Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	election_n	good_a	work_n	4,641	5	6.8470	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07450	The Christian mans assuring house. And a sinners conuersion Two sermons; the former, preached, before the Prince his Highnesse at St. Iames: the other to his Maiesties houshold at White-hall, on Sunday the 6. of February by George Meriton Doctor of Diuinitie, and Deane of Peterborough.	Meriton, George, d. 1624.	1614 (1614)	STC 17837; ESTC S112663	30,464	58

to be called who any waies do answer their calling or yeeld obedience thereunto wherof some doe it in externall profession some in heart some in both yet is calling first of all and principally directed to such as are elect It pertaineth to others as mixed in their society And hence ariseth a distinction of calling Sometimes it is operatiue when God worketh his will as well as reueales it Sometimes only significatiue when God opens his mind vnto men but for iust causes best known to himselfe spareth to work it in them In the calling of God which is operatiue and effectuall there is a double act Inuitation and admission Inuitement is when God offereth eternall life outwardly by the preaching of the Gospell and inwardly by the inspiration of heauenly desires Admission is when we are actually remoued from nature to grace taken out of the first Adam and by faith ingrafted into Christ the second for hereby are we made the reall members of the kingdome of God And this is that calling which we are to make sure Election is a decree of God in which according to the good pleasure of his will he hath chosen some to euerlasting life in Christ their Sauiour First Isay it is Gods decree for there is nothing in the world which commeth to passe either in the whole or in the parts without the eternall and vnchangeable decree of God And therefore whereas some are actually saued others reiected it is not for that their lucke and fortune was better but because God before all worlds did purpose and ordaine the same Secondly this decree is according to the good pleasure of his will for the impulsiue cause which moued him thereunto was not the foresight of faith and good works for these are the fruits of Gods election He hath chosen vs that we might be holy Ephes 1.4 but his loue his will his good pleasure We are predestinate according to the good pleasure of God saith S. Paul Ephes 1.5 And where as man first chooseth then loueth according to that of the Poet. Primum quod amare velis reperire labora it is otherwise with God who first loueth then electeth He will haue mercy on whom he will haue mercie Rom. 8.18 First there is his will then followes mercie Thirdly his choice is but of some to euerlasting life The number of the elect in the iudgement of charitie is great euen all that are called for our Apostle speaking to all the Iewes which were called bids them make your election sure The number of the elect in the iudgement of verity is small Many are called but few are chosen Consider them in themselues and they are innumerable Mundum redemit de mundo saith S. Austin he hath redeemed a world out of the world consider them with others and they are but a handfull euen as gleanings after a haruest as the Prophet speaketh All men are by nature the children of wrath Iohn 15.19 Out of these hath God chosen some he that taketh all cannot be said to choose And therefore sauing grace is no vniuersall respect vnlesse we make the streame more large than the fountaine Fourthly his choice is in Christ our Sauiour Ephes 1.4 The foundation of Gods election is Christ Iesus alone We are chosen to saluation not for Christ but in Christ As he is God we are chosen of him as he is mediator we are chosen in him And this is our election which we must make sure We know the matter of our dutie let vs goe on to practise And for our better proceeding there are foure questions to be discussed Questions 1 Why 2 Whether 3 What 4 How Why. Why should we be diligent to make our Calling and Election sure Are they not sure of themselues Are not those who are indeed called and chosen without faile to attaine Euerlasting life Paul takes it for a Conclusion that the purpose of God according to Election must remaine sure Rom. 9.11 and that the Calling of God is without repentance Rom. 11.29 I am saith God Exod. 3. not will be For Nouitas initium testificatur I am not hath beene for Vetustas finem comminatur as Tertullian speaketh I am neither will be nor hath beene but as S. Austin sayth Aeterna veritas vera aternitas an eternall truth and a true eternity Now as the Nature of God is immutable so are his wils and counsels The strength of Israel is not as Man that hee should repent 1. Sam. 15. hee altreth not by Consent and who hath resisted his will sayth S. Paul Rom. 9.19 Hee changeth not by Constraint why should wee then make our Calling and Election sure Calling and Election haue a double consideration as they are in God as they are in Man In God they are sure In Man they must be made sure I know my Sheepe sayth Christ Ioh. 10.14 there is Calling and Election in respect of God Thus are they sure And I am knowen of mine Heere is Calling and Election in respect of Man thus are they made sure They must then be made sure not in Gods counsell but in mans conscience Whether But can this assuranre