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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	faith_n	grace_n	work_n	6,088	5	6.2038	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14189	Peters fall Two sermons vpon the historie of Peters denying Christ. Wherin we may see the causes of mans falling from God, and the manner how, both of the wicked thorough incredulitie, and of the godly by infirmitie: and also the way that God hath set downe in his worde to rise againe. By Iohn Vdall, preacher of the word of God at Kingston vpon Temmes.	Udall, John, 1560?-1592.	1584 (1584)	STC 24503; ESTC S101285	38,462	103

he crowe no more thou maist assure thy selfe for sure it is thou art in the way of destruction a necessarie meditation for all men The Lord looked backe c. The seconde cause followeth the cocke had crowen and yet Peter had not remembred himselfe neither was he awaked out of his sinfull sléepe vntill the Lorde turned backe his countenaunce vpon him but when once he looked vpon his face whose knowledge he had denied then began he to remember himselfe and consider that things were amisse But was it the turning backe of his face that wrought this in Peter No for then it might haue conuerted Iudas whome he looked vpon when he betraied him But it was his grace and holie spirite which did mercifully fall downe into his heart when the cocke did crowe Whereby we sée plainely that it is not the outwarde ministerie of the word of God onely that bringeth saluation vnto mankinde for Paule planteth Apollo watereth but God giueth the increase and this is the reason that so many heare the word and so few profit therein because it belongeth to the Lorde to shew mercie to whome he will shewe mercie And therefore when the Gospell was preached to them of Antioch by S. Paule it is said that so many as were ordained to saluation beléeued so that if thou hearing or reading Gods word doest desire that it may worke to thy saluation pray earnestly vnto the Lord that it would please him of hys infinite mercie to looke backe vpon thée with the eies of his grace and so framing thy selfe in a true faith and a single heart to applie it vnto that ende wherefore it is giuen thée thou shalt surely féele in thy soule an especiall operation of the spirite of God to thy greate comforte Thus much briefly concerning the first two causes of Peters conuersion where note by y e way that the two first causes of his fall were within himself but the first that worke to his rising againe are without himselfe to teach vs that all our sinnes procéede of our selues and come from our selues but all goodnesse not of vs but from the Lord that his name only may be praised for all good things and we our selues blamed for all euill Peter remembred c. Now followe the causes within himselfe but marke this first the Cocke did crow no doubt of it more did heare him then Peter but because he was ordeyned as a meanes to call Peter home therefore he only being guilty was pricked in heart and none else moued So God hath ordeyned the Preaching of hys worde to be an instrument to put all men in minde of their faults and that they mighte amend And such is the force thereof that the worde preached generally doth mooue euery mans conscience which is guiltie of that crime whiche is reprooued And therefore there be manie wicked men of the worlde that doo imagine the Preacher to harpe onely vppon them because they be guiltie as if he speake against Papistrie euerie massemonger thinketh he pointeth at hym if he inneigh againste Swearers Usurers whoremaisters or théeues euery swearer Usurer Whoremaister and théefe thinketh his owne doinges to bee touched And in déede though they turne it to a fault in the Preacher this sheweth vnto vs the wonderfull vertue of Gods word that can speake so to euery mans heart and thought Therefore when thou hearest thy owne faults rebuked euen that which thou thoughtest all the world had not knowen openly reuealed doo not thinke that he speaketh it of choller or hath learned it of thy trustie familiars but thinke rather that Gods spirite whiche searcheth all mens thoughtes doth speake vnto thée that thou shouldest amende it For as Peter béeing guiltie alone was onely pricked in conscience and did repent so it is thy duetie to consider thy owne estate and repent thée of thy fault that God may be mercifull vnto thée Peter remembred c. The worde preached and Gods grace working inwardly doo bring Peter to remēbrance First that Christ had sayde Before the Cocke crowe thou shalt deny me thrise c. And secōdly that he had so doon in déed for they must be handled together