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
A89645	A little starre, giving some light into the counsels and purposes of God revealed in the Scriptures. Or A catechisme, wherein these ensuing principles. 1. What God is, and how he manifests himselfe. 2 Why he made the world and man. 3. Mans condition, what, 1. by creation. 2. By his fall. 3. By being restored by Jesus Christ. 4 The uses and ends of the law. 5. What the Gospell is. 6. Justification what it is. 7. Sanctification what, and how it is wrought. 8. What repentance is. 9. The use and ends of the Scriptures. 10. What true prayer is. 11. Baptisme, and the Lords Supper, why, and how used. 12. Generall redemption what, and how to be adjudged of. 13. Resurrection and judgement what. 14. Heaven and Hell what, in truth and misterie. All which are briefly by way of question and answer opened and explained. / By VVilliam Mason.	Mason, William, Anabaptist.	1653 (1653)	Wing M948; Thomason E1505_1; ESTC R208669	86,553	204

performance of any or all those religious services but that they should believe in him who was prefigured in all those services which was Christ and cast themselves wholly upon God in him for Righteousnesse both unto justification and fanctification But now Christ being come in the flesh and having in himself ended all those significations it is the will of God that both Jewes and Gentiles should believe in him and rest confidently assured that God is graciously well pleased with them in him having for his sake forgiven them all their trespasses so that the will of God being the ruleof mens obedience it is the will of God that they should not act according to the letter of the Law for life but that they should believe on the name of his Sonne Jesus Christ in whom is eternall life Q. But is not the Law even in the terrors of it a good meanes to drive men to Christ A. The Law as it was delivered to Israel on Mount Sinai was so holy so pure and of such transcendent righteousnesse that all the wisdome and power of men could not devise any meanes nor perform any action that might in the least be suteable to the will of God herein they being by nature acted by a spirit or principle quite contrary to the most pure holy and righteous will of God hereupon the Law was a ministration of death threatning wrath upon every disobedience so that in this respect the Law was and is so far from being a meanes to drive men to God that is was and is rather an occasion to drive them from him either first into despair if he should turn their consciences loose upon them Or else secondly by stirring up the enmity that is in the minds of men to make them hate God and all the holy wayes of God Or thirdly men being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God are hereby stirred up to invent some way or worship of their own whereby they may appear righteous before God Q. How could the Law being so pure and holy occasion or stir up the enmity that is in mens minds against God A. A man in the state of innocency was able to look upon God and to converse with him every appearance and discovery of God unto him was pleasant and delightful and the more the Lord was pleased to manifest himself unto man the more mans heart was enlarged to love him and his commandments were not grievous in this condition there was neither cause nor occasion of discontent much lesse of enmity or hatred between God and him But when man by sin was fallen from God and was become one with Satan who hated God then he who before was like unto God and loved God was now become like the Devil and hated God and this enmity or hatred was not against God as he was a good and loving God for that man was not now able to apprehend but in that he was a just and a righteous God for so he was pleased to appear unto him Before the Law was given the Lord manifested himself to men very seldome and very low and they knew but very little of him except in the outward creation all this while men were exceeding sinful and death had dominion over them yet neverthelesse God did not impute every transgression unto them though he often plagued them for their grosse and greivous sinnes for there was no written precept and the Law of nature was by sin so blotted and blurred that no man was able thereby to read or know his duty and now men were alive at least in their own conceits they thought themselves to be very happy and their conditions to be very good so long as they abstained from such grossenesse as very nature abhorred because they did not know sin many things that were very sinful went currant for morall vertues and many things that were duties were not looked upon as any thing at all sin was as it were dead men were so benummed in it But now when the Commandement on the Law came when God was pleased to appear in a most righteous Law whereby every sin and transgression was brought to light it being through the power of God a discerner of the thoughts and purposes of the heart now sin revived for now sin was discovered whatsoever was contrary to the holy will of God was known to be a sin and every duty was now known to be a duty so that by the Law men were become sinful that is they were now made acquainted with their sinful dispositions which before the Law came they did not know But this was not all for the Law did not onely discover sin to be sin but also did occasion sin to be more sinful That corruption of nature wherewith every man is tainted and whereby every man is become prone to evil that sinning sin took occasion by the Law or Commandement to work in natural men all manner of evil for the Law was so holy and so high that no man was able to attain to the perfection of it in the least degree and it was also the ministration of condemnation threatening wrath and curse upon every disobedience Now men perceiving that they were neither able to attain to that purity which the Law required nor yet to escape that wrath which the Law threatened that natural corruption that sinful disposition that is in every mans heart by nature was hereby quickened and stirred up through the working of Satan to hate God and to oppose him in all his holy and righteous wayes and appearances and yet the Law is not sin nor the cause of death unto any man but holy and just and good But sin or the vicious disposition of every mans heart being carried on by the Devil did so rage and swell against the purity and righteousnesse of God revealed in the Law that they sinned the more and acted all manner of wickednesse with greater violence even as a mighty stream being stopped rages and swells and breakes down all dammes and stops whatsoever and hence it is that the Commandement which was ordained to life was to them an occasion of death and thus sinne by the Commandement became exceeding sinfull Q. Doth the Law occasion such an enmity or hatred in the Elect also A. The Elect and they that are predestinated to be conformed unto the Image of Christ come under a two-fold consideration First as they are in the state of nature and secondly as they are in a state of grace As they are in the state of nature so they are in the state of enmity and there is no difference herein between them and all other men but onely in the account of God they hate God as much as any oppose him as much as any and had a hand and gave their voyce in the crucifying of Christ as much as any men whatsoever and in this condition

