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	wage_n	2,391	5	11.9240	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86549	Salvation from sinne by Jesus Christ: or, The doctrine of sanctification (which is the greater part of our salvation) founded upon Christ, who is both the meritorious, and and efficient cause of sanctifying grace, purchasing it for, working & perfecting it in his people. Applied (as it was specially intended) for the better information of our judgements, and quickning of our affections in holiness, wherein our everlasting our everlasting happiness chiefly consisteth. / Preached in the weekly lecture at Evesham in the county of Worcester, by George Hopkins, M.A. minister of the Gospel there.; Salvation from sinne by Jesus Christ	Hopkins, George, 1620-1666.	1655 (1655)	Wing H2743; Thomason E1608_1; ESTC R208454	135,124	325

in his Epistle to Titus c. 2. pressing the duties of severall ages sexes and orders of people to ver 11 useth this with other weighty arguments that Christ gave himselfe for us that he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purify unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good works ver 14. Thus also Peter exhorting the elect to be active in the wayes of holinesse not fashioning themselves to their former lusts 1. Pet 1. from ver 10. to v. 18. useth this as a most forcible argument among others ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from your vaine conversation received by tradition from your Fathers but with the precious blood of Christ Arg. 1 The First Argument is drawn from Gods honour that is the chief work of Christ our Saviour wherein God is most honoured but God is most honoured in the saving his people from their sins therefore is this the chief work of Christ c. That that is the great or chief work of Christ wherein God is most glorified will need little proof for that must needs be the greatest work that most effectually atteineth the highest end And what end higher than the glory of God which was the supreme end of all Christs undertakings Joh. 17.4 That God is most glorified in the saving his people from their sins is manifest by its contrary God is most yea onely dishonoured by the sinnes and not all by the sufferings e As a cause or occasion given of his dishonour although the wicked take occasion to blaspheme God when his people are brought low Psal 79.10 12. of his people Gods people by their holinesse glorifie him and he is much honoured in the midst of their sufferings whereas Sin dishonours him in the midst of ease and abundance of mercies Gods honour Will well agree with the sufferings of his people but Sin is directly injurious to his glory though by accident he gets himselfe glory by it as he at first produc'd light out of darkness Thus God is much honoured by the great sufferings of Job while he sinneth not Job 1.20 21. yea God is so much honoured that he makes his boast against Satan of his Servant Job cap. 2 3. And the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered my Servant Job that there is none like him in the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill and still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause And on the contrary how much is God dishonoured by our sinfull ease and prosperity yea most dishonoured by it in those that are redeemed from the guilt and punishment of sinne The grosse miscarriages of Gods people give occasion to the Enemies of God to blaspheme his name and wayes Thus when David had foulely offended saith the Lord by his Prophet Thou hast given great occasion to the Enemies of the Lord to blaspheme 2 Sam. 12.14 The crimes of Professors are ever the most scandalous yea the sins of Gods dearest children are most offensive to God himselfe because they are also committed against the greatest mercy and loving kindness The Lord in this case is ready to say with the Psalmist Psal 55.12 It was not mine Enemy that reproached me then I could have born it But when a Sinner is saved from his sins God is much honoured both before Angels and Men. Arg. 2 The second Argument is drawn from the greatnesse of the evill of sin above suffering That must needs be the greatest work in our Salvation whereby we are saved from the greatest evill but sin f It is better for a man to be cast into the torments of Hell among the Damned than to be overcome with any Sin Hookers Souls Prepar pag. 16. See Master Burroughs his Treatise of the Evill of Evills is the greatest evill and therefore our Salvation from it must needs be answerable That sin is the greatest evill is evident for many reasons 1. It is the procuring cause of all other evills and therefore must needs it self be the worst of evills The cause is ever more eminent than its effect whether for good or evill a good cause is better than its effect and an evill cause is worse That sin is the onely procuring cause of all evills is without controversie for as sin entred in the world death entred by sin and death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Rom. 5 12. And the wages of sin is death saith Paul Rom. 6.23 Death temporall with all the evills of life as sicknesse wounds sorrowes and whatsoever else tendeth to Death and Death eternall All the horrour of hell is the fruit of sin the foundations of Hell are laid upon sinne Hell the worst of torments was built meerly for sinners therefore sin must be the worst of evills And because that sin is the Souls greatest evill and unhappinesse it is that when God comes to deliver a Soul out of meer pity and bowels of compassion his Eye chiefly pities them and his Bowells yerne over them because of their misery in sinne it selfe as you may read at large Ezek. 16. the former part of the Chapter And the saving mercy that he sheweth his love in is opposed to hardning in sinne rather than damning for sinne Rom. 9.18 He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth And the punishment of sinne with sin we account the greatest judgement 2. Sinne is Mans greatest evill because it hinders him from the enjoyment of the greatest good which is God himselfe It is sinne onely that separates between God and the Soule this is the onely partition wall Isa 59.2 Your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you 3. Sinne is the greatest evill because of all things it is most displeasing to God the chiefest good yea there is nothing displeasing to God but sinne primarily and this is an abomination to him and therefore Sinnes are called in Scripture abominations Ezek. 9.4 And the Lord said unto him goe through the midst of the City through the midst of Jerusalem and set a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the Abominations that be done in the midst thereof Prov. 15.9 The way of ths wicked is an Abomination unto the Lord. And God doth so loath sinners for their sinne that he will not abide them in his sight The foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all workers of iniquity saith David Psal 5.5 But the evill of suffering is not at all in it selfe displeasing unto God Yea he himselfe who is infinitely good is the Author of it and there is no evill of suffering but what comes from him as the principall efficient Can there be evill in the City and the Lord hath not done it Amos 3.6 As by being saved from sinne Arg. 3 Man is

