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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	effect_n	faith_n	good_a	3,186	5	4.5750	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49589	The wedding-supper as it was handled out of the fourteen first verses of the 22. chapter of Matthew, in sundry exercises in Tavistock in Devon. Wherein the offer of salvation, both to Jews and Gentiles, is noted: and divers plain and pithy doctrines observed, and applied. Being the effect of twelve sermons preached by Thomas Larkham, the oppressed pastor of the despised Church of Christ there.	Larkham, Thomas, 1602-1669.; Cross, Thomas, fl. 1632-1682, engraver.	1652 (1652)	Wing L442; ESTC R222016	113,881	272

through the deceitfullness of sin I do not teach you that you can avoid and escape the wrath of God by your doings but this I say the work is done to your hand accept of Gods love and Christs merits and all shall be well He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Mark 16.16 What should keep from believing ye have a commandment to believe and ye have a promise That he that believeth shall be saved Object But may some say All shall not be saved all are not elected therefore some are commanded to believe a lye for if they be commanded to believe that Christ died for them and he did not as he did not if they belong not to Gods election then they are commanded to believe a lye Sol. For solution and satisfaction most certainly every one that believes in the Lord Jesus and takes Christ offered in the Gospel shall be saved by him He that believes Christ died for him believes no lye but a truth And it is a sin not to believe And John 5.40 Christ complains of the Jews that they would not come to him that they might have life They that do not believe shall be damned they have made God a lyer voluntas approbationis effectionis But yet as there is Gods will of Precept so there is his will of working and he will call in all his elect The Command of the word we ought to look after and so to do is a sign of salvation 2 Thes 1.10 When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony was believed among you in that day Here we have to deal with two sorts of People First The prophane multitude these say they have had a strong faith from their childhood But let us talk with them a little What Demonstration can ye make of your faith Have ye a Mean or medium We will help you to one out of the 2 chap. of James and that is Works this will be a demonstration of the Cause by the Effects If thou have faith shew it make it out by thy works by thy carriage and conversation Love to the Saints will be another notable Mean or medium to make out a mans faith in Christ Therefore it is that they to wit the Cause and the Effect are joyned together often as Col. 1.4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ and of the love which ye have to all the Saints If good People be your delight and good men the men of your counsell if you can say with David Psal 26. that ye have not sate with vain persons c. If ye account religious persons as Christ did as your Brethren and Sisters and Mothers Why then hereby ye may demonstrate your passage from death to life and that ye are born of God and know God 1 John 3. ver 14. chap. 4. ver 7. And so these two Means or mediums will help ye well if ye wil be true to yourselves If ye have a respect to all the Commandments there 's one And if ye have love to all the Saints that 's the other And therefore Soul deceive not thy self any longer If thou have neither an obedient frame of Spirit to do Gods will nor love to the People of God thou hast no faith Shew me thy faith But you will say God knows my heart what care I for you I will not give an account to you Yea but I say thou are bound to give an account to me and to every man that asketh a reason of the hope that is in thee and that with meekness and reverence or fear 1 Pet. 3.15 But poor neighbours it is plain you have no faith in Christ for ye are rebellions against the Lord and despisers of his People The Lord pitty ye and soften your hearts that ye may escape the wrath to come The other sort I have to deal with all are such poor Souls as out of holy and blessed jealousie are ready to condemn themselves and to give sentence against themselves and indeed against the truth They know not whither ever they believed they are afraid they have not Never went a soul to hell that feared the want of faith and breathed after it Mat. 5.3 and 6. The poor in spirit and the hungerers and thirsters c. are pronounced blessed But you have said Faith must have its demonstrations I answer So they must and so they have in thee even in this thy emptiness and jealousie and groaning frame of spirit O these groaning Souls are blessed Souls Such a one was Paul Rom. 7. ver 14. to the end of the Chapter Have a care yeild not up your Castle however