Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	holy_a	work_n	2,920	5	5.8290	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77017	A sermon preached before the reverend Committee of divines, the 20th of May 1646 At their usuall place of meeting in Westminster. Vpon a text given the day before, by that godly and learned member of the Assembly Mr John Ley chair-man. By Sampson Bond minister of Gods word, at Mayden-head in Berks. Printed according to order.	Bond, Samson.	1646 (1646)	Wing B3586A; Thomason E346_13; ESTC R201010	38,967	59

vomit yet I am still that Sow that wallowes in her mire though I doe not thrust my hands into new dirt yet the old dirt is still baked upon my hands though mine owne cloathes doe not defile me againe as Job speakes though I doe not relapse to the practise of mine old sinne yet I have none of Jeremies niter and sope none of Iobs snow-water to wash me clean except I come to restitution As long as the heart is set upon things sinfully got thou sinnest over those yeares sins every day thou art not come to the holinesse of this Text for it is a holinesse in all our actions Object If any object can a man come to that holinesse to have a heart so holy as to be pure from all foulenesse saith Salomon Prov. 20. Who can say I have made cleane my heart Answ. Indeed Salamon could not make his heart cleane of himselfe or by any absolute power of his owne yet he had a faculty within him which he did employ so as to be appliable and supple easie and ductile in those wayes to which God called him so when we say that by this terme holy wee are to understand such a holinesse as is a purity and cleannesse in all our actions that is an earnest endeavour after perfection and cleannesse in all our actions to be simply and absolutely holy totally holy is an impossible labour for corrupted man a service that none all having lost those abilities that God gave man at the first can ever reach to wherefore the Lord is graciously pleased to accept our endeavour after perfection and holinesse instead of perfection and holinesse indeed the Law tyed us to the obedience of all that was required in all fulnesse perfectly compleatly without any defect and then promising acceptance but the obedience the Gospell requires is striving to this perfection and holinesse in truth and sincerity desiring and labouring after it in putting out our selves towards it and then promising acceptance through the perfection of Christ in and by which out imperfections are done away appliable to this purpose is that of St. Paul 1. Cor. 7. Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse that is let us employ that faculty that is in our selves let us be appliable and ductile to those wayes to which God hath called us and then wee shall find a power to assist our owne salvation dwelling within us I will give you an instance Mul●er drachma●… invent non extrinsecus sed in domo the woman who had lost her peece of silver found it not without doores but within it was in domo mundata when her house was made cleane so long as her house was foule and filthy it was lost it could not be found but when her house was cleane she found it and it was within the house and within her owne house make cleane thy house by the assistances which Christ affords thee in his Church and thou shalt never faile finding of that within thee which shall save thee not that it growes in thee naturally or that thou canst produce it of thy selfe but that God hath bo●…●… himselfe by his holy Covenant to perfect his worke every man that workes with him so then repenting of former sinnes in breaking off the practise of those sinnes in restoring whatsoever was gotten by those sinnes in precluding all relapses by a diligent survay and examination of particular actions this is this holinesse which constitutes our second property And the third is 3. Prop. Acceptable This is a consequence of holinesse that which is holy will be acceptable and nothing is acceptable except it be holy the Apostle gives us a caveat 2. Joh. 8. to take heed that we lose not the things wee have wrought that is if a man in his serving of God either publikely or privately be carelesse and negligent his sacrrfice will be lost i. not accepted because not zealous not holy where holinesse is wanting there a corrupt heart is present Now nothing proceeding from a corrupt heart can be acceptable or pleasing to God even our prayers are unsavoury unwelcome sacrifices if proceeding from an unholy mouth no words sound well in his eares but such as are consonant to his word and Minister grace to the bearers Let my prayer saith the Psalmist be directed to thee as incense prayer must be directed not suddenly throwne up without faith or understanding wisdome and intention must direct it not to Saints and Angels but to God as it must be directed and that to God so in the third place it must bee directed as incense from a burning ●enser that is a zealous heart is this to pray and praise God acceptably to draw neare to him with our lips when our hearts are farre from him to lift up our eyes and hands to heaven when our minds are on earthly things is thus to pray unto or praise God to vent our unhallowed desires and indigested thoughts wee know not how no surely this is not to offer to God according to the direction of the Prophet Hos. 14. vitulos labiorum the calves of our lips but labia vitulorum the lips of Calves no unsavoury prayers proceeding from a corrupt heart are pleasing to God because whatsoever is acceptable must be Holy it being a consequence of holinesse But I suppose the word acceptable is not to be applyed to Holy but to sacrifice Now our sacrifice viz. our obedience and good workes are not acceptable in themselves because of much defect and imperfection in them which have the nature of sinne I doe not say they are sins but that they have the nature of sin sin cleaves to them but if any object how can the sacrifice of obedience and good works have the nature of sin when they proceed from the spirit of God As they proceed from the spirit of God they have no tincture of sin but the next causes are corrupt which are an understanding but in part enlightned a will but in part sanctified indeed as far as these are spiritual the works that proceed from them are holy and good but as far as they are flesh they are corrupted stained the works of the regenerate are good per se but sin per accidens doth alter the matter but in my opinion this one thing is necessary to be understood as God judgeth not according to the Law but according to the Gospel for our best sacrifice cannot endure the strict rigour of the Law if the Lord judge thereby wee must all perish but there is hope in the Gospel by Jesus Christ in whom God is wel pleased with the faithfull and with their workes this should oblige us unto Christ by whom wee are accepted and without whom we are vessels of wrath even as the very dung of the earth well then is it so that God doth accept us our persons and sacrifices in Christ how happy are they that have an interest in Christ by faith faith

