we must be ready and willing to suffer any thing for Christ his sake Vnto you it is giuen saith the Apostle that not onely ye should beleeue in him Phil. 1 ver 29 but also suffer for his sake It is in vaine for a man to boast of faith if hee bee a Coward and refuse to suffer when God shall call him to it Our Sauiour hath drunke vnto vs in the cuppe of his passion as hee sayd to these two sonnes of Zebedeus Mat. 20. ver 22 and wee must pledge him when occasion is offered If we will be his Disciples wee must bee content to Take his Crosse vpon our backes Math. 16 24. and follow him Yea the Apostle Peter telleth vs 1 Peter 2 21. That we are called thereunto For Christ also suffered for vs leauing vs an example that wee should follow his steps This is harsh to flesh blood and we are loath to suffer any trouble we must therfore encourage our selues by his example It was the manner of the Heathen to prouoke their Elephants to fight 1 Macca 6 34 to shewe them the blood of Grapes and Mulberries so the blood that Christ hath shed for vs should put courage into vs to fight in his cause Heb. 12 2. Wee must looke to Iesus the Author and finisher of our faith who for our sakes endured the Crosse and despised the shame c. When Alexander the Great Quin Curtius lib. 5. marched through Persia his way was stopped with snow and ice in so much as his soldiers being tyred before with sore labor were discoraged wold haue gone no further which he perceiuing lighteth off his horse and goeth on foot through the midst of all making himselfe way with a pick-axe whereat they all beeing ashamed first his friends then the Captaines of his army and last of all the common soldiers followed him So should wee all followe our Sauiour Christ by that rough and vnpleasant way of the crosse which he hath gone before vs. Vriah refused to goe home vnto his house and to refresh and solace himself with his wife because as he said The Arke 2 Sam 11 11. and Israel and Iudah dwelt in Tents and his Lord Ioab did abide in the open fields Much more should wee refuse to pamper our flesh by delicacie whē we shall consider what hardnesse our Sauiour endured especially for our sakes Gaue. This is the maner how our Sauiour laide downe his life for our redemption namely willingly and freely without compulsion hee gaue himselfe to death for vs. And this the Prophet Isaiah foretold long before when he saith Isaiah 52 10. Hee shall make his soule an offering for sin And the Apostle affirmeth Philip 2 7 8. that he made himselfe of no reputation but humbled himselfe and became obedient vnto the death And our Sauiour himselfe saith No man taketh my life from me Iohn 10 18. but I lay it downe of my selfe I haue power to lay it downe and I haue power to take it again * Non aufertur quod vliro ponitur Muscui That which a man willingly layeth down of himselfe is not taken from him Hence was it that when hee knew the time of his passion to bee come Hee went with his Disciples ouer the brook Cedron Iohn 18 1 2. into a Garden a place that Iudas which betrayed him was well acquainted withall For as the Euangelist sayeth Iesus oft-times resorted thither with his Disciples This he did of purpose as one * ●yril saith that he might bee more easily found of the traitor and that he might saue them a labor that came to take him If it had pleased him he could haue hid himselfe haue kept himselfe out of the way as hee did