Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	divers_a	mean_n	simile_n	210	4	16.5891	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88814	The use and practice of faith: or, Faiths universal usefulness, and quickning influence into every kinde and degree of the Christian life. Together with the excellency of a spiritual life (in difference from all tother) by way of a proœme. And the excellent work and reward of converting others to the faith, commended by way of close. Delivered in the publick lectures at Ipswich. By the late eminent and faithful servant of his Lord, Mr. Matthew Lawrence, preacher to the said town.	Lawrence, Matthew.	1657 (1657)	Wing L673; Thomason E924_1; ESTC R207547	477,214	695

is broken upon the Feather-bed of Gods Mercy One looke from Christ or one look towards Christ by the eye of Faith melts the heart more then a thousand strokes of the hammer Zech. 12.10 I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and Supplication and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son Observe nothing melts the heart so kindly as looking upon Christ crucified by the eye of Faith O saith the believing Soul that Christ should deal so kindly with me that have dealt so unkindly with him O that he should overcome my evil with his exceeding goodness O that he should die for me who once did hate him to the very death O these are melting arguments that come from faith Remember thou canst never be throughly humbled till thou beginnest to believe Other Arguments may Batter the heart but Arguments drawn from Faith do only Break it and melt it And therefore let not this consideration keep thee from believing to say I have not yet been humbled enough for by that reason we should never believe as long as the world stands For where is the man that can say He is humbled enough especially before such time as he begins to believe But so much for the fifth particular Impediment and the way to remove it The 6. Is this They want the sense of Gods love nay 6. Want of Feeling they feel the sense of his wrath and displeasure and therefore why should they believe Now to remove this Impediment Cure and to roll this Stone out of the way we must know it is impossible to have the sense and feeling of Gods love till we begin to believe For being justified by Faith we have Peace with God Rom. 5.1 and not before God sometimes carrieth strange to his own children as Joseph to his brethren and Christ to the woman of Canaan Yea whom the Lord loves he corrects and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth Heb. 12.6 The father knoweth how to frown and how to strike with the Rod too and yet he is a father still His chastisements are Castigatory Probatory and Purgatory they purge out the remainders of sinful Corruption And if we have but grace to carry towards him as Children under the Rod we may be sure by that that God offers himself to us as a Father Therefore be not discouraged though God seem to frown but say as Job If God should kill me yet will I trust in him I am sure to die if I fly from him Whither shall I fly from thy presence Psal 139. and I can but die if I fly to him nay I am sure I shall not die if I can do so for he hath said it and he will perform it Joh. 6.37 He that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out And therefore do not reason against thy self and say Oh God is a terrible and a furious God he will never be at peace with such an one as I am True indeed if thou standest out in opposition against him he is a furious God but if thou layest down thy weapons of War and yieldest up thy strong-holds of Carnal Reason and Self-will into his hands in this case mark what God saith Isa 27.4 Fury is not in me As if he should say Thou thinkst I am a furious God there 's no dealing with me but if thou wilt submit thou shalt finde fury is not in me Indeed if thou settest thy self still in battel against me I will be as a consuming fire unto thee but if thou hast a real desire to submit and to make peace take my Word for it Thou canst not be so forward to make peace with me but I am as forward to make peace with thee And therefore be not afraid for so runs the Promise Fury is not in me who would set the briars and thorns against me in battel I would go through them I would burn them together Or let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me and he shall make peace with me O what a gracious Promise is this How should it overcome all the hard thoughts and jealousies we are apt to entertain of God! O but in the seventh place 7. Doubt of Election I am afraid the Promise belongs not unto me for I fear I am not Elected and therefore why should I believe This is another great Impediment and an heavy stone upon the mouth of the Sepulchre and how should this be removed Thus Who tels thee so not God if any body Cure the Divel Deut. 29.29 Secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever Election of this or that particular person is a secret thing and cannot be known by any thing à priori that goeth before but à posteriori from the latter it may be known by our Faith and effectual calling we may know we are Elected and not before 2 Thes 1.3 4. But here 's the Divels policy to puzzel mens heads and hearts in Election when they should busie their heads and hearts about Believing in thirsting after Jesus Christ in being willing to make peace with him and wholly to receive him And if God hath given thee such a Will I am sure the Promise belongs to thee Rev. 22.17 Let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of Life freely And so much for the seventh particular Impediment and the way to remove it The Sixth Hindrance Sixth General Impediment of Faith viz. Neglect of Means Is a wicked and sinful neglect of the Means which God useth for the begetting of Faith Of which by Gods assistance we are to speak in due time If Christ and Heaven and Faith will drop into their mouth at unawares so it is but under pretence that God doth call in the working of Faith they are resolved to use no means under God but cast off all Ordinances as if they were to no purpose Now so long as a man neglects the means he is never like to attain the end Now of this neglect of the Means there are divers subordinate causes especially these five Prejudice Pride Sloth Five Causes of Neglect of Means Presumption and Despondency of Spirit We shall speak of them particularly and the way to remember them 1. Prejudice Quarrels the Means of Faith The 1. Is a strong and strange Prejudice against the Means of begetting Faith or against the Instruments dispensing the Means Tush saith one this Preaching this foolish preaching t is but a light kind of food as they said of the Manna and how should this do me any good I 'le never believe this foolish Preaching can be a means to save my soul And for these preachers saith the poor deluded soul what are they but a company of infirmous

