Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	father_n	ghost_n	holy_a	5,369	5	5.6194	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18025	Chorazin and Bethsaida's vvoe, or warning peece A judicious and learned sermon on Math. II. vers. 21. Preached at St. Maries in Oxford, by tha[t] renowned and famous divine, Mr. Nathanael Carpenter, Batchellor in Divinity, sometime Fellow of Exceter Colledge; late chaplaine to my Lords Grace of Armah in Ireland.	Carpenter, Nathanael, 1589-1628?; N. H., fl. 1633.	1633 (1633)	STC 4673; ESTC S107660	26,403	96

obligation The cleare Sunshine of the Gospel confined for a time to their hemyspheare hath enlarged his influence from East to West and the sound of Gods word the partition wall broken downe is found to have dispersed it selfe to all Nations Whence we have seene them disinherited by their owne wilfull disobedience and can we repose a greater affiance in Gods favours than our owne penitent inclination dares to justifie Thinke you those on whom the Tower of Siloe fell are greater sinners than all the rest I tell you nay but unlesse yee repent you shall all likewise perish This may teach every true Christian not to stand upon termes of capitulation with Gods justice neither to foreslow the time or slacke our duty but by a seasonable repentance to prevent our punishment and by our prostrate humility abate the edge of Gods indignation Which calls to minde two other circumstances left as yet to our examination in the Tyrians and Sydonians penitency 1. The time that they would have repented long agoe 2. The manner to wit in sackcloth and ashes of which a few words as time shall give permission 16. The conveniency of time and decency of manner are the cheefest circumstances to season an approved action For Piety the Mother of good workes no longer seemes her selfe than when shee goes hand in hand with Discretion by whom shee is still directed as well how as wherein to dispose and improve her industry to the best approbation If all civill actions else seeme to challenge interest in this grace of Times opportunacy and decent manner of presenting the object to acceptance how much more stands the duty of repentance engaged to such circumstances wherein Misery as ashamed of her selfe is enforced to addresse it selfe to Gods mercy and guilty sinnes stand to be arraigned before Gods high Majesty If Chorazin and Bethsaida in the first infancy of Christianity had beene found so faire outshined by Tyre and Sydon had Christs works beene there shewen to their acceptance how farre shall these Tyrians and Sydonians set in the scale with us out waigh our endeavour and overpoyze our husbandry They had repented long agoe and prevented Gods heavy judgement with a seasonable and sweet conversion Long have the armes of his mercy beene open to embrace the first motions of our untoward inclination Long since have the knowledge of our Saviours miracles and Sermons the daily Ministery of his Preachers given sufficient evidence of his extraordinary love and abused patience Long since have his corrections and punishments as the messengers of his wrathfull displeasure summoned our slacknesse to his Court of Iustice famine and pestilence have long since scaled your Citty walls death and desolation have rid in tryumph in your streets the hideous cry of the fatherlesse children and childlesse fathers have peirced deepe into your eares The rumour of warre and feare of invasion awak't your sleepy security and armd'd you to prevention And is this beloved a time to procrastinate our repentance and trespasse further on his patience Stand wee not already beloved at the barre of his justice expecting every houre the giving up of the verdict and the fatall sentence of Condemnation And can wee be so sencelesse to play with death and stake Heaven against Hell buy a minutes space of pleasure with a perpetuall and datelesse durance of damnation The least mites of our sinnes summoned up together will swell into an infinite and more than the highest folly would it seeme in us to run further on this score when enough is cast up already to condemne us No minute of our lives but addes some scruple to the waight of our transgressions and what puffe of breath passeth from our mouthes which steales not away some touch of our integritie what can to morrow promise more than the present houre or wherein findes Religion lesse improvement than in fruitlesse procrastination Some boysterous hand of violent disaster may cracke or turne our houreglasse ere the sands are halfe spent or the time of our Pilgrimage slip away ere wee begin to calculate the motion Sera est in fundo par simonia Hee that too soone beginns to spend shall too late be taught to spare And hee that sets his Salvation on one and the last cast is sure to hazardall but uncertaine to win any To day if you will heare the Lords voyce harden not your hearts but bring forth fruit worthy Repentance Herein the inclination of the Tyrians and Sydonians foreseene of our Saviour might trace you out the way or with their supposed industry upbraided to Bethsaida and Chorazin shame your contempt or correct your negligence They had repented long agoe Neither was it altogether so notable in the Tyrians and Sydonians that they should with a ready hand catch at opportunity and at first call of Gods Grace and Spirit awake contrition had they not seconded and seasoned their contrite soules groaning under the heavy weight of sinne with devout humility and that not onely conceaved in the inward minde but expressed in the outward signes and emblems of Sackcloth and Ashes 17. Humility is the first stone in the groundworke of Gods Temple the first step by which wee ascend the throane of his sacred mercy the first round of Iacobs ladder by which like Angels our soules climbe up to God in Heaven and his holy Spirit descends to us on earth The soyle wherein this hearbe of grace rootes it selfe is the heart of a true Christian whence it derives spreads his branches outwardly in our exteriour actions and behaviour and expresses it selfe in such formes and weedes as are consonant to Gods prescript and the sincerity of our affection This inward sorrow outward humiliation have the ancient Fathers and Patriarkes expressed in Sackcloth and Ashes as Emblemes of contrition so pleasing unto God that in Reprobates themselves though not effectuall to Salvation it hath beene found sometimes so farre accepted as in it selfe it was sincere As wee reade of Achab that God spared him for his humiliation In his Repentance he shewed not himselfe an Hypocrite though hee came not home to the Marke He was true and sincere though not perfect and constant and therefore lost he not his reward though hee obtained not his end The like may we reade of Nineveh whose contrition without doubt totall and perfect in a few yet unfaigned as it seemes in all having passed some steppes of humiliation though not ascended the highest pitch of true Repentance wrought notwithstanding so much good in Gods favour 〈◊〉 the suspension of punishment and their Citties preservation Hence may every good Christian inforce his conscience with what good advice our Church hath ordeyned the use of kneeling fasting and outward pennance for sinne as that which in some measure hath alwaies beene found acceptable in Gods sight as the complement of our devotion and the most decent formality in our practise of piety The body can be no more wanting to the soule than the handmaid to her mistresse in accomplishment of this holy service Wherein howsoever eyther party with all his faculties have designed and limited out their severall and distinct offices yet as so many lines directed to one Center they ought all to meete in the happie period of Gods gracious favour the onely cause and groundworke of our salvation To which unspeakable blisse and Glory prepared for the Elect in Christ the Lord for his mercy direct our devotion for the merits of his deere Sonne to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be ascribed all honour glory might and majesty now and for ever Amen FINIS