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	see_v	work_n	3,903	5	5.7692	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49289	An alarm to slumbring Christians, or the parable of the wise and foolish virgins and of the talents, sheep and goats; being a plain and practical exposition of the whole XXV chapter of St. Matthews gospel, calling upon all professors to a strict and constant watchfulness, lest their Lord at his certain and second coming, find them not ready, but with their lamps gone out. By Samuel Loveday	Loveday, Samuel, 1619-1677.; Gosnold, John, 1625?-1678.	1675 (1675)	Wing L3231; ESTC R216910	188,072	322

not there shall fall into this Lake Rev. 20. last But how shall I know that may some say First Are your names recorded in the Church of God as those Phil. 4. of whom St. Paul speaks Secondly Are you assistant in the Gospel as they were Thirdly Do you make it your business to mortifie every lust even your own iniquity according to Mark. 9. from 43. to 48. those that escape are of these There are five Circumstances considerable in these verses First That there is a certain torment else Christ would not have made it an argument of it Secondly The torment must be great the deliverance from which is profitably purchased with such loss and torments as cutting off and plucking out Thirdly There is a connaturality between persons and their own iniquity eyes hand foot Fourthly It is very difficult and hard Service to escape Hell to cut off and pluck out especially to do it himself to himself Fifthly Notwithstanding so hard yet it must be done else we cannot escape Hell torment So much we have in this Mark 9.43 to 49. It is a matter of great concernment to know how the case stands with us in this matter Now if upon examination we find upon true and solid grounds that we have some good hope through grace to avoid this place and state of torment oh what ground of unspeakable joy is here to a poor Soul there is more cause of joy in this than can be from casting out of Devils and doing mighty works That is not a sufficient ground of joy this is See Luk. 10.20 But if upon examination you want this hope remember what is in the Parable said to Dives Luk. 16. They have Moses and the Prophets make use of the word of God that is the only means to come to avoid this place of torment I now proceed to the fifth Doctrine observed viz. That the pains and punishment of Hypocrites and unbelievers are endless and eternal As they are not tolerable so not terminable The truth of this Doctrine is plain from the constant language of old and new Testament The fire is everlasting eternal unquenchable This is the Scripture language I need have said nothing to this Doctrine were it not that we are fallen into such a day wherein persons do study to avoid the force of those Scriptures which are of most concernment to consider of Therefore that which I shall chiefly indeavour as to this Doctrine is First To strengthen this Doctrine from Scripture arguments Secondly Answer some objections made against it Thirdly Give a Second sort of Testimony to this truth Fourthly Make some Use of the whole 1. Consider the Testimony of Scripture Mat. 3.12 He shall burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire This fire is called everlasting fire Mat. 18. Hell fire and eternal fire are taken one for another in Scripture it is not Hell fire except it be eternal no fire is eternal but Hell fire It is called eternal damnation Mar. 3.29 But I will give you one place in the Room of many that sets it forth to be endless Mar. 9.43 to 48. where we have this fire five times called unquenchable and three times the worm that never dieth Certainly there is more than ordinary in this that our Lord who is never guilty of Tautologies or making vain repetitions should so often reiterate this word not quenched not quenched five times over There is a just cause of repetition and by this reiteration First We may learn the certainty of this truth As in other cases in Scripture when things are doubled in Scripture it is to shew the certainty Secondly This truth so reiterated was not only a truth but a truth that lay much upon Christs heart this eternity of torment lay much upon Christs heart he was much affected with it And Thirdly Christ would fain affect his Disciples also with it Fourthly Whereas our Lord adds this three times the worm that never dyeth we are instructed in these two things First That the severity of the punishment it self is endless Secondly That the creature in this fire is eternal and endless that he shall not be annihilated in it or consumed to nothing and so an end of his torment as to himself By the fire is understood the punishment it self by the worm must be understood the person himself The truth of this Doctrine is yet further confirmed from what the Apostle speaketh to the Thessalonians 1 Thes 8.9 Who shall be punished with everlasting perdition from the presence of God and the glory of his power The same is farther confirmed Rev. 14.19 20. The smoak of their torments ascended up for ever and ever Now our Lord is greatly desirous that persons might take warning and be awakened before they come into this gulf with Dives It is said he lift up his eyes being in torment he was not awake till he came there irrecoverably Therefore our Lord beats so long upon this string the danger is very great and persons greatly secure Object But it is objected against this truth by our Critical Age that ever and everlasting have an end yea ever and ever and they urge Jer. 7.7 when God tells Israel that they shall dwell in the Land for ever see ch 25.5 yet say they this is endless I Answ As Canaan was a type of that rest which remains to the people of God Heb. 4. so it is for ever and ever putting their present and future estate together makes it ever and ever Secondly I Answ That although ever and ever have an end in some cases yet it cannot be always so understood As for instance when it relates to the eternity of God when God is called the eternal and everlasting God and where it is said he raigns for ever and ever I hope the objector will not say that God and his government is to terminate So that ever and ever in that case cannot have an end neither will it I hope be thought that the joy and happiness of the righteous shall have an end which yet if ever and everlasting have an end lyeth in danger to have an end also So that in our understandings of these speakings of the Spirit of God we must diligently observe the scope of the place and thing spoken of that must guide us in our understandings And then it will not appear that what is spoken as to the punishment of the Reprobate is temporal but eternal Some will urge what the Apostle Jude speaks of the punishment of Sodom to weaken our position who it is said suffered the vengeance of eternal fire To which I answer That punishment might be called eternal from these considerations First From the perfection of it Secondly From the continuance of the burning as it is reported throughout all Ages unto this day Thirdly From the nature of it or rather the matter of it it was fire and Brimstone and that from Heaven and so of the same nature as Hell fire shall be Fourthly

