Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	fruit_n	good_a	tree_n	4,830	5	9.4106	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12991	A sermon preached at Paules Crosse on Barthelmew day, being the 24. of August. 1578 Wherin, besides many other profitable matters meete for all Christians to follovv, is at large prooued, that it is the part of all those that are fathers, householders, and scholemaisters, to instruct all those vnder their gouernement, in the vvord and knovvledge of the Lorde. By Iohn Stockvvood scholemaister of Tunbridge.	Stockwood, John, d. 1610.	1578 (1578)	STC 23284; ESTC S106625	73,966	202

priuate Popishe teachers to be sought after and sifted as wel to staye the present mischiefe as also to méete with before hande the hurte that may by suffering them grow hereafter And to ende this matter in whiche albeit I haue in long I hope the necessitie and profite of it shall easily with the godlye procure my pardon I likewise hartily desire all teachers of youth not to suffer themselues to be founde lesse diligent in a good cause than the Papistes in a badde not to be lesse carefull to instructe their children in the feare of the Lorde than the Papistes are to traine vp theirs in Poperie not to be lesse mindeful to teache their schollers the true religion than the Papistes to learne theirs the false As for the rest of you beloued that are here present if any of you with Cornēlius haue laboured all his familie to feare the Lorde you haue like obedient children béene carefull to performe that duetie whiche GOD hathe layde vppon you and so in the Lordes name I exhorte you to go forwarde and those of you that hitherto for want of knowledge haue omitted this duetie of instructing your families with Cornelius in the feare of the Lord nowe that it hathe béene euidentlye proued vnto you to be youre charge no person of what calling soeuer to be excepted adde not I beséeche you to youre knowledge contempte but diligent and spéedie practise and putting it in vre For it is a fearefull thing to fall into the handes of the Lorde Take encouragement by the example of Cornelius goe aboute it in the feare of GOD and earnest calling on his name so shall you haue to youre greate reioycing euerye man in his owne house a godlye Churche and with lesse disquieting of your selues with chiding and fighting you shall haue those vnder youre seuerall chardges in singlenesse of conscience to performe suche dueties towards you as in the feare of God to you they doe owe the which for his sonnes sake I beséeche him to graunte In the fifth braunche of this firste generall containing a descriptiō of Cornelius and his qualities I haue to speak of his Almes déedes and Prayer and fyrste of his Almes bicause that is first mentioned in my Texte As before wée haue séene by Cornelius religiousnesse feare of God and vertuous instructing his familie his faith towards God so nowe by hys almes appeareth that he bare a godlye and pittifull affection towardes men in relieuing euerye manne as his necessitie séemed moste to require For where it is saide that he gaue to all the people this All is to be restrained to all the poore among the people for it hadde béene no almes to haue giuen to the riche who had ynough alreadie Iohn the Baptiste taughte the souldioures that asked of him their duetie Th●t they shoulde strike nor accuse no man wrongfully but be contente wyth their owne wages Cornelius hath plaied the good scholler he hath not only perfectly learned that lesson but hath also taken forth an other learning besids being cōtented with his owne stipend out of the same in loue and of a felowe féeling of the miseries of his poore brethren to contribute vnto their necessities for it cannot be chosen but in whome soeuer there is true Religion and the feare of God in the same also there muste néedes be loue a brotherly compassiō not only to pitie but also to helpe the wants of those that stande in néede so farre forth as by the portion of good the whiche the Lorde hathe blessed vs withall he hath enabled vs And that out of this loue this ●elow féeling this compassion this pitie did issue in Cornelius his charitable relieuing of the poore the very word it selfe whyche Luke doeth here vse for almes doth planely shewe For it properly signifieth Mercie whiche is an inwarde affection and touching of the hearte rising of the viewe of an other mans miserie and is here put figuratiuely for all outwarde dueties of Charitie whereby we doe good vnto suche as are in pouertie necessitie Wherefore in as muche as Cornelius is here said to haue bestowed much almes amongst all the people it is euident