Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	grace_n	life_n	sin_n	2,939	5	4.9686	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A06800	The sicke-mans comfort against death and the deuill, the law and sinne, the wrath and iudgement of God. Translated out of Frenche into English, by I.E.; Consolation et instruction aux malades contre l'appréhension. English.	L'Espine, Jean de, ca. 1506-1597.; Eliot, John.	1590 (1590)	STC 17238; ESTC S119213	84,176	220

on euerie side for the venomous dartes and arrowes of Sathan that on what side soeuer he assaile him he may finde no place vnarmed where he may wound and hit him For no doubt the diuell will doe what he can by all the trecherie he can deuise to shake the foundations of our faith and so to ouerthrowe vs quite But to defend and saue our selues wee must alwayes keepe our selues within our fortresse and neuer depart from the promises of God whatsoeuer he alleage to the contrarie Let vs set before him that which Esaie sayeth Israell shal be saued in the Lorde with an euerlasting saluation and we shall not be ashamed or confounded world without ende And in another place The Heauens shall vanish awaie like smooke and the earth shall waxe olde like a garment and they that dwell therein shal perish likewise but my saluation shall be for euer and my righteousnes shall neuer faile And lest the great signes that he shewes vs often times of his anger and displeasure should breede in our hearts too great a feare and so we should fall to dispaire of his promises let vs heare what the Prophet sayth in his 54. Chapter speaking to the Church in the name of God For a little while haue I forsaken thee but with great compassion will I gather thee For a moment in mine anger I hide my face from thee for a little season but with euerlasting mercie haue I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer For this is vnto mee as the waters of Noah for as I haue sworne that the waters of Noah should no more ouerflowe the earth so haue I sworne that I woulde not be angrie with thee nor rebuke thee For the mountaines shal remoue and the hilles shall fall downe but my mercie shall not depart from thee neither shall the couenant of my peace fall away saith the Lorde that hath compassion on thee To the same purpose God speaketh by Oseas the Prophet vnto his Church that he will marrie her vnto himselfe in righteousnes and in iudgement and in mercie and compassion shewing thereby that the aliance and couenant that he will conclude with her shall be firme and inuiolable and that he wil establish and ground her in himselfe that is to saye in his mercie trueth and Iustice requiring onely that shee would walke vprightly before him that in all her wayes shee would followe him in all perfect integritie kéeping her selfe as much as shee can from all counterfaiting and hypocrisie This must be diligently marked For the diuell to make vs afraide and to make vs doubt of the effect of the promises of God when we are readie to appeare before his iudgement seate are cyted and our cause readie to be called If he see that wee stande fast resting vppon the worde of his Gospell wherein he doeth offer vnto vs his grace he wil graunt vs that al that God saith is tru●… and likewise that he offereth vs fréely his grace and life euerlasting by his promis but forsooth that he cannot performe that which hee hath promised by reason of our indignity For that we hauing so oft offended him since we haue bene lightened and regenerate by the knowledge of his truth had so much fauour at his hands besides as to be receiued into his family and to bee adopted his childrē Bb our own ingratitude we haue made our selues vncapable of his benefits and vnworthy to haue the promises performed that he hath made vnto vs. Therevppon to repulse this temptation which is the greatest of all and more dangerous then any wherewith we may be assailed We must first note that as the good will and pleasure of God hath bin the first motyfe to stirre him vp to make this alliance and couenant with vs and to offer vs fréely the promise of saluation by the which he declareth himselfe to bee our God and receiueth vs to bee his people as also his grace is the onely means to induce him to performe it towards vs. And this was the cause why Sainct Paul said that the reward of sinne is death but the gifte of God which is his grace is eternall life Whereas if he should haue drawen an argument directly from the Countryes mee thinketh he should haue sayd that as life is the reward of our righteousnes so death is the gu●…rdon of our sinnes But to giue vs to vnderstand that life which is the effecte of the promise is as well giuen to vs gratis as the promises which doth offer it to vs he hath attributed it wholly to y e grace of God making no mention of our works or vertues This is confirmed by the 4. to the Romanes and in 32. Psalme where Dauid declareth that the blessednes of mā consisteth in this that God alloweth his righteousnes without works saying Happy are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Happy is the man vnto whom the lord shall impute no sinne Séeing then that the life and blessednes that God doth offer vs by his promises are not graunted vnto vs in lieu and fauour of any merits or vertue that is in man But by the only grace of God it followeth then that as the price and dignity of our works cannot purchase vs life euerlasting so also our vnworthines cannot hinder vs from attayning to the same For it is the more gift of God which he bestoweth vppon whom it pleaseth him according to his mercy and not according to the merit of our righteousnes which are not only vnperfect but also polluted with much vncleannes because that our harts from whence they procéede cannot be so well cleansed in this world but still there doth remaine some staines and corruption whereby they are defiled Which is the cause that the prophet prayeth to God so feruently that he would not enter into iudgment with him Saing Enter not into iugement with thy seruant for in thy sight shall none that liueth be iustified And also wher he saith If thou O Lord straitly markest iniquities O Lord who shalbe able to stand And that Sainct Augustine in his confessions hath this excellent and memorable sentence Our righteousnes shalbe cursed if it be examined and iudged without his mercy But neuertheles that can not let vs why God should not giue life euerlasting as he hath promised vs. So that we acknowledg féele and confesse our own vnworthines For nothing can make vs more capable and if it may be said also more worthy of the fauours and blessings of God then the knowledge and féeling that we haue in our selues to be altogether vnworthy What worthines might the Thiefe haue that hung vppon the Crosse hard by our Sauiour Iesus Christe who had continued in his théeuing and wickednes till the last houre of his life neuer acknowledging his Sauiour Iesus Christ til the very houre that he should render vp the Gost. And yet he had no sooner opened his mouth to confesse

