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	sin_n	sorrow_n	2,548	5	8.4726	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08833	The benefite of Christs death, or the glorious riches of Gods free grace which euery true beleeuer receiues by Iesus Christ, and him crucified. First compiled and printed in the Italian tongue: and afterwards translated and printed in the French tongue: and out of French into English, by A.G.; Beneficio di Christo. English	Benedetto, da Mantova, fl. 1534-1541.; Flaminio, Marco Antonio, 1498-1550.; Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606, attributed name.; Paleario, Aonio, 1503-1570, attributed name.	1633 (1633)	STC 19117; ESTC S107303	48,174	106

Abraham in whose seede hee promised to blesse all Nations and accepted his off-spring for his peculiar people vnto whom after their departure out of Egypt and deliuerance from the bondage of Pharao he by the meanes of Moyses gaue the Law which forbiddeth all lusting and commandeth vs to loue GOD with all our heart with all our soule and with all our strength in such wise as our whole trust be reposed in him and we ready to leaue our life for his sake to suffer all torments in our members and to be bereft of all our goods dignities and honours for the loue of our God choosing to dye rather then to doe any thing that may dislike him be it neuer so little and doing all things in that behalfe with a merry heart and with all forwardnesse and cheerefulnesse Moreouer the Law commandeth vs to loue our neighbour as our selfe meaning by the Neighbour all manner of men as well friends as foes and it willeth vs to doe to euery man as we would be done vnto and to loue other mens cases as our owne And so by looking in this holy Law as in a cleere looking glasse man doth out of hand espy his owne great imperfection and vnablenesse to obey Gods Commandements and to render him the honour and loue which he ought to yeeld to his Maker The first office of the Law then is to make sinne knowne as Saint Paul affirmeth And in another place he saith I had not knowne what sinne is but by the Law The second office of the Law is to make sinne increase forasmuch as we being quite gone from the obeying of God and become bond-slaues to the diuell being full of wicked workes and inordinate affections cannot abide that God should forbid vs to lust which increaseth so much the more as it is the more prohibited by reason whereof Saint Paul saith that sinne was dead but the Law came and raised it vp againe and so it became out of measure great The third office of the Law is to shew the wrath and iudgement of God who threatneth death and euerlasting punishment to such as keepe not the Law throughout in all points For the holy Scripture saith Cursed is hee that performeth not throughly all the things that are written in the booke of the Law And therefore Saint Paul saith That the Law is a ministery and that it bringeth forth wrath The Law then hauing discouered sinne and increased it and shewed forth the wrath and indignation of God who threatneth death executeth his fourth office which is to put a man in feare who thereupon falleth into sorrowfulnesse and would faine satisfie the Law but forasmuch as hee seeth cleerely that he is not able he waxeth angry against God and would with all his heart that there were no God because he feareth to be sore chastised and punished by him according as Saint Paul saith That the wisedome of the flesh is the enemy of God Because it neither is nor can be subiect to the Law of God The fifth office of the Law which is the principall end and the most excellent and necessary office of it is to constraine a man to goe vnto Iesus Christ in like wise as the Hebrewes being dismayed were constrained to appeale vnto Moses saying Let not the Lord speake vnto vs lest we dye but speake thou vnto vs and we will obey thee in all things And the Lord answered Verily they haue spoken exceeding well Yea they were not praised for any other thing then for their desiring of a Mediator betwixt God and them which was Moses who represented Iesus Christ that should be the Aduocate and Mediator betweene God and man In respect whereof God said vnto Moses I will raise vp a Prophet among their brethren like vnto thee and I will put my Word in his mouth and he shall speake vnto them all the things that I shall command him and I will punish all those that will not obey my Word which he shall speake in my name CHAP. III. How the forgiuenesse of our sinnaes our iustification and our saluation depend vpon Iesus Christ VVHen as our God then had sent the said great Prophet which he had promised vs who is his only Sonne to the end that he should set vs free from the curse of the Law and reconcile vs vnto our God that he should make our will fit for good workes healing our free-will and repairing in vs the foresaid Image of God which we had lost through the fault of our first parents forasmuch as we know that vnder heauen there is none other name giuen vnto men whereby we may be saued but the name of Iesus Christ Let vs runne vnto him with the feet of liuely faith and cast our selues betweene his armes sith he allureth vs so graciously crying Come vnto me all you that labour and are heauy laden and I will refresh you What comfort or what ioy in this life can be comparable to this his saying there when as a man feeling himselfe oppressed with the intolerable waight of his sinnes vnderstandeth so sweet and amiable words of the Sonne of God who promiseth so graciously to refresh and rid him of his great paines But all the matter lyeth in acknowledging our owne weakenesse and misery in good earnest For he shall neuer know what is sweet who hath not tasted of the sowre And therefore Iesus Christ saith If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke as if he had meant to say If a man know not himselfe to be a sinner nor thirst after righteousnesse he cannot taste of the sweetnesse of Iesus Christ how sweet it is to talke of him to thinke of him and to follow his most holy life But when we once throughly know our owne infirmitie by meanes of the Law let vs hearken to Saint Iohn Baptist who pointeth vs to the Soueraigne Physician with his finger saying Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world For hee it is that deliuereth vs from the heauy yoke of the Law abrogating and disanulling the curses sharpe threatnings of the same healing all our infirmities reforming our free-will returning vs to our ancient innocency and repayring in vs the Image of our God insomuch that according to Saint Pauls saying like as by Adam wee bee all dead so by Iesus Christ wee are all quickened And it is not to be beleeued that the sin of Adam which wee haue by inheritance from him should be of more force then the righteousnesse of Christ that which also we inherit by faith It seemeth that man hath great cause to complaine that without any reason why he is conceiued and borne in sinne and in the wickednesse of his parents by meanes of whom death reigneth ouer all men But now is all our sorrow taken away inasmuch as by a like meane without any occasion giuen on our behalfe