be made The indisposition of our Nature is such our hidden and and secret sins so many as a man would thinke there should euer remaine a scruple in the Soule Yet it is confessed at all hands The Church of Rome denieth it not but that assurance may be made It were in vaine for S. Peter to exhort vs to giue diligence to make them sure if they could not be assured Proue your selue sayth S. Paul 2. Cor. 13. whether you bee in the faith or not Hee takes it for granted that hee that hath faith may know he hath it and therefore by consequent that he may be assured of his Calling and Election because a sauing faith is an vndoubted marke of both Reioyce sayth Christ to his Disciples Luk 10.20 that your names are written in heauen To reioice in things vnknown we cannor to ioy our selues in things vncertaine is but an induction of griefe Doubtfull presumptions proue certaine confusions We may assure our selues then that they may be assured What. I but what kind of Assurance are we to seeke after heere stands the diffe●ence betwixt Rome and vs for howsoeuer we cannot looke for such a one but that which sometimes may bee ioyned with doubting especially when temptations shall lay hold vpon vs yet say they it is to be had by extraordinary Reuelation we by ordinary meanes They say that it can be but probable We that it may be infallible Theirs commeth from hope which maketh but Goniecture Ours from faith which giueth a Certainty They maintaine certitude in respect of obiect onely that is of the thing beleeued We in respect of Subiect also that is of the party beleeuing The one arising out of the Immutability of that which cannot be otherwise then it is the

confounded in herselfe Non legimus quae dixit sed legimus quae fecit vt intelligamus apud Deum plus valere opera quam verba We reade what shee did not what shee said to let vs know that works are auailable with God more then words And vnto whom shall I haue a regard saith God but to one that is contrite broken hearted and who trembleth at my sayings Moses spake not a word Exod. 14. And yet sayeth God vnto Moses Why doest thou cry vnto me Such was the griefe of Mary her teares her sighes her sobs did stop her mouth onely in her heart shee cried and spake as Moses did Wee may not neglect this holy example hauing a cloude of Motiues calling vpon vs to follow her steppes motive One taken from our vocation wher unto God hath called vs. In the 22. of Esay the 12. verse The Lord of hostes is said to call vs vnto weeping and mourning In the 2. of Ioel the 17. verse Let the Priests saith God and the Ministers of the Lord weepe between the Porch and the Altar And it is Saint Paules iniunction 1. Corinth 7.17 that as God hath called euery man so he should walke motive Another Motiue is from the prediction of Christ who in the 16. of Iohn the 20. verse foretold that his Church should weepe Verily verily I say vnto you yee shall lament and weepe and the world shall reioyce Weeping is the badge of the Church Laughing of worldly men All the Saints of God haue beene deep sighers great weepers King Dauid thought it no disparagement for him to say that hee caused his bed to swimme and watered his couch with teares Psalm 6. 6. verse Hezekias a noble King wept very sore 2. Kings 20. 3. verse Iob in his 30. chap. 25. verse appealeth vnto God in this case Did not I weepe with him that was in trouble and was not my soule in heauinesse for the poore Esay the Prophet in his 22. chapter 4. verse wept and would not be comforted Ieremy in his 9. chapter 1. verse Wisheth that his head were full of water and his eyes a fountaine of teares that he might weepe day and night Daniel was in heauinesse for three weekes of daies together Dan. 10.2 The Apostle S. Peter wept bitterly Matth. 26. Of all the holy Kings Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confessours Children of God it may beesayd as it is in the 126. Psalme verse Quod ibant flentes that they all went by weeping crosse motive A third motiue may bee taken from the names in the Scriptures which are giuen vnto the faithfull in the ninth of Exechiel the fourth they are call Mourners and Cryers In the sixteenth of Marc. the tenth This our Mary Magdalen who went to tell the Brethren that Christ was risen is sayd to goe vnto them who mourned and wept And if names bee giuen as the Philosopher tels vs to expresse the nature of things It is then very naturall for faythfull ones to be Mourners and weepers motive 4 A fourth motiue may be taken from promises made vnto vs that if wee mourne we shall be comforted In the 61. Chap. of Esay the 12. verse Christ is sayd to be sent to preach good tidings vnto the poore to binde vp the broken hearted to comfort those that mourne To giue vnto them Beauty for Ashes the garment of gladnesse for the Spirit of heauinesse Who would not bee a Mourner when as Christ onely commeth to cheere vp such a one will not promises perswade motive 5 Let then in the fift place Iudgements preuaile to wring teares from our eyes For woe sayth our Sauiour Christ Luke 6. 