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	reward_n	work_n	2,765	5	6.8633	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41706	A discourse of Christ's coming and the influence, which the expectation thereof hath on al manner of holy conversation and godlinesse / by Theophilus Gale.	Gale, Theophilus, 1628-1678.	1673 (1673)	Wing G144; ESTC R6924	117,103	244

the fruit of his doing So 2 Cor. 5.10 For we must al appear before the Jugement seat of Christ as they who pleaded their own or other mens cause were wont to stand in an open place before the Judge that every one may receive the things done in his bodie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. the things due to his bodie or person according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad i. e. proportionably to his actions and manner of life according to the formal nature of justice which consists in giving every one his own Thus also Gal. 6.7 Gal. 6.7 Be not deceived God is not mocqued For whatsoever a man sowes that shal he also reap Be not deceived i. e. deceive not your selves delude not your own souls by fallacious fond presumtions and conceits God is not mocqued c. Should carnal secure sinners who sow to the flesh reap life everlasting how would God be derided and mocqued by them But the holy God wil not be mocqued They that sow tares must not expect to reap wheat Such as sow to the flesh shal reap wrath and damnation Again should not God recompense to his people according to their workes and sufferings God would be also mocqued by wicked men in that al the workes of his troubled Saints were in vain But Paul tels us 1 Cor. 15.58 that their labor is not in vain which he expounds 1 Cor. 3.8 every man shal receive his own reward according to his own labor By which it is most evident that Christ wil at last day recompense to every man according to his workes Neither doth this at al make for merit or Justification by works as the Papists would needs persuade us For 1. The Reward which God confers on believers is not For but According to their good workes It is Rom. 2.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to not for his deeds Good works are not the meritorious cause but the evidence by which God mesures their evangelic sinceritie and perfection It is impossible for a creature to merit any thing in a proper sense because there can be no mutual obligation betwixt the creature and the Creator or any thing given to God which bears proportion with the good things of eternal life which he confers on us Indeed were our good workes perfect yet they could purchase nothing from God by way of merit because they are but the fruit of his own Grace neither do we give unto God but what is his due But alas the best workes under Heaven are so far from meriting any good from God as that by reason of their sinfulnesse they demerit wrath and damnation Hence 2. The Recompence which God gives unto believers according to their good workes is properly a Gift and metaphoricly only a Reward Al the proportion or regard which our good workes have to the reward given according thereunto flowes merely from the evangelic constitution and promisse not from any inherent worthe in the workes themselves So that although it be a day of Jugement yet it is also a day of Grace as to the rewards given to believers There is not more of justice than of free-grace in the rewards distributed So Rom. 6.23 But the gift of God is eternal life 3. Albeit Christ allows a place to workes in the last Jugement yet he wil not allow them the least place or mention in our present justification thereby to exclude al boasting as Rom. 3.27 There wil be no danger of boasting in the believers being judged according to his workes because his good workes are produced not as the principal ground of his acceptance but only as an evidence of his sinceritie and evangelic perfection As faith is the federal Instrument that justifies his person so good workes are produced in the last jugement as that which wil justifie his faith and Gods former justification of him before the world Jam. 2.12 So Jam. 2.12 so speake ye and so do as they that shal be judged by the law of libertie The law of libertie by which men shal be judged at last day is the Moral Law Evangelised which shal judge not according to the rigor of the first Covenant but according to the Evangelic constitution of the New Covenant which accepts faith and sinceritie in lieu of perfect obedience 4. In the last jugement Christ wil procede even with believers according to their workes because then they are to be compared with wicked men For to vindicate the equitie of Gods procedings with the wicked it is necessary that the Evangelic obedience of believers be brought forth in jugement which wil stop the mouths of al ungodly men and vindicate Christ from that false Imputation of having respect to mens persons as Rom. 2.11 But now in the present justification of believers the comparison is not with unbelievers but they are compared with themselves and the law of God that so seeing the Imperfection and pollution of their best workes they may abandon themselves their own righteousnesses and sufficiences and flie to Christ for refuge So that should good workes have the least room here the whole design of Justification by Christs righteousnesse would be frustated and made void Now this being made evident that Christ at his second coming wil judge al men according to their workes the consideration hereof cannot but have a prevalent influence on al such as by faith look for and hasten to the coming of the Day of God I shal only adde one text which indeed should worke a dread and terror in us al namely Mat. 12.36 37. Mat. 12.36 27. But I say unto you That every idle word that men shal speak they shal give account thereof in the day of Jugement For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned By 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idle word we must understand 1. Every emty vain word that hath not its due soliditie mesure and weight 2. Every unprofitable word which has not some conducence and tendence to the honor and glorie of God 3. The whole conversation For if we are to give an account of every idle word then surely by a paritie of reason of al other parts of our conversation And oh what a weighty consideration is this to al those who wait for the coming of their Lord to labor after al manner of holy conversation and Godlinesse What! saith such an expectant soul doth my judge stand at the dore as Jam. 5.9 and must I shortly render an account to him of every idle word O! then hat an essential obligation do I lie under to labor after al manner of righteousnesse and holinesse So much for Christs general relation to al as Judge 2. If we consider Christs special mediatorie Relations to Saints these cannot but be exceding influential on such as by faith daily look for and hasten to the coming of the day of God Christ out of his rich free and condescendent love has brought

