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	grace_n	justification_n	1,624	5	9.7216	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17412	Sermons upon the ten first verses of the third chapter of the first Epistle of S. Peter Being the last that were preached by the late faithfull and painfull minister of Gods word, Nicolas Byfield. Wherein method, sense, doctrine, and vse, is, with great varietie of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of divinitie largely discussed. Published since the authors death by William Gouge.	Byfield, Nicholas, 1579-1622.; Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1626 (1626)	STC 4235; ESTC S107153	186,240	252

power of this life and how much it excells naturall life and therefore the fruit of the Spirit should be in them in all goodnesse righteousnesse and truth Eph. 5.9 and they should so hold forth the Word of life that they should thinke on whatsoever things are true honest just pure lovely and of good report and if there be any vertue or any praise they should strive to act that being carefull in all things to maintaine good workes Phil. 4.8 Tit. 3.7.8 Oh what manner of persons should they be in all manner of good conversation 7 They should lift up their heads with joy and bee alwaies comfortable considering the assurance they have of eternall life they have the Spirit of glory resting upon them One would thinke they should be alwaies singing making melody in their hearts though they have crosses and wants in this life yet is not God their portion and is it not enough they are provided for in respect of eternitie and is there any comparison betweene the afflictions in this world and the glory to bee revealed Grace Thus of the matter of their inheritance The cause followes and that is Grace Grace is either a gift in us or an attribute in God Sometimes by Grace is meant the gifts God bestowes upon men and if Grace were so taken then would bee implyed this doctrine That dead men may have the Grace of God There may be grace in men without life yea men may have excellent gifts and yet be not alive spiritually As gifts of government from the Spirit of God as Saul had and gifts for edification in the Church A man may bee an excellent Preacher as Iudas was and may have the gifts of prophecying and working miracles as the Reprobates mentioned Mat. 7.21 a man may have the gift of knowledge of the Scriptures as S. Paul imports 1. Cor. 8.2 Heb. 6.4 a man may confesse his sins as Pharaoh and Saul did a man may be much grieved and sorrow and humbled for his sinnes as Abab and Cain and may repent too as Iudas did and may make a great profession of true religion and be very forward as Demas and Him●neus and Philetus did a man may be veryzealous for the truth as Iohn and the Galathians were a man may pray and cry hard and often to God and be heard of God as the Israelites were in their distresses many times a man may be of an unrebukeable conversation amongst men as Paul was before his conversion and such as have sinned may reforme their lives in many things as Herod did finally a man may have faith to believe Gods word as the Divells doe and to believe Gods promises as they that have a temporary faith doe after a sort and may joy much in the comfort of them as they concerne the godly and yet in all these gifts there was no life Another point in that sense is this That there are gifts of Gods grace bestowed on the Elect which are ever accompanied with life so as their grace is the grace of life And both these points should wonderfully awaken all sorts of Christians to looke about and trye their estates and weake Christians should diligently studie their booke of signes of true grace and marke how the Scripture proveth all those saving graces to be such as can be found in no reprobate But because I thinke Grace in this place cannot bee taken for the gifts of grace in men I passe from these points By Grace then here is meant the glorious attribute of goodnesse that is in God by which he freely sheweth his love mercy to his creature And that it must be taken in this sense I gather from the third of Titus v. 7. where the sentence being like grace is called there His Grace Wee are justified by his grace and made heires of eternall life Now this grace of God as it is in God I consider of two wayes first as it is in relation to this spirituall and eternall life of Gods heyres and then secondly as it is in it selfe generally considered In relation to spirituall life I consider of it both in what it excludes and what it includes Grace excludes both Nature and the workes of the Law It excludes Nature from this life in three respects First in respect of propagation This life cannot be propagated by Naturall generation we are not borne heyres of life and so the sonnes of God we are borne only the sonnes of Adam not of God They that are borne after the flesh are not the seed Rom. 9.8 Secondly in respect of priviledge By nature wee are the children of wrath and therefore cannot be the children of promise Ephes. 2.3 Thirdly in respect of the works of Nature for by Nature wee doe such workes as proclaimes us to be children of disobedience and children of the Divell and therefore cannot be heyres of life by any workes done by Nature since the fall And as it excludes Nature so it excludes the workes of the Law not in respect of the obedience to the Law but in respect of the merit of life so as the inheritance cannot be had by the work es of the Law Rom. 4.4 11.6 nor can our best workes after calling deserve life and salvation Tit. 3.7.4 5. And on the otherside the Grace of God includes all things in life as wholly caused by Gods free favour to us in Christ. For first our election to life is from the meere grace of God Ephes. 1.46 Secondly the meritorious cause of life is by grace Gal. 4.4 5. Thirdly the promise of life is by grace Rom. 4.14 Gal. 3.18 Fourthly the inchoation of life is from grace whether we respect Vocation Gal. 1.15 or Iustification Tit. 3. 7. Gal. 2. ult Lastly in respect of the consummation of it in the perfection of glorie in heaven Rom. 6. ult Thus of Grace in relation to Life In it selfe Grace is a most amiable attribute in God extending his goodnesse unto the creature without respect of deserts And that we may the more admire the glorious grace of God it will be profitable to give a touch of the fruits of it unto man upon whom hee sets his favour for looke what men have interest in the grace of God these things flow upon them from the beames of that grace 1 God knowes them by name Exod. 33.12 2 When God is angry with all the world and about to declare his wrath by terrible judgements yet still they finde favour in his sight Gen. 6.8 19.19 3 When they offend and are sorie for their offences and seeke for mercie he pardons iniquitie and takes them for his inheritance and repents him of the evill Exod. 34.9 Ioel 2. 12 13. 4 He will withhold no good thing from them Psal. 84.12 bestows of his best gifts upon them liberally in all sorts of gifts 1. Cor. 1.4 5. 5 He will give them any thing they aske of him without hitting them in