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	merit_n	work_n	2,584	5	6.2801	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12183	The excellencie of the Gospell above the law Wherein the liberty of the sonnes of God is shewed. With the image of their graces here, and glory hereafter. Which affords much comfort and great incouragement, to all such as begin timely, and continue constantly in the wayes of God. By R. Sibbs, D.D. Mr. of Katherin Hall Cambridge, and preacher of Grayes-Inne, London. Begun in his life time, and published by T.G. and P.N.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.	1639 (1639)	STC 22492; ESTC S117300	150,485	668

quicke●s all his members too first hee receives the Spirit himselfe and the same Spirit that filled and sanctified his humane nature the sam● Spirit sanctifieth his Church which hee loves even as himselfe as he loveth that his owne humane nature which the holy Ghost sanctified so doth he love his owne mysticall body his Church being mystically united to him and sanctifieth it by the same Spirit Christ dispenseth his Spirit unto us as Head of his Church and this he doth in divers respects 1. As he is God by way of immediate influence he powreth it out upon us as the prime and pricipall cause and this he doth as God not as man for the Man-hood cannot worke above it selfe it cannot doe the worke of God it cannot worke grace or give the Spirit 2. As he is Man considered as joyned together with the God-head by way of merit and satisfaction he procureth the Spirit to bee given powred out which is done by the Father and the Sonne on all those who are beloved in the Sonne so that the Spirit is given by Christ with the Father as Mediator Meritoriously for hee by suffering and satisfying procured the gift Christ himselfe is the first gift yea the greatest that ever was given the giving of Christ to dye to satisfie the wrath of God and to obtaine eternall life Next to 〈◊〉 maine gift is the gift of the Spirit in which is the seed of all gifts and graces and this we have by his Merit and Mediatorship Yet this wee must likewise remember that although Christ be sayd to give the Spirit as he doth yet the holy Spirit giveth it selfe too for there is such an unity in the Trinity of consent and nature that though the Father and the Sonne send the Spirit yet the Spirit comes of his owne selfe though the Father and the Sonne give the Spirit yet the Spirit giveth himselfe 3. Wee have the Spirit from Christ not onely by way of Merit but in some kind by way of Example hee is the exemplary cause of all graces in us looking to whom wee are transformed as wee shall see afterwards from glory to glory For when wee consider that Christ hath done so much for us as to save us and redeeme us and dye for us this begetteth a love in us to Christ and makes us often to thinke of him and desirous to imitate him as wee usually doe such as we love and highly esteeme of The dispensation of the Spirit is in most abundance after the resurrection of Christ as hee appeared in himselfe then to bee most spirituall and glorious after he rose againe so then being as the Sun in its full height and perfect beauty casteth his beames most plentifully abroad and that for these reasons 1. Because then hee having finished the worke of Redemption and satisfied the wrath of God fully and given contentment to Divine Justice and accomplished all by his death there was nothing to hinder the blessed gift of the Spirit It is sayd that before the holy Ghost was not given because Christ was not glorified The gift of the holy Ghost especially depends upon the glorifying of Christ when he had fulfilled the worke of Redemption and was raised to glory God being pacified gave the holy Ghost as a gift of his favour 2. Then againe after his Resurrection and Ascension he did give the holy Ghost more abundantly than before to his Church because now hee is in heaven and hath the advantage of the place being exalted on high As that glorious creature the Sunne by the advantage it hath being placed in the heavens above us is able to shine upon the greatest part of the earth at all times and wee need not call the Sunne downe from its place to come into our houses or fields or gardens no where it is seated in its proper place or orbe it hath the best opportunity in most abundance and largest extent to send downe heat and light and influence to inferiour things So Christ doth his Church more good now he is in heaven from whence he sends the Spirit then hee could doe if hee were below because though his Humane nature be confined in heaven his person is every where and being ascended now farre above all heavens he giveth gifts more liberally and plentifully insomuch as he filleth all things Eph. 4. hee enlargeth the tents of his Gospel and hath taken in a greater people to himselfe We see in Winter when the Sunne is low and neare the earth all things are dead and cold but when the Sunne in the Spring commeth to over-top us to bee in a higher point