takes that from Christ which is wanting in us and our workes that so both become a sacrifice acceptable faith taketh that from Christ which removeth the evill from our best actions that they are pardoned and then accepted here is comfort for the Christian heart If thou bee united to Christ Christ by his divine power will free thee not only from the power and dominion of sinne from the bondage of sinne but when thy hope shall come into thy hand when thy Faith shall meet with fruition Christ will make thee so acceptable in the sight of God that thou shalt see thy Christ so as to bee like him here is such a sight of Christ as never the eye of flesh saw nor can see to see Christ and to be like him to see him as he is here is such a sight as would ravish the soule did wee but know the comforts that are reserved for us in Christ eye hath not seene that which wee shall see in Christ heart cannot conceive what degrees of happinesse and glory we shall find in Christ but this wee know that when our expectation shall enjoy a fruition wee shall see him as hee is and see him so as to be like him in the meane season let our hearts humbly rest with Christ I say humbly because we put no hand to this worke no more then the dead body of Lazarus could helpe the raysing of him no more then a creature being nothing can helpe to its owne creation no more can a Sinner helpe forward this worke of his acceptation therefore thou hast in these thy dayes of hope cause to be humbled for not putting the least helping hand to this worke it is wholly supernaturall therefore let not any one arrogate any thing to the power of his Free-will but remember the work is wholly supernaturall which brings us to our last part Which is your reasonable service in this last property two things might be handled first the thing it selfe service then the manner of it reasonable I shall only name the first time will hardly grant me that 1. Service is that worship which wee performe to God proceeding from a beleeving and sanctified mind c. 2. Reasonable this word Reasonable is to be taken for that of which a reason may bee given and so the worship and service of God may be called reasonable because the Beleever can render a reason for all and every part thereof and indeed that worship and service is farre from faith which is not reasonable hence is that of the Prophet Psal. 32.9 Be not as the Horse or the Mule which have no understanding whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle lest they come neere unto thee that is first the worship and service void of understanding is so farre from Faith that it is brutish next those that worship and serve being empty of understanding in the sense of the Prophet are like Beasts rather than men for saith David Be not like Horse or Mule which have no understanding c. Here David forbids men a descent into certaine particular depravations of our nature in those qualities which are intimated and specified in the nature and disposition of those two Beasts the Horse and the Mule Be not as the Horse or the Mule aske wherfore quia non intellectus not because they have no Faith but because they have no Vnderstanding for then it is impossible that ever they should have Faith and so it is a reason proportioned to our reason doe not so for it will vitiate it will annihilate your understanding your reason and then what are you for supernaturall or for naturall knowledge that I may come a little closer you must know that the Prophets purpose in this Psalme is instruction the substance is peace with God in the merits of Christ declared in a holy life which being the sum of all our Christian profession is far beyond this understanding mentioned by David here they have no understanding but yet upon this understanding God rayses that great building therfore we take this understanding this faculty into a more particular consideration Here is the danger he that at ripe years hath no understanding hath no grace a little understanding may have much grace but he that hath none of the former can have none of this therfore as David here maketh understanding the foundation of al superdifications i of all vertues graces so Paul in our Text maketh Reason the touch-stone to try our spirituall estate if the service be not reasonable the sacrifice is not living holy acceptable wherefore you may as well call him an Anatomist that knows how to pare a naile or cut a corne or him a Surgeon that knows how to cut and curle haire as allow him the name of a Preacher which hath not the Prophets understanding nor the Apostles reason for though Animalis homo the naturall man perceiveth not the things of God yet let him be what man hee will naturall or supernaturall hee must be a man that must prove and discerne the spirit let him have as much more as you will it is requisite he have so much reason and understanding as to perceive the maine points of religion not that he must necessarily have a naturall explicite reason for every Article of Faith but it were fit he had reason to prove that those Articles need not reason to prove them If I beleeve upon the authority of my Teacher or of the Church or of the Scripture very expedient it were to have reason to prove to my selfe that these authorities are certaine and irrefragable And therefore caeteris animalibus se ignorare natura est homini vitium If a Horse or a Mule understand not it selfe it is never the worse horse or mule for it is borne with that ignorance But if man having opportunities both in respect of his parts and calling to be better instructed yet will not but either by a negligent and lazie and implicite relying upon the opinion of others doe but lay himselfe down as a leafe upon the water to be caried along with the tyde or by a wilfull drowsines and security in his error of wickednesse it 's the Apostles expression 2 Pet. have given over the debatement the discussing the understanding of the maine of his beliefe and of his life if either hee keepe not his understanding awake or over-watch it if he doe nothing with it or imploy it too busie too fervently too eagerly so as with Nadab and Abihu to offer up strange fire I would it were true of them facti sicut you are like the Horse and the Mule but utinam essetis I would you were so well as the Horse and the Mule who though they have no understanding have no forfeiture no losse no abuse of Scripture as in 2 Pet. 3. among the which some things are hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do