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	work_n	6,088	5	6.2038	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19422	Certaine verie worthie, godly and profitable sermons, vpon the fifth chapiter of the Songs of Solomon: preached by Bartimeus Andreas, minister of the word of God; published at the earnest and long request of sundrie well minded Christians	Andrewes, Bartimaeus.	1583 (1583)	STC 585; ESTC S113841	105,554	328

faithful thē selues can not cut off them selues from their owne saluation nor forfait it because it is not layde vp in them selues but in God in whose custody it is True it is we giue God cause in our selues to frustrate all his graces towardes vs But God will accomplishe his worke and finishe it in his seruaunts Neither let any Libertine hereof conclude that he will liue he careth not how because if I beleeue I am sure al my sinnes cannot loose my saluation I answere faith is neuer seuered from obedience nor from a good conscience 1. Tim. 1.5 and a pure heart which spring from faith which is careful to please God so as such haue no fayth but an opinion of fayth Neuertheles I affirm it to be true that the sinns infirmities and falles of the Saintes of God can not frustrate their saluation because God looketh not on them but in Christe Shall this therefore ad courage vnto men to sinne God forbid nay they which are truelye humbled as they know that God wil not for their sins cast them away So they dare not for their liues to sinne vpon hope though they are manye times foyled sore of their infirmities So that although I herein minister comfort to the troubled soule so I must say to those that presume vpon these great and eternal riches of Gods grace making his mercies a bawde for their sinnes certainly they are without all true loue to God and must not once looke for any comfort but be assured that as yet they are voyde of the benefite of saluation and are in a damnable and Hellishe estate For beeing without the Church in that they shew foorth no fruites of obedience to the worde c. they can not looke for saluation sith without the Church there is no saluation Without Noahs Arke was no life All perished in Iericho that were not in Rachabs house so in the Church onely is saluation without nothing but hell and damnation Euery man therefore must labour to be a member of the church of Christ yeelding obedience to the calling of God by the preaching of his word that they maye bee flocked into his folde and Church For men must know that election must not be seuered from an effectuall calling which worketh in time in the true beleeuers It is a blessednesse in deed that we are elected but if our election be not ratified by the spirite of sanctification and that we haue not good euidence of it in our owne conscience what shal it boot vs Therefore the Psalme 65.4 After they of the Church had complayned of their sinnes as le ts to their Prayers before God so as they beganne to suspect their owne estate because of sinne they conclude to the comforte of their conscience that their blessednesse stood not in them selues but in the election of God Blessed is be whom thou choosest and causest to come vnto thee So as these two are ioyned togeather namely election and calling or vocation in the passiue sense that is that God causeth his to come for none come of them selues Now therefore it is expedient that we make our election sure by good workes 2. Pet. 1.10 Yet muste we not measure our election by our good workes or the perfection of them For we see when the seruants of God suruey their hearts to gather comfort by their calling or by those graces which they haue tasted off to looke on their faith hope obedience loue towards God or their neighbours alasse when they ouerlook al their best works that they can reckon vp yet they can not haue comfort in them if they shall onely stay in them but they must from the effectes of theire calling which if they be in trueth are good euidences and argumentes of comfort looke into this originall of their happinesse Blessed is be whom thou chusest c. For this is the fountaine of blessed es vnto vs. Then in the second place we may say blessed is hee whome God causeth to come to him and he the feareth God louing and obeying his worde carefully and vnfeinedly c. Which al fruits of our calling are not causes of oure happinesse but testimonies and warrantes through the earnest of the spirite that we are happy But it may seeme somewhat nakedly affirmed of the Spouse without proofe when she professeth her selfe to be her beloueds and that her beloued is hers when she addeth no reason of it For albeit many grant that they which are truely in Christ and in the fauour of God they are happy they can not but doe wel and are of the sure grounde But here standeth the question and difficulty of the cause howe euery man may knowe that hee hath part in that vnity of Christe and how a man maye bee sure of saluation in this life To come to this point wee must first consider that that which is spoken in the scriptures concerning the saluation of the Church or elect in general with the causes effects therof is spoken also of euery member of the Church and is true in both As for example if it bee true that the Churche or Elect were loued and elected of God before the beginninges of the Worlde then this is true euerye faythfull beleeuer was elected before al times Agayne if the Churche bee called to the participation of the graces of God then euery faithful beleeuer is Also if the Churche bee holye then euery one of the Churche is also in time called to bee holy If the church be redeemed and the sinnes therof pardoned that it be sanctified iustified saued and glorified in the ende then euerye beleeuer which is of the church is redeemed his sinnes pardoned is iustified sanctified in time saued and glorified in the ende If the Church or elect in general can not perish but is permanent induring and sure of saluation then neither any one member of the church can perish nor be lost but is permanent and sure of saluation Nowe this wee must consider when I speake of the assurance of the Children of God I vnderstande not such a certantye as is not mingled at all with any doubtfulnesse For the best assured is not alwayes alyke perswaded of his saluation neyther haue all men a like feeling of the comfort and assurance of eternall health For sometime it is in the Ecclipse and the comfort of Gods fauour is intercepted from vs by the cloudes of our infirmities so as the eyes of our faith are dazeled But at sometimes at least the Children of God haue some good assuraunce of their saluation though for the most part they seeme to hang in a mammering Also othersome haue not so full a sight of it as others haue Partly because of manye corruptions in their nature which they labour not so earnestly to purge as they ought Partly also because the proportion of faith or the knowledge of God is not a like in al but some more some lesse But we shall in vayne speake of

