Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	ghost_n	holy_a	son_n	5,168	5	5.9174	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01979	The vvhole-armor of God: or A Christians spiritual furniture, to keepe him safe from all the assaults of Satan First preached, and now the second time published and enlarged for the good of all such as well vse it:whereunto is also added a treatise of the sinne against the Holy Ghost. By VVilliam Gouge B.D. and preacher of Gods Word in Blacke Fryers London. ...; Panoplia tou Theou	Gouge, William, 1578-1653.	1619 (1619)	STC 12123; ESTC S103304	450,873	662

obtaine and what conditionally as all temporall things and such like as may make sometime to their aduantage and sometime to their damage These they pray for with a subiection of their owne wils to Gods as Christ vnto his Father Not as I will but as thou wilt and the Leaper to Christ If thou wilt thou canst make mee cleane and Dauid to God Behold here I am let him doe to mee as seemeth good in his eyes That which was obiected of Moses Samuel Noah Daniel Iob is but a meere supposition not a thing done besides it is said They should deliuer their owne soules so as their Prayers should not be without profit §. 22. Of the sixth motiue the efficacy of Prayer 3 SVch is the efficacy of Prayer as nothing can bee more powerfull for it preuaileth ouer all creatures whether reasonable or vnreasonable and of reasonable both visible as man and inuisible as Angels whether euill or good yea it preuaileth with the Creator himselfe 1 Daniel by Prayer stopped the mouthes of Lyons among whom he was cast 2 By Dauids Prayer was Achitophels wisdome turned into foolishnesse By Iaakobs Prayer was Esaus wrath allaied By Mordichaies Esthers Prayer was Hamans malice like Sauls sword turned into his own bowels By Hezekiahs Praier was the whole hoste of Senacherib ouerthrown One faithful mās prayer is more forcible thē the power of a whole army witnes the example of Moses who lift vp his hand while Israel fought against Amalek 3 By Prayer the Diuel when he hath gotten fastest hold and surest possession is cast out It is here in this Text laid downe as a meanes to subdue the forenamed principalities and powers 4 If Christ would haue prayed he might haue had more then twelue legions of good Angels to guard him At Elishahs Prayer a mountaine was full of horses and chariots of fire round about it Obiect If Prayer be thus powerfull with Angls it is good to pray vnto them Answ The Angels are prest onely to Gods seruice and alwayes behold his face when he sends they go and not when we call them Now our Prayer moueth God to send them and thus at our Prayer they come to guide vs. Vnreasonable creatures by Prayer are restrained from hurting vs and made seruiceable is it therefore reason that we should pray vnto them 5 By Prayer Iaakob had power ouer the Angel which was the Angell of the couenant Christ Iesus true God who therefore was called Israel because he preuailed with God Prayer so far preuaileth with God that it euen forceth a blessing from him whereupon we are saide ●o striue or wrestle in Prayer to God and * stayeth and holdeth him backe when he is going out in wrath and causeth him to repent and reuerse his sentence pronounced §. 23. In what respects men are said to preuaile with God by Prayer Obiect THis may seeme to impeach the immutability and omnipotency of God If man preuaile with him how is he almighty if he repent how is he vnchangeable Answ Those phrases of preuailing with God of holding him of his repenting and the like are spoken figuratiuely after the manner of men for our better vnderstanding Voluntarily God yeeldeth to all that he seemeth to be forced vnto yea he hath before-hand determined so to doe but as he appointeth the thing to be done so the meanes whereby it is done without the meanes nothing shall be done vpon a right vse of the meanes all things shall be effected now prayer being the meanes appointed by God of procuring blessing and auoyding iudgement Prayer may fitly be said in regard of that order which God hath voluntarily set downe to be of power with God §. 