Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	eye_n	zeal_n	zealous_a	12	3	8.8792	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25829	A tryall of faith, or, The woman of Canaan on Math. 15, 21, 22, 23, 24 : together with the souls sure anchor-hold, on Heb. 6, 19 : with the wisdome of timely remembring our creator, on Eccles. 12, 1 : in severall sermons / by Timothy Armitage.	Armitage, Timothy, d. 1655.	1661 (1661)	Wing A3704; ESTC R26657	267,236	470

how they set up their own rules above Gods Rules which is a provocation to Christ and he will not bear with such you may read the second and third verses and so to the end of the seventh verse In vain sayes Christ do you worship me teaching for doctrine the commandements of men So that the occasion of Christs removing from these parts of Judea which were near to Jerusalem was the exalting their own traditions and making them equall with Gods Commandements It affords something to us for our instruction which is this That when a people or any soul shall exalt their own traditions their own inventions and make them equal or set them above the Commandements and Rules that Christ hath given his people to walk by Christ will not afford his presence to such a people Christ will certainly depart from such a soul or people For the truth is there is little hope that there should be any good done by such a people when they decline the Rule and set up something of their own there is little hope that the word of Christ should do good among such a people Therefore Christ will withdraw from them as he did from these Scribes and Pharisees and so will Christ withdraw his special presence from a people that shall set up their own inventions For it is a mighty provocation to Christ First of all when a people shall exalt their own inventions above the Rule that Christ hath given his people to walk by the minds of such a people are blinded and darkened and their hearts are hardened against the Truths of God therefore there is little hope of such a people I say mens own inventions thus exalted and lift up above Gods Rule it blinds the mind and hardens the heart against Christ and the things of Christ it is a making to a mans self a graven Image Whatsoever a man shall bring in of his own as a rule to walk by and to worship by he makes that an image to himself now they that make graven Images are like to them sayes the Psalmist They have eyes and see not God gives them up to blindness declining Gods Rule and Christs Institution it will blind them and harden them against the Truths of Christ Secondly When as men shall exalt their own inventions the heart is so filled with them that there is no room for Christ and for the most part there is in such a soul a kind of loathing the Truths of Christ Whereever you find mens inventions exalted there you shall find a kind of loathing in such a soul of the pure and sincere truths of the Gospel the bread of life is no longer sweet with them and the water of life hath no rellish with them and when it comes to this Christ will not stay but withdraws his spiritual presence from them as he did his bodily presence from the Scribes and Pharisees Thirdly Christ will withdraw from such a people because for the most part they are desperate enemies and persecutors of Christ and of his People and of his Truths So it was with the Scribes and Pharisees Christ had not such enemies in all the world as they were because they were most zealous for their own inventioons they declined the Rule and set up their own rule and therefore they prove desperate enemies to Christ Paul makes an acknowledgement of it when Christ came to open his eyes and doth tell you that that was the cause of his driving on that trade of persecuting the Saints with so much earnestness because he was so zealous for the traditions of men in Phil. 3. 6. You may see there what he sayes was the cause of his persecuting the Saints Concerning zeal persecuting the Church touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless And so in Gal. 1. 13 14. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews Religion how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God and wasted it Ver. 14. And profited in the Jews religion above many my equals in mine own nation being more zealous of the traditions of my fathers The zeal which he had for the traditions of men was that which carried him on to persecute the Christians with so much violence and many times it is so that they which do most exalt their own traditions they become very zealous in persecuting the Saints and Truths of Christ for it is natural for a man to become zealous for that which is his own that which is of the flesh that which is a kin to the flesh the flesh will be zealous for Now all traditions they are born of the flesh they are the off-spring of mans own brain and therefore upon that account men are many times very zealous for them to the persecuting of the Saints of God Now upon this account the Lord Christ will not afford his presence with such as lay aside his Rule for they many times prove the greatest persecuters of Christ and his people Fourthly Christ will not continue and afford his presence with such a people as set up their own inventions and traditions in the place of God's Rule because they do arrogate that to themselves which is Christs due he is the great Prophet and given to instruct his people to make known the way of life and salvation and it belongs to Christ to give a rule for his people to walk by And therefore when men shall set up their rule in the place of Christs Rule what do they but take the place of Christ the office of Christ and turn Christ out of his office and set themselves in Christs chair Now this is a great provocation to Christ and that which Christ will not endure but depart from such a people Fifthly They that do exalt their own inventions and traditions in the place of Christs Rule for the most part they place their righteousness in those very traditions of their own which is a great provocation unto Christ for you may observe this in the Pharisees they that were so zealous for their own inventions and would not submit to the Rule of Christ they would not submit to the Righteousness of Christ but they placed their righteousness in their traditions in their inventions a kind of volluntary humility they had and willingly submitted to their traditions and by so doing did overturn the righteousness of Christ placing their righteousness in their own observations it was that which made them not to submit to the righteousness of God Let a man do never so much let him walk never so strictly let him set up the straitest rule to himself to walk by though a man do never so much though he afflict his body never so much if this tend to draw off the soul from the righteousness of Christ that a man should look upon this as his commendation before God and place this in the room of Christs righteousness as all do that set up their own traditions they

