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	lord_n	see_v	5,118	5	3.3465	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01727	A godlie, zealous, and profitable sermon vpon the second chapter of Saint Iames. Preached at London, by Master George Gifford, and published at the request of sundry godly and well disposed persons	Gifford, George, d. 1620.	1582 (1582)	STC 11860; ESTC S108636	20,920	56

great difference betwéene the faith of Diuelles and the faith of those men which beléeue and yet haue no fruits of godlinesse in thē The Diuells indéede doe beléeue all matters of faith to be true but they do not nor cannot beléeue that they perteine any thing at all to them they haue no hope of mercie but men although they be very sinful yet they are in hope y t they shal be saued Héere is a great difference therefore and the faith of such men goeth farre beyonde the faith of Diuells The Lorde giue vs eyes to sée and heartes to vnderstand for I will shew that the difference is That the faith of the Diuells is more perfect For what is the cause that the Diuels haue no hope and the wicked men think they haue hope is it because they haue lesse faith nay it is because they are more wise and because they giue credite to that which GOD hath threatened against them They beléeue that he will powre out his wrath vpon them because hee hath sayde it But the wicked men they are more foolish and where God hath pronounced against them for their sinnes eternall fire they doe not beléeue him and so indéede their Faith commeth short of the faith of diuells they should beléeue the Lorde when hée telleth them that all those which doe not tourne from theyr vngodlynesse when he calleth them to repentaunce shall bee cast into Hell But they blinde themselues wil séeme to beleeue quite contrary vnto y t which God affirmeth this is not to shut the doore to repentaunce but to moue men to séeke for it while God doth offer himselfe for they shall not be able when they will it is God which must beget vs to himselfe and giue vs the newe birth and sanctifie vs by his spirite to bring foorth the true fruites of Faith and not to haue such a dead beleefe which doth chaunge vs no more then the faith which the Diuells haue doth chaunge them For there be very many at this daye who béeing stuffed as full of wickednesse as euer they can hold and their words and déeds doe plainly shew that they are no more changed then Diuells which will so bragge of their faith and the strength thereof that if there should be but ten in the whole Countrie saued they hope to be of them they neuer vnderstoode the doctrine which the Lord teacheth in this place God giue vs vnderstanding that we be not seduced but that we may séek at the handes of Christ to giue vs a faith which may differ from that which the diuels haue Héere also shall appeare y e ignorance of the Papists They would beare men in hande that S. Iames doth speake of the same faith which S. Paule doth y t he plainly affirmeth it doth not alone iustifie But 〈◊〉 héere as he said before what auaileth it if a man saye he hath faith and hath no works can that faith which is but in words or the dead faith saue him So now he telleth more plainly what faith it is which he speaketh of which cannot helpe a man euen that which the Diuell hath Is not that beléefe which Saint Paule sayth doth iustifie wrought by y e holy Ghost Shall we be so blasphemous as to saie the diuells are pertakers of him You maye well perceiue therfore that Saint Iames doth speake nothing against that which Saint Paule hath proued howe Christ alone is our righteousnesse whome wée take holde of onely by Faith for hée doth but shewe that the dead Picture of Faith doth not saue Remember well then what Faith is héere spoken of and the controuersie is soone decided The Apostle now procéedeth to his last reason which because it is wonderfull strong he vseth as it were a certeine Preface vnto it least wée shoulde passe lightly ouer it without due consideration But wilt thou vnderstand sayth he O thou vaine man that the faith which is without works is dead See howe vehementlye hée thundereth béere against the carnall professour calling him a vaine man likewise wilt thou vnderstande cannot those former reasons satisfie thée are they not stronge inoughe to perswade thée or plaine inough to teach thée I will let thée sée such a reason that neither thou nor all the world shall bée able for to gaine saie it is so strong and so manifest that it will stop the mouths of all the cauillers and force them to confesse will they ●ill they that the Faith which is without workes is dead sée how meruailously the holy Ghost doth labour to driue vs from trusting to this broken staffe and to force vs to séeke after the true and right beléefe it we haue any care to saue our soules And doubtlesse daylye experience doth teach vs howe needfull a thing this is For the greatest number of professours thinke nothing lesse néedful then to séeke increase of Faith they suppose and they will saie they beléeue wel inough they féele no want at all what shoulde preaching doe they canne but be●●●… In very déede this dead saith of theirs seemeth to them to be verye strong it cannot bée shaken neither is it tryed or tempted for to what purpose should the diuell much labour to ouerthrowe it but those which haue anye faith indéed doe féele what néede there is to vse all meanes to strengthen it But let vs come to the matter he proueth now by examples that the true faith is knowne by good workes the first example is of Abraham thus it is to be opened ye know that Abraham was an holy man a right man indéed he was highly in fauour with God the couenant was made with him that in his séede all nations of the earth shuld be blessed ye wil then confesse that he had the right faith there is no doubt at all in that Likewise ye must néedes graunt y t as there is but one God one mediatour so there is but one Faith whervpon it followeth y t as many as haue such a faith or y t same faith which was in Abraham shalbe saued none els for although euery one of y e children of Abraham do not atteine to the same mesure strēgth y t their father did yet they are like him haue the same beléefe Then I beséech you obserue wel the second parte wherein is declared howe the Faith of Abraham was fruitfull and did declare and shew foorth it selfe by good workes for hée offered his sonne Isaac vpon the Alter Wherevppon it doth also followe that all his children and all the sonnes of GOD doe declare and shew forth their Faith by their good déedes And whosoeuer they be which do not so they are degenerates and basturdes none of his children nor yet pertakers of anye blessing with him for their Faith is dead and therefore they are not aliue doe ye not sée déerely beloued the meruailous force of this reason and that it is as cléere as the Sonne Heere is no starting hole