Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A44671
|
The carnality of religious contention in two sermons preach'd at the merchant's lecture in Broadstreet / by John Howe ...
|
Howe, John, 1630-1705.
|
1693
(1693)
|
Wing H3019; ESTC R1703
|
46,035
|
129
|
Morality And if he have happened upon such Notions as are really true and revealed by God himself by how much the more certainly Divine they be so much the greater is the Wickedness so basely to prostitute Sacred things Truths that are the very Off-spring of Heaven unto so vile purposes It were Fault enough to make them serve different or other purposes than they are capable of i. e. to supply the room of Religion and real goodness What an Indignity is that to Religion to suppose an empty spiritless Opinion can fill up it's place A thing that does a man no good for which his Mind and Spirit is nothing the better Much more that shelters what is so very bad Can this serve for Religion That Religion that consists with being proud with being deceitful with being malicious with being revengeful learn learn to despise such a Religion Much more that is taken up to vail over these and exclude all real goodness Again 8. When in the maintaining any Doctrine of the Gospel in opposition to others we industriously set our selves to pervert their meaning and impute things to them that they never say Or again If we charge their Opinions whom we oppose with Consequences which they disclaim professing it may be rather to disclaim their former Opinion and change their Judgment than admit such Consequences if they could discern any Connexion between the one and the other This surely argues a mighty Disposition to contend when we will quarrel with one that is really of our own Mind for herein he appears to be virtually already of the same mind in a greater matter at least than he differs with us about because no man charges another's Opinion with a Consequence designing thereby to oblige him to change his Opinion but as supposing it to be an agreed thing between them both that the Consequence is worse than the Opinion When therefore the Consequence I charge is disclaimed by him whom I oppose either it is justly charged or it is not If it be not his Opinion may be true notwithstanding what I herein say to the contrary and I am certainly so far in an Error But if it be justly charged being yet disclaimed we are formally agreed concerning the Consequence and are vertually agreed concerning the disputed Point too because he professedly disavows it upon supposition such a Consequence would follow which yet perhaps he sees not and so the Agreement must be much greater than the Difference And yet commonly this signifies nothing in order to Peace That is it is not enough that I see the same things that you do unless I also see it too with your Eyes 9. When sucb Disputes do arise at length to Wrath to angry Strife yea and even to fixed Enmity What dreadful Carnality is here Most deservedly so called if you only consider Flesh or Carnality as an unreasonable a brutal thing For what can be more unreasonable or unaccountable than to fall out with another man because he thinks not as I do or receives not my Sentiments as I also do not receive his Is it not to be considered that he no further differs from me than I do from him If there be cause of Anger upon this account on one side there is the same cause on the other too and then whether shall this grow And how little can this avail upon a rational Estimate Can any good come of it Doth it tend to the clearning of Truth Shall we see the better thorough the Clouds and Dust we raised Is a good Cause served by it Or do we think it possible the Wrath of Man should ever-ever-work the Righteousness of God And when such Carnalities as these do exert themselves and the hot Steams and Fumes arise which the Apostle here calls the Lusts of the Flesh the Flesh lusting to Envy lusting to Wrath What is the Product or even the productive Cause but that sort of Fire which is without Light And you know what Fire that resembles And if a Man once find any Fervour of this kind stir or kindle in his Breast if he aright consider he would no more cherish it than one would do a Brand thrown into his Bosom from the Infernal Fire One would think in this case What have I stirring within me Something a kin to Hell Can this conduce to the Service of Divine and Heavenly Truth And let it be sadly considered our being upon such accounts angry with one another is a dismal token of God's being angry with us all and a provoking Cause of it too Methinks that should be a qualmy Thought and strike our Souls with a strange Damp Shall I indulge that in my self that is a mark upon me of Divine Displeasure and upon all in whom it is found To have his Holy Spirit retire that blessed Spirit of Love and of a sound mind and to leave us under the Power of rebellious lusting Flesh Can this be grateful or not be a dismaying frightful thing And whereas a right Scheme of Gospel-Doctrine is the thing pretended to be striven for I beseech you consider The more entirely and the more deeply the true Scheme of Gospel-Doctrine is inlaid in a man's Soul the more certainly it must form it into all Meekness Humility Gentleness Love Kindness and Benignity towards Fellow-Christian of whatsoever Denomination not confined not limited as that of the Pharisees unto their own Party but diffusing and spreading it self to all that bear the Charaster and Cognisance of Christ. The Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ is a Spirit of greater amplitude extends and diffuses it self through the whole Body of Christ. Nor can any Man more effectually disgrace his own Cause or make sure to worst himself in it than by defending it wrathfully For admit that he erre whom I oppose a thousand to one but that my Wrath is worse than his Error probably thousand times worse I go about therefore to take away a Moat from his Eye having a Beam in my own or am more concerned for a misplaced Hair upon his Head than I am for a Fiery Vlcer in my own Breast We are not 't is true to be so Stoical to condemn the Natural Passion of Anger as such for sinful But if it exceeds it's Cause and sets not with the Sun it becomes strange unhallowed Fire But again in the 10th place There is still a further appearance of great Carnality in such cases when any do adventure to judge of the Consciences and States of them whom they oppose or from whom they differ When they ascend the Tribunal usurp the Throne pass Sentence upon them as Men of no Conscience or of no Sincerity or Vprightness of Heart with God As if theirs were to be the Vniversal Conscience the measure of all Consciences and he that cannot be govern'd by their Conscience must have none at all Or he be stark blind towards Truth towards God and towards himself that sees not every thing they see or fancy
