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	lord_n	sin_n	3,005	5	4.4939	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81105	A sermon preached in the parish-church of St Nicholas, in the city of Bristol, August the 27th, 1691 Being the anniversary festival of the natives of that city. By Thomas Cary, M.A. and vicar of the parish of St Philip and Jacob, in the city of Bristol.	Cary, Thomas, 1648 or 9-1711.	1691 (1691)	Wing C743BA; ESTC R222493	16,665	34

A SERMON Preached in the Parish-Church of St NICHOLAS IN THE City of BRISTOL August the 27th 1691. BEING The ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL OF THE Natives of that City By THOMAS CARY M. A. and Vicar of the Parish of St Philip and Jacob in the City of Bristol LONDON Printed for Thomas Wall Bookseller in Bristol 1691. To the Worshipful Sir John Dudelstone Kt. PRESIDENT THE OFFICERS And the Rest of the SOCIETY OF THE NATIVES OF THE City of BRISTOL Honoured Countrymen THE Discourse which had lately your Audience now offers itsself to your View it was composed for you and doth by Right belong to you The Design of it is by beating down the Price of the World to perswade you to make such a good Vse of it while you live in it that you may go out of it with comfort GOD hath blessed many of you with ample Estates it is your Duty to return him a Tributary Acknowledgment by a Generous Charity That these Meditations may be serviceable for this End is the hearty Prayer of Honoured Countrymen Your most Humble Servant THOMAS CARY LUKE xij xv And he said unto them Take heed and beware of covetousness for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth THE occasion of these words was an improper Petition presented to our blessed Lord by one who came to hear his Doctrine while he was discoursing on a Divine Subject a certain Worldling who minded Earth more than Heaven interrupted him with this unseasonable address Master speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me vers 13. Perhaps apprehending Christ to be the promised Messiah and mistaking the Messiah as the Jews generally did to be a Temporal Prince he desired him to exercise his Authority in this Case Our Saviour whose Kingdom is not of this World would not invade the Office of the Civil Magistrate or intermeddle with Matters Forreign to his Commission He said unto him who made me a judge or a divider over you vers 14. The Son of God came not from Heaven to settle Mens Estates but to save their Souls he was not sent to be an Arbitrator in our Worldly Concerns but to execute the Office of a Mediator between God and Man not to compose Differences about Temporal Rights but to reconcile GOD to Man and Man to GOD. However our blessed Lord who improved all Opportunities of doing good takes advantage from hence to strike at the Root from whence this Interruption grew he doth not directly fall on the Person who disturbed him in his Discourse but obliquely reflects on the cause of it The Covetousness of this Man's Heart indisposed him to attend to our Saviour's Doctrine and therefore our blessed Lord cautions the whole Auditory against this sin And he said unto them Take heed and beware of covetousness for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth The words contain these two Particulars I. A Caution Take heed and beware of covetousness II. An Argument to enforce it For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth I. A Caution Take heed and beware of covetousness Covetousness is an inordinate desire of worldly Riches the Root from whence this and all other Vices grow is evil Concupiscence in the Heart Sensual Lust receives distinct Names from its different Objects if Honour be its Object it is then called Ambition if Pleasure Voluptuousness if Riches Covetousness or to use the Apostle's Expression The love of money 1 Tim. 6. 10. All desire of worldly Riches is not Covetousness Men must labour in their Callings be provident in their Expences and lay up for their Families Industry is not Sin but Duty To increase an Estate by honest means and endeavours is so far from being culpable that it is a singular commendation but the desire of worldly Riches is then sinful when it is immoderate and whenever our Love of the World exceeds its proper bounds it is the Sin of Covetousness Let us then consider in what cases the desire of Temporal Things is immoderate and then we shall find out the Nature of this Sin 1. The desire of Riches is immoderate when the World alienates our Hearts from God and our Duty when we love the World more than God prefer Carnal before Spiritual Riches labour more for our Bodies than our Souls and for the World neglect God's Service and our Etenral Concerns then we are guilty of the Sin of Covetousness such a love of the World is inconsistent with the love of God No man can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other ye cannot serve God and mammon Matth. 6. 24. Love not the world neither the things that are in the world If any man love the world the love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world 1 Joh. 2. 15 16. 2. The desire of Riches is immoderate when Men use unjust means to enrich themselves when they exchange their Souls for the World and have so seared their Consciences as to use Fraud Perjury Oppression or any other dishonest Practices to increase their Estates All these unlawful Methods are Evidences of a covetous Heart 3. The desire of Riches is immoderate when it distracts the Mind with perplexing Cares Excessive Sorrows for the Losses and Disappointments Men meet with in their worldly Concerns rebellious Murmurings against the Providence of the Almighty Envyings and Repinings at the Prosperity of our Neighbours anxious and disquieting Thoughts concerning Futurity and despairing Fears about the Events of our Endeavours are certain Indications of the Sin of Covetousness it is in Scripture opposed to Contentment of Mind in every state of Life and a secure Confidence in the All-sufficiency of God Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13. 5. 4. The desire of Riches is immoderate when it is inconsistent with the Graces of Charity Mercifulness and Liberality He that hath not a Heart to give to the Poor when God furnisheth him with means and opportunities is a covetous Man The Covetous love the World above all pursue it with Violence stick not at any Methods to attain their Ends imploy it to bad purposes keep it with trouble and lose it with despair Having thus explained the Nature of this Sin I come now to discover the Evil of it 1. Covetousness is an idolatrous departure from the All-sufficient Creator to the insufficient Creature Whatsoever a Man sets his Heart most on labours most for spends the greatest part of his time in quest of delights most in trusts most to and values himself most upon that is