they may have a Name to live yet in truth they are but dead dead in their persons and dead in their works for without Faith there is no true life either in this man or in any thing that comes from him For the Just lives by his Faith Inform. 6 Sixthly This shews the unsoundness of their opinion who say there may be life in a creature No life until Faith and Christ in a creature before there be Faith in the creature as if Faith did onely give Evidence of that life which was in the Soul before Faith But the Text is plain The just lives by his faith Therefore as Christ and Life so Faith and Life come both together and Faith is an Instrument of applying Christ for the maintaining and acting of Spiritual Life So that Faith is not onely an evidence to shew that we are alive but it is an Instrument under Jesus Christ of Spiritual Life Therefore look as when it is said By faith the walls of Jericho fell down it is not onely meant that by Faith they saw when they were down for they could see that with the eye of sense but the meaning is Faith was the Instrument or Engine laying hold of the Vertue Truth and Power of Christ who stood upon the top of the wall and bid them compass the City six days and blow with Rams-horns and give a shout the seventh day and the walls of Jericho should fall down Now they doing this in Faith and believing God would make good his Promise It is said By faith the walls of Jericho fell down their faith was an Instrument of their falling and not onely an evidence that they were fallen So I say Faith is an Instrument of Spiritual Life and not onely an evidence that the Creature doth live The Just shall live by his Faith Inform. 7 Seventhly This shews us what the Ministers of God are principally bound to preach The Ministers chief work and what people principally should desire to hear and that is the Word of Faith because this is indeed the Word of Life The Just shall live by his Faith and therefore we make bold to be the longer upon this subject It is true indeed we are bound to preach of Good Works also and of Duties to God and Men but these are to be set in their due place and order to be brought in as fruits and effects of Faith and Repentance and not as the causes Simile To speak altogether of Good Works and Good Duties without Faith is all one as if one should make Roof of a House without any Walls or Foundation To speak altogether of Faith without the fruits of it in Good Works is all one as if one should lay a Foundation and build the Walls but never set on the Roof The one of these ought to be done and the other not to be left undone Howsoever the chief of these is Faith In order to the Foundation it lays hold upon Christ He is the onely sure Foundation of all our building and therefore the Word we preach is called the Word of Faith Rom. 10.18 As if Faith should be the principal subject of our Preaching as indeed it should For the end of all Preaching The End of all Preaching is either to beget Spiritual Life or else to maintain it and increase it where it is begotten and this is done in a way of Faith For the Just shall live by his Faith Vse 2 Vse II. Of Reproof Reproof to 3 sorts To Reprove divers sorts of men 1. Such as live by other things in stead of living by Faith 2. Such as profess Faith but live not by it like a man that makes Profession of such a Calling but never works upon his Trade 3. Such as not onely profess Faith but have the habit of it and yet act it not They live not by it like a rich man that hath wealth enough and yet is ready to starve himself for want of making use of that which God hath bestowed upon him First It Reproves such as live upon other things First sort Reproved in stead of living by Faith And the world swarms with such kind of men It is hard to name the several sorts of them every man hath something or other to live upon but few live by Faith For 1. Some live upon their very sins 1. Such as live upon their sins they account that their life which is no better indeed than their Death How many make a living of Theft of Deceit in Bargaining of Oppression or of keeping such Houses of Filthiness as are no better than Lark-Nets to catch the simple fool as Solomon faith The truth is there is no sinner under the power of sin but he loves his sin as his very life he had as lieve part with his life as with his lust O he hugs it and makes much of it he keeps it as a sweet bit under his Tongue Joh. 20.12 Though he hath poisoned himself with the Devils Sweet-meats as he spoke within a verse or two His meat within him is turned into the gall and poison of Asps. Some Poisons do not work in many days or years after they are received and such are the Devils Poison you shall not it may be perceive the deadly operation of them in many years after you have taken them and yet at the last they will certainly prove the bane of your Souls without Repentance O do not live upon that which will certainly prove your Death 2. Some live upon their Pleasures and Recreations 2. Upon pleasures O they account them the very life of their life they spend more time in Hunting and Gaming and Sporting than in the lawful works of their Calling Such a life as this deserves the name of death rather than life They are dead whilst they live who live in pleasures 1 Tim. 5.6 There is nothing more opposite to the Life of Faith which chooseth rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Heb. 11.25 Such as live upon Pleasures Simile are just like foolish Children or Women that are taken with the Green Sickness who feed upon dust and ashes and such like trash in stead of wholesome food till they are again ready to be turned into dust and ashes themselves So do those who feed upon Pleasures Isa 44.20 They do but feed upon ashes because a deceitful heart hath turned them aside How well might they live if they would live by Faith but how poorly do they live who live upon Pleasures They do but live upon ashes they lay out their money for that which is not bread Isa 55. 3. Upon creatures 3. Others live upon the Creatures without them in stead of living upon God by Faith They put those things in their hearts and upon their head which God by Creation and Ordination hath placed under their feet The body of man lives not by