them delightsome Certain it is that nothing more conduceth to our looking for the coming of our Lord than such a sanctified Conscience invested with spiritual senses to diseerne between good and evil But alas how far short are many professors of such a tender quick feeling Conscience and is not this the main cause that they so seldome look for the coming of their Lord oh what an Heaven upon Earth is an experimental feeling Conscience 9. It must be a warme heart-affecting eye We al know that the eye if deeply impressed with any object affects the heart So Lam. 3.5 Mine eye affecteth mine heart Sight is the most affective sense no sense ru● with more vigor force and speed into the Affections than sight doth whether it be of good or evil Moses speaks of some Deut. 28.34 who should be mad for the sight of their eyes As evil so good things that strike on the eye sinke very deep into the Affections Such must the sanctified eye be that looks for the coming of our Lord. Indeed al Sacred Science is affective if our notions and contemplations of things spiritual affect not our hearts they are nothing worth As corporal vision is the dore to natural love so spiritual vision to supernatural If our looking for the coming of our Lord affect not our hearts it doth nothing A Christians sanctified knowlege is warme every notion sends forth a ●ivine sparke into the Affections look what he spiritually knows he affects if good If we wil contemplate the coming of our Lord ●he eye of our mind must be amorous and affectionate Such as may enflame love quicken desires strengthen hopes highten Joys fire ●ele and Indignation against sin A barren contemplation in things spiritual implies a contradiction The spiritual sight of Christ 〈◊〉 ever affective If our speculation passe not ●nto affection it is not right Look as those ●isciples Luke 24.32 by conversing with ●●eir Lord felt a Divine fire burning in their ●earts so in like manner the eye that looks or the coming of his Lord is ever attended with a burning heat or affectionate regard to ●●at great day 10. Lastly It must be a vigorous Active Eye The eye is the most spriteful vigorous part in mans bodie because most ful of animal spirits So in the new Creature nothing is more spriteful and active than the spiritual eye of Conscience The best mesure of our knowlege is not so much the Quantitie as the Qualitie and Activitie of it As in nature the lesser the eye if spriteful and vigorous the farther and more clearly it sees Thence the eye of a Sparrow or Hawk sees farther and more distinctly than the eye of an Oxe because the later though greater yet it is more dul by reason of the diffusion of the animal spirits whereas in the eye of a Sparrow the spirits being more contracted the sight is more spriteful and active This holds true in a great proportion here Many sincere Believers who have lesse knowlege for quantitie oft have more distinct and clean sights of the coming of their Lord and things spiritual than other professors who have a more bulky knowlege and why because the former have a more spriteful vigorous eye 〈◊〉 faith which is ful of Divine spirits whereas the later albeit they may have a bigger eye yet it is more dul and unactive Abraham had but a little eye if we regard the quantitie of his knowlege yet he saw farther and more distinctly than the highest notional professors now adays which have only commun knowlege and why because he had a spriteful vigorous eye of faith So John 8.56 Your Father Abraham rejoice● to see my day c. It is the active working eye of faith that alone can look for the coming of our Lord. The eye that sincerely looks for the coming of Christ wil worke the heart towards that day In Christianitie we know no more than we do Working effectual thoughts are ever best An idle lazy faint-hearted expectation of the coming of our Lord is the fruit of cursed formalitie and has undone millions of souls So much for the spiritual eye whereby the soul looks for the coming of the day of God SECT 2. The coming of the Day of God considered in it self its Adjuncts and Consequents 2. WE procede to the Object The coming of the day of God Which we may consider 1. In it self 2. In its Adjuncts 3. In its Consequents 1. If we consider the coming of the day of God in it self then our looking for it implies two respects 1. A spiritual particular fixed Regard to this day in al its Grandeur and Glorie No man looks for the coming of the day of God as he ought but he that has a spiritual eye intent on the Splendor and Glorie of that great day The first coming of our Lord was in the forme of a Servant in a mean abased manner without that pompe and state which was due to his glorious person Ay but his second coming shal be in another-gets manner such as becomes the Lord of Glorie So Mat. 16.27 For the Son of man shal come in the glorie of his father with his Angels The like Mat. 25.31 When the Son of man shal come in his Glorie and al the Angels with him then shal he sit upon the throne of his Glorie So Paul 1 Thes 4.16 For the Lord himself shal descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpe of God O What a glorious Apparence wil this be how wil the whole World in a moment ring with this shout What a dazling ravishing lustre wil shine from Christ and al his retinue Hence to look for the coming of the day of God is to have a constant great regard to that Glorie and Majestie which wil attend this apparence of Christ Thus Paul Tit. 2.13 Looking for that blessed hope and the Glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ If we look not for the coming of the day of God as the glorious appearing of the great God we look not for it as we ought The several particulars of this glorious apparence wil come under consideration in our last Question In the general The second coming of Christ wil be the most glorious object that ever eye beheld and a spiritual believing eye fixed on the coming of the day of God as most glorious sees a glorie in al things that refer to that day a glorie in Grace a glorie in Ordinances a glorie in duties a glorie in sufferings a glorie in promisses a glorie in Saints c. Oh! What a glorie doth that great day and the forethoughts of it infuse into althings that belong to Christ And on the contrarie how doth the spiritual sight of this glorious day darken al the Glorie and beautie of this lower world What a fading Sun-burnt flour are althings below to a believing soul that has his eye of faith fixed on this great and glorious