it be with you in your present apprehension Learn of Christ who though he cried why hast thou forsaken me Yet held fast his relation my God my God Never disown God that 's that the Divel would have There are but three things all that may seem to be just causes so to do as 1. Desertions 2. Great afflictions 3. Great sins Yet bear up against them all neither of them is a Medium sufficient to conclude thy damnation Neither of them are certain tokens of Gods being thine Enemy David is a famous example for all three God did hide his face from him And his afflictions were very many And what sins in a Saint comparable to his And Peter denied and did aggravate it with Cursing and Swearing that he knew not Christ To despair after a fall is a greater fall then the fall The main push is that perhaps thou hast sinned after knowledge So did those two Worthies Calvin Perkins Capel of tentations p. 124. and yet they died in peace and honour We must fortifie our selves after Relapses especially yet a man may fall into the same gross sin after true repentance as Abraham twice laid his wife open to adultery But still hold fast by God thou must be bold The end of the 13. verse The Twlefth Sermon Mat. 22. ver the 14. For many are called but few are chosen NExt to the Commission for the execution of the unworthy Guest of whom ye have heard often formerly followeth the ground or reason of it viz that howsoever this condemned man came into the Church by reason of an outward call yet he was none of Gods chosen ones he was not of the number of Gods elect as neither are many others though called outwardly as he was to the profession of religion because many are called but few are chosen Object But some may Object and indeed I find such a question in Mr. Calvin upon this Parable If all be bid to come and yet when men come they shall be rejected and cast out for lack of a wedding garment then who shall be saved or is it in mans power to procure it himself Sol. To this I answer that the Holy Ghost intends not here to shew whence the garment is to be had for

bring good out of it This consideration is of great use we will a little look into it All the creatuets both in heaven and earth act go and come at Gods command When we see men bold in their opposing the wayes of God we many times are troubled we do not consider that as in wisdom he made all things so in wisdom he ordereth all things excellently Gen 45. ver 5.7.8 saith Joseph there God did send me before you to preserve life c. And Gen. 50.20 but as for you ye thought evil against me but God meant it unto good to bring it to pass as it is this day to save much People alive And so for lusts and temptations God suffers them sometimes in his own children either to teach us to observe his rules better or to humble us that we may cleave closer to God and that graces may grow Humility saith one is the Nurse of graces or that we may know God and our selves better or that we may be the more thankfull when victory comes but yet all this while God is bringing good out of it and that Oracle worthy to be remembred that all things shall work together for good to them that fear God c. Rom. 8.28 will be found in the end to be gloriously true Vse 3 Therefore let us learn to take notice of the power wisdom and goodness of God that can and doth thus bring good out of evil good effects out of evil causes Mot. 1 This will confirm us in the truth of Gods goodness and other attributes And Secondly It will teach us in evill times instead of murmuring to bless God for his providences and goodness and power in thus converting of evil to good And Lastly It will make us to walk confidently and to lie down confidently and to put our trust in God and in nothing to be carefull Though we meet with afflictions yet we shall not be much troubled because we shall by taking notice perceive that these are to nurture us Deut. 8.2.5 that we may learn to know him better and to know our selves Therefore it is good I say to take notice of Gods dealing in this kind So much for this point From the word of command Go ye we may learn Doct. That Christians must do warrantable actions They must have a care to do what they have a word of command for at least what is neither directly nor indirectly forbidden in the word of God For there are some actions which are called indifferent as 1 Cor. 7.28.30 If thou marry thou hast not sinned c. and to weep as though we wept not and to rejoyce as though we rejoyced not Such things are not a transgression of a Law for so sin is 1 Jo. 3.4 they are indifferent in themselves Though every particular determined thought word or action be either good or bad a step either to heaven or to hell yet for the actions themselves there are some that are neither good nor bad But to the point I say Christians must do warrantable actions Reas 1 For first they are Gods Servants Servants must attend