Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	eternal_a	good_a	life_n	4,162	5	5.3241	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01724	Foure sermons vpon the seuen chiefe vertues or principall effectes of faith and the doctrine of election: wherein euerie man may learne, whother he be Gods childe or no. Preached at Malden in Essex by Master George Gifford, penned from his mouth, and corrected and giuen to the Countesse of Sussex, for a Newyeeres gift.	Gifford, George, d. 1620.; Josua, Richard.	1582 (1582)	STC 11858; ESTC S118830	40,121	112

be chosen vnto life they say quite contrary if ye wil haue men careful of wel doing away with the doctrine of election for it will marre al thus the wisedome of fleshe doth proudly lift vp it selfe euen against God but howe foolishly a very child may see Doeth that thing which wee cannot come to the knowledge of without exceeding care of godlinesse abundance of vertue and plentie of all good woorkes destroy in men the studie and care of good workes But proud fleshe is worthily blind Some other although not thus bruitishly blinded yet greatly ouerseene when they thinke on this doctrine which is set vp vnto vs as the mark for vs to aime at in al our doings and the trial whether we haue done wel or not I meane the trial in this respecte and when a man hath done many good deedes hee shal know he hath not done them wel if hee yet doubt whether hee bee one of Gods chosen for howsoeuer hee passeth it ouer yet his conscience which doth in some sort know that he hath not dealt but for vaine glory or some other sinister respect wil not suffer him to haue this faith For God doth not woorke so darkely by his spirite in men but that they may learne to knowe whether it bee of him if they woulde make a due triall because wee must not rest in the outwarde doeing of good thinges but in the right doing Let him therefore whiche giueth him selfe to doe good woorkes and yet feeleth not this which Saint Peter saith we shal suspect that his doinges are mishapen and be careful to fashion them after the rules of the worde A thirde sort of men there be which with might and maine wil defende this doctrine that men ought to be sure of saluation that wee cannot more honour God then to giue ful credite to his promises and because the plaine testimonie of the scripture compelleth them they affirme it constantly and condemne the contrary as a foule errour that God hath chosen men and men come to feele to know this And therefore because it is a true doctrine they say also that they themselues are sure that God hath chosen them but when they take not the way to become sure which S. Peter here hath set downe but goe in a contrary path are spotted with filthie crimes wee may boldly say they be lyers for although they bragge with their tongues of that that they should bee yet there is a byrde in their brest which doth sing in a cōtrary note and telleth them plainely what they bee Another kinde of men there bee which in no case can be persuaded that any man may bee sure of his saluation and therfore with scoffs they aske of them which professe the word when God tolde them so If it were a thing whiche were not to bee or coulde not be knowne then the Apostle hath greatly ouershot himselfe in telling vs howe wee shal come to bee sure But aske a question of them whether they do not beleeue in God euery one wil answere I put al my whole trust in him reason then a little further and tel thē that the Scripture which cannot lye saith That al which trust in God shal be saued how then wil they ioyne these together that they truste in GOD and yet doubt whether they shal bee saued Can God deceiue or say they they know not what Vndoubtedly if they did know that they haue trust they shoulde also knowe they cannot perish But let vs learne by this the miserie of our time in which men doe stil thinke this doctrine to be straunge Nowe let vs come to the particuler application of this doctrine in which euery one must come home to himselfe remembring first that suche as God hath called home to himselfe and chosen to be his children hee doth also giue vnto them true faith and feeling that they bee his elect and such as perceiue no suche thinge in themselues are in a very miserable case and as yet we may say forlorne creatures therfore euerye man in him selfe must aske this question of his owne soule howe goeth the matter with thee Art thou sure GOD hath chosen thee Doest thou feele any assurance of eternal life The conscience wil answere vprightlie if wee be not negligent to make inquirie then if wee finde this within I am not sure for I doubt and stagger wee must inquire without selues thus what is the cause God is faithfull which hath promised eternal life vnto all which beleeue our heart wil make answere thou regardest not the feare of God thou art ful of foule sinnes euill lustes doe reigne in thee thou doest not studie for the knowledge of Gods word thou art vnfruiful and barren in good woorkes therfore thon canst not say I am led by the spirite of God and therefore sure I shal be saued if hee bee wise hee will not stay heere as the maner of fooles is saying I am not sure indeede neither do I thinke any man can bee I commit it to God let him doe with mee what he will these speeches may seeme to haue some wit and godlinesse in them but they are in deede diuelish and mad because God hath taught vs a contrary lesson in this place but goe this steppe further may I come to this assurance which is the way The Lorde doth answere by his Apostle thou maiest come to this assurance and pointeth him out the way euen that which you haue hard wherein hee must painefully trauel and goe forwarde not for a gird or a braide and waxe idle againe but still labour for these men had gone a great way and yet they are willed to proceede still if the Lorde giue not this assurance wee are to labour so much the more and to bee so much the more importunate to suspect our iudgement and to seeke for knowledge to call our selues to a more straite account to set a watch ouer our affections too see with what mynde wee doe things to foster no sin willingly in vs nor to bee slacke to any good worke which God hath appointed to cal and cry vnto God for faith and his spirite to guide vs to vse the meanes diligently which God hath appointed as the hearing searching meditating in the word thus in time for it is wrought in men by degrees they neuer come to the ful God will let them see that he is their God That neither life nor death height or depth thinges present or things to come Angels Principalities nor powers nor any creature shall separate vs from his loue in Christe It followeth in the next verse For by this meanes an entring shal be ministred vnto you abundantly into the euerlasting kingdome of our Lorde Iesus Christe This is a confirmation of the last clause of the former sentence where he saith If you doe these thinges you shal neuer fall and why because you shal haue a great entrance into the eternal kingdome of Christ as that is