drunkerds raylers proud persons Swearers or any suche like to come vnto Christe till their corrupt nature bee caste off and their affections washed sanctified and reformed Yea and this not for a time but wee must vowe it for euer For it is impossible that they which haue tasted of the heauenly gift and were made partakers of the holy ghost hauing tasted of the good worde of God and of the powers of the world to come if they fall away should be renued againe by repentance Heb. 6.4 If the righteous scarcely bee saued 1. Pet. 4.18 where shal the vngodly and the sinner appeare Wo be then to the swinish and brutish generation the wallow stil in the myre of their own affections and wil not come out from the world vncleane things These shal howle with pitifull shrikes and shril voices when they shall bee shut out from the bridegrome Christe Iesus in his comming Then shal they lament their whoredoms gluttonies pride contempt their railings vnbeleefe and al their vnhappy wayes but too late Let vs therefore deare brethren craue Gods spirite to wash our affections and cleanse our hearts that we drasse them not in the dirt of sinne any more least our latter end be worse then our beginning But albeit this be the more receiued interpretation which I haue nowe longest stayed in namely that sith she is cleansed shee wil not defile her selfe againe Yet mee thinkes it is to be taken of the excuses which the Spouse made shewing that shee had muche a doe to renonunce her pleasures and complaineth that she is vntoward to obey her calling hauing many lets as if a man being in bed is loath to rise and diseaze himself in the night so the Spouse though desirous to arise to Christe yet her pleasures stick some what in her stomacke and she findeth many delais in her nature debateth the matter before shee can cheerefully rise vp to follow the call of Christ Iesus The reasons that mooue me to this sence are these cheefly 1. because it is an answere to the former suite of Christe desiring to be opened vnto as one knocking in the night she aunswereth she hath put of her coate and is at rest hauing washed her féete as the manner of that country was so as she was loath to rise and ray her feete discouering her vntowardnesse Now if she shold answere when Christ calleth that she is clensed and sanctified how shold she be vncleansed again and sanctified when Christ calleth to sanctification it were a weake aunswere to the request of Christ 2. The metaphor of sleep and of the night and al circumstances in a word aford this sense as moste naturall and proper to this place So then the vse of it is to teach vs howe harde beginninges wee haue in our calling howe slowly wee come forward and how many delayes our corrupt nature findeth to shift of al true obedience to Christe Iesus For we must know that our condition and estate is figured vnto vs in the person of the spouse Therefore purposely Solomon sheweth how we hang of on with Christe til the Lord hath throuhlye humbled vs and weaned vs from our selues which is a doctrin most necessary and comfortable that we maye be stirred vp to shake of all drowsines and loytering For we see how hardly we obey our calling and listen to the word of God but we aunswere a farre off and hould our selues aloofe As Samuel 1. Sam. 3.5 which ranne to Hell often before he tooke a straight course to the Lorde For we thinke that the Lorde calleth vs not because he speaketh by men so childish or babish are we in our beginnings which are poore And we scant perceiue who calleth vs. Faine wee wold follow God and come to heauen but we are loath to foyle our féete to step the way that leadeth thither Our pleasurs whispereth vs in the one ear and our profits round vs in the other the corruption of our nature the cleaueth so fast on custom of sin presseth vs so sore downe that wee can not looke vp to the heauenly calling but are inueigled carried away alas almoste at euery motion but we must bid al farwell to followe Christe Gen. 19.16 Lot lingred behinde and loytered in his departure from Sodom Ieremiah had excuses Iere. 1.6 Ionah 1.3 Ionas fled from the presence of God because of the charge inioined him Luk. 9.59.61 Peter was loath to follow a while and kept aloofe Luk. 9.59.61 The disciples made delaies one would bury his father first then hee woulde wayte on Christ Another would néeds bid his freends farwell first Thus we see how our nature is very slowe and vntoward to followe the Lorde shifting of so long as we can and we will set times our selues to wayte on him Thus we set the Lord his stent and he must daunce attendance vpon our leasure Gen. 12.4 Math. 9.9 Luk. 19.6.8 Mat. 4.28.22 Iohn 3.2 Iohn 19.38 Some are more suddenly called and obey as Abraham Mathewe Zacheus the two brethren Magdalen others Other som are longer comming on as Nicodemus Ioseph of Aramathia and others the one by night came to Christ the other secretly at the first And though the spouse here confesseth her slacknes and how she was hindered from following of Christ as she destred through her owne corruptions and worldly affections Yet after she recouereth her zeale and groweth more earnest in seeking after Christe euen then when other would haue discouraged her As verse 8. So that faith standeth not at a stay in the saintes but increaseth by degrees as we see in Nicodemus and Ioseph For Nicodemus Iohn 7.50 spake boldly in Christes cause before the Pharisyes though he receiued a checke Mar. 15.43 and both he and Ioseph Iohn 19.38.39 expressed their zeale after in a costly and honorable buriall of Christ Iesus euen then when greatest daunger was Peter also is charged after his denial that when hée is conuerted he shoulde strengthen his brethren So that we must not cocker and flatter our selues in our poore beginninges as though God required no more then we can do or to beginne and stande at a stay but we must increase in faith knowledge zeal and loue vnfained towards our brethren also in care to further others especially those of our charges and families We sée then that it is a harde thing to follow Christ it must cost vs our pleasures and profites yea euen our selues wholy Therfore Psa 45.10 The Spouse of Solomon which is a figure of the Church is taught that she can not be fit for doctrine and instruction and for her husband til she had forgot her own people and her fathers house so casting off all carnall affections to obey Christ onely Now this we do maruailously vnwillingly til the Lorde put vs forward And in déed God measureth his graces by degrees to his saintes partly to discouer our owne miseries wants vntowardnes and