upon the commands of their Masters And Secondly We have all the ancient practices of the Saints to look upon As first of Noah Gen. 7.14 and cap. 8.1 〈…〉 In both which chapters he had a word 〈…〉 mand both for his making and also for 〈◊〉 entring into the ark and ver the 8. for his taking in accordingly clean and unclean beasts as he was commanded c. 8.12 and 16. he staied other seven dayes that is he would have a warrant for his comming out of the Ark. And Abraham Gen. 12.1 had a command to go out of his country from his kindred and from his fathers house c. And Jacob Gen. 31.3 must be bid to return unto the Land of his fathers and to his kindred And in his old age though he resolve to go to Egypt Gen. 25.28 yet he must have and had a warrant cap. 56. ver 1.2.3 and 4. And Numb 9.18 At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched c. Heb. 5.4 No man taketh this honour unto him to wit of the priesthood but he that is called of God as was Aaron Vse 1 Therefore such as do unwarrantable actions can have no comfort in their doings For they sin though they think not so Sin is not defined to be a thing against the Law only in regard of the actions of sin but even sinfull habits are forbidden in the Law therefore mans nature being out of tune is not so ready to do good nor so knowing what good is God therefore hath given rules to be observed which not to observe is a sin Mot. 1 And indeed well done will be pronounced only to those that have done what they have been bidden and warranted to do Neither will Conscience be so well satisfied with doing naked actions that are destitute of command and example and every thing that might be a ground of comfort to the conscience of the doer Neither will God have any glory from unwarrantable actions it is as if God were not wise enough to give rules or as if we had not a perfect rule to walk by Lastly It is an evil example to walk in this liberty of doing what is right in our own eyes as if we had no Law-giver this brings in boldness among men and makes them fearless But blessed is he that feareth allwayes I omit the School utrums upon this point as not being so usefull to this auditory Go ye therefore into the high wayes From the word of command we come to speak of the place where they they must go Luk. 14.23 hath it thus Go out into the high-wayes and hedges The mind of the spirit is to shew us Doct. That God in the offer of grace is altogether without respect of persons For all mankind are alike to him Reason Job 31.15 Did not he that made me in the womb make him and did not one fashion us in the womb cap. 34.19 He accepteth not the persons of Princes nor regardeth the rich more then the poor for they are all the work of his hands Therefore are the Commissions so large Mat. 28.19 and Mark 16.16 All Nations must be taught every creature must be preached unto Acts 10.34.35 Then Peter opened his mouth and said Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him Read Acts 13.46.47 And mark the last words of the latter of those verses I have thee to be a light of the Gentiles that thou shouldst be for Salvation unto the ends of the Earth Mat. 11.25.26 At that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee O father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes Even so father for so it seemed

glory in your remarkable destruction But rather come bow come repent give over There is forgiveness with God He will forgive all that is past he can forgive any sin that is repented of and will I know it is harder to raise up a soul loaden with sin then to load it therefore I am earnest to perswade you not to be discouraged or troubled that you have been so wicked as Joseph comforted his brethren Gen. 45.5 cap. 50.19 20 21. So would I willingly encourage you to come and kiss the Son who is willing to fall on your neck and kiss you As the Jaylor Acts 16.33 washed those stripes which he had made and was a Disciple So come and rejoyce in those ways ye have evil spoken of love those Preachers ye have so basely used and so despightfully handled What shall I say Mot. 1 First God takes notice of this sin Secondly he will be greatly offended for it Thirdly he will severely punish it All which particulars are contained in the verse immediatly following this and shall be spoken of God willing some other time The Sixth Sermon Matth. 