Sauiour Christe when it is manifest that wee ferche all thinges from his manhood and therefore hee saith in the 6. chap. of S. Iohn verse 46. I am the bread of life and againe in the 54. verse of that same chapter Hee that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood I will raise him vp in the last day For my fleshe is meate indeede and my blood is drink indeed by this it is manifest that life is giuen vnto the worlde by the manhood of Christe The answere is easie that Christe in his manhoode is a creature and therefore hath nothing of his owne but whatsoeuer is in him as to bee the life of the worlde and the light of men and to haue in him al the treasures of wisdom This commeth from the diuine nature which dwelleth in him bodily as Saint Paule speaketh Nowe the cause why all these are put into the manhoode of Christe is that from thence wee maye bee partakers of them for solong as they haue residence onely in God wee are so farre remoued from him that by no meanes wee can approche or come neere vnto him to drawe out of him any drop of the same Therefore though all things bee giuen vs by this meanes that GOD hath put them into the fleshe of Christ and so is come downe neere vnto vs that wee may lay fast hold of him yet neuerthelesse because the proprietie of them remaineth still in the diuine nature the gifte of them is heere ascribed vnto the power thereof Fourthly we are to note in this verse that the Apostle doeth briefly set downe the ende and summe of religion and of all these giftes when he saith which pertaine to life and godlinesse for in these two wordes vnto which the other two do answere which are set downe in the latter ende of the verse glorie and vertue all those giftes are contained For that which hee expressed first by life heere by glorie that which before he called godlinesse here he calleth vertue they are as much as to say eternall felicitie and life with glorie and the way which we must passe through to the same which is godlines and vertue Here we are to take great heede that wee doe not seuer or sunder those thinges which the Lorde himselfe hath so neerely coupled and linked together And this admonition is so much the more necessarie because there are very many carnall professors and beastly abusers of christianity which doe seeme very willingly and gladly to imbrace the promises of the Gospell concerning redemption and eternall life purchased in Christe Iesus and they make great boast that they looke for their parte in the same as well as any other yet they looke nothing at al to this godlines and vertue through which we must passe vn to it for God hath not called vs but as hee saith heere to glorie and vertue so that whom soeuer the Lorde hath called to know him aright and so to be made heires of eternall glorie he hath also garnished them with vertues and graces of the spirite of sanctification Vntill such time therefore as there shall rise vp a new Peter which with contrary pen shal write a newe and contrary gospell these men shall neuer assure them selues nor yet perswade others that they shall euer come to the kingdome of God seeing they goe a quite contrarie way 4 Whereby most great and precious promises are giuen vnto vs c. Now hee sheweth by what meanes or by what instruments the diuine power doeth bestow those giftes vpon vs and the same are as hee calleth them most great and precious promises which are giuē vnto vs whereby we are called to glorie and vertue as hee speaketh in the former verse these are called most great precious because the things which are offered vnto vs in the gospel of Christ for greatnes dignity are incōparable For what cā we seeke out to match with this that here is offered vnto vs namely the remission of our sins in the blood of his sonne deliuerance freedom from the thraldom of Satan power of darknes that of damned creatutes children of his wrath he hath giuē vs this high dignity to be his sonnes daughters as S. Iohn saith Reue. I. Christ hath washed vs in his blood and made vs kinges and priests to god his father what a change is this from the lowest misery euē in the gulf of hel to be lifted vp to the highest dignitie to be glorified with God in the kingdō of heuen Because therfore these things are the greatest most honorable S. Peter calleth the promises of the gospel most great precious But wherfore doeth the apostle ascribe all to the doctrine of the gospel for whē he saith that by these we are made partakers of the diuine nature hee includeth all because it is by the gospel that we are called home to the Lord for although hee vtter his will vnto vs in his law yet therin hee sheweth himselfe none otherwise vnto vs but as a seuere iudge we can see nothing there but the dreadful curse vengeance of eternall fire his brightnes appeareth therein but we be not able to beholde the same but are daseled with the sight therof amazed confounded so that we cannot but runne from him bicause there is nothing but that which is terrible Cōtrariwise in the Gospel he hath reuealed himselfe in the face of his sonne where hee sheweth an exceeding glory but with such fatherly loue pitie such abūdance of mercie and sweete allurements by which he calleth vs and draweth vs to himself that here wee are able to looke vpon him with open face and heere his countenance is so cheereful that the soule which hath once with the eye of faith seene but a glimse thereof is so inflamed and rauished with desire of a neerer and fuller sight that it can neuer bee satisfied For this cause Saint Paule making comparison betweene the ministerie of the Lawe and the ministerie of the Gospell 2. Corinthians 3. Termeth that the ministration of death and the letter which killeth and this the ministration of the spirit which giueth life Which by the way also is to bee obserued because there be among vs at this day many frātike braines namely those of the Family of loue which call the true sound interpreting of the word the literal sense or the letter which killeth their owne grosse and foolish allegories the spirite not knowing that S. Peter speaketh of the difference betweene the Lawe and the Gospel Here also appeareth of what price and dignitie the gospel is for who can set foorth the worthinesse of this whē he saith that by these promises we are made partakers of the diuine nature we were indeed at the first created after the Image of God and so partakers of his nature but we lost all this with our first parents in steede thereof we were made partakers of the diuelish nature bearing his Image