Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	free_a	grace_n	love_n	2,934	5	6.6495	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16338	Some generall directions for a comfortable walking with God deliuered in the lecture at Kettering in Northhamptonshire, with enlargement: by Robert Bolton ...	Bolton, Robert, 1572-1631.	1626 (1626)	STC 3251; ESTC S106476	339,780	408

of a compleate Christian 1. Honestie 2. Vprightnesse 3. Pietie And they receiue much excellency and lustre from a circumstance of time In his generations which were many and mainly corrupt Without any further vnfolding my Texts coherence and dependance vpon either precedent or following parts for Historicall passages are plainer and doe not euer exact the length and labour of such an exact resolution as other Scriptures doe I collect from the first point wherein I finde Gods free grace to bee the prime and principall cause of Noahs preseruation this Note Doct. The free grace and fauour of God is the first moouer and fountaine of all our good Consider for this purpose such places as these Ier. 31. 3. Hos. 14. 4. Deut. 7. 7 8. Rom. 9. 11 12 13. Ioh. 3. 16. Ios. 24. 2 3. Ephes. 1. 5. And it must needs bee so For it is vtterly impossible that any finite cause created power or any thing out of Himselfe should primarily mooue and incline the eternall immutable increated omnipotent will of God The true originall and prime motiue of all gracious bountifull expressions and effusions of loue vpon His Elect is His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His merum beneplacitum The good pleasure of His will And therefore to hold that election to life is made vpon foresight of faith good workes the right vse of free-will or any created motiue is not only false and wicked but also an ignorant and absurd Tenent To say no more at this time it robs God of his All-sufficiencie making Him goe out of Himselfe looking to this or that in the creature vpon which His will may bee determined to elect The Schoole-men tho otherwise a rotten generation of Diuines yet are right in this 1. That distinction which I learne from my Master in his heauenly Sermons published since his death doth leade vnto aright and truely inlighten this Head-spring of all our good 1. Some actions of Gods loue vnto vs saith he are so in Christ that they are wholly suspended on Him and His merits are the onely procuring cause of them For example Forgiuenesse of sinnes is an action of Gods loue vnto vs and yet this wholly depends vpon Christ and his merits so that His precious Blood must either procure this mercy for vs from God else they will neuer bee forgiuen and this and the like loue of God is both in Christ and for Christ. 2. There are some other actions of Gods loue which arise meerely and onely out of the absolute will of God without any concurrence of Christs merits As the eternall purpose of God whereby Hee hath determined to chuse some men to saluation this is an action of Gods loue meerely rising out of His absolute will without Christs merits For Christ is a Mediatour and all his merits are the effects of his loue not the cause of it And yet this loue though it be not for Christ yet is it in Christ Ephes. 3. 11. According to the eternall purpose which hee wrought in Christ Iesus our Lord that is in regard of the execution of it for euen this eternall purpose and all the actions of Gods loue which arise from his absolute Will are effected and brought to passe in and through Christ. 3. Wee may take an estimate of the absolute and infinite frankenesse of this vnconceiueable loue of God to his which reacheth from euerlasting to euerlasting by looking vpon that goodly faire sweete amiable creature described Ezechiel 16. In the beginning of the Chapter shee lies most filthy and foule tumbling in her owne blood pittied by no eye abhorred of all which loathsomnesse should rather haue begot loathing then loue auersion and hate then affection and liking yet God Himselfe doth there professe out of a melting pang and ouer-flowing abundance of His free grace that that time was vnto Him the time of loue Hee spred his skirt ouer her and couered her nakednesse In a word after she was dressed and adorned with Gods most skilfull mercifull hand she became a most louely thing First washed with water cleansed from blood anointed with oyle then cloathed with broidered worke shod with Badgers skinne girded about with fine linnen couered with silke decked with ornaments of siluer and gold with bracelets vpon her hands a chaine on her necke a iewell on her forehead earerings in her eares and a beautifull Crowne vpon her head fedde with fine flower honie and oyle so that she became exceeding beautifull and renowned through the