22. ver 7. But when the King heard thereof he was wroth and he sent forth his Armies and destroyed those Murtherers and burnt up their City YOu remember I hope how far we have gone in this parable for my purpose is not to repeat but to go on with this 7. ver which contains in it summarily the issue consequent of their cruel dealing towards the Kings Servants of which ye heard out of the foregoing vers Wherein for our more methodical proceeding I will consider First Gods taking notice of this their sin in these words But when the King heard thereof Secondly His displeasure against it in the next words he was wroth Thirdly The effect of his displeasure in their severe punishment in all the other words And he sent forth his Armies and destroyed those Murtherers and burnt up their City In which last particular there are three things contained all worthy observation First The Instrument or means whereby they are punished viz. Armies Secondly the nature or quality of the Offence Murtherers they are arraigned for Murther Thirdly The severity of the punishment they are destroyed and their City is burnt up For the first when the King hear●…●●ere●● that is when Allmighty God decla●●… himself to take notice of this their wickedness for it is spoken to our capacity by a Metaphor taken from a King that hath sent Messengers in love and hears news that they have been abused We have a notable History in the second book of Samuel chap. 10. David was willing to shew kindness unto Hanun the Son of Nahash and sent his servants to comfort him concerning the death of his Father Which as you shall find in that place were vilainously dealt withall and then ver 5. we have these words when they told it unto David Thus the Lord is made out under these words and when the King heard thereof as taking notice of the cruel usage of his Servants in the World And such expressions we have many in Scripture As for instance Gen. 18. ver 20.21 And the Lord said Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous I will go down now and see whither they have do●● altogether according to the cry of it which is 〈◊〉 unto me and if not I will know I observe this Doctrine Doct. That cruel or unworthy dealing against the Minis●●●● of the Gospel is a sin that God takes specia●●●…ice of And the reason is because it is a capital sin it is an abuse of Gods Grace in a high degree It is as we may call it God-Murther and Christ-Murther as well as soul-Murther c. of which more shall be said when we come to it But in the mean time consider Wherein can Mortal man do greater despight to the Majesty of God then to oppose his Grace and favour offered in the means of Salvation And therefore we have a remarkable expression Luk. 3.19.20 But Herod the Tetrach being reproved by John for Herodias his brother Philips wife and for all the evils that Herod had done added this above all that he shut up John in Prison Mark I pray many evils are laid to his charge but this is added above all the rest as a more crying sin then all his other sins That he shut up John in Prison It is a sin that cannot be hid a sin that God takes special notice of Learn therefore for the first use that ●…ens wickedness in this kind though 〈◊〉 looked upon as a sin is yet a very great one Vse 1 As first for the sin of depriving them of their livelihood 1 Cor. 9.9.10 To muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corn This is a crying sin For if the cry of the labourers hire that reapeth down your corn crieth so loud as to enter into the ears of the Lord of Sabboths how much more will this Preacher-starving sin And by the way I must tell you this is shamelesly practised in this very place There is not a penny that comes out of your purses ye are even almesmen in this kind other places must maintain you a Preacher and you intrusted only to gather it up and yet that wickedly blush O Heavens is detained for no other cause but because ye are plainly for your good dealt withall Because you and your Pride Knavery Folly Covetousness are found fault withall which all the Country stinks of therefore you will add this to all your other wickednesses to detain that which ye are only entrusted to receive and pay Is it not enough that ye have embezled the stock of the poor artificers which was given in by your charitable Ancestors and carelesly like fools set out the yeerly revenews of the town to such as either cannot or will not pay the rent wherewith the Schoolmaster should be paid but that ye suffer men very well able to pay rent for houses to dwell in houses of Charity and to suffer some of them to run to ruine that now in your last enfeoffing the town-Land ye have conspired against the Church and all the Members of it that not one of them should be made privy to your proceedings nor the father of any one that Communicates with the Church though every way more sufficient in estate and far greater payers to all paiments then ye your selves That ye nick-name the People of God a rigid faction the like unheard of abominations which a modest man may blush to speak of though you do not to practice them I say is not all this enough but ye must detain that which others have cared for the procuring of and which neither is nor never was yours O consider this ye Monsters lest some monstrous judgement befall you And as this is a sin that God ●ears that is takes notice of So also all your affronts and scoffs and provocations especially