Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	effect_n	good_a	work_n	5,591	5	6.3844	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53272	The first, last, or, The formal hypocrite further from salvation (as to the way of God's ordinary working) than the prophane sinner being the substance of several sermons preached in course at a lecture in the countrey / by J.O. ...	Oldfield, John, 1627?-1682.	1666 (1666)	Wing O219A; ESTC R17591	60,026	155

company of prophane persons knowing they have express commands to avoid unnecessary converse with such as 1 Cor. 5.11 2 Cor. 6.17 and this sometimes through God's setting it upon their hearts becomes an occasion of putting them upon a more serious consideration of their condition even a Cain fears and abhors the thought of being an Out-cast those Censures of Suspension and Excommunication appointed by God himself work by way of shame and disgrace But 3. There is so little liveliness in the best of Christians that the Formalist concludes himself as good as the best and so rests in his present condition Where there is something of the power of godliness yet there is too much of meer form and this encourages others to rest altogether in a form VVhere there is some life there is too little liveliness the best do not to the life hold forth the word of life Col. 2.16 There is something in the lives of Christians to convince and condemn the Prophane they see their swearing drunkenness Sabbath-breaking c. condemned in the practise of Christians shunning and abhorring those sins but they do not so live as to condemn the Formality of those amongst them There is not that warmth in their discourses and duties that vigour in their affections and actions that may quicken and heat others Men are apt to make a stand at others deadness as the people did at the dead body of Amasa 2 Sam. 20.12 'T is storied of Janias before his Conversion that meeting once with a Countrey-man as he was in a journey and falling into discourse with him about divers points in Religion he observed the plain Fellow to talk so experimentally with so much heartiness and affection as made him first begin to think that there was something more in those Truths then his Notional-humane Learning had yet discovered which occasioned his more serious inquiry into them and afterward his Conversion Liveliness and affectionateness in Christians is a singular Spur to incite others but alas how rare is it This wanting in the best doth strengthen the hands of the Formalist and beget in him a conceit that he is as good as the best Thus we have laid down some of those impediments both in himself and from others which lye in the way of a Formalist's Conversion and render it more difficult then of the Prophane CHAP. IV. Misaplication prevented BEfore I come to Application it will be requisite to say something for the preventing of m sapplication Some may possibly hence draw this Conclusion That the next way to onversion is to turn Prophane that to lay aside Prayer Hearing c. and to become a Swearer Adulterer c. is the best way to become a Saint an inference much like that Rom. 3.8 Let us do evil that good may come and Rom. 6.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 5.8 Let us continue in sin that grace may abound But let such * perverse Disputers know 1. Though the word hath many times an easier influence upon the Prophane then the Formal●… yet this makes nothing for the comfort of Prophane persons so continuing though many such are converted and saved What is this to him that lives and dies unconverted 'T is as if one sick of a Feaver refusing the Physician 's help feeding and nourishing his Disease should comfort himself in this That his condition is better then one that is sick of the Plague because many are by Physick cured of the one few or none of the other when the one as well as the other is Mortal without the Physician 's help Though many Prophane Wretches are saved upon their Faith and Repentance what comfort is it to thee that continuest Prophane without Faith or Repentance If Zacheus the Publican Magdalen the Harlot Paul the Persecutor are converted and saved canst thou who art an impenitent Oppressor Harlot Persecutor c. promise Salvation to thy self They are saved not because they were such but because they Repent 2. Though prophane persons are more frequently converted then Formalists yet prophaneness is no cause of their Conversion If you suppose so you admit a Falacy Non causae pro causâ assigning that the cause which indeed is not Many being Prophane are converted but not because they are Ptophane they are converted from not for their Prophaneness At most it hath but an accidental causality as an enemy intending to kill you may accidentally let out the corruption and so intending to be your Murderer may unwittingly and contrary to his intention prove your Physician But that Prophaneness can have no proper causative influence into your conversion will thus appear If so it must be supposed either 1. To move God to call you or 2. To dispose and incline you to conversion but to imagine either of these is very foolish and irrational For the first you must know That nothing out of God himself can be an inducement to him to call or convert any God's Eternal Decree which is the proper Efflux of his own Will and of his Free-Grace is his onely Motive in this See Rom. 8.29 30. Ephes 1.3 4 5 6 11. 2 Tim. 1.9 'T is not the good works of any fore-seen that move God to call them they being effects not causes of conversion much less then their evil works what can be more absur'd then to suppose that that which God loaths should induce him to love us And for the second 't is equally absurd for how can that which is in the nature of it an aversion from God produce as an effect conversion to God As rationally may we imagine darkness to be the cause of light sickness of health death of life as that sin can any way be a cause of or dispose unto conversion Could Prophaneness dispose a man to Conversion then it would follow the more Prophane the nearer to conversion which is all one as to say the nearer Hell the nearer Heaven 3. Neither is it the good that Formalists do but their hypocrisie in doing and the bad use they make of their good actions that renders their Conversion difficult Here a so you admit the same falacy if you suppose their praying hearing c. to obstruct their Conversion These duties rightly performed are both means and evidences of Conversion and incumbent upon the converted Hearing is the way to have Faith and other Graces begotten in us Rom. 10.17 Prayer is prescrib'd to Simon Magus yet being in the g●●… of bitterness and bond of iniquity in order to his Conversion Acts 8.22 So we ma say of other-like duties As Prophaneness is not dispositive to Conversion so neither are Pious duties any hinderance but furtherance to it Nay more if ever you be Converted you must do what they do though not as they do You must pray hear meditate c. though not in a form as they do but with power not relying upon them when done but denying them putting no confidence in them 'T is not the form of godliness