that there was in him a righte Christian hearte and bowels of mercie whiche didde yerne and as it were melt at the calamities of his brethren which did consider the band of vnitie which ought to be betwéene members of all one heade Christ Iesus who in this respect did féede foster and cherishe prouide and care for them as béeing of his own flesh and had regarde to helpe them as the very members of his owne body There is therefore no question but that Cornelius liberalitie and bounteousnesse springing oute of this fountaine of brotherly compassion was no fained counterfaite nor forged but true right and perfecte beneficence almes and liberalitie Wée learne firste out of this great almes of Cornelius that it is not sufficient to haue the name of Faith to be religious to feare God vnlesse also thys faith doe fructifie and bring forth good fruites according to that whyche Iames writeth What auaileth it my brethren thoughe a man saith he hath faith when he hath no workes can the faith saue him And againe But wilte thou vnderstande O thou vaine man that the faith which is without workes is deade And marke withall I beséeche you the manner of his speache for it maketh being rightly vnderstoode verye muche againste the Popishe Iusticiaries of oure time whiche teache oute of hym that manne is iustified by his workes whiche wordes in déede he vseth he doth not saye What if a man haue faith but what if a man say he haue faith by whiche appeareth that he speaketh of hipocrites and vaine boasters of faith For the true and liuely faith can be no more without workes than the fire withoute heate than water without moisture the Sunne without brightnesse the good trée without his good fruite And where hée sayeth that Abraham with Rahab were iustified by their workes he meaneth that their outward workes before men were testimonies of their inwarde faith before God and not that their workes were the causes of their saluation for so shoulde he be against all the Scriptures whiche teache that Faith onely doth iustifie and so likewise we shoulde make the holye Ghoste contrarye to himselfe whiche were verye wicked so muche as to thinke muche more to speake Wée therefore teache out of this example of Cornelius good déedes and suche other lyke vertuous actions of godlye men togyther with the aucthoritie of the holye Scripture that it is the parte of a Christian to doe good workes yea that whosoeuer he be that doeth no good workes he is indéede no more a true Christian than a deade carcasse a liuing man. Wherefore the Papistes doe vs greate iniurie in filling the eares of the simple and ignorant people that our doctrine is a doctrine of libertie that we teache men to liue looselie and lewdely that we are enimies vnto

good works whereas in very déede we doe the flatte contrarie We will menne to beware that they vse not the libertie of the Gospell for a cloake of maliciousnesse wée teache them to serue the Lorde in feare in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of their life We will men to let their light so shine before men that they séeing their good workes maye glorifie oure heauenlye father whiche is in heauen But herein lyeth the difference betwéene them and vs we teache that Works come after Fayth they that they go before Faith wée that they folow him that is alreadye iustified they that they goe before him that is to be iustified wée that they are the fruites of faith they that they be the trée out of whyche Faith buddeth we that faith is the cause of workes they that workes are the cause of Faith. And with as muche truth maye they teache that lighte is cause of the Sunne that heate is the cause of fire that moisture is the cause of water To be shorte we teache that the worde of the Lorde only is the measure by whiche oure workes are to be moten they that the wil of manne and good intent But howsoeuer they teache or whatsoeuer they saye thus sayeth the Scripture and thus teacheth the worde of God without Faith it is impossible to please God. Whereof I conclude that as after the example of Cornelius a Christian muste doe good workes so must he haue Faith before or else howe glorious soeuer they séeme in the sighte of man before the Lorde they stincke and are abhominable And therefore is it also in this place verye well saide of Cornelius firste that he was a religious man and one that feared GOD and secondly that he gaue muche almes to all the people Thus you sée that in hym went firste faith religion and the feare of God and then that these were not ydle his good workes and déedes doe declare And thus lette Papistes saye what they liste wée teache that in Christians