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
A12604	The eunuche's conuersion A sermon preached at Paules Crosse, the second of February. 1617. By Charles Sonnibank, Doctor of Diuinitie, & Canon of Windsor.	Sonibancke, Charles, 1564-1638.	1617 (1617)	STC 22927; ESTC S114127	43,380	142

ioyfull Message or gladsome tidings So spake the Angell to the Shepheards Be not afraid for behold I bring you tidings of great ioy that shall be to all the people that is that vnto you is borne this day in the Citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2.10.11 Which most heauenly most sweet comfortable doctrine when Philip had once taught and preached to this noble Eunuch it was no maruell though as a man full of gladnesse he went on his way reioycing For if libertie be gratefull to him that hath long been captiue if to be made a free-man be a cause of ioy and reioycing to him that hath long been a bondslaue if to be eased of a heauie burden if to be cured of a dangerous disease if to be brought foorth of a darke dungeon into the cleere light to conclude if to be raised from the death of sinne to the life of grace and to haue our part and portion in the communion of Saints if all and euery of these be blessings much to be esteemed of and true causes of reioycing Thē to be brought into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God to be made the Lords Free-men to be eased of the heauy burden of sinne to be cured of the infectious diseases which arise from humane corruption to be enlightened by the Spirit of God to liue vnto the Lord the life of righteousnes and to haue our names written in the booke of life all which were offered and exhibited by Philip to this noble Eunuch in his preaching of Iesus vnto him these things I say could not chuse but much affect him and be great causes of great ioy and reioycing vnto him And as Philips preaching of Iesus was to this honorable Eunuch a cause of much reioycing so also should the preaching of the same Iesus be a cause of ioy and reioycing to as many of vs as are by the mercy of God and the labour of his faithfull Ministers made the happy hearers partakers therof For looke what plenty is to men that haue long liued in penury what health is to men that haue been long visited wearied with sicknes what meat is to them that haue been long pinched and almost starued with hunger the same and more is the publishing and preaching of the comfortable assurance of Gods loue and fauour towards vs in Christ Iesus In whom though the traytor Iudas found no excellency aboue the value of thirty peeces of siluer yet his godly and faithfull children can and doe finde in him all the treasures of wisedome of iustification of redemption and saluation When Samson in the time of his extreame thirsting faintnes euen then when he cried out and said Giue me vvater or I die for thirst had tasted of that water which God miraculously sent vnto him his spirit came againe he was reuiued Iudg. 15.19 When Ionathan had tasted a little hony his eyes were opened his spirits comforted and his body strengthened 1. Sa. 14. Yet neither was the water which Samson dranke of nor the hony which Ionathan tasted of halfe so sweet comfortable to them as the preaching of Christ Iesus is to the fainting dying soules of true Beleeuers Great is the ioy vnspeakable are the comforts which the preaching of Iesus affordeth to the children of men the sauour of which comforts is sweeter in the Church of GOD than the sauour of Libanon and the ioy therof like vnto the dropping of milke and hony vpon their soules Samson found a swarme of Bees and hony in a dead Lion Hic est favus qui ex ore Leonis mortui exiuit Out of the mouth out of the word out of the preaching of Iesus Christ which is the Lion of the tribe of Iudah which was dead but is aliue and liueth for euer commeth such sweetnes as cannot be vttered or cōceiued Nemo nouit nisi qui accipit This is such a ioy as is not like worldly ioy which may be taken away Your ioy shall no man take from you Iohn 16.22 Christ like a royall King neuer entreth any citie any towne any village any priuat house or into the soule or minde of any priuate man but hee giueth gifts And it also pleaseth him of his fulness to giue to his Apostles his Disciples his Ministres power and grace also to make them able whersoeuer they come and wheresoeuer they preach him and publish his truth as heere Philip did to this Eunuch to giue great gifts to the sonnes of men to instruct them in the knowledge of God and so to fill their hearts vvith sweet ioyes heauenly comforts The publishing of the word of God the preaching of Iesus Christ is as Chrysostome speaketh in his 5. Homily vpon Gene. a casting of spirituall treasures into the laps or bosomes of men The L. God grant that my preaching of Iesus at this time may be a casting or sowing of such spirituall treasures and heauenly seed as may bring forth in you all much fruite of good liuing to eternall life Amen FINIS

