Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	let_v	lord_n	2,934	5	3.6705	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09450	The reformation of couetousnesse Written vpon the 6. chapter of Mathew, from the 19. verse to the ende of the said chapter. By William Perkins.; Reformation of covetousnesse.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Clapham, Henoch.	1603 (1603)	STC 19735.6; ESTC S106356	66,232	268

loues God and euer did Well then take heede you be not deceiued for God must be loued not onely as hee is a bountifull Lord but as hee is a Maister and doth commaund vs seruice hee must bee loued in his word and commaundements in his authoritie of commaunding The written word is his will and commandement therein he prescribes what we should do though he should neuer bestowe benefites vpon vs that we should loue him because he is our Maister For the second part of Gods seruice it is to cleaue vnto him whereby what is meant you may see in the Parable of the prodigall sonne Hee claue to a Farmer that is gaue himselfe to his seruice So here to cleaue vnto God is the resigning vp of a mans selfe to serue God and to obey him in euery commandement And to take heed that hee suffer not himselfe to be drawne away from obeying any commaundement and beleeuing any promise This is done when wee will not suffer our selues to be seperated from God but yeeld obedience to his commandements This is the right cleauing to God Contrariwise to disobey his commaundements is to hate God to despise him Though no man will say he hates God yet hee that dooth neglect his commaundements and giues himselfe to seeke the things of this life is a hater of God He that is crooked in his way despiseth God let him protest what he will If he do not cleaue vnto God by obedience to his commaundements hee is a hater of God his vtter enemie The consideration of this part serues to let you vnderstand the great blindnesse of the world For commonly if a man can but rehearse the Lords praier the ten cōmandements and the Creede howsoeuer he liue he serues God wel inough What grosse ignorance blindnesse and superstition is this The seruice of God is in obedience to his commandements to cleaue vnto him as Abraham did when God said Thou shalt not kill hee obeyed Againe when God said Kill thy sonne he obeyed See thē how this age abounds with Atheisme in all places for what is hee that hateth God and despiseth him but an Atheist Now all they that seek the things of this life so much they are very Atheists and no better because they hate him and despise him Atheisme is a common sin of our time The world is loued Mammon embraced God hated and the Lord despised I know that men will abhorre this to bee challenged for Atheists But Christ hath giuen the sentence that whosoeuer he bee that doth not cleaue vnto him in obedience doth despise and hate God and what is that but Atheisme This is a mother sin the cause of many more So much of the first poynt of the seruice of God Secondly Christ takes it for graunted that Mammon is a Lord That riches is a God and that men serue and obey him As there is a true God and Maister by right of creation so there is an other by reason of corruption and that is riches treasure profit and gaine Of this he forewarnes his disciples because the daunger is great Question How can this bee may some say Answer Riches in it selfe is a good creature of God and therefore is not indeed a maister Onely the wicked and wretched hart of man sets vp an Idoll in the heart in stead of the true God And therefore couetousnesse is called Idolatrie Now it is made an Idoll a Master thus Men esteeme of riches as of theyr principall happinesse And it is the minde of man that makes the God looke where the heart is there is the Lord and God Secondly it is the nature of man to trust in riches and to loue thē more thē God Hence it is that men are the seruants of riches whereof they should be maisters I will make it plaine that it cannot be denied First mē lay aside the seruice of God neglect his worship for gaine what argues this but that they account riches the principall good about which they spend most time Secōdly let a man haue riches and he is content exceedingly with the abundance that God giues him he is at peace Let the same man loose his goods and all the promises in the Bible will not quiet him Againe let him loose any part of his riches he will be more grieued and vexed then for the losse of heauen by breaking Gods commandements What argues this but that the hearts of men do honor riches as their God Lastly I appeale to all mens consciences Is not euery man more sharpely set to gather earthly things then to call vpon God Why all men can tell euery one is more eager and earnest in seeking riches So that wee haue as many Idols now as euer we had and as many Idolaters for euery man sets vp this Idoll in his heart and puts his trust in it Therefore it is true which Christ takes for graunted That riches is a Lord. If any think themselues hardly dealt withall that they shuld bee accounted Mammonists and Idolaters seruing riches Let them consider the liues of men what meane else the common oppressions extortions vsuries ingrossing of necessaries What doo all these argue but this that Mammon is a great Lord and hath many seruants and slaues for all these are his attendants and retainers vnto him Further what is the cause of a dearth in time of plentie whē God in mercie hath vouchsafed vs plentie and store what is the cause our dearth continues but this that Mammon is a great Lord. Mammon is the cause gaine and lucre Let it be considered with reuerence when we haue a made-famine by the wicked men who are slaues and vassals of Mammon There is no question but the dearth in former yeares which was caused by Gods hand was also encreased by wicked men All these things being laid together and considered it is plaine that though all men would seeme to embrace the Gospell yet this is a common sinne men giue themselues to serue Mammon Indeede God hath his seruants here and elsewhere yet it is but an handfull The multitude are all Mammonites Therfore this is a certaine truth and may well be taken for graunted Here therefore see the vile nature of man He was made to be Lord of Mammon yet he is content to become his slaue and vassall though his state and condition be to be a Lord yet thus he abaseth himselfe Secondly in that men are commonly slaues to Mammon we learn an other lesson which Christ teacheth vs Wee must learne to be faithfull in the hauing vsing keeping and dispensing of the wicked Mammon It is a vile and a miserable thing for a man to subiect himselfe to it to become his slaue and vassall He that seekes to be rich forsakes God Remēber it for it is the principal point that Christ proues here A man may haue riches and vse them and may liue die rich but he may not seeke to be rich because then he

