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
A94070	XXXI. select sermons, preached on special occasions; the titles and several texts, on which they were preached, follow. / By William Strong, that godly, able and faithful minister of Christ, lately of the Abby at Westminster. None of them being before made publique.	Strong, William, d. 1654.	1656 (1656)	Wing S6007_pt1; Thomason E874_1; ESTC R203660	309,248	523

doth not at all agree with himself nay Bellarmine g Lib. 4. de Euch. c. 10. art 9. Non possumus ex Patrum sententiis aliquid certi colligere quando inter se non conveniunt saith thus We can gather no certainty out of the Opinions of the Fathers when as they themselves are not of one mind And Ioseph Scaliger h Lib 6. de Emend Temp. sed cum delectu ejus scripta legenda esse non dubitabit quisquis attentius legit quam ipse Scripta veterum speaking of the most learned Eusebius passeth this sentence without doubt a choice is to be made in the reading of him But I am very much mistaken if this our Author may not pass without any such censures and may be read now in print as he might have been heard when he was in the Pulpit without such proviso's and cautions as are usually given in reading of many of the Ancients That which made his Sermons pass with so great approbation of the most judicious hearers when he was alive and will be a passport to his writings though posthumous was he did follow the advice of the Apostle Paul to Tim. 2 ep 2.15 he did study to shew himself approved to God a workman that need not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth he made preaching his work and business he did not go to that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but he counted it his greatest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the work God gave him to do as Christ speaks John 17.4 He was of Melancthons mind who had wont to i Tres labore● esse difficillimos Regentis Docentis Parturientis say Three sorts of labour are most difficult that of a Governour of a Teacher and of a Woman in travel He was often in travel to be delivered of his Sermons and he made that good qui alios docere velit suo sudore Auditores irrigare contendat An instructor ought to spend himself upon his Auditory He was so much taken up in this work that to my knowledge he was often in watchings a great part of the night besides his pains in his day-studies What Seneca reports k Epist 8. Nu●lus mi●… per otium dies exit partem noctium studiis vendico non vaco somno sed succumbo oculos vigilia fatigatos cadentesque in opere detineo of himself may be affirmed of this our Author I spend all the day and much of the night in study not setting my self to sleep but only falling into it and he goes on and l Volup●ati● som●… vitae de●…xerunt summ● Illi Viri quod nobis impenderunt posteris nat● occupati adds Great men of old bestowed the best part of their life upon us as if born for posterity But besides that very great diligence and travel of head and heart and that intempestivum pertinax studium that he laid out in his Sermons he had a special faculty of keeping close to his Text and business in hand which as it is very requisite in a Preacher so it is very advantagious to commend a discourse to the most judicious car What Plinius secundus m ●ci●t si materiae immoratur non esse longum longissimum si aliquid accersit atque attrahit Vides quot versibus Homerus quot Virgilius arma hic Aeneae Achillis ille describat brevis tamen uterque est quia facit quod instituit said to Apollinaris in his Epistle to him concerning a Writer is true of a Preacher that he should often veiw his title I say his Text That which did surther ther contribute to his excellency in preaching was his skill which he had and his deep insight into the mysterie of Godlin●ss and the Doctrine of the free Grace of God and as to the mysterie of Iniquity within us he was well studied in the souls Anatomy and could dextrously dissect the old man Then there is the mysterie of Iniquity without us of Satan and Antichrist which he understood very well and by his knowledge in these mysteries he was able to advance the Kingdom and Honour of our Lord Christ in the hearts and lives of his Hearers and to discover the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rev. 2.24 Satans depths and to disappoint his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 2.11 His plots and devices as also to unvail the Whore of Babylon and to render her vile and contemptible in the eyes of all There was one thing more which did add very much unto him and to his labours in preaching and make him successful in clearing many dark places and searching further into the deep Mines of the Word and piercing into the secret Oracles of God and that was his constant recourse to the Originals in which he had good skill By these means he went beyond most of his brethren in the work of the Ministry so that his Sermons had always something above the rdi nary reach and pitch a certain strain which did sapere saeculi sui foelicitatem answering the advantages and happiness of the age in which he lived which was more then Casaubon could say of n Exercit. 34. in Baron Vulgat● sunt in his nihi quod saeculi sul foelicitatem sap●at Baronius his Annals The want of some or any of these Particulars render Preachers very lame and their Sermons thin and lean of many of which it may be said as of Anaximenes when he began to speak that there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a flood of words a drop of sense and in like manner Clem. Alexandrinus complains of such that they utter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a flood of insignificant words Such Preachers multa locuti parum dixisse videntur talk much and say little There was so great weight both of words and sense in this our reverend Authors Sermons and so much of worth that they did appear as good upon a narrow disquisition as they did seem to be when they were delivered whereas the Sermons of many are like the Orations of o Cuju● cùm in dicendo copla speciesque aur●bus pla●…e● oculorum judicio spernebatur multumque legentibus desideratum q●…d audlentibus placuisset Hortensius Many tickle the fancy whilst plausibly and with some Pomp and Ostenation delivered but being scann'd by a severer repetition they prove to have been vox praeterea nihil they vanish into a notion or nothing The ignorance or at least the not so clear knowledge of the Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace Gods rich and free Grace in the business of our salvation was the cause anciently and is still of many errours in the Church The Author of these Sermons had arrived to an excellency and height in this doctrine beyond the most that ever I read or knew Had he lived to have perfected his labours about the Covenant of grace I presume I may say they had surpassed all that went before Herein