vnto vs silly creatures on the earth and how powerfully dost thou schoole vs and teach vs by thy example to goe vp to Ierusalem to worship God to reade not Esay the Prophet onely but euen the whole booke of God! that so vsing those and all such other gratious means which God offereth vnto vs for the illumination of our darke hearts by faith as thou here diddest we might also with thee in time be enriched with that precious and inestimable treasure of a true faith That so as the Spirit of God witnesseth of thee that thou diddest beleeue that Iesus Christ was the Son of God so the same Spirit might beare witnesse to our spirits that wee also beleeue But herein especially doth he school vs and in schooling vs reproue vs and in reproouing vs shame vs. For first if hee that had so fewe meanes to leade him to the knowledge and worshippe of God doe yet notwithstanding out-goe vs in his seruice and worship who doe abound with all gratious and needfull helpes that may leade vs thereunto how can it but be a shame vnto vs Secondly if he that dwelt so farre off as Aethiopia was from Ierusalem refused not to vndertake so long so tedious a iourney to trauell thither there to worship God How can it choose but be a shame to vs who will many of vs scarce goe out of doores or wet our foote in trauelling to the house of the Lord to heare his word and to worship him in his holy Temple Thirdly if he at one only Sermon of Philip were brought to knowe and to beleeue in Christ what a shame is it for vs that after so many yeares enioying the word of God pulickely taught and expounded vnto vs and after so many and almost infinite Sermons that haue bin preached amongst vs there should yet be so many of vs that are not wonne to the seruice of God and faith in Christ The Lord our God as much desireth our good as hee did the good of this Eunuch The word of God is as mighty in operation now as in former times the Spirit of God worketh with the word preached effectually now as in former times The industrie and desire of Gods Ministers though they be not equall to the Apostles and first Fathers of the Faith who because the Church was then newly to bee planted had Primitias spiritus sancti the first fruits and the more eminent and powerfull graces of Gods Spirit yet are they such as might in some degree of proportion serue to beget faith now as in former times and yet for all this they are but few in comparison of the multitude that profite in faith godlinesse by our labours The cause why we cannot write vpon the water is not the want of skill nor the fault of the pen but the vnfitnesse and indisposition of the water So the reason why Gods Spirit preuaileth not in vs is neither any default in God or defect in his Spirit or weakenesse in his word or disability in his Ministers but onely in men and women themselues who are not disposed fitted to receiue such stamps and impressions as they all would otherwise imprint and leaue in them For surely were men so willing so prepared as this noble Eunuch was to entertaine the Lord Iesus in their hearts and to receiue him into their soules by faith when we preach him vnto them then would our preaching bring forth in them the like precious effect and many more of them than now doe would by our preaching of Iesus vnto them be brought with this Eunuch to beleeue in him and to bee his seruants But alas the more is the pitie many of vs may truly say with Peter We haue launched out into the deep and haue let fal our nets to make a draught we haue trauelled all the night and laboured hard and yet haue taken nothing Many of vs like candles doe waste and consume our selues by studying and preaching to giue you light and yet many of you for all that doe still continue and remaine in darknes Many of vs like busie silke wormes weaue out our owne bowels as they doe in making of silke that you may be cloathed in silke and apparelled with the precious roabes of Christs righteousnesse and yet for all that many of you choose rather to be cloathed with your owne rags with the garments which are spotted with sin and stayned and defiled with iniquitie What can the husband-man doe more than till his land and sowe his seed what can the gardiner do more to his figge-tree than ditch round about it and dung it what can the dresser or planter of a vineyard doe more for it than place it in a fruitfull hill and hedge it and gather out the stones and plant it with the best plants what can we doe more than preach Iesus vnto you Nullus doctor est dator boni quod docuerit saith Bar. Wee can teach you good things we cannot giue you good things we may be doctores gratiae but not datores we may be teachers but we are not giuers of grace The Angel in the 5. of Iohn did but stirre the waters of the poole Bethesda and troubled the waters thereof hee thrust no man into the poole that was a worke to be performed by thēselues that would be healed Wee that are the Ministers of God wee open and expound the Scriptures vnto you by our diuiding the word of God and expounding the same vnto you wee moue and we stirre the water of life that floweth in them you must be carefull to step into them your selues c. And surely the very true reason why after so much stirring and troubling of these waters after so much preaching and teaching there are yet so many both men and women that lie diseased full of soares sinnes by this poole and by these waters not onely for the space of 38 yeeres but some for more yeeres and all their whole life long neuer once offering to step in much lesse to thrust themselues thereinto when the waters therof are stirred I say the very true reason hereof is either their infidelitie that they cannot or their lazinesse idlenesse that they will not or their pride vvhich suffereth them not to humble their hearts and to subiect their wills to the will and word of God They consult their owne sense and vnderstanding and suffer themselues to be caried away with the streame of their own naturall reason and corrupt affections whereas if they would submit themselues captiuate their vnderstanding and their willes to the will and word of God and be wholly led and directed thereby they might as here this noble Eunuch did attaine to some good proportion and comfortable measure of true faith But that which the Comicall Poet spake of hands in his time I may say of our hearts in these dayes Corda nostra sunt oculata non credunt nisi quod vident Our hearts are full of