bountifulnesse of God that giues men more then they seeke aske or thinke of when men seeke this kingdome they shall haue it much more euen al things necessarie for this life A notable token of Gods great bountie The same goodnesse is excellently set forth else-where Paul praiseth God and attributes this vnto him as the cause of his thankes-giuing because he can do more then we either aske or thinke Ob. He can do what is that to the purpose Ans. Therefore he speakes of such a power as is brought forth into action and hee will doo This is the goodnesse of God Hee giues them that which they seeke and more then they seeke He can do it and hee will doo it It is a point worth the consideration that God giues his seruaunts more then they seeke for or thinke of when they pray See the performance of it to Dauid Thou preuentest him with liberall blessings signifying that God gaue him more then hee prayed for that which he neuer thought of This was also verified in Salomon Hee asked only wisedome and God gaue him that and riches and honor likewise As also in Iacob Ioseph Thus we see the truth of this promise performed both by testimony and examples sutable to it And there is none of vs all but if we looke into our selues we shall finde that God hath giuen vs more then euer we desired or euer thought we shuld haue had This point is not to be let passe without remembrance The vse hereof is manifold for we are taught all maner of good duties by it First to haue a continuall care that we do nothing that may offend God for he is a liberall and a bountifull God when we pray he giues vs more then we aske Secondly this should moue vs to put our trust in God for all necessaries trust him with our liues and soules and with all that we haue If hee be so bountifull as we see he is we ought not to distrust him for any thing belonging either to the soule or to the body Thirdly this should moue vs in all distresse to seek to him for helpe and succour because he is ready to helpe Fourthly it should moue vs to loue this God in consideration of this bountifulnesse Fiftly to be willing to pray to him and to be ready to make our moane to him Sixtly to be thankfull to him cōtinually who is so bountifull to vs daily preuenting vs with bountifull blessings In a word to conclude this ought to be a spurre to pricke vs forward to euery good dutie and to turne our hearts from euery way that is euill and to please God in all things And so much of that pointe of the bountifulnesse of God in that hee giues them the kingdome of heauen which seeke it and withal a great deale more then they desire And so much of the vse 31 Care not for the morrow for the morrow shall care for it selfe the day hath inough with his owne griefe Here Christ doth repeate the Commaundement which hee gaue in the 25. verse it was repeated twise before and now it is heere repeated the third time His often repeating of this Commaundement is to teach vs to be carefull to learne it to remember it and to do it Now for the wordes themselues Care not c. That is take no care for the time to come This may seeme a strange commaundement maintaining idlenesse and licentiousnesse therefore wee must consider what is the true sense and meaning thereof for the words are not so to be conceiued as at the first reading they seeme to be But there are two sorts of care yea of care for time to come First a lawfull and a godly care Secondly a distrustfull care That there is a godly care euen for the time to come it is plaine for Christ himselfe had a bagge and Iudas kept it therfore his meaning is not to forbid all care of time to come And when Agabus foretold the famine the Church prouided against it wherfore there is no question but there is a lawfull care for the time to come whiche is not heere forbidden That you may know what care that is mark this Those things that be necessarie as meate drinke and cloath and cannot be prouided hereafter may be prouided aforehand without sin and without breach of this commandement For example A man of Trade that is decayed in his strength eye-sight may haue some thing prouided to maintaine himselfe when his strength and sight is gone Hee may prouide aforehand things necessarie for himselfe when he is olde and cannot worke to get his liuing It remaines therfore that there is a lawfull care for to morrow and that is when to morrow is not able to helpe it selfe But when to morrow is able to helpe it selfe then it is not lawfull to care for to morrow So thē this point is cleare Quest. What care is it then that Christ condemnes Ans. A distrustfull care for such a care the Greeke word signifieth which doth distract the minde c. as before That you may the better perceiue it see some examples of it When men prouide so much wealth as will keepe and maintaine both them and theirs for many ages if they can heape vp goods not to bee numbred they wil do it and there be many such gather-goods Men forecast to prouide so much as would maintaine them if they should liue as long as Methushelah This is the care forbidden when men prouide so much for themselues as would suffice for many families The king himselfe who hath most neede of aboundance must not multiply too much his horses and money much lesse ought any subiect If any man had neede of superaboundance and superfluitie the King much more yet hee is forbidden it Why then if it bee a thing to bee barred the Prince if hee must bee stinted and limited what man dares bee so bolde as to exceed his bounds breake out beyond his borders This is one example of the distrustfull care An other example is when men prouide against all mischaunces and casualties so that they will auoyd all losses and damages whatsoeuer And howsoeuer the iudgement of God fall on others they will be free from all And though all the world should die before thē for want yet they will liue and haue aboundance of meate drinke and cloth They will so prouide for all euents and daungers whatsoeuer A third example of this is when men doo now prouide things necessarie which may sufficiently bee prouided in time to come And this is the care that is here condemned by name when they care this day for to day and to morrow too when this day may care for it selfe and the morrow for it selfe Thus you see the right meaning of this commaundement how Christ forbids all extraordinary curious and superfluous care And so much for the commandement For the morrow shall care for it selfe Now Christe layeth downe a seuenth