24. Of extraordinary effects of Prayer MAny admirable and extraordinary are the things which the Prayers of Gods faithfull children haue in all ages effected At Moses Prayer the red Sea was diuided asunder At Iosuahs Prayer the Sunne stayed his course At Hezekiahs Prayer it turned backward At Eliahs Prayer raine was stayed three yeeres and an halfe together infinite it were to reckon vp all particulars I wil bring to your remembrance onely one which among and aboue the rest is most remarkeable which is concerning Christs Prayer at his baptisme by the power wherof first the heauens were clouen Secondly the holy Ghost descended downe vpon him Thirdly the Father gaue an euident and audible testimony that Christ was his beloued Sonne whereby is declared that the Prayers of Gods children pierce the heauens make the holy Ghost to come into them and cause God to witnesse that they are his children though not so visibly and audibly yet as truely and effectually §. 25. Of the vse which we may make of efficacy of extraordinary Prayers Obiect THese are extraordinary examples of extraordinary persons who had an extraordinary spirit so as ordinary persons can looke for no such matters As for Christ he was the true naturall Sonne of God Answ 1 These things are recorded to shew the power and efficacy of Prayer To which purpose Saint Iames alledgeth that extraordinary example of the Prayer of Eliah And the argument will well follow from the greater to the lesse For if God heard his seruants in extraordinary matters will he not much more heare vs in such ordinary matters as we stand in need of and he hath promised to giue vs 2 Though Christ were the only begotten Son of God and the proper obiect of his loue yet in and thorow Christ God hath adopted vs to be his children and with that loue he beareth vnto Christ he loueth vs so as if we call vpon him in Christs name he will hearken vnto to vs as vnto his children and accept of our Prayers as if Christ had made them for he offereth them vp vnto his Father Thus we see that the prayer of a righteous man auaileth much §. 26. Of the seuenth motiue the honour of Praying 4 THere is no one thing wherein and whereby God doth more honour his seruants then by vouchsafing vnto them this high priuiledge and sauour to pray vnto him By prayer haue the Saints a free accesse vnto the glorious throne of Gods grace yea they haue a familiar acquaintance with him It is a great prerogatiue that God in his Word vouchsafeth to speake to man but not comparable to this that man should talke with God God by his Word speaketh to all euen to the wicked and rebellious but none but Saints by Prayer speake to him the Prayer of the wicked is no Prayer but meere lip-labour We know that it implyeth much more familiarity for an inferiour freely to speake to his superior then a superior to his inferior Esther though a Queene accounted it a great fauour that she was louingly and kindly accepted when she approached into the presence of a mortall Monarch Now

such like place of learning to gather more more knowledge and vnderstanding of diuinity but neuer exercise themselues in vtterance neuer pray nor vse any meane to attaine thereto no though they be admitted Ministers inducted into liuings and haue taken vpon them the cure of soules Though they may know much yet their people are not edified thereby But what may we say of such as want both knowledge and speech such as the Prophet complaineth of saying Their watchmen are blind they are dumbe dogs they cannot barke they lie and sleepe c. These are the very bane of our Church and the dishonour thereof they take vp the places of better then themselues they take the fleece of the flocke but feede it not they driue away many from our Churches and offend more that tarry in it good they doe to none but much hurt and heavy is that account which another day they are to make vnto the Lord of the Haruest it had beene better both for the Church and also for themselues that they had been made carters then Ministers of the Word §. 158. Of Pauls gift of vtterance TO returne to our Apostle had not he the gift of vtterance if he had why both he make this request Doe men pray for that they haue Answ No doubt but he had an excellent and admirable vtterance for when they preached at Lystr● the Gentiles called him Mercurius whom they accounted the God of eloquence The many Sermons of his and Orations and apologies which are recorded in the Acts are euident demonstrations of his elegant and powerfull vtterance as also of his boldnesse and freedome of speech Obiect Hee himselfe confesseth that hee was rude in speech Answ That was said not simply but partly by way of supposition as if he had said many may and doe take me to be rude in speech well grant it to be so yet none can imagine that I am so in knowledge and partly by way of comparison in regard of the foolish vaine thetoricall flourish and shew of eloquence which other ●alse Teachers and many heathen Orators made as if he had said In regard of that curious verball eloquence which many vse I denie not but I am rude in speech In this respect he plainely saith That he came not with excellency of speech and that his preaching was not with intioing words But for good and true vtterance none went beyond him Wanted he vtterance when hee made Felix and Drusilla tremble as hee reasoned of righteousnesse and temperance and of the iudgement to come Or when he caused King Agrippa to breake out in the midst of his speech and say Almost thou perswadest me to become a Christian §. 