is a woe for Ariel the City where David dwelt which Mr. Calvin renders the Altar of God because the Sacrifices and Ordinances of God were there but others and so in the Margent it is rendred the Lyon of God quia tanquam Leo Gentes alienas subjugasset None could stand before them There is a wo for them because they had in the greatness of their strength and power and victories forsaken the Lord and therefore the Lord saith he would bring distresses upon them that he had formerly been with and they had conquered by his power and presence and they that in their pride did speak loftily as if they had spoken from Heaven the Lord saith they should be brought down to the ground and their speech should be low as out of the dust Thirdly Former duties nor former mercies shall not serve men but if they do forsake the Lord they shall be forsaken of him first former duties will not secure men here is a gracious Prince that had laboured ten yeers in the Reformation of Religion and that with great success and had met with great opposition and yet with resolution gone through all yet the Lord tells them that for all this if after this they did forsake the Lord he would forsake them There was in the days of Josiah the most glorious Reformation of Religion that ever we read of in Iudah he was such a King as like unto him was none before him nor after him should arise the like the people entring into a solemn Covenant before God that they would be the Lords people and the Reformation went farther for it was the taking away of the High places also which other Reformers left standing and they kept the Passover unto the Lord such a one as had not been since the time of the Iudges and yet 2 King 23.26,27 notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his wrath Here is a sad and unexpected close of this famous story and that not onely for old sins but Zeph. 1. the Land continued in the same evils still and therefore the Lords controversie continued against them there were the remnants of Baal in the hearts of the people still and there were those that did swear by God by Malchom that did endeavor so to keep up a mixture in Religion and those that were Apostates and were turn'd back from the Lord and men that were setled upon their lees that did say the Lord will neither do good nor evil and for this cause will the Lord search Ierusalem with Candles c. 2 Former mercies will not secure you if you forsake the Lord. It s true that former mercies are of a great engagement unto us to keep close to God the cords of love lay upon men the strongest bonds but yet if they do not oblige us they are not binding unto God It s true that faith may make use of former mercies as an argument to a repenting and returning people as Num. 14.19 Pardon the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now but it is no prevailing Argument for a back-sliding people but the Lord wil say how long shall I bear this evil Congregation and therefore the word is gone out of his mouth and judgement shall the sooner and with the greater fury plead the cause of abused mercy in former deliverances Deut. 28.63 It shall come to pass that as the Lord hath rejoyced over you to do you good so also the Lord will rejoyce over you to destroy you and to bring you to naught the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth signifie to rejoyce summo gaudio incredibili laetitia Answerable unto the joy and delight which the Lord seem●d to take in blessing a people and in building them up such will the delight be which he will seem to take in ruining that people and destroying them If you be not bound by the cords of his law let me tell you he himself will never look upon himself as bound by the cords of his law if they be no ingagement upon you they will be found none upon him in the end Psal 120.4 it is by some understood of the slanders of men but it is by others understood of the judgements of God there shall be mighty and sharp Arrows with coals of juniper that is such as burn with greatest fierceness and longest lasting and such as yield a sweet savor in the burning there is no destruction like unto that when God shall delight to destroy a people he shall laugh at their destruction and mock when their fear comes Fourthly The Lord delights to deal with sinners in a way of proportion and retaliation according to their dealing with him and there shall be the Image of the sin in the judgement that shall be executed upon them that the Lord will but deal with them so as they deal with him if they forsake him this shall be their judgement he will also forsake them If men be invited to the marriage feast of the Kings son and they make excuses they will not come their judgement is they that were ●idden shall not taste of my supper If the people of Israel will not at the command of God go up unto the land of Canaan to take possession they will not enter into Gods rest the Lord saith nay he doth swear in his wrath that they shall not enter and if in the days of their prosperity men will say to the Almighty depart from us in the same proportion will the Lord say unto them in the day of their judgement Depart from me I know you not In those things wherein the sons of men are and their lusts acted and more drawn forth in those the Lord doth delight that their judgement should be The people of Israel were formerly weary of the Prophets as we now are of Ordinances and they did say to them prophesie not and cause the holy one of Israel to cease from us therefore the Lord saith he will cause the Sun to go down upon the Prophets and he makes the day to be dark about them that there should be none that should understand or be able to tell them how long and when they desired Teachers according to their lust and did say Speak to us smooth things and prophesie deceit these rough-spirited men we cannot away with them The Lord saith if any man will prophesie of wine or strong drink he shall be a Prophet unto this people yea even in hell the sins of men shall be their torment and the Lord delights to make them so t is true sin ceases there as it is paenae demeritum for judgement passes onely on men for what is the flesh but not paenae damnatio for damnati blasphemant Deum in hoc peccant sed peccata pertinent ad damnationis poenam c. for what the Lord doth he doth in high displeasure and indignation