that in 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. Such as are mentioned there were before the grossest and vilest of Sinners Fornicators Adulterers Idolaters c. And such saith the Apostle were some of youâ— But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God You cannot but be in all these agreed We are agreed that whoever does sincerely Evangelically believe in God through Christ receive Christ is united with him or is in him who doth by serious Repentance turn to God whose Heart is won to love him in Truth as his highest and best Good who is conformed to the Image of his Son and who having been made willing in the day of his Power doth now render a sincere Obedience to him every such one is in a safe state accepted with God has found Grace in his Eyes For no Words of Scripture can be plainer than that they that believe on Christ shall not perish but have everlasting Life John 3. 16. Yea that they have it ver 36. That Life is begun with them which is never to end or which is in the sure way to be continued till it become everlasting That they that repent and turn from all their transgressions their Iniquities shall not be their ruine Ezek. 18. 30. That God hath prepared the things which Eye hath not seen for them that love him and will give them the Crown of Life according to his own Promise 1 Cor. 2. 9. Jam. 1. 12. That Christ doth become the Author of eternal Salvation to them that obey them Heb. 5. 9. That there is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ that walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8. 1. That it must turn wholly to the praise of the glory of his Grace that God makes them accepted in the beloved Eph. 1. 6. We do all agree That they that do never believe they that never repent they that never love God they that are never brought to obey him that live in Enmity and Rebellion against him to the last breath must needs be in a lost state are never justified never accepted with God are liable unto coming and abiding Wrath and remain under Condemnation John 3. 16 36. Luke 13. 3. Col. 3. 6. We agree That such Faith such Repentance such Love to God such Obedience even in the most entire Sincerity are not to be considered at all as any cause of such a Persons Acceptance with God They do characterize the accepted person but they cause it not they deserve nothing nay they could not if they were perfect No internal Work of the Holy Ghost tho' in this our present state it were most absolutely perfect so as to exclude every thing of sin could be any part of that righteousness that must justifie us before God To suppose that it could would be manifestly to confound the Offices of the Redeemer and of the Holy Ghost It was Christ that was to merit for us the Holy Ghost was never to merit for us It was not the Holy Ghost that died for us nor can his Operations or Productions in us have any causative Influence to the meriting the justified and accepted state of any Person before God They were never meant for that purpose nor have any aptitude or accommodateness thereunto They cannot make us never to have sinn'd nor can at one for our having done so We cannot but be agreed in this for 't is plain and carries it 's own Evidence in it self i. e. Suppose we a Person as soon as he is converted made perfectly free from Sin that very moment by some extraordinary powerful Work of the Holy Ghost on his Soul how shall that expiate for his having been a Sinner Now where there are so great things wherein we agree and we make little of them things that should raise up our Souls and awaken all our Powers unto highest Acts of Love Gratitude and Praise to God and our Redeemer and fill us with wonder and pleasure as oft as we think of them an Indisposition of Mind to take notice of and consider such things so as to improve and use them to the great purposes of the Christian Life as Incentives to the love of God an entire devoting of our selves to him vigorous and diligent serving of him and walking holily and comfortably with him in our daily course through a greater Disposition to contend about we well know not what besides too plainly shews much of that carnal Disaffection which the Apostle doth here animadvert upon There are other things belonging to this same purpose that I find I cannot reach to at this time SERMON II. Gal. V. xvi This I say then Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh I Have begun to shew you by what Indications much Carnality may appear and show it self in and about Spiritual matters As for instance in the controverting yea even in the defending the Truths of the Gospel and intend now to proceed You have heard It does so 1. When Christians who are very far agreed in the most important things make little of the things wherein they are agreed tho' never so great in comparison of the much less things wherein they differ As all serious Christians must be understood to agree in far greater things than it is possible for them to differ in I lately mentioned to you sundry great Agreements that I cannot doubt to be very common with serious and intelligent Christians which I shall not now stay to repeat but add 2. Such Carnality shows it's self when there is too much aptness to lay greater stress than is needful upon some unscriptural Words in delivering Scripture-doctrine Here we may take Carnality as the Apostle doth 1 Cor. 3. 3. While there are divisions among you are you not carnal and walk or act as Men There is more of the Man in it than of the Christian. When we can make a shift to divide about a Word and that in the present Use of it devised only by Man When Words that are meerly of Humane Stamp and used in no such Sence or to no such purpose in Scripture however they may be significant yet too great a stress and weight is laid upon them either by too stiffly adhering to them on the one hand or too vehemently decrying them on the other hand while perhaps and it is a certain and a known case the meaning may be the same on both sides and would be so or would appear to be so if such and such Words were waved and others more understood were chosen and used in the room of them It 's true we are not to think and no Man of Sense can that we are obliged never to use other Words in such matters but such as the Translators of the Bible have hit on in their Version of it as if that must consecrate those Words and leave all other under a Profane