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	great_a	sin_n	2,789	5	5.0653	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51033	The way to true honour and happiness A friendly address to all parents, masters of families, and landlords, the persons most capable to honour ... , and to gain honour to themselves, by beginning and carrying on a rational reformation. To which is added, [A] memorandum for mothers. By John Mitchell, M.A.	Mitchell, John, fl. 1697.	1697 (1697)	Wing M2287B; ESTC R221889	23,817	48

Mercy and no Merit to procure his Favour Yea he had no Creature in Heaven not Earth to befriend him nor to interceed for him 5. In this extremity of Misery the infinitely wise and gracious God was pleased to pity Mankind and did promise and in due time sent a Saviour to redeem him and to restore him to Favour and that without any necessity merit or motive but only of his own free Love and abundant Grace Gen. 3. 15. Io. 3. 16. 6. That in and through this Saviour God was graciously pleased to enter into new Terms with Man to make a Covenant o● Grace with him promising Life and Salvation to those who believe and receive him upon the terms that he is offered and denouncing Death and Damnation to those who believe not but despise and reject this Saviour Io. 3. 18 36. Quest. What needs all this Is Sin so great an Evil as to offend God and make Man so miserable Answ. Sin is the greatest Evil in the world 〈…〉 and the only Cause of all other Evil because i 〈…〉 is contrary to the Nature and Will of the● greatest Good It is the only thing in the world that God hates yea he must abhor and● spunish it because it is contrary to his Purity and Holiness and the violation of his Laws● which are holy just and good Hab. 1. 23. So that as the Law of God is violated by 〈…〉 it must be repaired by Suffering either in 〈…〉 Sinner or his Surety For the honour of 〈…〉 d is concerned to vindicate his Justice and 〈…〉 Justice is concerned to maintain his Law Quest. Adam sinned and must I suffer What ●th his sin affect me Answ. Adam being the natural and federal 〈…〉 ent to all Mankind his guilt is reckoned 〈…〉 e his punishment is due to thee his cor 〈…〉 ted nature is inherent in thee and many 〈…〉 of Rebellion and Transgression like unto 〈…〉 ● have been committed by thee And if 〈◊〉 did most justly condemn the whole world 〈…〉 one sin he may likewise most justly con 〈…〉 n thee for many sins Quest. What way then can I be saved Answ. There is Salvation to be obtained 〈…〉 d if thou diligently studiest two Books thou 〈…〉 be thereby disposed to look and long for 〈…〉 Saviour and gladly accept of him being of 〈…〉 d unto thee ● Seriously study the Book of God's Law 〈…〉 be firmly persuaded that all the Precepts 〈…〉 eof are holy just and good and do oblige 〈…〉 inward as well as the outward Man the 〈…〉 rt and Affections as well as Words and 〈…〉 ions and declareth every one accursed 〈…〉 o continueth not in every thing written in 〈…〉 Law to do the same Deut. 27. 26. Gal. 3. 10 The Law cannot pass by a Transgression nor 〈…〉 give a Sin ● Diligently acquaint thy self with the Book of thine own Conscience that thou may 〈◊〉 know thy self and thou wilt find that thou ● art a Sinner and a Transgressor of the Holy ● Laws of God both in thoughts words and ● actions Yea thou wilt find that in thy natural and unregenerate State thou dost nothing● but sin Heb. 11. 6. Rom. 8. 7 8. And in thy renewed State thou dost nothing without 〈◊〉 Eccles. 7. 20. 1 Io. 1. 8. Thou wilt find that naturally thou art destitute of the Image of God that thou a● dead in Trespasses and Sins and art by natu●● a child of Wrath and lyable to the just Judgments of God Rom. 5. 18. Ephes. 2. 1 3. That thy whole Man is corrupted and treasures of wickedness in every faculty of thy sou● 1. Thy Understanding is full of Darkne● and Error great ignorance of God and of sp●ritual Things and yet thou would be accounte● wise but art negligent in seeking after use●● Knowledge Eph. 4. 18. 2. Thy Will is obstinate perverse and co●●trary to good rebelling and fighting again●● God and his Law and wholly inclined to Ev●● and Vanity Io. 5. 40. 3. The Conscience is perverted corrupted an● de●iled full of treachery deceit and lies apt 〈…〉 call evil good and good evil and to flatter t 〈…〉 Soul with formal pretences and shadows wit● out sincerity or reality 1 Tim. 4. 2. Tit. 1. 