let vs then note this diligently before the crowing of the cocke and the looking back of Iesus there was no such thing in his minde but they two comming together doo bring him into consideration of his estate Adam and Heuah when they had transgressed the lawe of the Lord made no care of it at the first But when the word of the Lorde and his spirite said VVhere art thou he remembred what God had said that he should not eate of the trée of knowledge of good and euill and that he had eaten of it King Dauid when he had committed those hainous sins of murther and adultery slept quietly therein vntil the Prophet Nathan came to rebuke him and the spirite of the Lorde withall wrought in his heart then he remembred his grieuous sinne and the law of the Lord God to the contrarie Manasses the son of godly Ezechiah thought Idolatrie no Sinne and to make the stréets of Ierusalem swymme with the bloud of innocentes no offence But when the troubles that he sustained in the time of his captiuitie which were in stead of the preaching of gods word did pintch him and the Lorde stretched forth the hands of his mercy to receyue him then he saw the horriblenes of his sinne The like is euident in S Paule who before his conuersion thought he did god good seruice in séeking the vtter extinguishing of the saincts of god But when the light did shew him the blindnes of his mind and the voice of Christ did aske him why he did so persecute him he was stroken downe in consideration of his offence To leaue off to recken anye more examples out of Gods word The same is most true in all mākinde euen in our selues For before we be called vnto the trueth in Iesus Christ we walke in the waies of our owne imaginations we liue without god be strangers from the couenant of the promise of GOD. But when it pleaseth him of hys goodnesse to call vs vnto the knowledg of his grace by preaching his word vnto vs and that he look backe vpon vs with the eies of his mercye Then we see plainelye what is the rule of righteousnes that God hath inioyned vnto al the sonnes of Adam and comparing the same with our déeds we sée how great is our debt that we haue vnpayed howe many be our Sinnes that we haue committed and how vain our former conuersation hath béene whereas before this be reuealed vnto vs we procéede securely in our owne iniquity and as all worldlings doo think our owne wayes to be right and honest Wherefore if this be the way and firste entrance into the schoole of Christe to wit the word of God preached to shewe vs our sins What a great care ought we

from his house vntill it be vtterly wasted and consumed The whoremaister goeth on in his filthines because he forgetteth the commaundement of God Thou shalt not commit adulterie and the threatning that whoremongers and adulterers God will iudge To conclude the like is truly to be thought of all other sinnes that the casting off the worde of God behinde their backs and treading Gods vengeance threatned against sinne vnder theyr féete is the first step vnto that iniquitie whiche they commit Nowe if we will applie this to our edification and benefite we must learne by the harmes of other men to be more warie and circumspecte If we sée that others begin their transgressions by neglecting the word of God that we must begin our obedience in imbracing it in learning meditating and exercising our selues in the same continuallye For the Prophet Dauid maketh it the onely ioye and delyght that Godlye men can finde in thys worlde Whereunto appertayneth it that the Lorde appointing vnto his seruaunt Iosua the gouernement of his People in steade of Moses saith let not thys Booke of the Lawe departe out of thy mouthe but meditate therein daye and nyght that thou maiest obserue and doo accordyng to all that is written therein Where you sée that he setteth meditation and continuall exercise therein to goe before the seruice of the Lord and indéede by very good reason for the worde of God being his will and the thyng that he enioineth vs to doe howe can it bée that we shall doe it before wée learne it and how can wée learne it if wée neuer giue our selues therevnto nor regarde it Well howsoeuer the wicked of the worlde care not for it nor the preaching thereof because through the hardenes of their hartes it séemeth foolishnes vnto them yet surs we are it is the power of GOD vnto saluation vnto all those that beléeue it It is the sworde of the Spirite that cutteth away the bonds of sinne it is the grayne of mustarde séede that at firste is verye small but taking roote and increasing in the children of God it groweth vp to suche an height that it possesseth