whole World for her perfect comelinesse euen mine owne comelinesse which I put vpon her saith the Lord God Uses 1. All praise then is due vnto Iehoua the Author of all our good the Fountaine of all our blisse the Well-spring of immortalitie and life whereby we liue and moue and haue our being our naturall being the beeing of our outward state our gracious being the euerlastingnesse of our glorious state Were the holiest heart vpon earth enlarged to the vast comprehension of this great Worlds widenesse nay made capable of all the glorious and magnificent Hallelu-iahs and hearty praises offered to Iehoua both by all the militant and Triumphant Church yet would it come infinitely short of sufficiently magnifying admiring and adoring the inexplicable mysterie and bottomles depth of this free independant mercy and loue of God the Fountaine and first Moouer of all our good We may and are bound to blesse God for all the meanes instruments and second causes whereby it pleaseth God to conferre and conuey good things vnto vs but we must rest principally with lowliest thoughts of most humble and heartiest praisefulnesse at the Well-head of all our welfare Iehoua blessed for euer Wee receiue a great deale of comfort and refreshment from the Moone and Starres but wee must chiefly thanke the Sunne from the greater Riuers also but the maine Sea is the Fountaine Angels Ministers and Men may pleasure vs but Iehoua is the principall Let vs then imitate those Lights of Heauen and Riuers of the Earth do all the good wee can with those good things God hath giuen vs by his instruments and then reflect backe towards and returne all the glory and praise vnto the Sunne of righteousnesse and Sea of our saluation The beames of the Moone and Starres returne as farre-backe to glorifie the face of the Sunne which gaue them their beauty as they can possibly vntill they be reflected or determine by necessarie expiration the Sunnes eiaculatorie power being finite Let vs semblably euer send backe to Gods owne glorious Selfe the honour of all His gifts by a fruitfull improouement of them in setting forth His glory and by continuall feruent eiaculations of praise to the vtmost possibilitie of our gracious hearts And here I cannot hold but must needs most iustly complaine of the hatefull intolerable vnthankefulnesse of vs in this Kingdome the happiest people vnder the Cope of Heauen had we hearts enlarged to conceiue aright of Gods extraordinary loue and such miraculous mercies

let the principall motiue passe it is impossible but that the feeling consciousnesse that Gods free loue through Christ hath freed vs from eternity of torments one houre wherein is infinitely more stinging and terrible then all the tortures that all mankind hath doth or shall endure from the Creation to the end of the world and certainely interessed vs to eternity of ioyes one houre wherein doth incomparably surpasse all the delights of this wide world were they collected into one lumpe of pleasure I say it cannot be but that such an assurance should stirre vp the blessed soule to do or suffer any thing for Christs sake rather to die then turne Papist to doe worthily in Ephrata and bee famous in Bethlehem But now the other groundlesse confidence being in truth but a fancie must needes bee powerlesse fruitlesse vnactiue and makes the deluded rather secure carelesse presumptuous onely formall 6. The blessed Spirit is woont to spring in our hearts with heauenly refreshing and his sweetest testimonie especially at such times as these When wee retire and recollect our selues to conuerse with God in a more solemne and solitary manner opening our consciences breaking our hearts and powring out our soules into his bosome when wee are preparedly and fruitfully exercised in the ordinances in our innocent patient sufferings for good causes and conscience sake when we feele that wee haue conquered or well curbed some corruption by the power of Prayer in the beleeuing contemplation and reuise of our change and the infallible markes thereof when we meditate effectually vpon the bottomlesse depth of Gods free loue vnto vs with which hee hath loued vs from euerlasting to euerlasting vpon dayes of humiliation c. But that other counterfeit flash keepes a deluded Pharise in a fooles Paradise continually he is ordinarily at all times alike peremptory in the point of assurance You shall not take him any weeke in the yeere any day in the weeke any houre in the day without a bold perswasion and protestation if neede be That he hopes to bee saued as well as the precisest Hee is as confident this way when he is cauilling against the purity of the Saints and power of Godlinesse as when he is the deepest in his Pharisaicall deuotions 7. The