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	work_n	2,986	5	5.9689	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49289	An alarm to slumbring Christians, or the parable of the wise and foolish virgins and of the talents, sheep and goats; being a plain and practical exposition of the whole XXV chapter of St. Matthews gospel, calling upon all professors to a strict and constant watchfulness, lest their Lord at his certain and second coming, find them not ready, but with their lamps gone out. By Samuel Loveday	Loveday, Samuel, 1619-1677.; Gosnold, John, 1625?-1678.	1675 (1675)	Wing L3231; ESTC R216910	188,072	322

not there shall fall into this Lake Rev. 20. last But how shall I know that may some say First Are your names recorded in the Church of God as those Phil. 4. of whom St. Paul speaks Secondly Are you assistant in the Gospel as they were Thirdly Do you make it your business to mortifie every lust even your own iniquity according to Mark. 9. from 43. to 48. those that escape are of these There are five Circumstances considerable in these verses First That there is a certain torment else Christ would not have made it an argument of it Secondly The torment must be great the deliverance from which is profitably purchased with such loss and torments as cutting off and plucking out Thirdly There is a connaturality between persons and their own iniquity eyes hand foot Fourthly It is very difficult and hard Service to escape Hell to cut off and pluck out especially to do it himself to himself Fifthly Notwithstanding so hard yet it must be done else we cannot escape Hell torment So much we have in this Mark 9.43 to 49. It is a matter of great concernment to know how the case stands with us in this matter Now if upon examination we find upon true and solid grounds that we have some good hope through grace to avoid this place and state of torment oh what ground of unspeakable joy is here to a poor Soul there is more cause of joy in this than can be from casting out of Devils and doing mighty works That is not a sufficient ground of joy this is See Luk. 10.20 But if upon examination you want this hope remember what is in the Parable said to Dives Luk. 16. They have Moses and the Prophets make use of the word of God that is the only means to come to avoid this place of torment I now proceed to the fifth Doctrine observed viz. That the pains and punishment of Hypocrites and unbelievers are endless and eternal As they are not tolerable so not terminable The truth of this Doctrine is plain from the constant language of old and new Testament The fire is everlasting eternal unquenchable This is the Scripture language I need have said nothing to this Doctrine were it not that we are fallen into such a day wherein persons do study to avoid the force of those Scriptures which are of most concernment to consider of Therefore that which I shall chiefly indeavour as to this Doctrine is First To strengthen this Doctrine from Scripture arguments Secondly Answer some objections made against it Thirdly Give a Second sort of Testimony to this truth Fourthly Make some Use of the whole 1. Consider the Testimony of Scripture Mat. 3.12 He shall burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire This fire is called everlasting fire Mat. 18. Hell fire and eternal fire are taken one for another in Scripture it is not Hell fire except it be eternal no fire is eternal but Hell fire It is called eternal damnation Mar. 3.29 But I will give you one place in the Room of many that sets it forth to be endless Mar. 9.43 to 48. where we have this fire five times called unquenchable and three times the worm that never dieth Certainly there is more than ordinary in this that our Lord who is never guilty of Tautologies or making vain repetitions should so often reiterate this word not quenched not quenched five times over There is a just cause of repetition and by this reiteration First We may learn the certainty of this truth As in other cases in Scripture when things are doubled in Scripture it is to shew the certainty Secondly This truth so reiterated was not only a truth but a truth that lay much upon Christs heart this eternity of torment lay much upon Christs heart he was much affected with it And Thirdly Christ would fain affect his Disciples also with it Fourthly Whereas our Lord adds this three times the worm that never dyeth we are instructed in these two things First That the severity of the punishment it self is endless Secondly That the creature in this fire is eternal and endless that he shall not be annihilated in it or consumed to nothing and so an end of his torment as to himself By the fire is understood the punishment it self by the worm must be understood the person himself The truth of this Doctrine is yet further confirmed from what the Apostle speaketh to the Thessalonians 1 Thes 8.9 Who shall be punished with everlasting perdition from the presence of God and the glory of his power The same is farther confirmed Rev. 14.19 20. The smoak of their torments ascended up for ever and ever Now our Lord is greatly desirous that persons might take warning and be awakened before they come into this gulf with Dives It is said he lift up his eyes being in torment he was not awake till he came there irrecoverably Therefore our Lord beats so long upon this string the danger is very great and persons greatly secure Object But it is objected against this truth by our Critical Age that ever and everlasting have an end yea ever and ever and they urge Jer. 7.7 when God tells Israel that they shall dwell in the Land for ever see ch 25.5 yet say they this is endless I Answ As Canaan was a type of that rest which remains to the people of God Heb. 4. so it is for ever and ever putting their present and future estate together makes it ever and ever Secondly I Answ That although ever and ever have an end in some cases yet it cannot be always so understood As for instance when it relates to the eternity of God when God is called the eternal and everlasting God and where it is said he raigns for ever and ever I hope the objector will not say that God and his government is to terminate So that ever and ever in that case cannot have an end neither will it I hope be thought that the joy and happiness of the righteous shall have an end which yet if ever and everlasting have an end lyeth in danger to have an end also So that in our understandings of these speakings of the Spirit of God we must diligently observe the scope of the place and thing spoken of that must guide us in our understandings And then it will not appear that what is spoken as to the punishment of the Reprobate is temporal but eternal Some will urge what the Apostle Jude speaks of the punishment of Sodom to weaken our position who it is said suffered the vengeance of eternal fire To which I answer That punishment might be called eternal from these considerations First From the perfection of it Secondly From the continuance of the burning as it is reported throughout all Ages unto this day Thirdly From the nature of it or rather the matter of it it was fire and Brimstone and that from Heaven and so of the same nature as Hell fire shall be Fourthly