Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	faith_n	grace_n	instrumental_a	1,802	5	11.6254	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B04185	Sermons on several subjects; shewing Gods love to mankind. Salvation is by grace. Wilderness-provision. God a strong hold in trouble. Light is to be improved. / By J. Lougher minister of the gospel.	Lougher, John, d. 1686	1685 (1685)	Wing L3093C; ESTC R180071	105,071	248

the sweetest of these is love Yea it is the sweetner of all the other attributes The wisdom of God would amaze us his power confound us and his Justice destroy us were it not for his love Who would not be much in the contemplation of it and say with the Church Cant. 1.4 We will remember thy love more than Wine We may go too far in the contemplation of the other attributes as in examining the reason of his actings towards his creatures but we can never go too far in the meditation of his love And when we cannot reach the bottom of it let us imitate the Philosopher who not being able to give the reason of the ebbing and flowing of the Sea threw himself into it saying Si ego non capiam te tu capies me If I cannot comprehend thee thou shalt comprehend me Oh how sweet is it to bathe our Souls in the Ocean of divine love to drown our selves in the contemplation thereof Especially considering what power it has to bear up our Spirits in all our troubles and adversities When of old great Calamities were coming upon the Earth when death came up into the windows God gave forth this Attribute of his Loving-kindness to his People to rejoyce in and solace themselves with Let him that glorieth glory in this Jer. 9.22 23 24. that he knoweth me to be God exercising loving-kindness in the Earth Thus do in perilous and evil days by Faith and Meditation solace our selves i● in the apprehension of God's Love th● we may possess our Souls in patience and enjoy God in our troubles Oh let us live and die cleaving by Faith to this Love till we lanch into the infinite Ocean 〈◊〉 it and so come to a fuller understanding of this Text that God is Love SERMON II. Ephesians 2.8 For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God THat these words have relation to the foregoing passages is evident by the particle For in the beginning of them Some think the Apostle reassumes the Argument he had hinted at in the 5th v. in a Parenthesis By grace ye are saved and so gives a more full explication of them Others refer them to what is spoken in the 7th verse where the Apostle shews the end God had in the application of Salvation to these Ephesians who were Gentiles which was that in the Ages to come he might shew forth the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness c. And then adds the words of the Text as a reason thereof For by grace are ye saved as if he had said God hath therefore ordered it thus towards you that it may appear that the Original of Salvation and of all the means leading to it is meerly and purely of grace In the words we have Salvation laid down with the Causes of it 1. The Principal Cause Grace By grace are ye saved 2. The Instrumental Cause is Faith Through faith 3. The Original of this Faith this is set down negatively And that not of your selves And affirmatively It is the gift of God There are three things in the words observable 1. That the Saints and People of God are saved here 2. That their Salvation is by or of grace 3. That the Faith through which they are saved is not of themselves but is the gift of God Of these in order Doct. 1. That the People of God are saved here It 's twice set down in this chapter verse 5. and in the Text and in the present tense ye are saved To open this briefly Quest 1. What is Salvation and what kind of Salvation is here intended Answ Salvation imports deliverance from evil and misery I'ts threefold Temporal Spiritual and Eternal 1. Temporal Salvation relating to the outward man Exod. 14.13 Stand still says Moses to the Israelites and see the Salvation of the Lord. This was an external bodily deliverance from the Egyptians 1 Sam. 19.5 The Lord wrought great Salvation for all Israel which was deliverance from their Enemies the Philistines 2. Spiritual Salvation The Angels that stand were never under misery therefore they are never said to be saved for Salvation is from misery as men are Luke 1.71 That we should be saved from our Enemies c. Our spiritual Enemies are here intended those that war against our Souls 3. Eternal Salvation Now is your Salvation nearer than when ye believed Rom. 13.11 that is your perfect and compleat Salvation Heb. 9. ult Christ shall appear the second time without sin unto Salvation Now when the Apostle saith Ye are saved we may take it for spiritual yea we may include eternal Salvation for not only the Text but also other Scriptures speak the same Language This day is Salvation come to this house saith Christ speaking of Zacheus Luke 19.9 and his own coming thither And the Apostle speaking of the preaching of the Cross 1 Cor. 1.18 namely of Christ crucified upon the Cross saith to us which are saved it is the power of God And Christ in his prayer Joh. 17.3 saith This is life eternal to know thee c. Not i● the future tense it shall be but in th● present It is life eternal He that hath th● Son hath life 1 John 5.12 Christi●● the Prince and Principle of life he th●● hath union with him and interest in him hath life What life not only the life 〈◊〉 righteousness whereby he is justified an● the life of holiness whereby he is sanctified but in a sense the life of happine● and glory We read John 3.18 〈◊〉 that believeth not is condemned already 〈◊〉 cause he hath not believed on the name of th● only begotten Son of God That is the sentence of condemnation is past against him which yet by his believing shall be reversed and there wants nothing but execution Should the thred of his frail life by which he hangs over the Pit of destruction be cut while he is in this condition he is gone and lost for ever No● is an unbeliever condemned already an● are not true Believers saved already Surely yes Hence Christ saith in the last verse of that chapter He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life H● walks upon the Battlements of Heaven and hath one foot in the Porch of Paradise Those that shall be saved hereafter are saved here Quest. 2. Ye will say In what respects are the People of God saved here Answ 1. In pretio in the price that was laid down for it For not only are Believers themselves bought with a price 1 Cor. 6.20 but Salvation it self Hence it is that the Apostle Eph. 1.14 calls Heaven a purchased Possession Though to us a free gift yet to Christ a dear purchase No man ever made such a purchase of Lands as Christ hath made of Souls He purchased the Church with his own blood Acts 20.28 The Apostle speaking of 1 Pet. 1.18 19. saith It was not with silver and gold that

