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	work_n	6,191	5	6.9192	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15502	Selfe deniall: or, A Christians hardest taske. Written by Christopher Wilson; preacher of the Word of God, &c.	Wilson, Christopher, 1579 or 80-1624.	1625 (1625)	STC 25767; ESTC S120182	37,902	86

are externall And Fiftly they so looke at our cariage towards men as duety to God is neglected For we must annihilate our selues Rom. 10.3 that wee may extoll the grace and goodnesse of God This the Prophet Esay taught Esay 64.6 Iob. 25.5 All our righteousnesse is as a defiled cloth Yea with Iob let vs say That the starres are not cleare in Gods sight how much lesse man that is a worme Gen. 18.27 This was in Abraham let me that am but dust and ashes speak Let God be true and euery man a lyar Thus Daniel Dan. 9.8 Phil. 3.8 2 Sam. 7.18.19.22 1 Chro. 29.11 12 13 14. 2 Sam 9.8 To vs belongs shame and confusion Thus Paul Phil. 3.8 I count all things losse and dung See it in the example of Dauid 2 Sam. 7 18 19 22. 1 Chron. 29.11 12 13 14. And sure since man to man will do it Mephebosheth saith to Dauid 2 Sam. 9.8 What is thy seruant that thou shouldest looke on such a dead Dog as I. How then in the lowest of humility should we abiect our selues when wee thinke or speake or heare of the great and fearefull Maiesty of Almighty God Had this lesson beene learned of them that professe themselues the deuoutest in humility A note of humility and selfe Deniall they would neuer haue dared to enter plea with God to iustifie themselues in his presence before whom the mountaines tremble and the Rockes melt as wax there should no word haue beene heard of the worthinesse of Man of free-will of merrits workes of Supererogation all these with other spring from this bitter roote of Philautia selfe loue The Elders teach this duty by casting their Crownes at the Lambes feete Besides that if to these there bee adjoyned an outward profession of Religion they thinke themselues so perfit as that they want nothing This was the distruction of the Pharisees as appeares both by Nicodemus who knew not what Regeneration ment as also of that Pharisee Luke 18.11 Luke 18.11 Who so rested in his fayre carriage that hee neyther asked pardon for any sinne nor begged any grace And this was Pauls case before his Conversion Phil 3.4 5 6 7. but when he had learned better see how hee renounces all these Phil. 3.4 5 6 7. Yet hee counts them all losse and dung So that seeing they are so many dangerous barres to grace and saluation they are in this regard so farre to be denied as not to bee rested in nor counted of as acceptable in Gods sight This was the right Christ challenged as defectiue and to be excluded of all that would enter Heauen Mat. 5.28 Except c. Vse 1 The consideration of this poynt is necessary to shew how falsly and weakly many lay the ground of their saluation thinking that they are in state good enough and in high fauour of God if they leade a fayre harmlesse life if they giue men their due though not God and though they suffer many secret and spirituall corruptions to lurke in their hearts At least they are in such a dangerous case as that they are not sensible of the want of Christ but as some ill humour filling the mouth of the Stomacke causes a crauing of vnwholsome things and takes away desire from healthfull meate Euen so many are heereby so dulled in their desire after the true foode as that they feede one swades and huskes that starue the foule Vse 2 This must teach vs so to know the weaknes of all these things as vnable to commend vs to God as that wee may bee stirred vp to looke after that that is effectuall and sound indeede And to to this end wee must remember that if these had beene sufficient then many Heathen were saued and that mans natures so corrupt by the fall that euery action comming from an euill cause and instrument cannot but bee euill as Christ auouches Mat. 12. Either make the Tree good Mat. 12. and his fruit good c. Shewing that the heart must be renewed ere it can bring foorth any good worke yea we must bee transplanted out of the old Adam and set in the new and that euery Branch that beares not fruite in me sayes Christ shall be cut off so that these are but as Adams Figge-leaues so couer our nakednesse and thus much of the fourth Branch beeing externall defectiue hollow and hypocrite vaine-glorious stinking through inward corruption The fifth Branch is higher then all these The fifth branch of Deniall of our Religion and good-workes and such as at first may seeme strange It is the Deniall of our owne Religion Goodnesse of good-Workes the best Graces and the best seruices that wee haue done These are not so to be denied as not to be laboured for or as if opposite to Religion of themselues For they are the workes of Gods spirit in the heart of his Children rich euidences of Saluation and of the life of grace Yet these are in such sort to be denied as they hinder vs from cleauing to Christ or obscure any way the glory of Gods free grace Excellent is the practise of the Apostle Phil. 3.8 9 10. Phil. 3.8 9 10. Who hauing in the former Verses renounced ciuill righteousnesse doth after that renounce his graces giuing a double reason First for the excellent knowledge of Christ Secondly that hee might bee found in Christ not hauing his owne righteousnesse shewing that while hee rested in any thing that was in himselfe hee could not so earnestly lay hold on Christ and his Righteousnesse his owne though in great measure appeared beggarly Hence it is that the faithfull haue acknowledged their very righteousnesse to be as a defiled Cloath Esay 64.6 their best workes to be full of imperfections and so partly haue entreated the Lord to be remembred in goodnesse when they haue done best and partly haue reiected and put from them all prayse and admiration of themselues when they haue beene most fruitfull and zealous in God As Paul I laboured more then they all yet not I but the grace of God which is with me and many other the like So that our very spirituall goodnesse is to be denied First in regard of the excellent perfection of Christ Secondly in regard of challenging any part of the prayse as if by our owne strength wee had done them Thirdly in regard of any considence to bee placed in them as being either meritorious or perfect Vse 1 Breifely that wee may not haue in our selues any manner of boasting either to obscure Gods free grace to vs from the beginning to the end or of empareing either in themselues or in our sence and feeling the riches of Christ but that still hee is and must bee our wisdome Iustification Sanctification and Redemption and indeede be all in all Vse 2 The consideration of this poynt is sufficient to ouerthrow all Popery for while they stand to emplead their good workes as meritorious and perfect they