shews that afflictions are from the Lord and shews that all afflictions are for that end to carry the soul higher unto God and shews that all the help of the creature is vain and shews that there is an infinite supply of grace and mercy all-sufficiency of grace in God and Christ to relieve at all times and in all straits these discoveries that faith makes will carry the soul to Christ and make the soul apply it self to Christ and cry to him and spread his complaints before him in time of great distress A word or two by way of Application First of all If it be so that faith carry the soul to God and Christ alone in time of distres what shall we think then when men by their affliction and in their affliction are carried further off from God And yet so it is with many their afflictions set them at a greater distance from Christ many a man is hardened by his affliction and so set at a greater distance from God by that trouble and distresse he hath upon him afflictions drive many a man from God make him run away from God run any where then unto God there is many will run to the creature and their eye is not to the Lord the holy One of Israel they run to the creature to comfort them run to the world and run into the way of their lust but apply not themselves to the Lord in the day of their distress You know that Ahaziah ran to the Devil when he was in distress so far was he from running nigh to God in distress that he run to the Devil himself he sends to the gods of the Nations to know whether he should recover or not This is a discovery that there is no seed of faith in such a soul for where there is faith but in the seed of it the least seed of faith it will make a soul at least to be looking to Christ and crying after Christ in the day of distress it will at least cry unto Christ though there may be many workings of corruption and temptations and many distempers of spirit may be bubling up in time of affliction yet faith will carry the soul to look towards Christ and cry after him as Jonah did when he was in the belly of hell I said I am cast out of thy sight yet will I look toward thy holy temple He applies himself to Christ And so a gracious heart will be looking to Christ and the more faith the more it will look and the louder it will-cry But secondly Let it be a word of exhortation O that it might provoke us all to deal more with God and Christ in the time of our affliction and distress O that we might cry more to him and pour out our complaints more to him as this poor woman did she comes and cries O Lord thou son of David Poor souls are apt to look to the creature in the day of distress and think such and such creatures can comfort Surely my bed shall comfort me and my couch give me ease sayes Job but he found no such matter and so we are apt to say of this and that creature I will go and make my complaint to him he will give me some refreshment poor souls are very apt under their burdens to go up down and scatter their complaints Ah but they take not the right course of going to Christ and crying to him and pouring out the complaints of their souls before him and therefore it is that when they goe to men they meet with little satisfaction and little relief and comfort and their spirits are filled with discontent and dissatisfaction when as they meet with such men sometimes as have no compassion at all in them and sometimes meet with good words and no more and sometimes meet with such as pitty them but have no power and sometimes meet with some that will aggravate the affliction and just it is with God it should be so when we will not look to the Rock O that such disappointments might reach us to look to the Lord we have thought that this creature might ease but we have met with disappointments O that these disappointments might teach us to go to Christ as this woman And thus the poor man did for his son that he would cast out the unclean spirit I went said he to thy Disciples and they tryed to cast out the unclean spirit but could not and then he comes to Christ I have been with thy Disciples and they could not cast out the unclean spirit but thou canst do it and Christ did do it And O that these disappointments might teach us to goe more to Christ and make our complaints more to him in time of distress Quest But you will say What may we not go to our friends is it not lawful to go to men when we are under pressures and burdens either of the outward or inward man and to such and such as may relieve us may we not apply our selves to them Answ I answer yes We may apply our selves to men but take heed we do it in Gods way I say under burdens and distresses either outward or inward we may apply our selves to men but take heed we doe it in Gods way Quest But you will say How shall we know we do it in Gods way Answ I answer first of all when you do it as an Ordinance of God when we make use of the advice and help of others and go to others as to an Ordinance of God then we are not out of Gods way when we do it in obedience to the Will and Commandement of God and Christ when one that is wounded in spirit shall apply himself to those that are godly that hath the mind of Christ in obedience to the command of Christ Confess your sins one to another and pray one for another Now if out of obedience to Christ I go and confess my sins to one that is godly and desire him to pray for me when we apply our selves to men as an Ordinance of God then we are in Gods way Secondly When we shall keep the eye of our souls upon God alone for help when we apply our selves to men for any help and yet shall keep our eye upon God and look upon God as the great moving cause look upon God as the fountain of all relief and comfort and shall look upon the creature only as Gods Instrument this is but a pipe and an empty one too if God do not fill it when as the eye is thus upon God and eye God as principal in all that comfort and relief that we expect and look upon the creature as the means then we may apply our selves to the creature and not out of Gods way And a man may know whether he keeps his eye upon God when as he does apply himself to the creature thus Are your expectations from the creature or from God If a mans eye

