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	justification_n	meritorious_a	2,679	5	11.7565	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30959	Three ministers communicating their collections and notions. The first year touching several texts of Scripture ... wherein the Law and Gospel ... in short, the substance of Christianity is set forth ...	Barksdale, Clement, 1609-1687.	1675 (1675)	Wing B809; ESTC R35315	78,431	223

Evangelicall righteous shall be dealt with and rewarded in and through Christ as if they were perfectly so III. Phil. 2. 13. Work c. For it is God which worketh in you c. The Apostle here reconciles the doctrine of Gods Grace with and shewes the indispensableness of mens endeavours making Gods readiness to work in us to will by his preventing grace and to do by his assisting a motive to us to work out our own salvation The Fourteenth Meeting A. I. HEb 8. 10. I will put my Law into their hearts c. It cannot be I will do all for them they need do nothing at all This would make all the precepts of the Gospel insignificant Neither can this be the sense I will sanctifie their natures and so cause them to keep my Laws without their concurrence in that act But I will afford them my grace and spirit whereby they co-operating therewith and not being wilfully wanting to themselves shall be enabled so to do Or I will do all that reasonable Creatures can reasonably expect from me toward the writing of my Laws in their hearts II. Heb. 8. 11. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour c. i. e. There shall be no need of such pains in teaching men how they must obey the Lord and what they are to do as under the Law of Moses which consisted in Observations that were only good because commanded but the Precepts now given shall be found written in every mans heart so that none need be ignorant of what is enjoyned for the substance of it that will consult the dictates of their own nature III. Gal. 3. The law was added because of transgression c. The Jewish and Mosaical law in a strict sense was not given as any new condition whereby they were to attain to the promises but they should till they were fulfilled be restrained and kept under discipline backt on by temporal rewards and punishments B. I. ROm. 5. 1. Being justified by Faith Faith put for the doctrine of Faith Justifie as an instrument as the Law condemneth as it contains the Covenant of Grace and holdeth forth pardon to sinners Faith as it signifies the Vertue or duty of Faith justifies as it is the condition of the new Covenant wherein forgiveness of sin is offer'd God the Father is the principle efficient cause Jesus Christ the onely meritorious cause of justification II. Jam. 4. 8. Clense your hands ye sinners The Scripture seems one while to give all to God in the work of regeneration and conversion and another while to make it wholly mens w●● act To reconcile the places Clense you I will Clense we must go in a middle way I mean that where God speaks as if he did all in this great work we are to judge that he supposeth mens endeavours and where he speaks as if men were to do all that he supposeth the concurrence and assistance of his own grace III. Jam. 1. 26. He that seemeth to be Religious and bridleth not his tongue that mans Religion is vain May we not justly fear upon the account of the reviling and censuring even their superiors too not a few of the Godly party so called are guilty of that they are no better than meere pretenders to Religion as great a profession as they make of it C. I. JAm 2. 24. A man is justified by works and not by Faith only As works signifie sincere Obedience to Christs Gospel we cannot account it any seandal to have it said of us that we hold Justification by works Why should any man be more shy of acknowledging this than St. James Nor need we so mince it as to say that Faith justifieth our person and works our Faith for understanding Works for a Working Faith our persons is ever they be must be justified by them We must not give the Papists occasion to think we have a slight opinion of good Works II. Ezeck 18. As I live saith the Lord. Altho God professeth kindness to all men and saith nay sweareth too that he willeth not the death of sinners but had rather they would turn from their wickedness and live yet according to the doctrines of some men this is but a declaration of his Voluntas signi The like to which should one assert concerning any honest man he would think himself not a little reproached III. Joh. 3. 17. God sent not his Son into the World to condemn the World If the doctrine of absolute Reprobation be true our Saviours coming was to aggravate the Condemnation of the generality of men which would be far more properly called the World then a very few for not believing in him who never dy'd for them so much as to put them into a possibility of being saved The fifteenth Meeting A. I. HE gave himself for a ransome for m●ny for the Vulgus or multitude of the people So the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is rendred many doth among the Greeks most commonly signifie And St. Paul saith He gave himself a ransome for all 1 Tim. 2. and did taste death for every man Heb. 2. 9. and that he is the Saviour of all men though especially of those that believe And he sadly bewailed mens not coming that they might have life and wept over Jerusalem for her obstinate persisting in unbelief and most pathetically with tears wished that she had known in that her day the things that be●onged to her peace II. 2 Tim. 3. 2. Men shall be lovers of themselves proud covetous c. In this and other places where mens sins are foretold instead of ●hall we may put will The shalls make those Places look as if they contain'd declarations of desires whereas wills would make them ●t first sight to appear that they contain onely ●redictions and expressions of Gods f●re-knowledge that men would commit such and such sins not of his Will and purpose that they should III. Rom. 9. 13. Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated This is a quotation out of Malachy 1. 3. Where Esau's person was not spoken of but by Esau his posterity the Edomits are understood He meant no more tha● that he less loved them than the Israelites or was not so kind to them as he was to these Or we may conceive that by hating is to be understood very severely punishing which was after their wicked and most unnatural behaviour toward their brethren an● upon that account See Obad. 10. Not● what was said to Rebecca that two Nation● were in her Womb. And Esau in his ow● person did never serve Jacob. B. I. ROm. 9. 15. I will have mercy on who● I will have mercy i. e. I will besto● my kindness where I please without givin● account to any one And therefore God ma● justly accept Gentiles to his special favour ● idolatrous and wicked as generally they a● for he is not obliged to damn all that defer● it and cast off his antient people the Jew● at his pleasure

