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	see_v	2,875	5	3.5208	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09262	Fiue godly, and profitable sermons concerning 1 The slaverie of sinne. 2 The mischiefe of ignorance. 3 The roote of apostasie. 4 The benefit of Gods service. 5 The Christians loue. Preached in his life time in sundry places. By that late faithfull minister of Christ Mr William Pemble of Magdalen Hall in the Vniversity of Oxford.	Pemble, William, 1592?-1623.; Tombes, John, 1603?-1676.	1628 (1628)	STC 19576A; ESTC S114334	73,812	112

no other grace that hath the proper office and power to vphold a man in the constant embracing of all holy dueties and constant practise of all good workes but only faith and therefore where that is not men must needes fall away from both That such is the force and vse of true faith you shall see by considering the obiects of it 1 All divine trueths to be held and professed in matter of Religion which are aboue our naturall and corrupt reason and therefore vnlesse our vnderstanding bee by a true faith captivated vnto the obedience of Christ that we can resigne vp our owne wits to be ruled by Gods wisedome and rest our selues only vpon the true word of God it is not possible that ever we should finde sure footing where and in what certaine trueth to rest our selues but shall alwaies bee as those Children spoken of Ephes. 4. 14. of weake and vnsetled mindes easily perswaded to belieue any thing being like small barkes without sufficient balance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tossed vp and downe vpon the waues like a feather and driven this way and that way with every winde of false Doctrine raised vp by our owne foolish fancies or by the device and craftinesse of men lying in wait to delude vs. 2 All commaundements of God touching our holy practises together with all the threatnings if we doe not obey and promises if we doe Now these things are partly contrary to our corrupt nature and vile affections which cannot subiect themselues to Gods law partly they are beyond the reach and desire of our sensual and worldly minds which see no great matter to be loved and feared in whatsoever God threatneth or promiseth Gods law is holy but we are not so Gods promises are spirituall but we are carnall led by sensuality placing our affections on things that are in present view and therefore naturally everie man from the wombe is adverse and backeward from doing that which God commandeth or believing what he promiseth or threatneth Now then what can vphold a man in his obedience to Gods law and dependance vpon Gods promises It is only a true faith which apprehending truely the authority and high soveraignety which God hath in commanding vs and together therewith beholding the excellent holynesse and goodnesse of his commandements makes the heart stoope vnto obedience be it neuer so irkesome vnto it selfe Againe when faith apprehendes the immutablenesse of God in his word when it seeth the pretiousnesse of the promises of mercie with their certainety when it seeth the terriblenesse of its threates togither with the vnavoideable accomplishment of them vpon obstinate men Here nowe the heart rests it selfe as on an anchor sure and stedfast it is filled with a constant feare to offend because it knowes punishment is not to be escaped it is filled with continuall ioye in its obedience because it abides assured of the rewarde But where this support of faith is wanting all obedience presently falls to pieces then if God command or forbid vs any thing we beginne to take advise whether it be good to obey yea or no we fall to aske councell of Sathan of our selues of other men as bad as our selues If they say no there is our resolution too God must looke him out other servants we are not for his turne If Sathan tempt vs strongly if our affections rage when they are crossed if men frowne or fawne vpon vs we are quickely turned out of the way and our purposes of obedience are all dasht in a moment Let God and his Ministers threaten never so much we then thinke within our selues that threatned men liue longest such angrie words breake no bones let God promise neuer so faire we can beginne to smile secretly in our hearts and thinke they are but faire words that make none but fooles faine Indeede if the worlde threaten or promise wee thinke there is something in an arme of flesh that may doe vs hurt or good but when faith is fled certaine close Atheisticall imaginations beginne to fasten vpon the minde concerning God and religion as if religion were but a pretty politicke complement that God is one who will doe neither good nor evill and that we haue no great cause to feare or trust him We see then my brethren how plaine a downfall there is from Infidelity to Apostasie from God and all goodnes when men want faith by the light whereof their blinde reason might be guided by the power whereof their disordered hearts might bee kept in compasse they straight runne madly into all wicked opinions and mischievous practises Most true is that of Saint Iames Chap. 1. ver 8. A double minded man is vnstable in all his waies A double minded man that is an vnbelieving person whose faith and opinion stands vpon tearmes of indifferencie probabilitie hee is in vtramque partem on both sides or betweene both in neither his opinions in matters of religion are variable according to seasons and occasions he holds much of his religion by the copie of m●ns countenances much of it by permission of his lusts with manifold reservations and provisoes that it shal bee lawfull for him in such and such cases to doe or belieue otherwise then for the present hee doth when men are thus of double mindes who resolue vpon both sides and so resolue vpon neither who cast about in their thoughts and say I belieue this but it may be 't is otherwise I doe this but what if I do it not what if I do the contrary when mens mindes looke thus a squint on two thinges at once they must needes bee vnstable in their waies If saving faith in the trueth of God doe not establish the heart in a full relyance vpon God only it is impossible but that a man should be of a wauering and moueable temper vnstable in his opinions vnsetled in his practises 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like a man that standes vpon one legge easily overturned like a bowle on a smooth table that 's pushed aside with the least touch of a finger whereas the true believer founded and stablished in the faith is one of those living stones which S t Peter speaketh of 1. Pet. 2. 5. which are squared and surely placed vpon the foundation therevpon resting vnmoueable Thus much for the opening of this point sufficiently for our vse as that which needs practise more then proofe The vses I shall commende vnto you shal be no other then those which are made already to our hand in the text Vse 1 The first vse shal be for exhortation that we be now admonished of this matter what the Apostle speakes to these Hebrewes the same I say vnto you Beloved Take he●d brethren lest there be in any of you an evill heart of vnbeliefe in departing from the living God Be well advised looke well about you it is a matter of greatest moment herevpon depends your constancie in religion and vpon that dependes your happynesse

