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
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

her a further search First who this woman was Secondly why her name is concealed Thirdly what was her Sinne Fourthly where was this City question For the first Origen with Theophilact tels vs that there were three Mary Magdalens wherof as they say this was one Chrisostome with whom agreeth Saint Barnard is of opinion that there were but two whereof one was the sister of Lazarns and the other this woman S. Augustine S. Gregory and Beda say plainely there was but one Mary Magdalen making this and the sister of Lazarus and of Martha to be the same vnto whom there were many sinnes remitted and out of whom there were many diuels remooued And albeit some thing might be obiected to the contrary yet for that I finde it to be the common opinion of ancient times I am willing to embrace it the rather for that she was one of them which followed Christ out of Galile where this accident fell out As we finde in the beginning of the next chapter which makes it more probable This woman then was Mary Magdalen question 2 Secondly why would not the Euangelist call her by her name was it because shee was so knowen a sinner in all the city as that shee had thereby as it were lost her proper name Indeed as by good actions names of honour are many times pocured as Aristotle for his knowledge is called the Philosopher Tullie for his eloquence the Oratour so for euill deedes are there oftentimes fastened vpon vs Nicke-names of disgrace As a contentious fellow may in time be called a towne-wrangler a couetous man a citie miser a flattering Preacher a court clawbacke Such perhaps was Maries cafe Shee was so wretched and shamelesse a sinner as in stead of Marie she was called the city-sinner Or was her name suppressed to teach others a lesson that when wee are about to publish the defects of men we should conceale their names so doth Saint Luke in his 16. chapter where describing a rich Glutton he tels of his cruelty he spareth not his particular sinnes yet doth he not publish or proclaime his name Our hatred must be against the sinnes of men and not the men themselues Or is she namelesse to teach all sinners that howsoeuer they heere striue to make their names great to call their lands after their names Psal 49. yet that God will not acknowledge them that before him they shall be namelesse not once remembring them to giue his allowance of them These are likely to be the causes why Mary is heere vnnamed and in place of Marie called a sinner question But what fowle sinne had she committed Some are of opinion that she was vnchaste yet not in body but only in minde and affection and that therfore being vsed to decke her selfe wantonly in light attire she gat the name of a sinner It is commonly found true that outward attire is the token of inward disposition yet for that publike censure passeth vpon none where sinne is secret and that the Euangelist nameth her a sinner in a city a knowen offendour it cannot choose but that her offences were publike in her outward actions Others suppose shee was a common whore prostituting her body to euery commer but this mee thinketh is too sharpe a censure For such for the most part are poore and miserable and know not readily otherwise to relieue themselues but Mary Magdalen was well descended of good wealth she ministred vnto Christ and his disciples out of her owne abundance And therefore it is not likely that she would betake herselfe to so base a trade Most probable it is that amongst other of her sinnes whoredome was one that she had giuen herselfe to idlenesse and so fallen into filthy lust which is a sinne subiect to great reproach especially in a woman of eminent rancke none more for which cause she was publiquely noted and termed a sinner in all the city question 4 This city out of Question was the city Naim in Galile of which wee reade in the eleuenth verse of this chapter which our Euangelist in this place nameth not being needlesse without cause to repeat one thing twice Heere did Christ raise to life the widowes dead son Heere did he raise to grace this sinfull woman In this prouince of Galile was Mary borne in a towne called Magdaleel of which we read in the nineteenth of Iosua and of which towne shee tooke her name Magdalen Now in this city of Galile she hearing of the fame of Christ and being moued in her minde with the strangenesse of the Miracle wrought vpon the widowes sonne being also touched with the spirit of God and resoluing with her selfe that this was the Messias that was to come we may well conceiue by reason of the Sequel her speedy Conuersion which followed that she thus reasoned within her soule Surely he that hath restored to life a dead young man can likewise giue life vnto mee who am deade in my sinnes Hee that onely by a Touch caused the men that bare the corps to stay can compell these to cease which are carrying me to Hell My beauty my riches my liberty my youthfull yeeres they are now transporting mee into the hands of death I will goe vnto this Christ it may bee hee will vouchsafe to touch me with his hand of mercy and can se these porters to stay When a widdow cryed for the death of her sonne hee was mooued with compassion towards her If I then who am motherlesse goe and bewaile mine owne estate if I water his feet with mine owne teares there is hope of mercy for me He that calleth all sinners to repentance will not despise mee though I bee a sinner Surely this is that Prophet which is sent to visit vs I will runne vnto this fountaine I will returne vnto my God from whom I haue gone astray And forthwith sayth the Text when she knew that Iesus sat at the Table in the Pharisies house shee went vnto him Conuersion And heere doth our Euangelist begin to describe her Conuersion Wherein hee imitateth a skilfull painter who first draweth out the lineaments of his picture with a coale or blacke lead and then layeth on liuely colours So doth S. Luke first he noteth out Marie with a black coale and now hee setteth her out with beautifull and perfect colours This first thing obseruable in her Conuersion is her knowledge with all her speed when she knew then she went Knowledge is the first step to amendment of life knowledge of Christ knowledge of our selues both in this woman For vnto a sound Conuersion these three things must concurre 1. A heauenly light in our vnderstanding 2. A holy heat in our will and affections 3. The strength of Gods arme in our works and actions Now a heauenly light in the vnderstanding must go before The first thing which God made in the framing of the world was light and the first thing also which he worketh in our conuersion is light