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
A52043	Meroz cursed, or, A sermon preached to the honourable House of Commons, at their late solemn fast, Febr. 23, 1641 by Stephen Marshall ...	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1641 (1641)	Wing M762; ESTC R19516	35,043	59

and ye visited me not Verily I say unto you inasmuch as you did it not unto the least of of one of these ye did it not to me As if the Lord at that great day did take notice of nothing but what the carriage of all people hath been to or against his Church and children What greater evidence can there be in the world that men are blessed or cursed than this that they either do or do not help the Church of God This will yet be clearer if we consider the Church First as it stands in relation to God Secondly as we stand in relation to the Church First as the Church stands in relation to God when I speake of God in relation to the Church or the Church to God you must alwayes understand God in Christ Emanuel God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe And thus the Churches relation to God gives us two excellent grounds of this doctrine First the Church and the meanest member of it is united to him made one with him they are not only his servants his friends such as he loves but he and they make but one person I meane one mysticall person Insomuch that throughout the whole Scripture he that blesseth them blesseth him he that curseth them curseth him he that relieveth them relieveth him he that fights against them fights against him he that touches them touches the Apple of his eye all the relations which argue intimacy tendernesse and dearenesse meete in this conjunction betwixt God and his Church he is their Father they are his children he is their head they are his members he is their husband they are his wife yea they are called by his name and he vouchsafes to be called by their name Take but this for granted and you will make no doubt but all men are blessed or cursed as they do or do not help the Lord The Lord Jehovah is the fountaine of all blessednesse more than the Sunne is the fountaine of light from his favour and good will necessarily flows all happinesse and consequently all are blessed or cursed according as the aspect betweene God and them is malignant or benevolent This ground is fully laid downe in that forementioned placed Matthew 25. You did it to them therefore you did it to me you refused it to them therefore you refused it to me It is clearely there taught but I believe there is no man on earth that understands it or believes it fully And that very Text gives me a hint to thinke so Because the very righteous themselves though they do all to the Saints out of the good will they beare to Christ yet when Christ shall acknowledge this and say Come ye blessed you fed me you cloathed me you visited me They shall answer Lord when saw we thee an hungred or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sicke or in prison and administred unto thee It shews that themselvs did not fully understand how neare they were to Christ for whom they did all these things I have somewhere read a story of a Sarazen Embassador who being with a Christian Prince and seeing Nobles and great men to wait upon him and the Prince himselfe to waite upon a Table full of poore ragged people desired to know what they were to whom he shewed so much respect he answered to this effect they were the servants of his Lord and that he served his Saviour in them Well said the Embassador if your Lord have no better servants than these I desire to be none of them I care not for your Religion And truly it is a hard thing to perswade not only Sarazens but even Christians themselves that whatsoever is done to poore abjects the off-scouring of the world should be done to Christ himselfe No earthly Prince would do so equally to accept and reward him that should give a nights lodging or any succour to one of his meanest and basest groomes as if it had beene done to the person of himselfe or of his son Yet this is the very case betwixt Christ and his Church Secondly another ground from the Churches relation to God is this that as their persons are neerely united to him so their cause is his cause As they account every cause of God to be their cause so God accounts every cause of theirs to be his cause 2 Chro. 20. Moab and Ammon and they of Mount Seir came with a huge army against Jehoshaphat hee and his people being suddenly surprised betake themselves to prayer and seeke helpe from God Now marke what Gods answer was Be not you afraid nor dismaied by reason of this great multitude the battell is not yours but Gods Was not the battell theirs all they were worth lay upon that battell their wives and children their lives and liberties their countrey and religion lay all at the stake and yet the battell none of theirs that is not so much theirs as Gods so in the 74. Psalm When Asaph had laid down all the Churches sufferings the pulling down of their Synagogues the wasting of their Countrey the reproach and scorn cast upon them by their enemies he interests God in all this Arise O God plead thine own cause remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee forget not the voyce of thine enemies Thus is their cause Gods cause their enemies Gods enemies and indeed if we look into it narrowly whatsoever is done to them and their cause good or evill is done for Gods sake This then is a strong argument to prove men blessed or cursed according as they joyn with or oppose the cause of God Because first if it be Gods cause it is a good cause Secondly it is a noble cause Thirdly it is a successefull cause First I say it is a good cause The just Lord that is in the midst of his Church will do no iniquity The righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse Now you know it is a blessed thing to have a good cause though it be a meane cause David often pleaded this before God that his cause was just his cause was upright Let them shout for joy that favour my righteous cause And on the other side it must needs be a cursed thing to manage a cursed cause when David's cause was good his adversaries must needs bee evill and then he could foretell that they should be ashamed and brought to confusion clothed with reproach and dishonour who opposed themselves against him Secondly being Gods cause it is a noble cause a man may possibly among men have a good cause and the thing but a trifle a thing of no great consequence but if it be Gods cause let it appeare never so contemptible it is subservient to the highest end that can possibly be thought of The salvation of soules the glory of God c. Honour uses to put men upon hard and desperate services men will runne wrestle fight for a crowne