Answer No it appears to the contrary in Scripture because that God both immediately from himself and mediately by his Servants desireth the contrary see the Lords ardent and passionate desire as in Deut. 32.29 Oh that my people were wise so also in Psal 9.8 Vnderstand O ye brutish among the people and ye fools when will ye be wise and this is Solomons wishes throughout the whole book of Proverbs all along The Second Vs● From hence we may learn that the Wisdom Faith Love Sincerity and Holiness of one will not serve another or do good to another though of the same Society these were of one Company yet the Oyl of the wise must not be imparted to the foolish Although as to outward deliverance as from outward Judgments those related as the family have received mercy upon their account as Noahs Family did yet not eternal good things received upon their account The Third Use Have a special care of hypocrisie it is a very dangerous evil it is a sin of the highest magnitude it is a sin that is very distasteful to God a sin that Christ pronounceth more woes against than against any sin see Mat. 23. as one calleth them they are the first born of the Devil and there is cause for it for an hypocrite is most dishonourable to God of all for he renders God as the Idol Gods that have eyes and see not ears and hear not they think he seeth not their hearts Christ seemeth to intimate that hypocrites are the first in Hell as in Mat. 24. last They shall have their portion with hypocrites The Fourth Use To the end thou maist be supplied with Oyl as the wise then make Christ thy store-house that is the way to have life and all spiritual supplies as in Gal. 2.20 The life that I live is by Faith in the Son of God without me saith Christ ye can do nothing as in John 15.4 that Soul whose life is hid with Christ in God shall have supplies when those that lay it up in themselves may be drawn away to go to the Creature for Oyl We see this Parable this invites such an answer as have Ne forte not so or not able We now proceed to the ninth Verse But the wise answered saying not so lest there be not enough for us and you But go ye rather to them that sell and buy for your selves We now come to the reply of the wise Virgins to the foolish Virgins request which reply of theirs seems to savour of harshness and uncharitableness in these three circumstances First Their positive denial of their request in this time of their need 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not so which word must be understood to arise from an impossibility or else from a negative resolution it cannot or we have no power or it shall not be or we have no will Secondly The reasons given seem to savour of the same Spirit in effect we must see our selves served first and we fear it will not serve to supply our selves and you too Thirdly Their uncharitableness seems to appear in their ironical sending them to buy at such a juncture of time when the Bridegroom was so near his approach it is the judgment of the Assembly that this is but an ironical or mocking direction like to Elijah's bidding Baal's Prophets cry aloud for their God was in a journey there are some that are of opinion that this was simple honest counsel but such an understanding cannot suit with the scope and season it was spoken in but I would not stand too exactly upon every word in a Parable but mind the scope I now proceed to the observations from this Verse First That frugality and seeming covetousness in spiritual things is a demonstration of true wisdom the wise answered not so not a drachm Second Doctrine The best wisest holiest of Saints have none of their stock of sincerity to spare they may well question whether there be enough for both Third Doctrine From the manner of their speaking by way of Irony and mocking from whence this Doctrine ariseth That one part of the punishm●nt of negligent and foolish Persons in spiritual things they shall be the Subjects of di●ision another day and as some would have it simple Counsel I note that true spiritual grace and wisdom is then rightly come at when it is bought not borrowed or begged go and buy for your selves as if they should say ours cost us dear it is not to be given away buy as we did A few words to each of these and so I proceed First That frugality and covetousness in spirituals is not only consistent with but a demonstration of true wisdom these are the words of the wise not so covetousness which is such a sin that God abhors that Person in whom it is as in Psal 10.3 yet in this case it is allowable 1 Cor. 12.31 Covet earnestly the best gifts though Jacob's dealing with his Brother Esau in an ordinary case would have been condemned as a piece of uncharitableness yet it is not blamed in that case as the blessing and birthright pointed at spirituals therein Esau only is blamed as a fornicatour and profane Person in Hebrews 1.2.16 We have liberty to buy the truth whatever it cost us but not to sell it whatever we may have for it Prov. 23.23 Though usury and taking increase in Scripture is greatly forbid yet usury upon a spiritual account is lawful and allowed as Math. 25.27 Thou ought to have put it out to the bank that I might have received mine own with usury the Church is exhorted Revel 3.11 To hold fast what she had that no man take her Crown the wise have held fast what they had they would not part with a drop Christ loves such covetous closefistedness such Usurers as will hold fast their integrity Job was of this sort I will not let it go as Job 13.13 and this must needs be a demonstration of true wisdom for it doth arise from a right understanding the worth of grace and sincerity Jacob understood the worth of a blessing and birthright but of Esau it is said he in parting with his birthright despised and slighted it see Gen. 25.34 he is counted a wise man in earthly things that holds fast his own But some may object Object But is it not said by David Psal 40.10 I have not had or concealed my righteousness in my heart I have declared and spread it abroad I answ This is to be understood as to the exercise of grace this is a duty which may be termed a trading with not a parting with the stock a well stockt Person is the only Person to do good to others he is the man that teacheth by experience I can tell you by experience how I came by what I have saith David I will tell you what God hath done for my Soul The declarations of experience of grace and sincerity is common to all it is communicable as light you cannot