1. Against the fear of falling away Psal 34.19 Many indeed are the troubles and temptations of the righteous but the Lord will deliver them out of them all Satan his Instruments are very powerfull they do and shall deceive many especially in such times as these But the Elect of God and such onely are effectually called shall not be deceived For saith our Saviour Christ Mat. 24.24 There shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very Elect. The Elect may be long deceived before their conversion they may after their conversion also be brought off for a time from some of the sound principles they have professed and from much of the practice of Christianity wherein they were forward as I am perswaded many are in these dayes whom God will cause in his good time to remember from whence they are fallen and repent and do their first Works And the most faithfull of Gods Elect are deceived all their dayes in lesser matters both in judgment and practise But the Elect of God shall not be utterly deceived in those things that are essentially necessary to be known and done Whosoever then thou art that sincerely fearest God rejoyce in thy firme and setled condition The Love wherewith the Lord hath loved thee is everlasting love Jer. 33.3 his mercy he will keep for thee for evermore Psal 89.28 the kindnesse of thy Redeemer is everlasting kindnesse Isa 54.8 The Covenant that God hath entred with thee is an everlasting Covenant Isa 55.3 Heb. 8. 8 9. c 13.20 The spirit i Scriptura non uno loco inculcat Spiritū S. electis datum inhabitare corundem corda Si autem inbabitat igitur domicilium fixamque sedem ibi deligit neq zimaginabimur cum excurrere vagari redire quod malum spiritum facere consucvisse Christus Mat. 12. testatur Zanch. Epist l. 1. Datur electis Spiritus S. ut arrbabo haereditatis coelestis Eph. 1. Nemo autem qui promissis pactisve vult stare arrbabonem reposcit quin potius in hoc totus est ut promissa sive pacta praestet ne tum quidem ubi illa praestiterit arrhabonem repetiturus Consequitur ergo Spiritum S. apud cum cui semel datus est relinqui Quod eo quoque comprobatur quod Eph. 4. dicuntur credentes per Sp. Sanctum in diem redemptionis obsignari Zanch. ibid. of Sanctification already given thee is the earnest of thy Inheritance Eph. 1.14 Thou art sealed by it to the day of redemption Eph. 4.30 It is sent unto thee not as a wayfaring man to tarry but for a night but to abide with thee for ever Joh. 14.16 The seed of grace is an incorruptible seed 1. Pet. 1.23 The life of grace is everlasting life For he that truely believeth hath everlasting life Joh 3.36 Ch. 5.24 Thou believest the record that God hath given of his Son and this is the record that God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life 1 Joh 5.11 12 Everlasting life is already begun in thy soule and the Lord is faithfull who will establish thee to the end 2. Thes 3.3 Satan indeed desireth to have thee that he may sist thee as wheat but Christ hath prayed for thee that thy faith may not faile Luke 22. 31 32. The powers that are against thee are great but the power that is for thee is k Nemo fallit redemptorem tuum nemo circumvenit nemo premit Aug. in Psal 103. v. 3. greater Thou shalt be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 The Lord that hath already rescued thee out of the jawes of Satan that was ready to devour thee as David rescued the Lamb out of the mouth of the Lion will carefully watch over thee that thou maist no more become a prey He that keepeth thee will not slumber Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep The Lord is thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon the right hand The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil he shall preserve thy soule the Lord shall preserve thy going out and coming in from this time forth and for evermore Hear how Christ the great Sheepherd of thy Soul speaks for thy comfort John 10.27 28 29 30. My sheep hear my voice I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternall life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand My Father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my fathers hand I and my Father are one And how confidently doth Paul triumph against all opposition Rom. 8.35 37 38 39. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword Nay in all these things we are more than conquerours through him that loved us For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thou hast cause indeed to feare Satans and the Worlds temptations and thine own inbred corruption with a feare begetting care for the prevention of the evil but let not thy feare cause thee to cast away thy confidence in Christ thy Saviour but in assurance of his help and protection fly unto him at all seasons and say as David did in another case Psal 66.3 What time I am afraid I will trust in thee Forsake not him and he will not forsake thee In this case I may say as Azariah said to Asa and all Judah and Benjamin The Lord is with you while ye be with him yea the Lord hath said I will not faile thee nor forsake thee A repetition of the same thing in Scripture is like Pharaoh's doubled dream which sheweth that the thing shall certainly come to passe which is foretold or promised Now we have here the Lord doubling his promise I will not faile thee nor forsake thee Note also that whereas two negatives in the Greek Language deny the more strongly we have here no lesse than five negatives two in the former and three in the latter clause of this promise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If we should translate the words literally it would be thus I will not not faile thee neither will I not not forsake thee Enemies indeed thou hast and the worst are in thine own house I meane which is worse in thine own heart Feare with a cautious but not with an incredulous feare Remember thou art here a member of the Church-militant among many Enemies warre thou must and adventure hazards and difficulties yet be not dismayed l Eisi diabolus peccatum