the Church at this present time requires from you many other things It may be some of you may be called as souldiers to spend your blood in the Churches cause If you knew the honour and the reward that belongs to such a service you would say as the Martyr once Had every haire on your head a life you would venture them all in the Churches cause It may be others of you may with Nehemiah be called from your own ease and honour to some wearisome task embrace it readily It is like your collections and contributions will be more frequent than ordinary and very shortly in an extraordinary occasion for the relief of our distressed brethren in Ireland many in the City of London have set excellent examples let me provoke you by their pattern as the Apostle Paul did the Corinthians to the like work by propounding to them the example of Macedonia Onely remember this that what you give in this case is interpreted by Christ as given to his owne person and whom would not this provoke It is reported of Master Fox that when a poore man asked something of him for Christ Jesus sake he questioned with the man whether hee knew Jesus Christ and finding signes that the man was a Beleever hee gave him his horse when hee had no money I commend not his discretion but his zeal and charity were admirable Do somewhat proportionable to the distresse of your brethren Behold your Saviour comming naked and hungry and banished in these his afflicted members And in whatsoever else the Lord and his Church may have any need of you remember that Gods blessing is upon them that come to helpe him and that Meroz and with Meroz all others are cursed who come not out to the help of the Lord against the mighty FINIS Die Veneris 25. Febr. 1641. IT is this day ordered by the House of Commons that no man shall Print the Sermons Preached on the last Fast day before the House of Commons by Master Calamy and Master Marshall besides themselves for the space of these two moneths without the particular Licence and Approbation of the said House of Commons H. Elsynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. THese are to give notice that I appoint Samuel Gellibrand to print my Sermon Stephen Marshall Introduction shewing Exod. 15. 1 Sam. 8. The scope of the Chapter Iudg 4 3. Verse 16. Especially of this verse And the suitablenesse of it to the occasion Psalme 2. 2● Division And interpretation 1 Sam. 14. 24. Numb. 5 27 Zech. 5. 3. 4. Rev. 17. 18. The maine Doctrine propounded Explained And proved v. 9. v. 15. v. 18. v. 24. Men are cursed or blessed Esay 16. v. 3. as they help or help not the Church of God Demonstrated First from the Churches relation to God Being made one with him in Christ All are cursed or blessed as they help or help not Gods Chur. Their cause is his cause Verse 15. ● 22 23. Zeph. 3. 4 Psal. 11. 7 Therefore a good cause Psal. 35. 27. Psal. 35. 26 A noble cause All are blessed or cursed 1 Cor. 9. 25 A successefull cause Isay 44. 17. Acts 5. 38. 2 Our relation to the Church All our talents are given us to serve the Church 1 Cor. 12 7. Eph. 4. 15. 1 Pet. 4. 10. Prov. 11. 26 Our conjunction with the Church Prov. 30. 17. Rom 9 2 3 Our standing and faling with the Church Rom. 12. 4. 1. Coo. 12 1● 1 Cor. 12. 25 26. Application 1 For reproofe to them who help against the Church Psal. 137. Deut. 25. 17 Zech 14 12 Isa 27 ●4 Isa 45. 9 2 To them who stand Neuters 2 Kings 17 33 3● 41 Mat 12 30 Of which two sorts Some out of policy Iudge 8●4 5 Verse 6 Verse 6 7 16 17 2 Out of slothfull carelesnesse Acts 18. 14. Prov. 14. 10. Iud 21. 9 Vers. 10 2 For Exhortation To give our selves up to the service of the Chur. Motives thereunto 1 From Gods honour 3 From our relation to the Church and the churches gaine Cap 2 44 ● 4 31. Act. 9. 3. 3 From our owne good both In our in wardpeace 1 Ioh. 3. 14 Vers. 10. V. 16 Isa. 38. 3. Heb 13. 41 And our honour before God and men Heb. 1 14 1 Cor. 6. 15. 2 Cor 8 23. v. 7. Thirdly in the greatnesse of our reward Mat. 1● 29 Meanes to make us usefull The persons must be First Godly Rev. 7. 14. 14. 4. ● Deniers of themselves Luke 14. 26. ● Tim. 2. 4. 2 Tim. 4. 23. Men are cursed or blessed Acts 20. 24 3 They must love the Church 1 Cor. 12. 27 28. What these friends of the Church must doe 1 By way of preparation the● must 1 Know the wan●s of the Church Neh. 1 2. Dan. 9. 2 Sympathize with them Neh. 1 4. Dan 8 27. 3 They must enquire what is in their hand to help 2 By way of action they must 1 Pray for it Psal. 122. 6. Isa. 62. 6 7. Ier. 51. 50. What great things Prayer is able to doe Ezek 36 37. Ier. 29. 10. 17. 1 Ioh. 14 15. Psal. 56 9. Isa. 37. 36. 1 Kin. 8. 37 39. Gen 32 26. Hos. 12. 4 〈◊〉 32. 10. ●ap 45 v. 10 Quest Answ. And the reasons of it Ro● 8. 2● Rev. 8. 3. 〈…〉 〈…〉 1. Whence all our present mercies ●nd deliverances come And our hopes of more 2 For reproofe Isa. 5. 4. 3 Exhortation to help the Church by Prayer Motives thereunto Psal. 66. And d●●ction herein 2 Exhortation to p●ize such ●s have the sp●rit of Prayer Eccles 9. 14. Rom. 15 30. 2 King 13 14. Isa. 19. 24. Zech. 8. 21. c. 2 To employ all our gifts and Tale●s as Stewards and servants for the Church 1 Cor. 12. 7. 1 Pet. 4. 1● 〈◊〉 are cu●s●d or blessed as they E●o● 3● 〈…〉 1 For reproofe of most who are strangers to this duty Luk. 12 45. 2 For Exhor●ation 1 To the Ho●se of Parliament Iob 29. Obad. v. ult. Deut. 18 60. 2 To all others Matth. 25. 35.