28. verse vnto you which laugh that is vnto you which liue at ease merily after the pleasures of the flesh for you shall waile shew outward signes of heauinesse and weepe and be inwardly tormented After a great feast followeth a great paiment and much laughter is recompenced with much woe If we did but consider well what howling and gnashing of teeth is prepared in hell for lowde laughers in this world it would make vs to mourne like Pellicans in the wildernesse like owles in the Desert to weepe till our bones were vexed till our eyes did sincke till our hearts were smitten within vs and withered vp like grasse as the Prophet speaketh motive 6 A sixt Motiue may we take from the causes of weeping Within vs without vs round about vs. Quocung oculot conuertis causa est lachrimarum Looke vpon our selues and in our selues vpon our ignorance our little desire to learns our reiecting of knowledge our crookednesse in our willes our corruptions in affections our Rebellion against God our want of Loue to our Neighbours our manifold sinnes which hang vpon all our members we shall finde in our selues great cause of weeping There are more sinnes committed with the little eye of a man then the teares of all eyes without the merits of Christ can euer wash away Look vpon others and in others vpon those horrible wickednesses that are committed by them vppon the prophaning of the Sabaoth vpon the common vse of swearing the beastly sinne of whoring the swinish sinne of drinking the default of Magistrates in punishing and there will appeare vnto a religious heart infinite cause of weeping If there were wanting weeping worke at home there were enough abroad motive 7 Seuenthly the place wherein wee liue should mooue vs heereunto Wisdome doth teach vs to square and apply our selues vnto that place wherein we are conuersant A Courtier must not behaue himselfe like a Country man nor a Country man like a Courtier If beeing at a funerall or in the house of mourning we should doe nothing else but laugh all would wonder at vs for so strange a behauiour The place wherein wee are it is the world resembled vnto the sea full of dangers of rockes or rempests Our bodies which are the vessels to carry vs in this sea are weake crazy so many sences so many leakes to let dangers in Rimarum pleni sumus we are full of Rifts In a word 〈…〉 in a vale of miseries in a vally of teares and sighes and teares doe best becomme vs in such a place motive 8 A last motiue may bee draw●… from the nature of Conuersion Thou art a continuall sinner yet desirous to bee saued thou must then continually renew thy repentance He that repenteth must turne vnto his God and Ioel telles vs in his second chapter 12. verse that it must be done with all the heart with fasting with weeping and with mourning Thus did Dauid turne vnto his God Lord sayth hee Psalme 38. I poure out my whole desire before thee and my sighing is not hid from thee my heart panteth my strength fasleth I am bowed and crooked very sore I goe mourning all the day long will wee then turne vnto our God Repent vs of our sinnes and be saued wee must roare with Dauid for very griefe of heart mourne with Magdalen Christ wept for the sinnes of others It were a shame then for vs not to weepe for our owne transgressions Haue we liued in sinne which caused Christ not onely to shed teares but to spend his bloud for vs and did there neuer yet falle a teare from our owne eyes Haue we liued 20. 40. 80. yeeres and can we not remember that wee euer wept for our sinnes A shrewd signe that we neuer yet repented Teares for sin sayth S. Bernard are like the water which Christ turned into wine they are like Noahs floud which doe wash and clense as they goe Oratio Deum lenit sed lachryma cogit illa vngit haec pungit saith Saint Hierome It is a dry sacrifice sayth Gregory that is not watered with teares Is it childishnesse to weepe if it were so we must be like children before wee enter into the Kingdome of Heauen Wherefore seeing we are called vnto mourning seeing Christ foretold that we should be weepers seeing wee are so called in the Scriptures seeing there are great rewards for weepers great punishment for laughers seeing there are many causes to mourne within vs without vs round about vs seeing the world is a place of teares and that our Conuersion must be ioyned with a sadnesse of heart hauing so many Motiues to perswade Let not Maries example be slightly regarded whose heart eyes were relatiues in sorrow A stagge if he be compassed with dogges will weepe and mourne Hath an vnreasonable creature such an impression of griefe because of his enemies much more then ought men and women shed teares being compassed about with so many Diuels so many euils set vpon with fiends burthened with sinnes pestred with a thousand infirmities wherefore let vs drowne our sinnes with the teares of our eyes as the Aegyptians were drowned with the waters of the sea Let vs say with Dauid my teares haue beene my meat day and night let vs say with Christ my Soule is heauie let vs open the fountaines of our eyes with Marie and strangle our sinnes with the streames of our teares for she stood at Christs feet behinde him weeping and beganne to wash his feete with her teares you may finde further in the Text that shee did wipe them with the haires of her head that she kissed his feete and annoynted them with her oyntment Quot habuit in se oblectamenta tot fecit de se holocausta her eyes her haires her lips her oyntment all the instruments of her death were turned at her Conuersion into the means of life God giue vs grace to embrace her example Amen FINIS