the whole harte and mynde It is the fire which burneth and cōsumeth the dregs of iniquitie It is also that Honye the swéetenes whereof doth bothe delyght the soule and also temper the troubles of thys worlde that they become tollerable and easie it is the raine showers and dewes moistyng the stonye heart And lastlye it is the séede whose rootes doe take so déepe holde and are so surely fastened that it neuer ceasseth from growyng vntyll it bryng the Soule whiche it possesseth into the kingdome of heauen Thys beyng so precious and yet not beléeued to bée so by them that are not called vnto the Faythe of Iesus Christe Therfore the Lord God to allure them whome he hath elected and to take all excuses from them that bée reiected hathe set downe moste excellente and singular allurementes and swéete speaches vnto them to inuite them vnto a loue and lyking of the same The wyse man Salomon bringeth in the Lorde speaking or rather speakyng hymselfe in the name of the Lorde sayth let thyne harte holde faste my words kéepe my commandements and thou shalt lyue get wisedome get vnderstandyng neyther declyne from the wordes of my mouth And there he sheweth what the word of GOD shal bryng vnto the louers thereof namely honour ryches long life and suche like which indéede figureth vnto vs al ioyes whatsoeuer whyche the Godlye shall haue in the lyfe to come if I shoulde stande vpon this I might shewe many moste excellente places for thys purpose as the excellencye thereof described by the Prophete Dauid and the greate benefites that he professeth hymselfe to haue receyued by the same As that he had perished in his troubles if the comforte thereof had not supported hym and thinketh it no bragge to saye he hath more vnderstandyng than his teachers because hys meditation was in the worde of God and vnderstoode more than the auncient because he kept Gods preceptes and he was made wiser than hys enimies because Gods preceptes were alwayes wyth hym The whole 119. Psalme is concerning thys argument And was it so excellent so precious and so fruitfull in Dauid for him selfe only no but it is also for our instruction that wée myght be stirred vp by the example of Dauid to take so great delight in it as he dyd For God is the same he was and hys worde of it selfe as forcible if not more forcible then it was So that we néede not to dispaire of gods goodnes in this cause For sure the cause why we come so farre behinde Dauid in zeale and godlines is our owne carelesnesse and hardnesse of harte and our presumption in that we wyth Peter here perswade our selues better of our selues than indéede we either néede or shoulde Let vs then awake and shake off the drowsines of our soule let vs vnlode our selues of all that presseth downe let vs looke vnto that whyche GOD commaundeth and not to that small procéedyng which we haue made and so muche the rather my déere beloued Brethren because wée sée the worlde more lulled in securitye than euer it was before that we can eyther reade or heare of The worde of God hath no more force wyth the greatest number than if they were stockes or stones whereas the threatenyng of Gods vengeaunce agaynste Sinne shoulde pricke their heartes and mooue them vnto repentaunce it bryngeth them a sléepe whereas the Preaching of the Gospell shoulde bring them to Fayth in Chryste it séemeth vnto them a Fable and a méere inuention of men nowe the case standyng desperatelye wyth them for thys is the cause why I speake it it behooueth vs to bée more circumspecte and carefull that the looue and likyng and continual exercise and obedience in and vnto the word of GOD doe so possesse vs that we neuer bée drawne from the same but so surelye fasten our soules hartes and wyls therevnto that we may therby haue a sure testimonye in our consciences that we bée the Children of GOD because we kéepe his commandementes Whereas contrary the wicked haue wythin them a note of condemnation in that they regarded not Gods worde neyther haue any regarde in hearyng or learnyng or practising the same in their life and conuersations The seconde braunche of Peters presumption consisteth in thys that he sayeth I am readie to go with thee into prison and vnto death Peter thought he was strong inough to be a Martyr when indéede he had scarce learned the principles of hys faith nor that whyche is most necessary for all men to knowe namely his owne power and hability and howe he muste learne to stande before the Lord. Here you sée Peter thynking him selfe a valiant Soulder and yet is not so out of whyche we note the pryde of mans hearte and confidence that fleshe and bloud conceiueth of