truth which is to be perfected by degrees in this life though not fully untill the life to come Neither is there any outward ordinance or observation that can hold proportion or correspondence with this Spiritual Kingdome it being exalted above all the Hills and infinitely above all significations Now Water-Baptisme can no way shew forth our union with Christ for that is a Spiritual union and Water-Baptisme is a Carnall ordinance and holds no proportion with the former Againe we are not made one with Christ as we are one flesh with him but as we are one Spirit with him Christ by taking our flesh became Immanuel or God one with us in the flesh but now the Lord who is that Spirit takes us into the same Spirit and so we are made one Spirit with him To this very end the glorious God did abase himself and clothed himself with our flesh and took it into union with himself that so by this meanes he might also receive all them that do truely believe in him into union with himself by the same Spirit So that it is not the Baptisme of Water that can ingraft us into Christ or make us one with him But by the Baptisme of the eternall Spirit are all the Saints united to him and partake of the same Divine nature with him And further Water-Baptisme can give us no true fellowship with the Saints for where the Saints have true fellowship one with another they have this fellowship together in Christ So that this fellowship consists not in being of the same opinion or forme one with another But in partaking of the same Spirit are united into one body together in Christ For by one Spirit are we all Baptized into one Body whether we be Jewes or Gentils So that it is not water-baptisme that can give any true fellowship with the Saints but onely a carnall admission into an outward fellowship with men of the same form which may hold for a time and afterward come to nothing Ananias and Saphira may have for a time an outward fellowship with the Apostles and Simon Magus with Phillip and the rest of the Saints in Samaria Q. What say you then of the Lords Supper is not that an Ordinance of Christ to be used now in the time of the Gospel A. That our Saviour Christ did give Bread and Wine unto his Disciples in remembrance of his death which he was now suddenly to accomplish is not denied but that he left it with them as an ordinance to be performed by all believers in the dayes of the Gospel is to be enquired into Our blessed Lord a little before his suffering told his Disciples that he had a great desire to eat one Passeover more with them before his death and being come into the house as they were eating together he tells them plain that one of them should betray him into the hands of the chief Priests and Elders c. and that he was to undergoe great sufferings yea and death also and that all this was no more than what was written of him though they were ignorant of it and that they must now enjoy his company but a very little while for as he came forth from the Father into the world so he must now leave the world and goe to the Father upon this heavy and sad and indeed unexpected newes his poor weak Disciples who looked for better things from their Master at least in their own conceits were so presently filled with sorrow that they knew not what to say much lesse what to doe whereupon our Saviour seeing them take the matter so to heart and knowing that his death was of so great advantage unto them takes occasion to instruct them in the knowledge and ends of the same that as his departure from them was cause of great grief and sorrow unto them so the remembrance of the great benefits which should redound unto them thereby might a little stay and comfort their hearts untill he did appear to them more fully To this end he took bread and brake it saying This is my body which is given for you as if he had said as I break this bread and give it unto you so my body is given and must be broken for you even for your sinnes And taking the cup he saith drink yee all of it for it is the New Testament in my bloud or a signification of the bloud of the New Covenant which is my bloud that must be shed for you and many others also or else yee cannot have remission of sinnes And for a help to their weak faith and comfort in their sad condition he said also unto them doe this in remembrance of me as if he had said I know that for the present you are almost overwhelmed with grief and sorrow because I say such things to you yet let this be a little comfort to you make use of Bread and Wine in-remembrance that my death is of great advantage to you and though I goe away in the flesh yet it shall not be long ere I see you again in the Spirit for I will not leave you comfortlesse but will come to you in the comforter which is the Spirit of truth and then your hearts shall rejoyce and your joy shall no man be able to take from you so that from hence it may appear that this action of Christ and likewise his command was rather to comfort and stay the hearts of his poor sorrowrowfull fainting then Disciples than to be a standing Ordinance for all believers afterwards Q But it is not said in many places in the Acts of the Apostles that this Ordinance was in use even among the Apostles themselves and many other Saints after the Ascension of Christ and sending down of the holy Ghost A. The Apostles indeed are said to break bread and that from house to house but every breaking of bread there spoken of cannot be said to be the Lords Supper for it is said that they did eat their meat with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart whereby it may appear that by breaking of bread in that place is rather meant the Saints mutuall love in receiving and entertaining one another into their houses with feasting and rejoycing than eating the Lords Supper for it is said that the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul neither said any man that the things which he possessed were his own but they had all things common The preaching of the Apostles was of such power and efficacy that it wrought great effects there was none that lacked they that were poor were provided for out of the goods of them that were rich But if by breaking of bread in this or other places be meant the eating the Lords Supper yet it was used as a thing indifferent and of christian liberty rather than a binding Ordinance for the Apostles