1● 4. The Memory is corrupted and vain a 〈…〉 to forget God dependance upon him and eve● ●●ty towards him both as to matter and 〈…〉 er substance and quality It is apt to re 〈…〉 Wickedness Vanity and Trifles but to let 〈…〉 seful and necessary Truths 5. The Affections and Passions are all cor 〈…〉 ed and abused our admiration our love 〈…〉 anger our hatred our desire our fear our 〈…〉 our grief our anger c. are often em 〈…〉 ed and exercised about things quite con 〈…〉 y to the appointment of God's Law 〈◊〉 that the heart of Man is become a very 〈◊〉 generate thing a sink of Sin and mass of Cor 〈…〉 ion full of Malice Impiety and Impurity 〈…〉 ereby the spiritual and heaven-born Soul is 〈…〉 ome despicable base and miserable a slave 〈◊〉 own Servants yea even to its greatest 〈…〉 mies under the dominion of Sin Satan the 〈…〉 rld and the Flesh. And yet the greatest misery of all is That 〈◊〉 is not sensible of this his miserable condi 〈…〉 he knows it not he is not affected with it 〈…〉 goes light under his load and is chearful 〈…〉 is chains fancying himself safe happy and 〈◊〉 Rev. 3. 17. And why because his mind 〈…〉 nded and his heart hardned For it is of 〈◊〉 nature of sin to blind the Mind and harden 〈◊〉 Heart as well as to de●ile the Conscience 〈◊〉 pollute the Soul That very sin which 〈…〉 es the Man guilty makes him likewise past 〈…〉 ng Eph. 4. 18 19. ●oe is me is this my condition Am I one 〈…〉 hese miserable creatures Am I yet in a natural and unregenerate State I am not safe What shall I do If thou art truly awakened from thy Lethargy and convinced of thy Sin and Misery if thou art deeply humbled under a sense of the same if thou art perswaded that thou canst not be saved by thy own Power thy Skill thy Duties nor thy Merits if thou art so humble that thou art willing to be beholden to another for help and safety yea if thou hast hungring and thirsting Desires after Salvation and art glad to submit to any terms to escape Sin and Misery and to obtain Happiness and Glory Then and not till then art thou fit to hear of Christ the Saviour and to receive that comfortable invitation Mat. 11. 28. Come unto me c. Isaiah 55. 1 2. Christ came to seek and to save such lost Sinners as despair of Salvation any other way He will be a Physitian to such sick Souls Behold the Terms of the Gospel-Covenant If thou truly and sincerely repentest of sin so that thou inwardly loathest and abhorrest it and thy self for being guilty of it If thou truly and sincerely believest in Christ so as to prize

are dead and Consciences asleep 〈…〉 seem to rejoice and be merry when they 〈◊〉 the Objects of their Desires but their 〈◊〉 is both shallow and short Prov. 14. 13. Even ●ughter the Heart is sorrowful and the end 〈…〉 t Mirth is heaviness 〈◊〉 is true the Children of God may ●ave 〈◊〉 sad and sorrowful hours before they be 〈…〉 ed of their Reconciliation with God the 〈◊〉 and sense of their corrupt Nature their sinful State and sinful Practices their estrangement from God and the sense of his displeasure against sin their daily rebelling corruptions and restless enemies do cost them many Groans Sighs and Tears much Sorrow and Lamentation yet the end of that heaviness is joy Psal. 30. 5. Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning In the midst of all their Sorrows and Sufferings the faithful Servants of God can draw present Comfort solid Joy and spiritual Rejoycing from these five Springs which never fail 1. From the Fountain of God's Bounty and Goodness who gives to all Men liberally They recounting the great Mercies and many Blessings which they enjoy and finding that they far exceed the Troubles they undergo their hearts are filled with Praise and Thanksgiving whereby their Minds are eased and their Souls comforted so that they can joyfully serve the God of their Mercies even when he seems to frown upon them Iob 1. 21. and 2. 10. and 13. 15. 2. They find the Spirit of God carrying on the work of Sanctification in their Souls in his ordinary method first humbling the Soul and breaking the heart exciting to Mourning Contrition and Repentance before he intimate Pardon and Forgiveness And they know that he who is now a sancti●ier and worker of grace will e're long appear to be a Comforter and 〈…〉 ne●s of grace Mat. 5. 4. Psal. 126. 5 6. Rom. 〈…〉 16. They know that the Penitent have 〈…〉 omise of Pardon and finding Repentance 〈…〉 rking in their Hearts by their hatred and 〈…〉 hing of sin in hope of pardon of Sin 〈…〉 ce with God and Inheritance among them 〈…〉 t are sanctified they joy in the Lord and 〈…〉 oice in the God of their Salvation 3. The VVord of God assures them that 〈◊〉 are spiritual Pleasures sufficient to fill the 〈…〉 res of the Soul Io. 16. 