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	know_v	let_v	2,834	5	4.0034	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26689	Divers practical cases of conscience satisfactorily resolved ... to which are added some counsels & cordials / by Joseph Alleine ...	Alleine, Joseph, 1634-1668.	1672 (1672)	Wing A969; ESTC R170093	56,044	102

shall live or die If a man were upon a tryal for his life what would it avail him that all his fellow prisoners and the whole crowd about him were for him when the whole Bench and Jury were against him If your Lives and Estates were in question to whom would you go to make your friend the Iudge or the People Sirs be convinced that if God be against you t is as bad as if God and all the world were against you For all signifies nothing without him Oh whatever you do study to get in and keep in with him I tell you the time is coming when the breath of men will signifie nothing when their Commendation will do you no good O man though all the world should give thee their hands and subscribe thy Certificate it would signifie nothing in Gods account or his Court. Many build their hopes for Heaven upon the good opinion that others have of them But I tell thee man though thou couldst carry Letters of commendation with thee when thou diest and all the Ministers of the Gospel should give thee their Bene discessit all would be no more then a blank paper and he would not save thee a jot the sooner if he should find thee to have been but a secret hypocrite a rotten-hearted Professor all the while Pr. 5. That God would not be pleased with you in any thing except you make it your care to please him well in every thing You will be one day ashamed except you have respect to all Gods Commandments Psal. 119. 6. you have not a good conscience except it be your care in all things to live honestly Heb. 13. 18. If Naaman must be excused in one thing to bow in the house of Rimmon that he might not displease his Master this is enough to spoil every thing 2 Kings 5. 18. Some will needs keep Gods good will and the worlds too and so will give both their turns They will serve God at home and conform to the world abroad and it shall be a great thing indeed that they will not swallow rather then lose the good will of men especially great men These men have two faces and two tongues the one for the good and the other for the bad company that they come into Some held two first principles the one the common Fountain of all good which is God and the other the cause of all evil and they worshipped both the good principle for love and the evil for fear Just such a Religion are many among us now of But let them know whoever they are that while they grasp all they lose all For God will never own time-servers nor men-pleasers for the Servants of Christ Ephes. 6. 6. Gal. 1. 10. 3. With reference to your practices And here as ever you desire to come up to this blessed life of doing always those things that please God you must carefully follow these six Rules Rule 1. Look round about you to the whole latitude and compass of your duty Great is the latitude of Christianity The Commandment is exceeding broad Psal. 119. 96. And many Professors do scarce look more then one way but while they intensly mind one thing they neglect another It may be while they are taken up with the care of religious duties they forget relative duties Or they are careful of personal duties but very remiss in the duties that they owe to the souls of their families Or they complain and mourn over their own sins but lay not to heart others sins It may be they are more punctual in their more immediate duties towards God but are very negligent in their duties towards men or they will spend much time for their souls but do little lay to heart the case of the Church and the misery of perishing souls that are round about them Possible they keep the Sabbath strictly and pray and hear and fear an oath but in the mean time make little conscience of breaking their promises passing hasty and uncharitable censures spending time vainly being unprofitable in their discourse Close handed to godly uses suffering sin to go unreproved letting out their passions at every petty cross Many will mind their duty to them that are within and in the mean time are very short in their duties to them that are without This is too common a case Where is the Christian almost that seriously bethinks himself what might I do to win souls It may be you will go into the company of the godly where you may be edified but when do you go to your poor neighbours whom you see to live in a sinful state and tell him of his danger and labour to gain him unto Christ yea so much is this great duty neglected and out of fashion that I am afraid many question whether it be a duty or no. As if you might let sin lie upon the soul of your Brother and yet be innocent Levit. 19. 17. If it were but his Oxe or his Ass that lay ready to perish you would make no question but it were your duty to help him out of the ditch And do you think in earnest that you owe more to these then you do to his soul Is it to Ministers only or to all Believers that Scripture belongs Prov. 11. 30. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and be that winneth souls is wise Surely the lives of too many Christians do speak the same language that Cain spake with his mouth Am I my Brothers keeper Gen. 4. 9. 'T is true God will have you keep every one within the bounds of your proper stations but so as to take occasions yea to seek occasions as you are able to be doing good to others Do you not know how to get within your poor neighbours Carry an alms with you do him a kindness oblige him by your courteous and winning carriage Then I shall look to see the Kingdom of Christ flourish gloriously when every one that professeth godliness shall arise and take hold of the skirt of his neighbour Oh see your neglects in this Do not think it enough to keep your own Vineyard Let your Friends and Neighbours have no quiet for you till you see them setting in good earnest to seek after Heaven Oh if you might bring in but every one his man to Christ what a blessed thing were this I lose my self in this Argument but I am content to do so this duty being so miserably neglected Too many live as if Religion lay all in praying and hearing holy conference and the like forgetting that pure Religion and undefiled is this to visit the Fatherless and the Widow in their affliction Jam. 1. 27. The other should be so done as that this should not be left undone You make conscience of being just and true and faithful but do you not forget to win upon others by your kindness and affableness as if it were not written in your Bibles be pitiful be courteous having compassion