will name but one because that is hinted at here namely to exclude boasting that no flesh may glory in God's presence Not of works lest any man should boast saith the Apostle that all men may walk humbly with God and glory in him alone and hence he saith Rom. 3.27 Boasting is excluded By what Law by the Law of works Nay but by the Law of faith The Use follows Vse 1. Is Salvation of grace and only of grace Then here we see how evi● and dangerous it is to seek to be saved by or for our good works No man can be saved who neglects them yet no man is saved for them they are not the cause of salvation but grace alone The Moralist will plead he hath been no drunkard no unclean person no unjust dealer the Hypocrite will attempt every good work in shew and appearance at least and the profane person purposeth to be better and to do better thus me● think to be saved by their works Those also that are troubled they can do n● more good works and not troubled for want of the knowledge of the grace of God and for want of his Spirit assisting to every good work Are you not those that may say some of you that you have found sweetness from your good works and deeds when you have been inlarged in them rather than from the sense of the rich and free grace of God When you have done them well then you are comforted but if dead and distracted in them then discouraged and cast down what do these things shew but that we seek salvation by works Some cannot endure to hear of the sinfulness of their good works of the raggedness of their own best Righteousness Thus did the Pharisees they could not endure Christ should pull up the Bridge upon which they hoped to go to Heaven these think to be saved by their good works whereas we should say We serve God because his free and rich grace invites and though imperfections cleave to our works yet we expect not salvation by them but we appeal to the rich and free love and grace of God to save us To go about to claim salvation by works is to take away the heart and life of the Gospel A man may as soon think to get over a deep River upon the shadow of a Tree that grows by it as get to Heaven by his good works This very thought mars and poisons all if thou thinkest to be saved by them it is very doubtful whether thou dost not run the very hazard of thy salvation be thy doings never so good The Gospel is a Doctrine of the utmost self-denial it draws men to good works in respect of performance and then draws them off from good works in regard of dependance O th●● we could learn this great Mystery Vse 2. Suffer the word of Exhortation in a few brief particulars 1. Le● us learn to study the rich and free grac● of God more and to grow in the knowledge of it for it is by grace we are saved The right knowledge of it strike down all presumption and engageth to duty and service Men dare not sin tha● grace may abound or turn this grace into wantonness but will abhor it it is the presumptuous man that abuseth and despiseth grace and makes use of it to neglect a holy life and walking in good works 2. Let all be encouraged to seek salvation by grace Thou maye●● not say or think thou canst not be saved because thy sins are many and great for we read of the manifold grace of God to take away thy manifold past and present sins 1 Pet. 4.10 And where sin abounded grace did much more abound Rom. 5.20 Look for salvation in this way and here is hope for thee It is a speech unbecoming any to say The God of grace never intended any thing of grace for me Seek it humbly as Beggars that cannot compel an Alms Seek it with hope waiting patiently on the Lord and by no means say and think there is no hope for thee Grace can save whom it will it justifies the ungodly not in but from their ungodliness and what ground hast thou to conclude against thy self For a Soul to say If I were so holy I could then cast my self upon grace it destroys the nature of grace Remember that sweet promise Job 22.29 He will save the humble person Put thy self into the arms of grace and thou wilt find the sweetness of it There is no Soul here this day but for ought I know may come to be saved by this grace if the fault be not his own thinking he may live in his sin and walk after his ungodly lusts and yet rest on grace to save him Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid Rom. 6.1 Better it were salvation had never been offered to us than that either we be found refusers or abusers of it and so meet with the sorest destruction 3. Let all God's People know and do their duty in answer to this grace Mourn for your sins against the Lord because grace shall reign notwithstanding all your sins as the Apostle shews Rom. 5. ult Strongly desire the perfection of salvation attribute all to grace as Paul did he pressed forward towards the mark Phil. 3.14 And though he laboured more than others ye● he saith it was not he but the grace o● God which was with him 1 Cor. 15.10 Set the Crown upon the head of grace a● they Zech. 4.7 cried Grace grace Re●● upon grace for the consummating salvation and act in some resemblance to thi● way of God He saves you freely do you serve him freely and do you continue to own profess and believe in this grace persevering in all those things that accompany salvation till you be fully possessed of it Doct. 3. That the Faith through which we are saved is not of our selves but is th● gift of God Or thus The work of Faith to Salvation is not of humane operation but o● divine donation Here are three things to be cleared 1. That those that are saved by grace are yet saved through faith 2. That this work of faith to salvation is not of themselves 3. That it is th● gift of God Of these in order Branch 1. Those that are saved b● grace are yet saved through faith or i● the way of believing The Text is express for it So the Commission runs that Christ gave his Apostles Mar. 16.15 16 He saith to them Go ye into all the world preach the Gospel to every creature He that believeth shall be saved he that believeth not shall be damned As many as were ordained to eternal life believed Whom God hath appointed to salvation as the end he hath ordained to faith as the means We are of them that believe to the saving of the Soul saith the Apostle Heb. 10.39 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but of faith The adversative conjunction shews that Apostacy and Faith cannot stand together