24. 1 Io. 1. 4. Ps 〈…〉 11. And their Spirits do experimentally 〈…〉 est this Truth so that they are filled with 〈…〉 oy and Peace in believin● Rom. 15. 13. and 〈…〉 glory even in Tribul 〈…〉 n Rom. 5. 2 3. 4. The Promises of God are an overflowing 〈…〉 ntain of Joy Peace and Comfort to all the 〈…〉 ithful The Child of God esteems them 〈…〉 etious and would not part with them for 〈◊〉 whole world 2 Pet. 1. 4. Psal. 110. 72. These Promises do fully assure us that Sor 〈…〉 and Mourning shall come to an end and 〈…〉 Joy Peace and Com●ort shall succeed and 〈…〉 ure for ever Io. 16. 20. Isaiah 51. 11. 〈…〉 21. 4. 5. The Children of God do rejoice and 〈…〉 re inward comfort in their Union with 〈…〉 i st and Conformity to him Since he who their Head did live here a Life of Sorrows 〈◊〉 Sufferings and then entred into his Glo 〈…〉 they rejoice to suffer with him that they 〈…〉 be glorified together with him 1 Pet. 4. 〈…〉 Rom. 8. 17. So you see and you ought to believe that if you sincerely love and serve God you may have solid Joy and continual Comfort from these five grounds 1. From God's love and goodness 2. From the Workings and Witness of the glorious Spirit 3. From the Truth of God 4. From his gracious Promises And 5. From your interest in Christ and likeness to him Yea Prayer and Meditation will never fail to refresh the Soul and chear the heart So that it is your great mistake to think that Religion yields no Pleasure but is a dull and Melancholy State ●it is great ignorance and delusion that makes ●s ●en to think or speak so contrary to God's Word and his Childrens Experience Prov. 3. 17. All her ways are ways of pleasantness and all his paths are peace Psal. 34. 8. O taste and see that God is good blessed is the Man that trusteth in him Psal. 63. 5. My Soul shall be satisfied as with Marrow and Fatness and my Mouth shall praise thee with joyful Lips Yea there is no true Pleasure in the world but in the ways of Religion because none else can satisfy the Soul All earthly Pleasures are Brutish and ●it for the Body that earthly part of us and are common to us with the Brutes and which some of them enjoy in a larger measure than we do Only spiritual Pleasures are fit for spiritual Beings If this be your temper that you take more pleasure in earthly Things and bodily Concerns than in Religious Exercises and the divine Promises besure you are yet in your ●atural and sinful State and cannot be sa●ed till you be renewed regenerated and ●orn again Rom. 8. 5 6 7 8 13. Io. 3. 3. 10 Object Our Consciences tell us and we confess ingenuously that the chief cause o● our Neglect of these Duties is our Sloth and Lazi●ess Prov. 15. 19. Answ. This is as dangerous deadly and ●mning a Sin as you can be guilty of and will ●ore slily and as effectually undo you as the ●ost heinous Crimes Mat. 25. 26 30. The ●thful and unprofitable Servant is condemned as ●ll as the wicked Prov. 18. 9. Every omission of a Duty is the commission ●f a Sin Iam. 4. 17. Rom. 12. 11. Now my Friends I am perswaded that ●●st of you will approve of and assent unto ●hat is here proposed and you will own that ●is every ones Duty and Interest to help for●ard a Reformation You do faintly wish O ●at the world were better O that People ●ere more honest and faithful O that my ●hildren were good and tractable O that my 〈…〉 vants were more honest and trusty O that ●eighbours were more kind and friendly ●c But Wishes are vain where E●deavour●●e wanting Prov. 13. 4. Prov. 21. 25. Therefore since your Judgment approves and your Conscience consents let not your Will gainsay and your Practice contradict But agree with your self be all of one piece let all the Faculties of your Soul and Powers of your Body be employed in carrying on one Design to wit the Glory and Honour of God and the eternal Happiness of Souls 1 Cor. 10. 31. Phil. 2. 4. Let not not this Paper be a witness against you nor a mean to condemn you but rather a motive to excite you and an instrument to perswade you Let your Conscience be so informed and exercised now that you may not be afraid nor asham'd of its Testimony at the day of Judgment Take heed to your selves what Conscience you have For Conscience will damn and Conscience will save A MEMORANDUM FOR Mothers And those who expect to be so Honoured and