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
A14001	Nevv essayes: meditations, and vowes including in them the chiefe duties of a Christian, both for faith, and manners. By Thomas Tuke, minister of Gods Word, at S. Giles in the Fields.; New essayes: meditations, and vowes.	Tuke, Thomas, d. 1657.	1614 (1614)	STC 24312; ESTC S105349	74,323	307

are the diuels harbingers for hee lodges not but where they haue taken vp his lodging for him There are some vse to minish their sinnes either they are not great or they are not many Sure it is that the smallest sinne that can bee beeing the offence of the greatest Maiesty deserueth death and therefore is great enough to destroy the soule and though there were but one yet that were one too many For one foote of a bird taken or one wing belimmed may cost her her life One hole in a Ship may sinke her One bullet may kill as well as twenty The smallest sin is in it nature mortall yea the omission of the smallest duety which the Law of GOD requireth deserueth eternall death For cursed is euery one which continueth not in All Things which are written in the booke of the Law to doe them If the smallest curse of GOD bee too great to suffer then the smallest sinne against GOD is too great to doe As I therefore desire to escape all curses so will I by the grace of GOD bee carefull to auoide all causes and will neuer count that little which might make mee sustaine so great a losse as is the forfeite of my soule Of the Gospell THE Gospell is good newes from heauen of remission of sins reconciliation to GOD redemption from hell death and condemnation and of resurrection to life and glory by the merites of our LORD and SAVIOVR IESVS CHRIST O happy newes O ioyfull tydings What newes more welcome to prisoners then of a Goale-deliuery What more pleasing to malefactours then to heare of their Princes pardon What would a blind man more willingly heare of then that his eie-sight shall bee restored to him Or what better tydings can bee brought to a man sea-beaten and spent with labour then that hee shall most certainely obtaine an hauen where hee shall most safely rest free from the malice of Pirates and fury of all foule weather Yet for all this the Gospell with many findes but poore acceptance It is because men haue no thorough feeling of their miseries they feele no misery and therefore affect no change What cares a clunch for learning or good manners that blesseth himselfe in his rudenesse and inciuility What cares a man for meate that feeles no hunger What doe you talke to him of cloathes that feeles no cold nor nakednesse The lacke of things causeth estimation the sense of lacke When men haue beene worne with warres how pleasing is the newes of a true and constant peace When a man feeles his disease and sees death staring in his eyes O how welcome is the Physition How welcome should hee bee that would bring him newes of a medicine which hee might easily haue that would cure him and set him vp againe When Sea-men haue beene long at Sea and spent their victuals and water euen a pound of bread would bee worth a pound in siluer and a little fresh water how welcome would it bee vnto them And if men would but duely consider of their captiuity slauery miseries and necessities into which they are driuen by sinne and wherein they are inwrapped they would bee glad to heare of deliuerance And beautifull should be the feete of those which shall bring vnto them glad tydings of peace I will therefore examine my selfe by the Law that I may bee brought to esteeme of the Gospell I will mediate of my slauery which I am brought to by transgressing the Law that I may duely respect the liberty which is Preached in the Gospell Mine owne bitternesse shall make mee delight in this Sweetnesse and mine owne vngraciousnesse in this so great a Grace Of the Law and the Gospell THE Law saith doe this and thou shalt liue The Gospell saith Beleeue in the Lord IESVS and thou shalt be saued In the Law there is seuerity but in the Gospell mercy In the Law there is reserued no repentance but by the sentence thereof hee that sins must die But the Gospell admits repentance and promiseth life to him that turneth vnto GOD. The Law terrifies but the Gospell pacifies The Law discouers sin but the Gospell couers it The Law requires a mans owne iustice but the Gospell Preacheth pardon in the iustice of another to wit of CHRIST The Law is written after a sort in the hearts of all men Pagans and Christians but the