Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	know_v	2,974	5	4.2147	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09971	Grace to the humble· As preparations to receive the Sacrament. Preached by the late famous preacher Iohn Preston, Doctor of Divinity, and chaplen in ordinary to his Mtie. Master of Immanuel Colledge, and sometimes preacher in Lincolnes-Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1639 (1639)	STC 20228; ESTC S106423	39,427	175

be countable such as fought not the Lords battailes were accursed as well as such as fought amisse and the fearefull and unbeleeving are shut out from heaven And remember this that barren trees shall bee cut down as well as thornes and bryers for the Text saith they keepe the ground idle Many a man set in a great place doth nothing but another in his place having his opportunitie would have done much why hinders hee the good It was the Prophets complaint no man is bold for the truth Many have good opportunities but no courage As wee say of Hartes they have great hornes but they doe nothing quia deest annimus because they want courage And remember when you have taken such a person as Christ upon you you must doe the things beseeming such a great person Thus a man should bee ready to say as Saint Paul saith It is better for mee to dye then to hinder the Gospel of Christ any way The keeping of a good conscience is our treasure the best flower in our garden wee had better loose all then this let a man so reckon of it let a man consider what is every man that is a Christian he is a pearle among common stones his works and actions must not be the same with theirs As wee say a mud wall might bee made of any thing of any rubbish but if a man will make a pallace hee must take the best and finest stones so to make a temple for the holy Ghost there must be holy affections a new frame and temperature your words must bee changed with your behaviour if you be of Christ you must set upon greater things then others doe But it will bee objected I shall doe no good by doing of this if I should doe any good by it I would willingly doe it But to this I answer that it is nothing howsoever whether you doe good by it or no you must doe it for it is your deare friend and besides witnesse must bee borne to the truth which you may doe though you attaine not to your end and againe consider though you doe mee no good yet you have your reward as the Physi●ian looseth not his reward though the patient dye The Lawyer is not deprived of his fee however the case goe So let a man indeavour and though the successe answer not his intent yet hee hath reward But you will say the times are so evill that it is not to no end to goe about such a thing now But this must bee quite otherwise for in coldest weather the fire is hottest now in such a time God hath neede of some to stand for him The more evill the times are the more couragious you should shew your selves in Gods causes I but I am alone So was Luther when he began he was alone and Elias hee was alone and though you bee alone you know not what good you may do you ●e on● cole kindles another and that another and you know not how farre it may goe And againe consider the Prophet complaines of these there is not any that could most pitch you can for if you doe otherwise your labour will bee to short for the worke If Religion bee so crosse and opposite to our nature learne hence to humble our selves if Religion be good then the contrary to it must needs be bad which is our nature we must not runne out as a mans heart would doe to say they are streight Lawes Lawes made with blood and God is a hard God a hard Master but learne on the other side to returne to our selves and say what natures have we that we cannot walke in the wayes of God without this difficultie say with Saint Paul the Law is spirituall but I am carnall and sold under sinne we must humble our selves and not exalt our selves as many doe and say wee are but flesh and blood we doe as much as we can our minde and intention is good but we must humble our selves when you finde Religion opposite to you and you opposite to Religion and God thinke that out of this contrariety must needs come Gods hatred looke to his pure nature and your impure affections and sure they must needes breede an Antypathie betweene him and us therefore we cannot but bee loathsome to God and hee must needes hate us now wee should confirme our judgements to God and loathe hate and abhorre our selves for the evill disposition that is in us and every time that you come to an holy duty as to pray and you finde backwardnesse in your selves when you come to speake profitably and you finde a contrarietie in you when you come to heare the word and you finde a lumpishnesse in your hearts this should humble you this should open as it goes a new crevice of light to you which makes us to see our misery and long after Christ and prize him we should humble our selves that God may lift us up for God giveth grace to the humble this advantage wee may get by the sight of our owne vilenesse Hence we may learne to justifie the truth of our Religion if it had beene the device of Polititians they would have had one of these two ends either to please themselves or else to get a multitude of followers so to make something of themselves but you shall finde Religion to have in it that which is contrary to a mans desire it crosses his will it crosses his opinion it crosses his affections and intentions and takes his ends his profit his credit and his pleasure And besides there is nothing in it to draw our nature after it but it is contrary to it Take them that are fishers and fowlers they alwayes use baites that are agreeable to the Fish and the Fowle This is not the way that Christ hath taken In his Word there is nothing to draw our nature but quite opposite to it wee must deny our selves wee must bee ready to part with all and become other men and we shall mee●e with crosses every day and hee that followes Christ must looke for them This puritie in the whole booke of God contrary to man and these infinite crosses here foretold may helpe us to make an argument to confirme us in the present truth The last Doctrine that these words afford us is this that all that are Christs Disciples must follow him that is although this be required that you must deny your selves and take up your crosse though difficulty hang upon Religion yet you must goe through all All that are Christians all that will have any benefit by Christ must tread in his steps must bee made like Christ. God hath predestinated them which hee knew to bee conformed to the image of his Sonne that he might be the first borne among many brethren that is God will have all his Sonnes of one fashion as parents will put their children in one fashion masters their servants