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
A91736	The comfort and crown of great actions. In a sermon preached, Decemb. 4. 1657. Before the honorable East-India company. By Edward Reynolds, D.D.	Reynolds, Edward, 1599-1676.	1658 (1658)	Wing R1242; Thomason E934_4*; ESTC R207682	18,609	36

of confidence That as the husbandman looketh on his Field of Corn with joy though he see many Weeds amongst it and Chaff about it So we may look with joy on an holy life though many corruptions are mixed with it because God doth not remember against us the iniquity of our holy things Pardon of sin is matter of joy Psal. 32. 1 2. Acts 16. 34. And therefore mixture of sin cannot deprive of it the Passover was a Feast though eaten with bitter Herbs and a good Conscience is a feast though mingled with some corruptions Nothing spoiled the Feast of a Passover but Leaven and nothing spoils the Feast of Conscience but Hypocrisie 2. A godly life is Gods own work It is not we but the Spirit of God which worketh in us Matth. 10. 20. 1 Cor. 15. 10. Phil. 4. 13. And as God reviewed his own works with special delight so may we review Gods works in us with comfort ●nd delight This the Prophet lays as a foundation of peace That God worketh our works for us Isai. 26. 12. 3. God hath commanded comfort first or last to wait upon a godly life as a proper adjunct thereof Isai. 32. 17. Psal. 119. 165. 32. 12. Rom. 14. 17. And it is a wrong to Gods own appointment when we have taken in godliness to shut out comfort 4. A godly life honors God John 15. 8. benefits men Tit. 3. 8. And therefore being not without Fruit it is not without a foundation of comfort When a man can say I have finished my course served my generation adorned the Gospel these and these are the better for me I have not lived like an empty Vine as an unprofitable burden of the Earth but Gods end hath been my end and his service my work this will cause the face to shine and the heart to rejoyce Every man would willingly live and die comfortably no way so to do but to lay up a foundation of comfort in an holy Conversation A wicked man would gladly forget himself and run away from himself Hoc se quisque modo semper fugit He cannot look backward or inward upon himself without guilt and horror It was therefore good counsel of an old Rabbi Ne sis impius coram teipso Be not wicked in thine own sight learn to reverence thy Conscience Cor bonum bonus socius No such good Company as a good Conscience a man may then dare to be acquainted with himself as some men have written the History of their own lives A Leaper cares not much for a Looking-glass because he shall see by it nothing but his own deformity A Bankrupt cannot abide to cast up his accompts because he shall finde himself so much worse then nothing But he that hath led an holy life is like a man which hath travelled over a beautiful valley and being on the top of the Hill turneth about with delight to take a view of it again But may a man so look back on a godly life as to put confidence in the good work thereof For answer hereunto we are to distinguish 1. Inter rationem condignitatis rationem ordinis Between the merit deserving a Reward which we deny and the order and consequence which God hath put between a good work and the reward making this mercifully but yet certainty to follow the other Psal. 19. 11. Prov. 11. 18. 2. Inter causam essendi cognoscends Between the cause of confidence à priori and the Arguments whereby to know it a posteriori Our good works are not either the merits or cause of our confidence or comfort but onely the Free-grace of God and perfect Righteousness of Christ bestowed upon us yet from a good conscience and an holy conversation as from Fruits and Effects of Divine love and grace we may draw arguments of comfort For in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence Prov. 14. 26. 2. These words as they bear a retrospect unto Nehemiah's former actions are likewise considerable as a Prayer Think upon me for good And so good men that have done much service unto the Church of God should pray to be remembred by God in favor and mercy And this Prayer is 1. For Acceptation both with God and with his people First That the Lord will be pleased to approve of our poor endeavors to serve him and smell a savor of rest in our oblations that he will let us know that he is well pleased with what we have done that we may eat and drink with joy when God accepteth of our works as the Wise man speaks Eccles. 9. 7. Secondly That the Lord will make our works acceptable to his people as it is said of David That what soever he did pleased all the people 2 Sam. 3. 36. And of Mordecai That he was accepted of the multitude of his Brethren Esth. 10. 3. And so Paul prayed That his service towards Jerusalem might be accepted of the Saints Rom. 15. 31. 2. For Condonation for since no good works of ours do bear proportion to the rigor and exactness of the Law of God but that all our righteousness is as a menstruous cloth Isai. 64. 6. Omnis nostra humilis justitia recta forsan sed non pura saith Bernard And since the Lord appointed Aaron as a type of Christ to bear the iniquity of the holy things of his people Exod. 28. 38. we must therefore confess with St. Austin that our righteousness here consisteth Potius in remissione peccatorum quàm in perfectione virtutum As therefore Job professeth If I say I am perfect mine own mouth shall prove me perverse Job 9. 20. And David Enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight no flesh living shall be justified Psal. 143. 2. And Paul Though I know nothing by self yet am I not thereby justified 1 Cor. 4. 4. So this holy man Nehemiah prays to be spared as well as to be remembred as knowing that the reward is of mercy and not of debt a It was a sweet and golden confession which Bernard made when he thought himself to be at the point of death I confess said he I am not worthy I have no merits of mine own to obtain Heaven by But my Lord had a double right thereunto an hereditary right as a son a meritorious right as a Sacrifice He was contented with the one right himself the other right he hath given unto me by the vertue of which gift I do rightfully lay claim unto it and am not confounded 3. For Vindication against the misconstruction of perverse men Nehemiah had many and great adversaries who raised false rumors upon him and were likely to misrepresent all that he did as the Psalmist complained of his enemies That they wrested his words Psal. 56. 5. So did the enemies of Nehemiah put perverse constructions upon his worthy actions Nehe. 6. 6 14. And therefore he prays unto God to remember him and to strengthen him