before him these seem to meet God half way and not to be far from the Kingdom of God Who would take as was before hinted the knottiest crookedst timber to lay in his building the roughest stones to make his wall yet so it pleases God to do God looks with other eyes then we do Mat 9.12 13. Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance God delights to make all his works Creations and to build where there is no appearance of foundation and this to exclude mans boasting He will have his grace to be and to appear free But to proceed to a second Use CHAP. VI. The second and third Vse of the Point Viz. Terror to the Formalist and discoveries of such Use 2 THe second Use may serve to pull down the pride and haughtiness of the self-conceited Formalist and to strike terror into his heart This Text and Doctrine may be like the fingers and hand-writing to Belshazzar Dan. 5.5 And passeth the same sentence upon him as that did Thou art weighed in the ballance and found wanting How doth the Formalist bless himself in comparison of the prophane He would not for a world be as they are when alas he is worse If I may say of the unconverted That one is further from conversion then another as that Text seems to intimate Mark 13.34 Thou art not far c. then these surely are at the farthest distance That fore-cited Text Mat. 9.12.13 Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance seems to hint that such self-conceitedly righteous persons are out of the care and call of Christ and that 's sad But I cannot expect that any should take home this Terror till it be charged home upon them till Conscience say Thou art the man we are apt to catch at comforts and decline terrors it will be necessary therefore to give some Signes and Characters of the Formalist though something hath been already hinted that so being convinced he may apply it This may if you please be a distinct Use 3 Use of Examination To give you therefore some Notes of such 1. He whose duties and personal righteousness stand in opposition not in subordination to Christ and his righteousness is the person we speak of possibly his Baptism and Education make him affect the name of Christian but he sees not the absolute necessity of Christs righteousness to justifie and save him supposing he hath enough in his own store Had this man heard Christ speaking of his sufferings in order to mans salvation he would have been ready with Peter to say as Mat. 16.22 Master spare thy self or as Judas concerning the precious ointment To what end is all this waste He may be a professed enemy to Popery yet hath in him this Popish principle that he can keep the Commandments and it may be supererogate also such a one deals with Christ as those women the Prophet speaks of Isa 4.1 We will say they eat our own bread and wear our own apparrel onely let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach So they will be cloathed with their own Righteousness onely they love the name Christian because its a name of honor How is it then the more strict and holy thou seemest to thy self doth Christ seem of less necessity to thee do thy duties set thee further off or bring thee nearer Christ dost thou live more within and upon thy self surely if so to thee this terror belongs 'T is quite contrary with the sincere Christian his duties and performances drive him nearer Christ see Phil. 3 3.-10 though he grow in inherent holiness yet he grows daily more apprehensive of the necessity of imputed righteousness because he sees more of Gods holiness the laws purity and strictness and the impurity and filthiness of his own heart when he hath done all he cries out Vnprofitable Servant and woe to me for my Duties Prayers Hearings Graces c. if I had not a Mediator When he rises highest in Duty or gracious actings yet his suit to Christ as Ruth's to Boaz Ruth 3.9 is Spread thy skirt over me 'T is remarkable Phil. 3 3. For we are the Circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh 2. Which is the root of the former He whose Duties and Holiness are the fuel of Pride is the man we enquire after Thus it was with the Pharisees Isa 65.5 Luke 18.11 12. John 7.48 Formality comes off ordinarily more proud from a Duty and goes on the next time more self-confident except perhaps God hath notably cut him short as to the exercise of his gifts True pride may rush as one saith into the heart of a sincere Christian but it rests grows is cherished in the heart of a Hypocrite where Pride leads on in any Duty Dike on the Hearts Deceitfulness yet Humility brings him off what the sincere person wants in antecedent directing humility he makes up in subsequent and correcting humility 2 Chron. 32.26 Hezekiah was humbled for the pride of his heart a true Christian is humbled for his Pride an Hypocrite is proud of his Humility There 's a Monitor within the sincere Christians heart that 's often jogging him and brings him down when he begins to swell Try then is this worm of pride bred and nourished by thy duties Doest thou pray and hear and discourse thy self more proud haughty self-conceited 'T is a sad symtome thou art yet but a Formalist 'T is storied Heylin that the Isle of Man the Title being doubted whether it belonged to Britain or Ireland was adjudged to Britain because it foster'd venemous Serpents brought from thence into it Sure I am if thy duties foster and cherish this venomous Serpent of Pride they are the duties of a Formalist not a sincere Christian 3. He that is altogether a stranger to Godly sorrow Humiliation for sin and this is the cause of both the former he that never knew what compunction or contrition meant whose heart was never broken up and furrowed with the Plow of conviction who hath had but a superficial work hath but cleansed the outside of the Cup or Platter 'T is observable The stony ground received the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 13.20 immediately with joy but soon witherered whereof the Evangelist Matthew Chap. 13.5 gives the reason because it had not depth of Earth Luke Chap. 8.6 because it had not moisture Both the Evangelists as also Mark Chap. 4.16 tells us They received the Word with joy and gladness What can be understood by depth of earth and moisture but heatings and meltings by Humiliation This the stony ground wanted and therefore they being yet a rock not broken not humbled the seed though suddenly springing up withers and comes to nothing heat and moisture are joint-causes of growth and fruitfulness the latter without the former drowns and suffocates the seed the former without the latter doth