Saints departed or in Adam in his innocencie none is so stupid and dull as not to admire it in them and to wish for the like in himselfe so farre as he might be capeable of it In which case when we looke backe from them to our selues who can choose but hang downe his head for very shame and griefe to see God and these blessed creatures inhabiting in so glorious a brightnes and light somnes whilest himselfe dwels in darkenes compassed about with a blacke night of ignorance errour and obscuritie He seeth as much difference betweene himselfe and them as between him that travailes by the cleare sunne-shine and one that walkes by a candle Knowledge is like the sunne in the world or the eie in a mans face nothing would be more rufull and dismall then the world without the light of the sun nor is any deformity in the face more notable then the want of an eie And certainely there is nothing more vglie to behold then that soule which is darkned in its vnderstanding through blindnes and ignorance being destitute of the knowledge of God of Christ of grace of Religion the knowledge whereof is both light and life vnto the soule 2 In the next place let vs consider the causes of mans ignorance and they are two both very bad according as the effect 1 The first is Adams sinne from whose fall this naturall corruption and weaknes is derived vnto vs. Hee sinned and we in him both are punished among other great losses with the losse of those glorious abilities of our vnderstanding part It had once a power and large capacity to comprehend all things both naturall divine but at this time a very great weakenes and dimnesse of sight is fallen vpon it in discerning naturall things and for the knowledge of God and spirituall things it is growne even starke blinde Hence then is that first bond of ignorance which wee may call naturall and invincible Naturall because every sonne of Adam brings it with him into the world by the course of his generation and birth forasmuch as every one is borne weake-sighted with this infirmity and disabilitie in his vnderstanding Therefore in infants there is more then ignorantia purae negationis for being sinnefull ignorance is a part of their originall corruption and so t is also pravae dispositionis they not only know not by reason of age but are ill disposed to know by reason of the disability of their sinfull nature Againe this ignorance is tearmed invincible or vnavoidable because the naturall man alwaies continues in it and cannot by his owne strength ever get out of it but only by the helpe of Gods spirit outwardly affording the the meanes of holy knowledge inwardly inlightning the minde to vnderstand them aright as the Apostle sheweth 2. Cor. 3. 18. 2. Our owne sinne viz wilfull rebellion in neglecting and despising all holy meanes of knowledge when meanes are not they seek not after them when they be offered they refuse them or vse them with al carelesnesse and disrespect when men winke against the light closing vp their eies that it may not shine id their hearts when they will none of wisdomes instructions but stubbornely say to God depart from vs for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies Hence is that other kinde of ignorance which we call affected a fouler fault by farre then the former when men know nothing and yet scorne to learne anie thing they will not heare nor conferre nor read nor pray nor vse any meanes to get knowledge but are content to sit still in darknes as the Egyptians were sometimes forced to doe not stirring one way or other A miserable condition but I shall tel you the reason of it they abide in darknes because they are loth to see and to be seene Should they come abroad in the light their manifold deformities and abominable corruptions would be discovered by the light of the word to their shame and griefe they should meete with many reproofes of their lewd courses many perswasions to piety and obedience all which they can by no meanes endure it is death to them to heare of their faults when they are resolved not to amend them and they will be wilfullie ignorant of that which being once knowne would often trouble their consciences This reason of mans wilful affected ignorance Christ giues Ioh. 3. 19. 20. Light came into the world and men loved darknes rather then light because their deedes were evill for every man that evill doth hates the light neither commeth to the light lest his deeds should be reproved These are the causes of this ignorance originall corruption disabling vs to know actuall stubbornesse and frowardnesse making vs vnwilling to know wherefore ignorance must needes be ill that hath so ill causes where the roote is rottennesse you can looke for no fruit but corruption 3. Come we in the third place to the effects of it you shall see it is evill and hurtfull in that regard also The fruits of ignorance are two 1. sinne 2. punishment 1. sinne Ignorance is a sinne it selfe and it is a cause of many sinnes There be mother sinnes and this is one of them a fruitfull mother not of devotion as blinde Papists would haue vs belieue but of iniquitie and impietie An ignorant man is a wicked man an ignorant Priest is a wicked Priest an ignorant people a sinnefull people T is plaine by this very chapter There is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the land saith the prophet ver 1. What followes thence why this by swearing and lying and killing and stealing and c●mmitting adultery they breake out and blood toucheth blood vers 2. Againe Israell doth not know my peopled th not consider saith the Prophet Isaiah Chapt. 1. v. 3. what of that they might yet be devout and holy might they not No read the complaint that followes therevpon ver 3. Ah sinnefull nation a people laden with iniquitie a seed of evill doers children that are corrupters they haue forsaken the Lord they haue provoked the holy one of Israel they are gone away backward see the fruits of ignorance whereby men become Apostates from God wicked in themselues corrupters of others for so it is they that know no good themselues haue yet knowledge enough to teach another to doe evill nor can this bee otherwise for as much as where the heart is evill the life wil be wicked Now an ignorant person is devoide of grace So saith the Apostle touching the Gentiles that they were strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that was in them because of the blindnesse of their harts Eph. 4. ●8 that is they were destitute of all sauing and quickning power of Gods spirit they had no grace no faith no feare no loue no true affection to God or any spirituall goodnes they had neither care nor desire of that they knew not whence ver 19. followes immediatly their lewd