be duly praised and glorified Chap. 12. By all which we learn that the greater mens care is of the service and glory of God the fitter instruments they are to do great works and the more likely to prosper in the doing of them because they that honor God he will honor 1 Sam. 2. 30. So long as Uzziah sought the Lord God made him to prosper 2 Chro. 26. 5. Hezekiah trusted the Lord and clave to him and the Lord was with him and blessed him whithersoever he went 2 King 18. 5 6 7. 2 Chron. 31. 21. But when Jehoshaphat joyned with Ahaziah who did very wickedly the Lord brake his ships and disappointed his expedition 2 Chro. 20. 35 37. Lastly His special wisdom and care to heal the sinful breaches and divisions which were amongst the people causing them to enter into a solemn promise to make reparations of all injuries done unto their poor Brethren and to prevent the reproach of the Heathen Chap. 5. 11 12 13. In great companies and great businesses it is hardly possible to carry things on in so smooth and regular a way but that some differences of judgment may arise and cause difficulties breaches and obstructions in the whole work and as our Saviour saith of Kingdoms Cities Houses so may we of companies and undertakings that divisions will endanger their standing Matth. 12. 25. It is one of Gods sore judgments when he intendeth to shatter and disappoint enterprises to send a spirit of division amongst those who are concerned in it as he did between the men of Shechem and Abimelech Judg. 9. 23. and between the Host of the Midianites Judg. 7. 22. and of the Ammonites Moabites and Edomites 2 Chron. 20. 22 23. And so he threatneth to do with the Egyptians Isai. 19. 2. and with the Armies of Gog and Magog Ezek. 38. 21. The like whereunto we read of in Pausanias and in Dionysius Halicarnasseus In which case wise and prudent men as Nehemiah here will use their uttermost endeavors to heal breaches to close up divisions to prevent mistakes to finde out expedients wherein all may readily agree for the preventing of those evils which differences of judgment if not timely cured may be likely to produce In which case there is nothing more conducent then mutual mildeness meekness and condescension So Abraham healed the breach which was going to be made between a his family and the family of Lot his Kinsman Gen. 13. 17 8. Therefore Rulers are called Healers Isai. 3. 7. And so Christ is described as a binder up and a strengthner Ezek. 34. 16. And Moses the first Ruler which God chose for his people was the meekest man alive Numb. 12. 3. Certainly meekness is a very great ornament and a very great instrument of power We may think that we shew our power by our stiffness and inflexibleness but it is a great evidence of power to be of an yeelding and a meek disposition It shews first a great power which a man hath over his own spirit which is a work of more power sometimes then the taking of a City Prov. 16. 32. Secondly It shews great humility and self-denial when as the Apostle speaks Nothing is done through strife or vain-glory but in lowliness of minde each esteemeth other better then themselves Phil. 2. 3. And do mutually submit unto one another in the fear of God Ephes. 5. 21. 1 Pet. 5. 5. And in honor prefer one another Rom. 12. 10. The Apostle made himself a servant to all and studied to please all for their good 1 Cor. 9. 19 22. Faciet sapiens said Seneca quae non probavit ut ad majora transitum inveniat A wise man will sometimes deny his own judgment in order to a greater good And it is an excellent direction of Hilary Ex alienis utilitatibus placere nec offendere ex propriis To be ready to make it appear unto other men that I am more desirous to please them upon the accompt of their profit then to offend them upon the accompt of mine own Istae cogitationes deprimentes superbiam tenentes charitatem faciunt onera fraterna invicem libentissimè sustineri saith St. Austin Thirdly It imitates the example of Christ who did not look on his own things but on the things of others Phil. 2. 4 5. And of the Lord whom Moses besought by an argument drawn from his power to be patient and long-suffering unto his people Numb. 14. 17 18. We have seen in Nehemiah the things which he remembred to do and which having done them he beseecheth God to remember And though the words seem to have properly a Retrospect onely to what had been done yet because we finde Nehemiah praying when he began these excellent works Chap. 1. 6 11. we shall therefore extend this prayer both ways both as an humble representation of his own sincerity before God in what he had done and likewise as an humble imploring of being remembred by God in what he should further do For the former of these considerations as the words have a Retrospect to what he had already done we shall consider them under a double notion first as the Comfort of this good man secondly as his Prayer As his Comfort he reviewed and looked back upon those good works which God had enabled him to do with much complacency and delight And this the Lord alloweth his servants to do For though in some respect the Apostle telleth us That he forgat the things behinde Phil. 3. 13. As not esteeming his work finished or his pace to be slackned upon his past acquirements yet in regard of comfort the same Apostle doth once and again make mention of his former conscionable conversation as matter of present rejoycing unto him Acts 24. 16. 2 Cor. 1. 12. 1 Thes. 2. 10. 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. So did Job I have not concealed the words of the holy One Job 6. 10. The conscience of his true faith worship and constant obedience to the words of the holy One made him assured of comfort in his death and so elswhere Chap. 23. 10 11 12. Chap. 31. So Hezekiah Isai. 38. 3. Yea God is pleased to mention the good works of his servants for their comfort Job 1. 8. Joh. 1. 47. Acts 10. 4. Revel. 2. 2. And he hath appointed Officers on purpose to shew a man his uprightness and thereupon to comfort him Job 33. 23 26. And hath given every man a conscience in his bosom to report the consolations of the holy Spirit unto wel-doing and to be a continual feast within him Prov. 15. 15. As {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} an habit of practical principles so it bindes us as {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a knowledge of duty done so it comforts us 1 Joh. 3. 20. Qui facit praeceptum comparat paracletum The Reasons hereof are 1. A godly life hath pardon of failings and this is matter