above us wee see how all things put a new garment upon them there is a new vigour and freshnesse in them so there was more abundant vigour of the Spirit when Christ came in the Flesh his vertue appeared much more every way then before But when this blessed Sonne of righteousnesse was advanced and seated at the right hand of his Father where his Nature was perfectly inriched and perfectly adorned with all kind of graces whatsoever in the highest glory of them his influence of light and heat now beginneth to be increased and the efficacy and working of it to bee felt every where The glorious beams of the Sunne beganne to be scattered and the light of the Gospel to shine to a greater number of people now there was no respect of persons whether Jew or Gentile bond or free male or female all was one the Commission was enlarged to all Mark 16. Goe preach the Gospell to every Creature and with the Word the Spirit went and was received and those that were added to the Church even such as should be saved were many thousands Thus have wee opened the meaning of the words and shewed how Christ is that Spirit both in respect of the Spirits being eminently in him and his giving of it and spirituall gifts by it all the vigour and life and influence we have that is spirituall and supernaturall and above the ordinary course is from the Spirit and whatsoever the Spirit hath or doth for us is done as sent from Christ in whom the Spirit is in all fulnesse Now wee shall shew how many wayes the consideration of these truths will be profitable and usefull to us in the course o● our lives and for the comfort of our spirits Vse Christ is the Spirit of the Scriptures of all Truths of all Ordinances Wee may be this bee able to reconcile the Scriptures one place with another where they s●eme to contradict The Law is said to be a 〈…〉 a ministr ation of condemnation c. 2. Cor. ● but in the 19. Psal. there it is sayd The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soule c. These places are thus reconciled The Law is said to be dead so it is without Christ without the Spirit which quickneth and so is ●he Gospell too even a savour of death and so

its owne likenesse but now the Gospell which is the ministry of the Spirit it hath a transforming changing power into the likenesse of Christ whom it preacheth we are changed From glory to glory it is a graduall change not all at once but from glory to glory from one degree of grace to another for grace is here called glory we are changed from the state of grace till he come to heaven the state of glory And then the cause of all It is by the Spirit of the Lord The Spirit runnes through all it is by the Spirit of the Lord that we behold it is the Spirit of the Lord that takes away the vayle it is by the Spirit that we are changed from glory to glory Thus you see how many wayes the administration of the covenant of grace now is more excellent than the administration of the Covenant of grace was then In a word i● hath foure excellencies especially as First liberty and freedome from the bondage of ceremonies and of the law in a great part they had little Gospell and a great deale of Law mingled with it we have much Gospell and little Law wee have more freedome and liberty And thereupon we have more clearenesse wee see Christ more clearely with open face wee behold the glory of the Lord. And thirdly there is more intenti●n of grace the spirit workes more strongly now even to a change the ministery of the Gospell hath the Spirit with it whereby wee are changed from the hear●roote inwardly and thorowly And l●stly in the extension it is more large Wee all Gentiles as well as Iewes Behold c. Hence let us seriously and fruitfully consider in what excellent times the Lord hath cast us that we may answer it with thankfullnesse and obedience God hath reserved us to these glorious times better then ever our forefathers saw There are three m●ine parts of the Text our communion and fellowship with God in Christ wee all now in a glasse Behold the glory of the Lord. And then our conformity thereupon by beholding we are changed into the same Image The third is the cause of both the cause why wee b●hold the glory of God and why by beholding we are changed from glory to glory it is the Spirit of God This Text hath many theames of glory all is glorious in it there is the glorious mercy of God in Christ who is the Lord of glory the Gospel in which wee see the grace of God and of Christ The glorious Gospell the change by which wee are changed a glorious change from glory to glory and by a glorious power by the Spirit of 〈◊〉 Lord all here is glorious Therefore blessed be God and blessed be Christ and blessed be the Spirit and blessed be the Gospell and wee blessed that live in these blessed and glorious times but to come to the words But we all as in a glasse c. The happinesse of man consists especially in two things In Communion with In Conformity to God The meanes how to attaine them both are laid downe in this Verse I shall