our vertue Giuing vs by this means matter and argument to make demonstration of the faith and trust that we haue in him to craue his mercies by our earnest prayers and sorrowfull sighings to acknowledge and confesse our faultes and offences by our griefe and displeasure And to bring the sicke person so farre to cause him to make an humble true confession of his sinnes wee must first set before his eyes what is the spring and principall cause of all diseases as well corporall as spirituall and how that to heale them vp hée must take awaie the causes that engēder them that is to saie our sinnes from the which we cannot otherwise be deliuered but by the remission and pardon that God doeth giue vs through his grace so that as S. Iohn sayth wee doe confesse them vnto him and be assured that Iesus Christ is our aduocate and propitiation to God-ward by meanes of his iustice by the which hée doth hide and deface them so that they shall not be laide to our charge at the day of iudgement And for that the loue which by nature we beare vnto our selues doeth so blinde vs that we cannot sée or think our selues to be so vicious and corrupt as we are we must pul awaie this vaile from before the sicke mans eyes setting before him the lawe of God wherein as in a glasse hée may view and behold all the course of his life to make him know that by the same not onely all our actions but also all our nature is condemned to be abhominable naught and vicious For proofe and confirmation hereof we must alleadge vnto him in generall that we are conceiued in sin that we are all borne the children of wrath that wée are but flesh and vanitie that we are sold vnder sinne that in vs there dwelleth no good thing that our righteousnes is lyke olde rags and filthie clothes And to conclude that we are altogether nothing but dust and rottennesse Then must wee discourse vnto him all the commandements of God and shew him particularly that when he would examine himselfe throughly he should finde none of them but hée hath oftentinms transgressed and beginning with those of the first table to call to his minde 1 That he hath not done his best indeuour to inquire after God and to séeke to know him That he hath not loued him with all his hart with al his strength and with all his soule That hee hath not alwaies put his trust in him That he hath oftentimes doubted of his promises and mistrusted his aide and succour That he hath trusted to the strength of the flesh and such meanes that men might prouide rather then to the succour and aide of God That hee hath not looked for all his prosperitie and increase from the onely fauour and blessing of God That he hath not alwaies called vppon him in all his actions with full assurance and hope to be heard and helped of him That he hath not alwaies dreaded and reuerenced him as appertaineth to his high and soueraigne maiestie That he hath not thanked him and blessed his holy name for all things at all times and as well for his aduersities as prosperities 2 Then next that thinking vppon GOD hée hath imagined him to bée vnder some humane and bodilie shape That hée hath not conceiued him to bée a spirite incomprehensible infinite inuisible immortall impassible immutable soueraigne in power in bountie mercie iustice and veritie as an example and myrrour of all vertue and perfection the spring of all lyfe and light the fountaine and fulnes of all goodnes the heape of all happines and blessednes the beginning and end of all things who is all in al and by his onely word doth cause all creatures to bréed and subsist That he hath not serued and worshipped him in spirite and truth as hée requireth of vs and commandeth vs in his lawe That he hath béene more curious of ceremonies and exterior shewes of piety then of pitie it selfe and rather to séeme a good Christian then to be one in déede And lastly that he hath not alwaies thought in his minde that the true lawfull seruice of God doth consist in the only obedience of his will That speaking of the name of God it hath not béene with such respect and reuerence of his maiestie as is méete That he hath neuer studied and giuen his minde to sanctifie and glorifie his holy name as he ought That by wicked life and conuersation he hath béene cause that the ignorant and infidels haue blasphemed his name That he hath not heard read and meditated t●…e word of God with such attentiuenesse desire feare and zeale as is requisite to honour the Lorde which speaketh by it and the name of him of whom it is announced That hee hath not alwaies spoken of the workes of God nor acknowledged in them the greatnes of his power wisedome and bountie with such praise and admiration as they deserue for their abundance and magnificence That being at the table of the Lord euerie time that the holy Supper hath béene celebrated he hath not vsed such humilitie deuotion and contemplation of the holy mysterie nor hath not lifted vp his heart on high t●… heauen where Iesus Christ sitteth on the right hande of God the father as he should do That in the dayes ordayned to abstaine and rest from prophane and bodili●… workes to apply our selues wholy to the sanctifieng of his holy name hee hath not giuen himselfe at al to the meditation and exercise of spirituall things thinking vpon and séeking nothing else but onely those things which are from aboue That he hath bene oftentimes more carefull for his worldly affaires then to séeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnes thereof preferring by this meanes this transitorie and corruptible life before the eternall and blessed life the care of this bodie before that which hee ought to haue of his soule the seruice of the world and his flesh before that wherewith hee ought to honour God aboue all things That vpon small and light occasions he hath absented himselfe from the place of Conuocations and publike assemblies ther to make publike confession and protestation of his faith to shewe his deuotion and the feare of God that is in him to edifie the congregation by his good ensample and to make knowne to euerie man without any shame feare dissimulation and hypocrisie the religion that hee will followe and kéepe resoluing to liue and die in the same That hée hath not laboured to instruct and catechise his wife his children his seruantes and all his familie as a good Christian ought to doe calling them morning and euening to Prayers exhorting them to reade and meditate the worde of God to sing Psalmes hymnes and spirituall songs in his praise and to conferre among themselues of holy and godlie things and neuer to minde anie thing more then that which may aduance and increase daylie the knowledge and feare