Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A67782
|
The whole duty of a Christian, or, The character of a true beleever, that walks in some measure answerable to the Gospel, his Christian profession, and the millions of mercies he hath received ... by R.Y. of Roxwell in Essex.
|
Younge, Richard.
|
1653
(1653)
|
Wing Y195; ESTC R6055
|
69,319
|
64
|
of which he was hewen and is not onely humbled thereby but forced with an holy admiration to wonder at the marvellous and extraordinary change which God hath wrought in him and also instructed to trust onely to Christs obedience in whom onely our good works are accepted and for whom alone they are rewarded To shut up all he endeavours so to live as if there were no Gospel and so to dye as if there were no Law CHAP. XXIV 1. ONely it remains that you look your selves in this Glasse and â—ry your selves by this touchstone for though others may give a shrewd ghesse yet the Mother knowes best whether the Child be like the Father or no and the signs of Salvation are to be sought in our selves as the cause in Iesus Christ our Justification is to be proved by the fruits of our Sanctification and though faith alone justifieth yet justifying faith is never alone but ever accompanied with spiritual graces the beauties of the soul and good works the beauty of graces yea they are as inseparable as the root and the sap the Sun and its light and as Fire may be discerned by heat and life by motion so a mans faith may be discerned by the fruits of it Nor can any one be deceived except he desires to deceive himself for every particular man is either the Child of God or the Child of the Devil as Chrysostome hath it for there is not a mean betwixt them and there be more differences between the Children of God and the Children of the Devil then there are between Men and Beasts whereof I have named not a few for whatsoever you may find the one herein set forth to speak think or do the other does the contrary and to have the true Character of an unbeliever you need but read this Chracter of a true Believer backward understand all by the rule of contraries and be satisfied I speak this to Naturians onely for the regenerate man knowes the one to be so by what he is and the other by what he hath been neither is there one of all these signes or characters but each experienced Christian finds it in some degree written in his heart as his conscience can bear me witnesse And would you know whether you belong to Christ This will inform you you will by help from above endeavour to bring into captivity every thought and thing to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10. 5. 1 Joh. 2. 4 but so have not you in the least so long as you love not or any way oppose the people of God for the very first part of conversion is to love them that love God 1 Ioh. 3. 10. yea in reason if the Image of God by faith were repaired in thee thou couldest not but be delighted with those that are like thy self And what saith S. Iohn He that pretends interest in God or Christ and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar and the truth is not in him 1 Ioh. 2. 4. and in the third Chapter and eighth Verse he affirms plainly That all wilful Sinners are the Devils servants And indeed let men flatter themselves or pretend what they will it cannot be denyed but the fruit tells best the name of the Tree the conversation above all shewes who carries the bridle of the will whether God or Satan and did not men purposely shut their eyes and stop their ears and harden their own hearts least they should see and hear and so be converted as our Saviour himself speaks Metth. 13. 15. they could not but know that the whole Bible beats upon this It is Saint Pauls everlasting rule Rom. 6. 16. Ye are his servants to whom ye obey And Saint Peters infallible Doctrine 2 Pet. 2. 19. Of whom a man is overcome unto him he is in bondage And Saint Iohns In this are the Children of God known and the Children of the Devil whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God but of the Devil 1 Ioh. 3. 8 10. And after this manner does our Saviour reason with the Iewes Ioh. 8. 33 to 48. See then whose Commands ye do Gods or Satans if Satans then saith Saint Iohn Let no man deceive you through vain words for he onely that doth righteousnesse is righteous and he that doth unrighteousnesse is of the devil 1 Ioh. 3. 7 8. wherefore if thou art a common Drunkard or a continual Swearer or an usual companion of Harlots or an accustomary Deceiver or a frequent â—landerer of thy Neighbour or an open and common Sabbath-breaker or canst thou boast of thy sin and mischief or defend it If thou makest no conscience of Praying in thy Family if thou callest evil good and good evil if thou hatest thy Brother for doing that which is good as Cain did Abel if Ismael-like thou mockest or Cham-like thou scoffest at the religious or usest bitter jests against them though it be under the notion of Round-heads Puritanes Sectaries Black-coats or the like if thou raisest slanders of them or furtherest them being raised if thou dost rejoyce at the secret infirmities of the godly or open scandals of Hypocrites if thou dost carp and fret against the Word refusing to heart it or withstandest the preaching of it if being a Minister thou disgracest or râ—vilest the godly in thy preaching so making sad the hearts of the righteous or justifiâ—st the wicked so strengthening them in their evil courses by preaching unto them peace if thou hast a base esteem of Gods people and their wayes and thinkest the worse of a man for scrupling small matters if thou makest Religion a cloak for villany if thou dost borrow or run in debt without care to pay again if thou delightest in cruelty if thou takest no care to provide for thine own Family if thou hadst rather the wicked should bear rule then the godly if thou art an enemy to reformation if thou hadst rather disobey God then displease great ones if thou desirest peace without any respect to truth if thou dost allow thy self in the practice of any known grosse sin if thou takest liberty to sin because God is merciful and forbears to execute judgment speedily if thou dost not believe all things to be ordered by Gods providence and in particular acknowledge him in all thou either receivest or sufferest if thou murmurest when thou wantest any thing without ever thinking of the many things thou hast beyond thy desert if thou canst hear God blasphemed and dishonoured without being moved thereat if the scandalous lives of Professors or the multitude of Heresies that are daily broached make thee think and speak evil of the way of truth if thou didst never see thy self out of measure sinful as being many wayes guilty of the breach of every of the Commandements in particular and so in a lost condition utterly despairing of all help in thy self acknowledging that thou hast deserved all the plagues of this life and of that which is to come if thou art not as