make it a Solemn standing and constant exercise and to expect of your children and servants as due an account weekly of what they have learnt in the Principles of Religion as of any business of your own Oh the incredible benefit that would speedily come of this if I could but perswade and prevail with my hearers in so small a request as this 2. That you be often enquiring into their spiritual estates Follow them close and let them have no quiet till you see they seriously mind and seek spirituall things Put them upon secret Prayer Provide helps for them till they are able to go without them Shew them often the necessity of Regeneration and Conversion and the nature thereof Put them in mind of the fearfull misery of an unregenerate estate Ask them often whether they are Converted or not Shew them the danger of delaying in such a case Beloved 't is too sadly evident that as the Ordinances are now somwhere managed there is little of Conversion work like to be done Oh you Governours of Families do but your duty in your several places and I doubt not but many Souls will nevertheless be Born to Christ even in such a day as this 3. Call them to an account of their proficiency by every opportunity If there be but a Sermon or a Chapter read let them give you some account of it Thus our Saviour when the Disciples his Family were in private he was asking them whether they did understand and profit by what they heard in publick Mat. 13. 1. Coun. IX Be not discouraged by the present Difficulties of Religion but rather rejoyce in the opportunity to shew your Love and Loyalty to your Lord. Do not think God hath dealt hardly with you now your Religion is like to cost you something and presently think of shrinking and drawing back to preserve your safety If you do love the Lord Jesus you should Rejoyce and be exceeding glad in the opportunity to shew it Brethren what hath your Religion cost you hitherto And for shame suffer not your shrinking and withdrawing to tell the world that you have not Love enough to Christ to engage you to run any hazard for him Do you indeed Love the Lord oh then now rejoyce and be exceeding glad for never had you such an opportunity in all your lives to shew your Love as now For never were you called to adventure so for him and his service as now you be Now resolve that if Religion will make you Vile you will be yet more Vile and let your Zeal and resolution for God be intended and heightened by the opposition The Cordials follow which are Sacracrament-Cordials Most Dearly Beloved Brethren THis holy Sacrament is appointed as a Sealing Ordinance between Christ and you The Covenants are made the terms agreed to on both sides God is willing to be yours to all intents and purposes your Shield and exceeding great Reward your Refuge and your Rest your God and your Guide While Christ hath it you shall never want and what God is to him that he in your order will be to you You again through grace are willing to be his His in his own way and on his own terms willing to serve him willing to fashion your selves after him willing to be betrothed to him and to be commanded by him to use his remedies to follow his counsels and to acquiesce in him as your Blessedness Thus all are agreed the Articles are drawn The Covenants both on Gods part and yours are ready written And here you are come to put all past controversie and mutually to seal and subscribe Oh happy and blessed meeting Christians do not forget your errand Remember where you are and what you are come for and know that you are upon the solemnest transaction that ever passed between the Creator and the Creature It is Gods admirable condescention that he will be tied to us and enter into bonds to us to bless us and reward us And because our Faith is weak he hath brought his Surety with him the Lord Jesus Christ who is a Surety on his part as well as ours to undertake for the fulfilling of the promises And he hath brought the visible signs and pledges by which all shall be firmly past and ratified before your eyes This is the New Testament in my Bloud Luke 22. 20. Written in my Bloud Ratified in my bloud Oh Sirs this is that which God doth here reach forth unto you with his own hand this day The New Testament in Christs Bloud Christians prepare your Ears And rouze up your Faith and now believe and hear some of the blessed Articles of that Covenant that God doth here Sign and Seal to you I shall mention onely Nine which I advise you to lay next your hearts while you have a day to live And you shall find the vertue of these Cordials strong and operative in all conditions Arti. I. That he will fulfil to you the place of all Relations 2 Cor. 6. 18. I will be a Father to you and yee shall be my Sons and Daughters Whatever Children may expect from a Father that you may look for from me I will find you Meat be not thoughtful I know that you have need of all these things Matth. 26. 31 32. You shall be Clothed out of my Ward-robe Matth. 6. 28 29 30. and wear my Livery And when you have need of Correction I will Remember to do it in mercy and you shall find that as a man chastneth his Son so the Lord your God chasteneth you Deut. 8. 5. I will be a Husband to you and will betroth you unto me for ever Hosea 2. 19. You shall not need to fear your Maker is your Husband I will give you my choice Love I will give you my heart I will be a Lord and Soveraign to you The Lord is your Iudge The Lord is your Law-giver The Lord is your King Fear not the unrighteousness of men I will judge your cause I will defend your Rights you shall not stand or fall at mans Bar you shall not be cast at their Votes Let them Curse I will Bless Let them Condemn I will Justifie Who shall accuse when I shall acquit you Who shall lay any thing to your charge when I do discharge you When you come upon trial for your life to have your eternal state decided you shall see your Friend your Father on the Bench And you shall surely stand in judgment and be found at the right hand among the sheep and hear the King say Come yee Blessed I will be a Shepherd to you fear no evil for I am with you you shall not want for I will feed you you shall not wander to be lost for I will restore you I will cause you to lie down in green Pastures and lead you beside the still waters if my Officers be careless I will do it my self As for you O my flock thus saith the Lord God I will judge between