Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	efficient_a	faith_n	instrumental_a	2,644	5	11.5403	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61638	Shecinah, or, A demonstration of the divine presence in the places of religious worship being an essay, tending to promote piety, prevent apostacy, and to reduce grosly deluded souls, first to their right wits, then to the right waies, of Gods publick instituted worship / by John Stillingfleete ...	Stillingfleet, John, 1630 or 1-1687.	1663 (1663)	Wing S5680; ESTC R9466	109,230	256

Service of God What greater argument of carelesse and carnal minds than mens sleepy drowsinesse under Gods Word Must it not needs be a great offence to these Holy Spirits to see some as solemnly compose themselves to sleep as if it were one great part of that Homage and Worship that is due unto God Or as if they did verily expect that God would deal with them as with some of his servants of old that he would speak to them in a dream It is a most lamentable temper when mens laziness and sleepiness in the Congregation declare to all that are present that they have no mind to be taken with Divine Truths unless God take them napping 'T is dangerous to sleep after taking of Physick it may not onely hinder its working but destroy the Patient Thus it is like to be damnable to be frequently sleeping when wee should not onely receive Physick but food for our souls from the Word of God Naturalists tell us that sleep is caused by the vapours that ascend out of the stomach into the head And must not those hearts needs be very full of vapours the cursed vapours of sin and carnality that produce the spiritual drowsiness of the mind and very often a down-right laziness and sleepiness of the body too under the Preaching of the Word However wee may conclude as Philosophers do that fleep hath a good end in nature saelus animalium the health of the body but sleeping under the means of grace hath as ill an end as wee can well imagine ruina animae the destruction of the soul and so must needs be very offensive to the good Angels who do rejoyce at the good of our Immortal Spirits § 3. 3. It may be a matter of caution to us That though Angels are present as our Guardians and Assisters of us in the Publick Assemblies yet neither there nor elsewhere are they to be made the object of our Worship and Adoration Though they help the Saints of God to worship him yet they must not have that Worship themselves because 't is due onely unto God Non minus veneratione offenduntur quam turpitudine They are no less offended with Worship given unto them than they are with our indecency and irreverence in the Worship of God Wee do not so assert the Angels Presence as to deny the Presence of God And therefore 't is little else than down-right sottishness and ignorance that cryes up Angel-Worship as a great Diana and that makes any to own them as Mediators and Intercessors and Messengers to offer up and carry our prayers unto Christ which is to rob Christ of that Glory that is due to him and incommunicable to any meer creature For 't is Christ alone that is the Angel Rev. 8.3 that offers up our prayers unto God A full place to evidence the unlawfulness of Angel-Worship Rev. 19.10 And I fell at his feet to worship him Rev. 22.9 and hee said unto mee see thou do it not I am thy fellow-servant and of thy Brethren that have the testimony of Jesus worship God Angels are at best but our fellow-servants and God alone must be worshipped with a Religious Worship Mat. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely thou shalt serve CHAP. VII Gods Presence in Publick Worship by his Word The Word of God an Instrument of Conversion Rom. 10 17.1 Cor. 1.21 opened Why Preaching of the Word is deemed foolishness The Word reaches to the heart It discovers secret thoughts secret sins answers doubts yeelds suitable comforts Two peculiarities of Gods Word Revealing Mysterious Truths Pressing Practical Duties The life of Faith Heavenly-mindedness Mortification of sin Inward Humility § 1. II. Arg A Second Argument to demonstrate Gods Presence is taken from the Word of God Reading and Preaching the Word are owned as two standing parts of Gods Publick Worship and Gods Presence is discovered in both A Kings presence that is but finite in his person is vertually there where his commands and proclamations are made known much more is God who is infinite in his Essence and Immense in his Being specially present there where his Word is made known according to his command As there is but one true Happiness Eternal Life one giver of it God One Mediator Jesus Christ So there is but one certain and infallible means of imparting of it the revealed Will and Word of God In the which God shews his special Presence and as both an Author and Finisher of every good thing for us doth both begin and perfect all in the soul for its salvation This and the following Argument I shall endeavour to prosecute in a more plain familiar and practical manner and that God is present in and by his Word will appear 1. In that the Word of God is the Instrument of converting souls When men of unbeleevers come to beleeve by the Word 't is an evident sign of Gods Presence with it Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 10.17 This is such a word as is uttered by the tongue flowing from the party speaking and yet the Word of God because such as hee hath revealed in the Scriptures For 't is the Word of God and not the word of man that is the foundation for our Faith and an instrument to produce it This Word of God Preached declared and discovered so as to be conveyed by the ears the instruments 〈◊〉 hearing unto the mind and understanding of man is that vital Seed from whence springs the glorious Fruit of Faith Faith 't is true is the gift of God and the work of God yet 't is attributed to the Word as the next producing cause of it not the principal efficient but onely the instrumental cause 1 Cor. 1.21 It pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save those that beleeve 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Preaching is here called Foolishness not that it is so in its self but that it is commonly esteemed so How many now adayes condemn it and have cast it off as solly to hear and look on it as foolishness to Preach and there is a double reason hinted at in the very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Because 't is unsavoury to carnal hearts it hath no relish in it so the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies unsavoury and the Latines use fatuus in the same sense as fatuae maluae unsavoury mallows Thus the Preaching of the Word of God is a thing of no savour at all to very many they want scientiam sapidam that savoury tasting relishing knowledge that Beleevers have and so look upon Gods Ordinance of Publick Preaching of the Word as meer emptynesse and folly because many have no relish or spiritual taste of the word of God they think it is but folly to Preach it and foolishnesse to hear it They do not profit by it they will not therefore hear it 2.

