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
A26689	Divers practical cases of conscience satisfactorily resolved ... to which are added some counsels & cordials / by Joseph Alleine ...	Alleine, Joseph, 1634-1668.	1672 (1672)	Wing A969; ESTC R170093	56,044	102

shall live or die If a man were upon a tryal for his life what would it avail him that all his fellow prisoners and the whole crowd about him were for him when the whole Bench and Jury were against him If your Lives and Estates were in question to whom would you go to make your friend the Iudge or the People Sirs be convinced that if God be against you t is as bad as if God and all the world were against you For all signifies nothing without him Oh whatever you do study to get in and keep in with him I tell you the time is coming when the breath of men will signifie nothing when their Commendation will do you no good O man though all the world should give thee their hands and subscribe thy Certificate it would signifie nothing in Gods account or his Court. Many build their hopes for Heaven upon the good opinion that others have of them But I tell thee man though thou couldst carry Letters of commendation with thee when thou diest and all the Ministers of the Gospel should give thee their Bene discessit all would be no more then a blank paper and he would not save thee a jot the sooner if he should find thee to have been but a secret hypocrite a rotten-hearted Professor all the while Pr. 5. That God would not be pleased with you in any thing except you make it your care to please him well in every thing You will be one day ashamed except you have respect to all Gods Commandments Psal. 119. 6. you have not a good conscience except it be your care in all things to live honestly Heb. 13. 18. If Naaman must be excused in one thing to bow in the house of Rimmon that he might not displease his Master this is enough to spoil every thing 2 Kings 5. 18. Some will needs keep Gods good will and the worlds too and so will give both their turns They will serve God at home and conform to the world abroad and it shall be a great thing indeed that they will not swallow rather then lose the good will of men especially great men These men have two faces and two tongues the one for the good and the other for the bad company that they come into Some held two first principles the one the common Fountain of all good which is God and the other the cause of all evil and they worshipped both the good principle for love and the evil for fear Just such a Religion are many among us now of But let them know whoever they are that while they grasp all they lose all For God will never own time-servers nor men-pleasers for the Servants of Christ Ephes. 6. 6. Gal. 1. 10. 3. With reference to your practices And here as ever you desire to come up to this blessed life of doing always those things that please God you must carefully follow these six Rules Rule 1. Look round about you to the whole latitude and compass of your duty Great is the latitude of Christianity The Commandment is exceeding broad Psal. 119. 96. And many Professors do scarce look more then one way but while they intensly mind one thing they neglect another It may be while they are taken up with the care of religious duties they forget relative duties Or they are careful of personal duties but very remiss in the duties that they owe to the souls of their families Or they complain and mourn over their own sins but lay not to heart others sins It may be they are more punctual in their more immediate duties towards God but are very negligent in their duties towards men or they will spend much time for their souls but do little lay to heart the case of the Church and the misery of perishing souls that are round about them Possible they keep the Sabbath strictly and pray and hear and fear an oath but in the mean time make little conscience of breaking their promises passing hasty and uncharitable censures spending time vainly being unprofitable in their discourse Close handed to godly uses suffering sin to go unreproved letting out their passions at every petty cross Many will mind their duty to them that are within and in the mean time are very short in their duties to them that are without This is too common a case Where is the Christian almost that seriously bethinks himself what might I do to win souls It may be you will go into the company of the godly where you may be edified but when do you go to your poor neighbours whom you see to live in a sinful state and tell him of his danger and labour to gain him unto Christ yea so much is this great duty neglected and out of fashion that I am afraid many question whether it be a duty or no. As if you might let sin lie upon the soul of your Brother and yet be innocent Levit. 19. 17. If it were but his Oxe or his Ass that lay ready to perish you would make no question but it were your duty to help him out of the ditch And do you think in earnest that you owe more to these then you do to his soul Is it to Ministers only or to all Believers that Scripture belongs Prov. 11. 30. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and be that winneth souls is wise Surely the lives of too many Christians do speak the same language that Cain spake with his mouth Am I my Brothers keeper Gen. 4. 9. 'T is true God will have you keep every one within the bounds of your proper stations but so as to take occasions yea to seek occasions as you are able to be doing good to others Do you not know how to get within your poor neighbours Carry an alms with you do him a kindness oblige him by your courteous and winning carriage Then I shall look to see the Kingdom of Christ flourish gloriously when every one that professeth godliness shall arise and take hold of the skirt of his neighbour Oh see your neglects in this Do not think it enough to keep your own Vineyard Let your Friends and Neighbours have no quiet for you till you see them setting in good earnest to seek after Heaven Oh if you might bring in but every one his man to Christ what a blessed thing were this I lose my self in this Argument but I am content to do so this duty being so miserably neglected Too many live as if Religion lay all in praying and hearing holy conference and the like forgetting that pure Religion and undefiled is this to visit the Fatherless and the Widow in their affliction Jam. 1. 27. The other should be so done as that this should not be left undone You make conscience of being just and true and faithful but do you not forget to win upon others by your kindness and affableness as if it were not written in your Bibles be pitiful be courteous having compassion