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	love_n	love_v	4,903	5	6.7044	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16164	The lectures of Samuel Bird of Ipswidge vpon the 8. and 9. chapters of the second Epistle to the Corinthians	Bird, Samuel, d. 1604.	1598 (1598)	STC 3087; ESTC S120278	40,751	112

with as little cost or trouble to him as if he gaue him nothing But because his meaning is to take a triall how well and louingly men will bestowe their goodes he doth therefore offer his seruants in their wants vnto them Abrahā considered that these men were weary in their iourney that their feete were weary with their trauell especially trauelling in the heate of the day Gen. 18. 1. 7. To refresh them that waies he offers them water for their feete and a coole feare to sit in vnder a greene tree that they might rest themselues and because he saw their hearts needed to be comforted after their trauell he tels them that they shall haue a little bread to comfort them that waies His meaning was to make them good cheere but least that the feare of putting him to too much cost should stay them from comming in vnto him as it staied Dauid from going to Absolon 2. Sam. 13. 25. He therefore onely maketh mention of a little bread and he doth reason with them from the prouidence of God that God his meaning was that they should come into his house and therefore he gaue them occasion to come that waies We see how courteously he behaued himselfe towardes them as if he had beene beholding to them and not they to him for comming into his house It is a rare thing not to be somwhat insolent and to thinke that they may somwhat ouer looke the parties to whome they haue giuen entertainment disdaining in the meane time to take the like entertainment at their handes vpon the like occasion Nowithstanding the Apostle would haue it to be made mutuall and so consequently cherefull cheerfull 1. Pet. 4. 9. For it taketh libertie away from a man when he hath to deale with those which are otherwise his equalls if there be refusall to haue the entertainment mutuall Abraham makes mention to his gests onely of a little bread but he goeth in to his wife and wills her to make ready with all the speed that might be fiue cakes and he caused butter and milke and veale to be brought in before them he would not say to his guests you fare not so wel euery day at home but he makes little of that which he set before them he standes by them to beare them company for it appeares he had dined before they came This cherfulnesse is highly commended by Christ Iefus and is more regarded then the meate it selfe Luke 7. 44. For though the Pharise set meate before Christ yet because he vsed no cheerefulnesse in entertaining of him he therefore magnifieth the poore womā before him saith I entred into thy house and thou gauest me no water for my feete thou gauest me no kisse thou didst not annoint my head with oyle as shee hath done Thus we see howe and why the Lord loueth a cheerefull giuer and that if we will haue assurance that God doth loue vs which loue of his is the cause of all the benefits which we receiue from him then may we giue cherefully 8 And God is able to make all grace to abound towards you that you alwaies hauing all sufficiency in all things may aboūd in euery good worke The cause of the vncheerefulnesse in the giuer is because he feareth himselfe should want the Apostle tels them that God is of tha power that they neede not feare any such matter but that they shal haue enough both for themselues and others The cause of all error is because men doe not beleeue the scripture nor the power of God as Christ telleth the Saduces he doth first therefore commend the power of God vnto them and afterward the scriptures The principall proppe that Abraham had to vphold his faith was to perswade himselfe that he which promised was able also to performe In all the articles of our faith it is most necessarie that we should be perswaded of the power of God for how shal we beleeue that God made heauen and earth that Christ was borne of a virgin but by beleuing that the power of the highest did ouershadow her the like may be said of all the other articles of our faith We hauing therefore the same word of god to warrant that which the Apostle here speaketh of why should we not beleeue the one as well as the other The mening of the Apostle is not to reason onely from the power of god as the Papists doe when they would make vs beleeue that the bread in the sacrament is turned into the body of Christ because god is able to make it so for Christ could haue turned stones into bread as Satan would haue had him to haue done but he would not do it so that although it be a good argument to reason from the power of god when we are already certified of his willingnes in the thing yet when we cannot be perswaded of his willingnes in a thing it is in vaine to speake of his power The scripture telleth vs that it is not the will of god to haue his body to be made of a peece of bread that the heauens must hold him vntill his secōd comming The word of god telleth vs that all the miracles that Christ wrought they were apparent to the outward senses of men in so much that they were astonished and said we neuer sawe the like in Israel In that therefore there is no such thing sene in the sacrament it is plaine that there is no transubstantiation but in a thousand places we are taught that god will aboundantly recompence the liberall person We see therefore that the reason of the Apostle is good although the reasons of the Popish Church be not good the Lord is able to fill them will all sufficiency for he is called the god of all sufficient By sufficiency he doth not meane that they shall haue that which is sufficient for their own vse which notwithstāding is a great mercie of God to soule and bodie For we see how many torment themselues that haue not a contented minde they are neuer satisfied for he that loueth siluer shall neuer be satisfied with siluer as Ecclesiastes saith neither shall such haue any vse of that they haue Ecclesiastes 5. 9. On the other side he whose heart God filleth with sufficiencie hath as much ioy continually as any other man hath for that little time he is at a feast Prov. 15. 15. For the Lord therefore to giue vs a contented minde is a great benefit euen in respect of our owne priuate vse But the sufficiencie that is here spoken of is also to giue to others as appeares by the latter part of the verse by which words we may also see to what ende we should vse that sufficiencie that the Lord hath giuen vs namly to abound in euery good work We see what good thoughts be in the hearts of the seruants of God when God giueth them aboundance in respect of the thoughts that be in the mindes of wicked men in their