speake of them in order First of our communion with the chiefe good And then of the conformity wr●ught upon that communion And in the Communion first of Gods discovering of himselfe by his Spirit And then of our apprehension of him by beholding We all with open face behold the glory of the Lord c. In the glasse of the Gospell we see Christ and in Christ the glory of God shining especially of his mercy The point then here is that The grace and free mercy of God is his glory Now in our falne estate the glory of God is especially his mercy shining in Iesus Christ. What is glory Glory implyeth these things First excellency nothing is glorious but that that is excellent Secondly evidence and manifestation for nothing is glorious though it be excellent if it appeare not so therefore Light is said to bee glorious because the rayes of it appeare and runne into the eyes of all as it were and therefore we call things that are glorious by the name of Light illustrissimus and Clarissimus tearmes taken from light because where glory is there must be manifestation thus light it is a creature of God that manifests it selfe and other things Thirdly victoriousnesse in glory there is such a degree of excellency as is victorious and convincing that it is so indeed conquering the contrary that opposeth it Light causeth darkenesse to vanish presently when the Sunne which is a glorious creature appeares where are the Starres And where are meaner men in the appearance of a glorious Prince they are hid the meaner things are shaddowed by glory Againe usually glory hath with it the suffrage and approbation of others or else it hath not its right end that is why doth God create such glory in nature as Light and such like but that men may behold the Light and why are Kings and great men glorious at certaine times but that there bee beholders if there were no beholders there would bee no glory Now to apply this to the point in hand The glory of the Lord That is his attributes especially that of grace mercy and love in Christ that especially is his excellency And there is an evidence and manifestation of it it appeares to us in Christ The grace of God hath appeared Christ is called grace hee is the grace of God invested and cloathed with mans nature when Christ appeared the grace and mercy and love of God appeared Then againe it is victorious shining to victory over all that is contrary For alasse beloved what would become of us if there were not grace above sinne and mercy above misery and power in Christ Iesus above all the power in Sathan and death And then they have a testimony of all that belong to God for they have their eyes opened to behold this glory and by beholding are transformed from glory to glory as we shall see after So that whatsoever may be said of glory may bee said of this glory whence all other glory indeed is derived The glory of the Lord. By the glory of the Lord then is meant especially the glory of his mercy and love in Iesus Christ. The severall attributes of God shine upon severall occasions they have as it were severall theaters whereon to discover their glory In Creation there was power most of all in governing the world wise providence In hell justice in punishing sinners But now to man in a lapsed estate what attribute shines most and is most glorious Oh it is mercy and free grace If grace and mercy were hid our state being as it is since the fall what were all other attributes but matter of terrour to thinke of the wisedome and power and justice of God would adde aggravations hee is the more wise and powerfull to take revenge on us

cannot see a man but it trembles it cannot see a judge without trembling and will not the trembling conscience the guilty soule flee from the face of God a pace that trembles at the sig●t of a man What is so contrary as the nature of God to the nature of man out of Christ the unholy impure and uncleane nature of man to the pure holy nature of God if Christ had not taken our nature and sanctified it in himselfe and satisfied justice in it what boldnesse could this uncleane nature of ours have had to goe to the holy God● let us I beseech you be wrapped up in admiration of the singular love of God to us especially in the dayes of the Gospell that now we see in a glasse in a cleare glasse the love of God in Christ and with open face boldly we may goe to God Sometimes when the soule is bold in sinne it weakeneth boldnesse and faith and makes us looke upon that object that our sinnes hath deserved upon a wise God for howsoever we may behold his glorious face in Christ yet if we behold sinne against conscience God will hide himselfe Christ will hide his face and hide the promises and leave us to terrours of conscience and the soule shall not apprehend his gracious face in Christ but that correction that our sinne hath deserved God hath power over the soule and makes the soule appreh●nd what obj●ct he will and he presents to a bold soule that runnes into sinne what it deserves hell for the present