159. Of praying for gifts bestowed YEt hee desired that vtterance should be prayed for in his behalfe not without good reason for well hee knew that 1 That which he had was not so perfect but it might be bettered 2 God could take it away whensoeuer it pleased him 3 Hee could no longer vse it then God continued to enable him 4 No blessing could bee expected by it vnlesse God made it powerfull From the practise of the Apostle from these weighty reasons thereof I gather Such gifts as God hath once bestowed are still to be prayed for Compare the eighth and seauenteenth verses of the first Chapter of this Epistle together and you shall finde how the Apostle saith that God hath beene abundant toward them in all wisdome and yet prayeth God to giue them the Spirit of wisdome Compare the 3. and 9. verses of Colos 1. and ye may gather as much Vse 1 Haue not those that are best furnished neede to pray themselues and haue the helpe of others prayers Suppose they should be destitute of no needfull gift yet we see prayer is needfull for the gifts we haue Vse 2 They are too insolent who hauing receiued some gifts trust to themselues and look not to God who gaue them Thus many ventring to swim alone are drowned Many that haue good gifts perish themselues and are a cause that others perish with them For sonne fall into grosse heresies some into a vaine kind of affectation some forget that which once they had some grow very sots and dolts By these and many other wayes doth God iustly punish the pride of Ministers §. 160. Of opening the mouth THe next point concerneth the manner of vtterance the first branch whereof is opening the mouth the second boldnesse which according to the originall may thus be set downe Pray for me that vtterance may be giuen me in opening my mouth boldly to publish c. Or thus With opening my mouth in boldnesse This opening of the mouth is not to be taken as a meere pleonasme or redundancy of speech as when we say I saw with mine eyes opened or h●ard with mi●e eares 〈◊〉 but as a speciall emphasis implying a plaine distinct audible deliuery and that according to the literall meaning of the phrase This phrase is sometimes taken figuratiuely for a free and bold deliuery of a mans mind 〈…〉 is more plainely expressed in the next 〈…〉 againe for freedome and liberty to speake but that is set downe in the next verse Wherefore I take it in the literall sence opposed to an euill vnbeseeming shamefastnesse which maketh men speake whisperingly betwixt the teeth and lips as if they were loath to be heard §. 161. Of deliuering the Word distinctly and audibly FRom the meaning of this phrase I gather that Ministers ought to vtter the Word distinctly and audibly so as it may be heard and vnderstood the Prophets were commanded to cry yea to cry aloud and lift vp their voice to cry in the eares of the people Thus did Wisdome Shee cried without and vttered her voice in the streets This manifesteth an holy zeale in Ministers and sheweth that they are not ashamed of their function but desirous of the good of the people In this respect doth the Apostle vse this phrase where he saith O Corinthians our mouth is open vnto you Besides by this manner of deliuering the Word is the eare more pierced and the heart more affected Vse Heere then may such parents iustly be censured as hauing children whose speech is so weake as well it cannot be heard of many or so stuttering as well it cannot be vnderstood doe yet traine them vp to be Preachers Vnder which censure come they also who hauing such speech doe notwithstanding thrust themselues into the Ministry and not so onely but also affect and seeke to preach in spacious and populous places it cannot be but that many which come to heare must needs be depriued of the benefit of their preaching The voice is an especiall thing to be respected in such as are set apart vnto the Ministry If one that cannot bee heard or vnderstood should come vpon a stage he would be hissed oft againe why