the heart established in the knowledge of the love and free grace of God it is a great work and a long time before the heart be established upon Christ and the Promises and till that be done little work or service is done for God But when men begin betimes they have time to get their hearts established upon Christ and the Promises and upon the free grace and righteousness of Christ and then they have time also to act for God and the Lord makes use of them to do him much service in their generation And O what a great advantage is that So that you have seen the Point handled First What it is to Remember God Secondly What Cause the Sons of men have to Remember God Thirdly What Advantage it is for the Sons of men to Remember God in youth Now by way of Application First of all It discovers and reproves the folly and madness that is bound up in the heart of the children of men If this be the duty of all the sons of men and a point of great wisdome to remember God betimes then this discovers the folly and madness that is in mens hearts to forget God How many in this Congregation I fear may fall under this reproof that have not yet emembred God How many in their youth and how many past youth that have not yet remembred God that have all their dayes forgotten the Holy One of Israel O that the Lord would convince poor creatures of this evil not Remembring God Shall I shew you the evil of it and O that God would shew you the evil of forgetting God First of all It is the Mother and cause of all other sins whatsoever for it were not possible that many should sin against God as they do if they did not forget God all sin grows upon this root of Forgetting God The Psalmist maketh it the cause of all evil that is committed because men do forget God Psal 50. 19 20 21 22. Verse 18. When thou sawest a thief then thou consentedst with him and hast been partaker with Adulterers Verse 19. Thou givest thy mouth to evil and thy tongue frameth deceit Verse 20. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother thou slanderest thine own mothers son Verse 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Verse 22. Now consider this YE THAT FORGET GOD lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you As much as if he should say here is the cause of this evil that is committed by you your Forgetting God It were not possible that men should dare to sin in the face of God if they did not forget God And it were not possible that men should sin in secret against God if they did not forget God they forget that God is an all-seeing God and that for all these things he will bring them to judgement It is not possible that children and servants should lye and steal and be unfaithful if they did not forget God if they did but remember that he would bring them to judgement and that no lyar shall come into the New Jerusalem if men did remember God they would not sin against God But this is the cause of all the sin in the world Mens forgetting God Secondly There is this Evil It makes a man spend all his time in vanity he comes up and goes down to the grave in a momen and hath lost all the time that he hath lived The truth is he hath not yet begun to live that hath not remembred God he hath not lived to the end of his life what is the end of his life but that he may remember God But man forgetting God his life is a fruitless life a vain life he comes up and sins and lives in vanity and goes down to the pit and never lives to the end of life because man remembers not God Thirdly There is this evil in it It makes men altogether unwilling and unable to dye as it makes their lives unprofitable so it makes their deaths dreadful what is the cause that men fear death Because they did not remember God in life if they had remembred God if they had known God and trusted in God and walked with God they would not have been so fearful of death but when men come to be made sensible that they have spent no thoughts upon God but upon their lusts and sin and so brought their dayes to an end they must needs fear to go to God see then how much evil there is in this great sin of not remembring God But you will say We hope that we do remember God God forbid that we should forget him What Forget God We hope we shall never do that while we live O my friends It is a harder matter to remember God then the world dream of how many thousands in the world are there that forget God that would be loth to be told that they are forgetters of God And yet I fear will be found so another day They that walk contrary in wayes of sin they are forgetters of God let them say what they will though they may have a way of worship and prayer to God and hear of God and read of God yet if they be found walking contrary to God such men will be interpreted by God to be forgetters of him Consider this all ye that forg●● God Psal 50. 22. speaking of the Hypocrites ● Why they had many prayers and did many good works are they forgetters of God Yes their hearts were never upright with God they never trusted in the Name of God they were never found serving of God so as they might pleas●● him and therefore the Lord calls them Forgetters of God O that the Lord would convince you of this great evil of forgetting God Secondly By way of Exhortation I beseech● you in the Name of the Lord to Remember God This day Remember God Remember him and Remember him in youth I shall speak a little to each of these First I beseech you Remember God to know God to trust in him to love him to obey him and to spend your thoughts upon him let the endeavours of your heart be after the Lord This is to Remember God And O that God would call upon you all and call you up to such a remembrance of him O remember how worthy God is to be remembred and remember what God hath done that so the sons of men might remember him and if after all this that God hath done after all the remembrance that God hath written of himself in his Word and upon his Works and upon his Ordinances and Providences men shall be found Forgetters of God as all sinners are how sad will their condition be another day You have a memory for the world and what No remembrance of God! God only worthy to be