presumption of the Pharise is ordinarily at the height in his height of outward prosperity and when Gods Candle shineth faireliest vpon his head with worldly blessings But the perswasion of the Christian is for the most part then strongest when the world most frowneth vpon him for his forwardnesse and in heate of persecution 8. Those that are deluded with a groundlesse confidence haue ordinarily beene so conceited of themselues euer since they may remember or had any thoughts of heauen and that without consciousnesse of any conuersion change or supernaturall sauing worke vpon their soules at all For though the deuill seales it with more security vpon their hearts by his counterfeit Angelicall glory yet hee findes matter enough in our corrupt nature ministred originally for such a golden dreame and imaginary castle in the aire But the testimony of the Spirit and that other true perswasion is supernaturall and neuer felt before conuersion nor euer to be found but in a regenerate soule I doubt not but many Christians to their singular comfort further assurance can tell their experiēce of both Their bold peremptory ill grounded presumption in their vnregenerate time and their now true kindly sweet perswasion so much enuied and assaulted by Satan accompanying their conuersion 9. Naturall presumption guilded ouer with the deuils delusion euer shrinkes in the wetting Troubles of conscience fiery tryals heauy crosses the face of the Prince of terrour disastrous and dismall times dissolue it into nothing But the oher true testimony holds out like armour of proofe against thickest haileshot of all aduersary power Nay it is woont to shine and shew it selfe with vnited vigor and more lightsomnesse within in the greatest dampe of outward discomforts and most confusions abroad 10. The Christian can giue sound reasons for his resolution in the point of assurance from his conuersion holy conuersation loue of the brethren vniuersal obedience c. those meanes I mentioned before proper to the Child of God But put the Pharise to prooue in this case and perhaps hee will not bee able to say so much as his formall deluded brother Luk. 18. 11 12. Sure I am all that hee can produce for that purpose being tryed by the Touchstone of Gods Truth will prooue too light and inconsequent Reuise the false mediums and insufficient grounds discouered before and you shall perceiue that none of them can possibly inferre a comfortable conclusion 11. The Laodicean longs farre more for gold then growth in grace thinkes himselfe already rich enough in Religion and that he hath attained that very temper which euery wise man should rest vpon without any more medling that if hee should stirre forward he should be too precise if he should grow any worse he should be too prophane and therefore concludes I haue need of nothing But the illightened Christian hauing truely tasted of the assurance of Gods loue is infinitely greedy of growing in grace of conquering corruptions of neerer communion with his Christ of doing his God all the most glorious sincere seruice hee can possibly before hee goe downe into the pit and be seene no more His performances by the grace of God are many his endeauours moe but his desires endlesse and euer vnsatisfied with his degree of well-doing his present pitch of grace and measure of obedience Thus hauing premised a discouery of spiritual self-deceit whereby many so ouervalew themselues in point of their spiritual estate that they conceiue they are very right whereas in truth and tryall they are starke rotten at the root Their case herein is like that mans who lying fast asleepe vpon the edge of a steepe Rocke dreames merrily of Crownes Kingdomes and the very confluence of all earthly contentments conceiuing that hee wallowes himselfe in the ouerflowings of all worldly felicities but vpon the sudden starting for ioy breakes his necke and tumbles into the bottome of the Sea They are lulled asleepe by the deluding charmes of the Deuill vpon their beds of presumptuous security all their life long dreaming of no danger at all but euer confident their case is good enough to God-ward but their consciences being awaked vpon their beds of death or at farthest at Gods Tribunall they are suddenly swallowed vp of despaire and drowned in euerlasting perdition I come now to forewarne and forearme the true Christian that with all watchfulnesse and constancie hee would euer labour to preuent and defeate the secret assaults and insinuations of that white Deuill as a worthy Diuine calls it Spirituall pride A guilded poyson which Satan that cunning Alchymist and hellish Spider doth first extract out of the very sweetest and fairest flowers in Christs Garden I meane the most holy vertues and