Gospell is not so generally knowne to all And the Gospell was not first and then the Law But the Law was first and then the Gospell To finde out my sinnes I will veiw the Law but to reade my saluation I will looke into the Gospell To despaire of my selfe I will weigh the Law but to hope in CHRIST I will receiue the Gospell If I were disposed to stand vpon my good deeds I would sticke to the Law but being desirous of mercy I will flye to the Gospell If I would stand vpon my iustice I wold plead the Law but crauing Grace I go to the Gospell Yet this will I doe because the Law is the rule of good workes I will endeuour to keepe it with care and conscience Yet euery day will I pray and say GOD bee mercifull to mee a sinner Of Good and Euill GOOD is more ancient then euill Sanctity is elder then sinne vice is yonger then Vertue There was first an Angell then a diuell First a Man then a sinner First a True-man then a thiefe In good no man can bee too much in euill no man can bee too little Hee that would encrease in good let him thinke hee hath yet too little Hee that would decrease in euill let him remember still hee hath too much The way to learne vertue is to vnlearne vice Hee taketh the ready course to become good which repenteth of his euils And Hee onely will proue a Saint which feelingly confesses himselfe to bee a sinner Of the Church Vniuersall THE Holy Catholique Church is the Corporation or Communion of Saints Triumphant in Heauen and Militant on earth This is the Mysticall Body of CHRIST who is the onely Head thereof by whose SPIRIT euery Member thereof is animated as euery part of the naturall body is animated of the soule And from which Head euery true mysticall Member deriueth all Spirituall life sense and motion And as the Moone receiueth her light from the Sunne so doth the Church receiue all her brightnesse both of grace and glory from IESVS CHRIST This Church is the Vine of GODS delight the Spouse of CHRIST His Faire One His Wel-Beloued GODS House and Citty the LORD and Keeper whereof is GOD the Wall His omnipotent Grace and gracious Omnipotency the Watch-towers are His Prouidence and Omniscience Her Ensignes or Armes are Faith Righteousnesse Peace Charity and ioy in the Holy GHOST Her foundation is the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles Her Gate is CHRIST Her Religion is the seruice of the blessed TRINITY Her Citizens are all poenitent and true Beleeuers and all the Saints of GOD. This is the

GOD in heauen but thee Whom haue I to guide and comfort me whiles I liue with men on earth but Thy SPIRIT In whom desire I to end my daies and die but euen in Thee With whom would I liue when I doe remoue but euen with Thee Grant that I may so liue to Thee and so die in Thee that I may liue eternally with Thee But my life doth scarre mee for when I sift it I finde it is either full of sinne or empty of good And if any fruite appeare therein it is either so feigned or so vnperfite or some way or other so corrupted as that either it cannot please or cannot but displease the most righteous and holy Iudge What shall I now doe Or whether shall I goe Thy Passion O LORD is my refuge and singular comfort Therein is my confidence on that I stand Thy Mercies are my Merites Thine Indulgence is my Iustice Thy Grace is my Glory Thy Crosse my Crowne and Thy Death my Life IESVS is a Name full of delight and sweetenesse Mel in Ore Melas in Aure Iubilus in Corde Hony in the mouth Melody in the eare and Ioy in the heart I will reioyce and trust in Thy Saluation I will not contend against Thee in the Vallies nor on the Mountaines The King of Israel is a Mercifull King Thy mercy it is thy mercies O LORD that I onely thirst for My soule thirsteth after Thy mercies as the chased Hart doth after water LORD IESVS in Thy mercy make mee pertaker of Thy Merites Of the Law THE Law saith Doe this and thou shalt liue It rests not in faith but exacteth action and promiseth life to them which keepe it It allowes not infirmities but requireth all perfections and if a man faile but in one point thereof it denounceth a curse vnto him Alas then what are wee what shall become of vs who are grieuous and continuall sinners Our very Iustice being strictly sifted by the Law which is the rule of Iustice would bee found iniustice and that would be contemned in the strict iudgement of the Iudge which is commended in the iudgement of the worker But could not this Law haue beene exactly kept Surely Adam might haue kept it if