come and in due time receive it multiplied So should we do with Worldly goods bestow some of them upon the bowels and backs of the poor members of Christ and in the day of harvest we shall have a great encrease II Amos. 2. 7. That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor The Prophet speaks of cruel oppressors who greedily pursue the poor to extremity depriving them of their very livelihood till they are fain to lye down in the dust III. Duet 24. 5. When a man hath taken a new wife he shall not go out to War One reason my be this because when the mind is strongly set upon any object till the strength of that desire is abated a man will be unfit to deal with an Enemy or attend business The Tenth Meeting A. I. EXod 35. 30. The Skin of his f●shone It is to denote the exceeding purity and brightness of the Law which no sinner is able with peace t● look upon II. Gen. 25. 22. And the Children struggle● together within her Jacob was a man of contention and wrestling from the beginning Contention with his brother in the Birth Contention for the Birth-right Contention with an Angel for the blessing Contention for his Wife and for his wages with Laban He was a Typical man his name was Israel and he was a pattern to the Israel of God We must be all men of Contention contend and wrestle not only with God in strong and importunate prayers for his blessings but with our Elder Brother Esau with the lusts and frowardness if our own hearts III. Lament ● 39. Wherefore doth a living man complain c. Here are Three strong Reasons against murmurers 1. We are Men. and at Gods dispose 2. Sinful men punishment is our due 3. Living and therefore punisht less then we deserve B. I. ISa. 1. 2. Hear O Heavens and give ear O earth Nothing so far from the voice of the Prophet as the Heavens nothing so dul and impenetrable as the Earth and yet the Heavens likeller to hear the Earth likelier to listen and attend then Obdurate sinners II. Gen. 18. 21. I will not curse the ground any more for mans sake for though so Jos 17. 18. though the imagination c. Although men are so wicked that if I would meo jure uti take advantage to pour out my displeasure upon them I might do it every day yet I will spare them III. 2. Cor. 5. 17. Behold all things are become new If a man be Christ's there will be Nova regalia extremely opposite to those of sin a new heart for the throne of the Spirit new members to be servants of righteousness new Counsellors namely the Laws of God a new panoply the whole armour of God new laws the law of the mind thoughts Words Actions all new C. I. ROm. 7. 8 Without the Law sin was dead The Law is said to quicken sin not perse out of the intention of the Law but by accident and antiperistasis exciting and provoking that strength which was in sin before tho undiscern'd and less operative as the presence of an enemy doth actuate and call forth that malice which lay habitually in the heart before II. 1 Cor. 7. 31. The Fashion of this world paseth away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the figure intimating that there is nothing of firmness or solid consistency in the Creature it is but a surface and outside an empty shew all the beauty of it is but skin deep III. Eph. 4. 26. Be angry but sin not It is not a precept but a speech by way of Concession or supposition If through your infirmity you be overtaken with anger do not harden the Passion into an habit let not a spark become a flame The Eleventh Meeting A. I. EPh. 4. 30. Whereby ye are sealed You are said to be sealed by the Spirit because that spiritual holiness which is in the word is fashioned into your hearts as the image of the seal in the wax II. Eph. 2. 2. Ye walked according to the course of this World Such are example custome good intentions mercy taken without conditions pleading frailty of nature we are all men the best have their infirmities distinctions extenuations evasions and such like III. Col. 2. 8. Beware lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit Learning it self is an honourable and noble endowment It 's recorded for the glory of M●ses that he was Learned in all the Wisdome of the Egyptians But corruption is apt to turn learning into leaven to infect the heart with pride which being arm'd and seconded with Wit breaks out into perverse disputes B. I. 1. TIm 6. 17. God gives us all things richly to enjoy This importes a delightful sweet orderly use of them which is the fruit of the Gospel promises Wicked men have a lawful interest possession and use of them but all this doth not reach to a fruition II. Hebr. 11. 1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for Faith gives being and present subsistency to things far distant from us makes those things which in regard of natural causes are very remote in regard of Gods promises to seem nigh at hand III. Hebr. 12. 2. Looking unto Jesus We must not alwayes cast our eye to the clog but look unto him that can carry us thorow all difficulties Look what he did what contradiction he endured look what he promises a victory over our lusts and a crown after victory C. I. Gen. 2. 9 17. The Tree of Knowledge of good and evil So called because it signified unto them that as now while they stood upon terms of Obedience with their Creator they knew nothing but good so at what time soever they did trangress his Commandment they should begin to know evil also Not but they had an intellectual knowledge of it before Rectum est index sui obliqui but that till then they had never felt any evil they never had any Experimental knowledge of it II. 1 Cor. 3. 10. As a wise Master-builder I have laid the foundation Great Scholars possibly may think that it standeth not so well with their credit to stoop so low and spend time in teaching the principles of the doctrine of Christ but they should consider these words of the great Apostle That the laying of the foundation skilfully as it is the matter of greatest importance in the whole building so it is the very Master piece of the Builder III. Ezech. 18. 30. Make you a clean heart In another place A new heart will I give you How do these consist He commands us to do what he promises to do himself to teach us that t is the Work of his Grace which we must not resist when t is offer'd Ille facit ut nos faciamus quoe praecepit Augustin The Twelfth Meeting A. I. MAtth. 6. 11. Give us this Day our Daily bread By saying Give us we acknowledge that it is from God but when we call