there is no terrours to the terrour of a Christian that is bold in sinne till God shine upon him in his grace againe sinnes against conscience especially wasting sinnes weaken fai●h that wee cannot goe so boldly to God therefore those that say when they sinne against conscience that all the cause of their griefe is because they doe not conceive the free mercy of God they are ignorant of Gods wayes God is wise and though hee pardon sinne as sinne is pardoned in heaven before it be pardoned in the conscience they shall never be pardoned in thy conscience till God have made thy conscience smart for it and God will let wrath into thy conscience and thy faith shall stagger it is a sinne for faith to stagger it should not doe so but it will ●remble and quake till wee have humbled our selves before God What is the way after wee have had boldnesse and sweete familiarity with God and it hath beene interrupted by sin how shall we recover our selves Surely to apprehend our sinnes to be pardonable in Christ and that God is an everlasting Father and that the covenant of grace is everlasting and that there is mercy in Isra●ll for this thing and the conceite of mercy must worke our hearts to griefe and shame that is certaine for marke in the Gospell Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden hee cals us when we find our consciences afflicted and tormented Hee came to save that which was lost by the blessed power of the Spirit the blood of Christ is as a fountaine for Iudah and Ierusalem to wash in and the blood of Christ purgeth us from sinne and Christ bids us for daily trespasses aske pardon daily therefore conceive goodnesse in God still an everlasting current of mercy and this must work upon us griefe and shame and recover and strengthen our faith againe for Gods children after breaches arise the stronger rather then ever they were before but this onely by ●he way we see here how Gods glorious grace is conveyed to us and what is wrought in us to apprehend it a spirituall eye to see it in the glasse of the Gospell and with open face wee behold it wee may goe boldly to the throne of grace I beseech you let not this priviledge be forgotten this priviledge of the Gospell what is the glory of the times we live in but Gods face discovered in Christ in the Gospel faith is wrought in us to apprehend this to see Gods face openly and that we may come boldly with Benjamin our elder brother come with Esaus garments come with Christ and wee cannot be too bold remember alway there must be a reverent familiarity because hee hath Majesty mixed with his bowels of mercy both are mixed together beames and bowels so our carriage to him must bee loving and familiar as he is full of bowels of mercy but then he hath Majesty a reverent familiarity is fit for a father and for so gracious and so sweete a God therfore that phrase wee see in the Scriptures We goe boldly and cry Ab. ba Father Father is a word of reverence that is we goe boldly to God in Christ open our wants as to a Father with love and reverence as it is said here with open face let us not forget this priviledge We all Here is the generality Wee all before in Moses time hee alone went into the Mount and saw God but now We all ●ewes and Gentiles where the Gospell is Preached Wee all Therefore you see here the Church is enlarged by the comming of Christ. And it was a comfort to Saint Paul and to all good Christians to thinke of the inlargement of the Church by taking in the Gentiles as it will be a comfort hereafter to thinke of the inlargeing of the Church by taking in the lewes againe The more the better in religion Why is it a priviledge for many that we all because in matters of grace and glory there is no envy at all all may share without prejudice all cannot be Kings here upon earth nor all cannot bee great men because the more one hath the lesse another hath but in Christ and in Religion all may be gracious God respects every one as if there were none but them hee respects all as one and one as if there were none but he every man in solidum as Civillians expresse it entirely enjoyeth Christ as if there were none but he he is to all as one and to one as if there were none but hee there is no envy as I said in grace and glory where all may share alike and that is the reason why it is alway comfortable to thinke of community in Religion it is joyned with comfort And indeed so it is matter of comfort to see a communion of many in one for what is the misticall body of Christ Iesus but many members joyned in one body under one gracious and glorious head and therefore it is a deformed sight to see fraction and disunion it is that the divell rules in divide rule it is fit for the devill God and Christ rule in union the same Spirit of God that knits the members to the head by faith knits the members one to another in love and all grace is derived from the head to the members as they are united to the body if there be therefore disunion there is no grace conveyed so farre as there is