hee would but as the case now standeth wee cannot but trangresse it Neither yet is there iniustice in GOD For by commanding things impossible Hee makes not men sinners but humble that euery mouth should bee stopped and that all the world should bee made subiect vnto GOD because by the workes of the Law no flesh shal be iustified in his sight For when wee haue receiued a commandement and perceiue what is wanting in vs wee are put in minde to send vp our cries into heauen and GOD will haue mercy vpon vs and that so wee may know that wee are not saued by the workes of righteousnesse which wee haue done but by His owne free Mercy For indeed therefore was the Law giuen and is yet vrged to shewe not what wee can doe but what wee should doe and that the proude might see his weakenesse and seeing it might bee humbled and being humbled might confesse it and confessing it might bee saued Not resting vpon his owne dignity but on GODS Dignation not in his owne iustice but in the Righteousnesse of IESVS CHRIST Being therefore terrified by the Law let vs seeke for comfort in the Gospell And seeing all hope in our selues is cut off by the Law let vs flie to CHRIST IESVS Who is the fulfilling of the Law and in Whom whosoeuer beleeueth hath the perfection of the Law They say the Elephant as knowing his owne deformity loues not to looke into cleere water Foule faces would haue false glasses and such as would vent their copper loue not the Touchstone And they that haue deceiptfull wares like not the light But I doe desire to vnderstand the Law exactly that I may see all my deformities and foulenesse mine hypocrisies and false-dealings that so I might bee brought to a loathing of them and finding mine imperfections towards the Law I might bee prouoked to seeke for the perfection reuealed in the Gospell I will indeuour to keep the Law exactly but when I faile I will flie to the Grace of the Gospell speedily as knowing that not by mine owne iustice but by the iustice of CHRIST I must bee iustified and that I am not saued for any graces in mee but by the grace of GOD in CHRIST vnto mee Of Sinne. SINNE is the transgression of the Law If there were no Law there could bee no sinne The Law claimes obedience and when it is transgressed then sin is committed And the more men wander from it the more they sinne The cause of sinne is not GOD who is Truth and Goodnesse Wisedome and Iustice but a mans owne will yeelding to the diuell For it cannot bee that Hee should make vs fall into sinne who makes vs rise from sinne and that Hee should be the Author of that whereof Hee is reuenger And though Sathan be politique to beguile yet hath he no power to compell he cannot make thee sinne except thou wilt It is true hee can bewitch thy body inchaunt thine eyes and dull thy eares whether thou wilt or no but he cannot compell thy soule to sinne he cannot make thee sinne against thy will A man standing in a showre of haile or bullets or beeing among persons infected with the plague may be strucken and infected though he would not bee so but no tentation darted from the Diuell no bad example scandall or suggestion of any sinner can doe thee harme except thou yeeld vnto it Know that when thou sinnest it is not against but with thy will For the foundation and roote of sinne is in our selues and whosoeuer sinnes is the proper cause vnto himselfe of sinne It is true that God doth harden the heart and deliuer men vp sometimes vnto a Reprobate sence but how Not by the insusion of hardnesse or immission of corruption but by not imparting mercy and by leauing a man to himselfe and deliuering him vp into the hands of sathan For then Hee is said to harden when Hee doth not soften to deliuer them when Hee doth not retaine them to giue them vp when Hee lets them go and to leade them into temptation when Hee doth not deliuer them When therefore I shall commit a sinne I will not accuse GOD I will not impute all to the diuell but I will condemne my selfe smite my breast and say with the Publican GOD bee mercifull to mee a sinner I haue hard some complaine they cannot chuse but sinne O fearefull bondage O vnhappy necessity But who constraines thē against their wils Nothing But thus it is Euill thoughts of sinne beget delight delight consent consent action action custome custome necessity What shall a man doe that is thus intangled Let him beware of custome for the custome of sinning takes away the sense of sinne and let him preuent or mortifie euill thoughts which