such of all other men they are the worst and their condemnation will be the greatest Let mee leave with such one Latine sentence out of which they may easily pick plain English Arrows Tas. Sacra Pessima creaturarum visibilium est homo degener pessimus hominum pseudo-Christianus Christianorum vero pessimus nequam Verbi Minister The above-named particulars are some qualifications of Gospel-Stewards Christ is signally present in his Ordinances when his Stewards are faithful dispensers of the Word § 6. 3. Gospel-Ministers are co-workers together with God this speaks Gods Presence with them 2 Cor. 6.1 1 Cor. 3 9 Wee therefore as workers together with him beseech you not to receive the Grace of God in vain For wee are labourers together with God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If Ministers are fellow-labourers together with God in the doing good to souls then certainly God is present in his Worship by his Ministers Mark 16. ●0 They went forth and preached every where the Lord working with them 1. Ministers do work together with God Behold here is infinite condiscention of God towards Ministers that God who can with one word convert and save souls as well as create a world yet should vouchsafe to admit men his fellow-workers for the conversion of souls 'T is true Grotius in Ep. ad Philem v. 10. Dei opus est regignere hominem 't is Gods work to regenerate and convert souls but God pleases to use the Ministers as his Instruments in the work And God by the secret grace and virtue and power of the Spirit works in them and by them Hee joyns himself to the Ministers resigns not his right but only communicates his power with them and graceth his Instruments with the honour and title of the work Thus God doth not onely speak to us after the manner of men but also by the Ministry of men Rom. 11.14 and that so that they by their Ministry are said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to save us Therefore 2. The Lord truly works together with the Ministers Mark 16.20 The Lord working with them It is an high priviledge onely to be the Servants of God in the work of the Ministry but this is common to us with other Saints But to be Fellow-labourens with God in the salvation of souls this is a peece of singular favour God vouchsafes to Gospel-Ministers The Angels are Gods Servants too being his Ministring Spirits but to which of the Angels hath God said at any time they are his fellow-labourers Both waies the Presence of God is evidenced with the Ministers of the Gospel § 7. Object But is it not derogatory to God to have Man as a co-worker with him in the conversion of souls is not Faith by which wee are saved the gift of God Answ 1. God is the principal cause man onely by the Ministry of the Word is the instrumental cause and so Gods glory and mans duty may very well stand together 2. In saving Faith wee must distinguish these two things First There is the knowledge of the things to be beleeved Secondly An assent of the heart to those credenda or things to be beleeved First Then the knowledge of things to be beleeved ariseth from the word preached by Gospel-Ministers Gospel saving knowledge is not communicated now adaies by revelations and immediate inspirations but by the Word preached and heard Rom. 10.14 See Rom. 1.16 How shall they beleeve on him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher Now Ministers are co-workers with God because Faith depends on the Word preached by them as a necessary Instrument for its production as to the knowledge of things to be beleeved Secondly As for that Internal Assent of the heart whereby a Beleever doth firmly apprehend and comfortably apply the Doctrine propounded of things to be beleeved this ariseth from the habit of Faith infused by Gods Spirit The Doctrine of Faith is preached and promulged by men herein they are co-workers with God But the habit of Faith that is infused and implanted by God alone without any concurrence of the Preacher Thus it is the gift of God Man propounds truths to the soul by his preaching God by his Spirit makes us beleeve those Truths preached and propounded Thus have I cleared the third Argument CHAP. X. Practical deductions from Gods Presence with his Ministers The Ministers dignity Their duty As Embassadours As Stewards As Co-workers with God People must eye God and not men Prize Gospel truths Not be prejudiced against nor undervaluers of Gospel Ministers Good grounds for Ministers to Preach and people to hear § 1. FRom this third Argument to prove Gods Presence in Religious worship as being represented by the Ministers of the Gospel These practical deductions might be prosecuted and enlarged upon which I shall briefly name and come to the fourth and last Argument 1. It informs Ministers of two things First Of their Dignity That God should set them in the Church to represent the Majesty of Heaven This ought not to puff up pride in Ministers but to cause humble admiration of Gods goodnesse to honour their weaknesse so farre as to be the representatives of God himself This may vindicate them from contempt amongst men An affront is offered to the Prince by affronting of his Embassador So God is affronted by any indignities that are offered to His Ministers He that despiseth 1 Thes 4.8 despiseth not man but God Corinth was ruined by the Romans for abuse of Embassadors And it were just with God to destroy any place or person for the contempt of his Ministers § 2. Secondly it informs Ministers of their duty Gods Presence with them calls for a three-fold duty from them 1. As Embassadors they must eye that mainly that God sent them about viz. The salvation of Souls Wee pray you in Christs stead be yee reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5.20 Here is the main end of our Preaching and your hearing that you may be reconciled How then can any have so impudent a face as to pretend they are sent of God who make railing and reviling of others to bee their work with a neglect of the salvation of Souls and holding out the VVord of reconciliation § 3. 2. As Stewards of the mysteries of God they must bee faithful 1 Cor. 4.2 It 's required in Stewards that they be faithful That is that they keep nothing back from the people of God but discover to them according to their ability the whole councel and will of God that they deal faithfully with them in all things that they may render a good account of their Stewardship at the great Audit Now this faithfulnesse of Gods Stewards is seen in these two things First Davenantius in Col. c. 1. v. 7. that they seek Gods honour and not their own praise Hee seeks the glory and honour of God that speaks as the Oracles of God that God in all things