it oughte to be and with their owne eies in a greate manye they may sée it for to be and God graunte that in all those that doe professe hys name and religion it maye be I meane that all suche as doe in worde confesse Christe Iesus to be the Lorde maye in déede with Cornelius so godlye walke that by their liuing before the worlde they maye be taken for Christians Secondlye we haue here a rule gyuen vs howe to examine and trie that whiche we giue to the poore whether it he almes or no. For to haue that whiche is giuen so to be doth not consiste in the greatnesse of that whiche is bestowed but in the minde and disposition of the giuer for who commonly are so liberall or rather in very déede prodigall and lauishe as are hipocrites that in giuing gréedily hawk and hunt after the praise commendation of men and therefore as Christe sayeth blow a Trumpet before their almes but they haue their reward neyther shall the greate sums that they distribute and bestowe euer come into this reckning before the Lord that he wil accept and take it for almes that is for such a worke as doth please him bicause it is not done in such sort as he commandeth That therefore whiche we giue shal then goe before the Lord for almes if it be as the holy ghost here speaketh of Cornelius his liberalitie mercie that is to say if it procéede of loue and of a brotherlye pitying the miserie of him which is in néede as reckening him to be one of our own flesh and so in regarde of this neare bande and coniunction which God hath made betwéen vs we do as it wer out of the vowels of mercie and compassion liberallie powre oute vppon hym as one of our own members for the reliefe of his necessitie according to the measure whiche God hathe blessed vs withal For as Paule speaketh Though I feed the poore with all my goods and haue not loue it profiteth mee nothing And the Lord by his Prophet Isay commaundeth vs that we hide not oure face from our owne fleshe So you sée that if our giuing issue out of any other heads than out of loue and a fellowe féeling of the wantes of oure néedie brethren in that they be oure very owne fleshe it is as nothing before GOD. Whereof I conclude that all the large giuings of the Papists of whiche at this daye many make so greate bragges bycause they be not done in a reuerent regarde of the commaundement of the Lorde in Loue and of an inwarde being touched with the calamities of the néedie but for to be well reported of before men whilest they are aliue and to be praied for after they are dead and by the meanes of thē to be deliuered from the paines of Purgatorie so to win Heauen are indéede no almes but Pharisaicall trūpets to win a brittle blast of glorie at the hāds of men They haue therefore as Christe sayeth their rewarde that is to say the thing they soughte for to wit the praise and commendation of mē as for reward at Gods handes they neither haue nor euer shall haue vnlesse in doing theyr almes they sette before them a reuerent regarde of the Lords commaundement and in loue and mercie frame thēselues to helpe their néedie brother Wherefore deare Christians I directe my speeche vnto you whome GOD in great mercie hathe blessed with plentifull increase of the riches of this worlde whereas hée coulde haue made you inferioure to the meanest Lette Cornelius his example who gaue much almes to al the people moue you to be liberall to help the poore as he by giuing franckly to the people of the Iews being none of his natiō did therby testifie his consēt to their religion so by your giuing vnto the godly brethrē and to poore Schollers that stande in néede giue out testimonie that you all hope for one saluation in Christe for whose sake you shewe this mercie in relieuing his and youre members Giue not as Hipocrites and Papistes for praise or for to merite thereby Heauen But let that whiche you doe be done in loue and in mercie and so will it be a swéete smelling sacrifice in the sighte of the almightie And truly it cannot be chosen but if you putte vppon you loue with the tender bowels of pitie and compassion you will be riche in good workes and plentifull in giuing vnto the poore For where there is no giuing there is no loue and little giuing sheweth little pitie whereas greate loue much mercie in such as GOD hathe enriched with abilitie bringeth forth greate giuing and muche almes Deceiue not therefore youre selues with a vaine perswasion of Loue when ye will departe with nothing For loue alwayes bursteth forth into helying the thing that it loueth insomuche that a man will not suffer hys verye dogge to lacke if he loue hym muche lesse his Christian and godlye brother neither