well troubled for original guilt for sins of omission for the evil which cleaves to thy best works and for thy very thoughts as for thy actual and manifest evil deeds if thou hast made vowes and promised amendment when the rod was on thy bacâ— but never cared to perform the same when thou wert released if thou art not industrious after the means of grace if thou lovest not to hear Christ voyce if thou findest not the Word more quick and powerfull and sweet and efficacious then any other writings if it and the Spirit going along with it hath not brought thee out of darknesse into marvellous light in comparison of thy former darknesse if thou art ignorant of the principles of Religion in the midst of so much light and means and canst not yeeld a reason of the hope that is in thee if thou dost not find a manifest change in thy judgment affections and actions from what they were by nature if the old man hath not changed with the new man worldly wisdome with heavenly wisdom carnal love for spiritual love servile fear for Christian and filial fear idle thoughts for holy thoughts vain words for holy and wholsome words fleshly works for works of righteousnesse c. as if thou wert cast into a new mould even hating what thou formerly lovedst and loving what thou formerly hatedst if thou art not ashamed of thy former conversation if thou hast not been often and grievously assaulted with fears and doubtings and often in combate between the flesh and the Spirit the Spirit getting the better if thou dost not more fear the want of grace then confide in what thou hast if thou are not jealous lest thy heart should deceive thee yea if thou art not hated of the world and evil spoken of for well doing thou art the Devils servant and not as yet one of that small number whom Christ hath chosen out of the world to believe in his name for these or any one of these signs sufficiently brand thee for a wicked man CHAP. XXV 1. BUt least any weak Christian should think himself unsound and so none of Christs because he falls short of this description of a true Believer and finds wanting in himself perhaps many of the former signs or evidences herein set forth or should be discouraged by reason of his many and great failings together with the weaknesse of his faith and love as for the most part the true Christian is as â—earful to entertain a good opinion of himself as the false is unwilling to be driven from it let such an one take special notice in the first place that there are three sorts of true and sound Christians as the Apostle Saint Iohn makes the distinction 1 Ioh. 2. 12 13. the first sort are babes in Christ viz. such as are new born or but weakly qualified with the graces of Gods Spirit A second are strong men as having the gifts of the Spirit lively and in power The third are Fathers such as have had long experience in the powerful practice of Christianity and been long exercised in all kinds of well doing This done 2. Secondly let him know That as God requires no other obedience in the best then Evangelical so he looks not for the same measure and degree of grace from Bubes and strong men or from strong men and Fathers for God accepteth of every man according to the grace he hath received be it more or lesse 2 Cor. 8. 12. as is manifest by that Parable of the Talents Matth. 25. 20. â—o 24. yea what Father or Master will not from his young and newly weaned Child or sick and weak servant accept of the will for the deed and shall not God much morâ— who is both the Father of mercies and the Authour of mercy and compassion in others Yes undoubtedly as let it be granted that thy knowledge is still small thy faith weak thy charity cold thy heart dull and hard thy good works few and imperfect and all thy zealous resolutions easily hindered and quite overthrown with every small temptation yet God that worketh in us both the will and the work will accept the will for the work and that which is wanting in us Christ will supply with his own righteousnesse he respecteth not what we can do so much as what we would do and that which we would perform and cannot he esteemeth it as though it were performed thus he taketh an heart desirous to repent and believe for a penitent and believing heart whereas take away the will and all acts in Gods sight are equal Well might I doubt of my salvation sayes Bradford feeling the weaknesse of my faith love hope c. if these were the causeâ— of my salvation but there is no other cause of it or of Gods mercy but his mercy Again 3. Thirdly you are to observe that as Nature so Grace rises by many degrees to perfection we grow in grace and saving knowledge as a child does in statuâ—e and understanding untill we attain to glory which is grace perfected yea grace in its growth is but like the change of a mans hair from black to grey or the growth of a Tree which is not accomplisht in a moneth or a year but in many yeares we not perceiving how 4. Fourthly consider also that the best have their failâ—ngs as had Abraham Iacoh David Peter c. you have heard of the patience of Ioh saith Saint Iames and have we not heard also of his fits of impatiency Yes but it pleased God mercifully to over-look that and so of Asah who had divers and those no small faults yet with one breath doth God report both these the high places were not removed and neverthelesse Asahs heart was perfect so our failings be not wilful though they be many and great yet they cannot hinder our interest in the promises of God an honest and sincere heart bears out many errours in the eye of mercy God will not see weaknesses where he sees truth yea if we hate our corruptions and strive against them they shall not be counted ours It is not I saith Paul but the sin that dwelleth in me Rom. 7. 20. And indeed were it not so what would become of us for the work of grace though it doth not suffer Christians to live as they list yet it doth not inable them to live as they would it is not so broad as to allow of corruption nor so narrow but it will permit of corruption 5. But fifthly least the former considerations should not serve answer me ingeniously to these questions Dost thou not find that the Word and Spirit hath wrought an apparant change in thy judgment affections and actions to what they were formerly Is not Christ thy greatest joy sin thy greatest sorrow and grace the prime object of thy desires Art thou not careful in the use of the means to attain faith in the promise of Gods mercy made in Christ Dost thou not love God and