righteousnesse and euerlasting life are come by Iesus Christ and by him death is slaine whereof Saint Paul maketh a very godly discourse which I purpose to set downe here following Wherefore saith he like as by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne euen so death went ouer all men forasmuch as all men haue sinned For vntill the Law sinne was in the world but sinne was not regarded as long as there was no Law Neuerthelesse death reigned from Adam vnto Moses euen ouer them also that sinned not after the like manner of the transgression of Adam who was a figure of him that was to come But yet the gift is not so as is the offence for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Iesus Christ hath abounded vnto many Neither is the gift so as that which entred in by one that sinned For the fault came of one offence vnto condemnation but the gift is of many offences to iustification For if by the offence of one death reigned through one much more shall they which receiue the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnesse reigne in life through one that is Iesus Christ Likewise then as by the offence of one that fault came on all men to condemnation so by the righteousnesse of one the benefit abounded toward all men to the iustification of life For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be also made righteous Moreouer the Law entred thereupon that the offence should abound neuerthelesse where sinne abounded there grace abounded much more that as sinne had reigned vnto death so might grace also reigne by righteousnesse vnto eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. By these words of St. Paul we manifestly perceiue the thing to be true which we haue said heretofore that is to wit that the Law was giuen to make sinne knowne which sin we doe also know not to be of greater force then Christs righteousnesse where-through we be iustified before God For euen as Iesus Christ is stronger then Adam was so is his righteousnesse more mightie then the sinne of Adam And if the sinne of Adam was sufficient inough to make all men sinners and children of wrath without any misdeed of our owne much more shall Christs righteousnesse be of greater force to make vs all righteous and the children of grace without any of our owne good works which cannot be good vnlesse that before we doe them wee our selues be made good as Augustine also affirmeth Hereby a man may know in what errour they be who by reason of some great offence despaire of Gods good will imagining that he is not willing to forgiue couer and pardon all sinne hauing already punished and chastised all our sinnes and iniquities in his owne onely begotten and dearely beloued Sonne and consequently granted a generall pardon to all mankinde which euery body enioyeth that beleeueth the Gospell that is to say which beleeueth the happy tydings that the Apostles haue published through the whole world saying We beseech you for Iesus Christs sake Be ye reconciled vnto God for he that neuer knew sinne was made a sacrifice for our sinne that we might become righteous in him The Prophet Esay foreseeing this great goodnesse of God writeth these heauenly words which doe so well paint out the passion of our Lord Iesus Christ and the cause thereof as it is not to be found better described euen in the writings of the Apostles Who saith he will beleeue our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed But he shall grow vp before him as a branch and as a root out of a dry ground he hath neither forme nor beautie when we shall see him there shall be no forme that wee should desire him Hee is despised and reiected of men he is a man full of sorrowes and hath experience of infirmities we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and wee esteemed him not Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrowes yet we did iudge him as plagued and smitten of God and humbled but he was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities The chastisement of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes we are healed All wee like sheepe haue gone astray we haue turned euery one to his owne way and the Lord hath laid vpon him the iniquity of vs all he was oppressed and hee was afflicted yet did hee not open his mouth He is brought as a sheep to the slaughter and as a sheepe before the shearer is dumme so hee openeth not his mouth O great vnkindnesse O thing abominable that wee which professe our selues Christians and heare that the Sonne of God hath taken all our sins vpon him and washed them out with his precious blood suffering himselfe to be fastened to the Crosse for our sakes should neuerthelesse make as though we would iustifie our selues and purchase forgiuenesse of our sins by our owne works as who would say that the deserts righteousnesse and bloodshed of Iesus Christ were not enough to doe it vnlesse we came to put to our workes and righteousnesse which are altogether defiled and spotted with self-loue selfe-liking selfe-profit and a thousand other vanities for which we haue neede to craue pardon at Gods hand rather than reward Neither doe we thinke of the threatnings which S. Paul vseth to the Galatians who hauing beene deceiued by false Preachers beleeued not that the Iustification by Faith was sufficient of it selfe but went about still to be made righteous by the Law Vnto whom Saint Paul saith Iesus Christ shall nothing profit you that iustifie your selues by the Law for you be falne from Grace because that wee through the Spirit of faith waite for the hope of righteousnesse Now if the seeking of righteousnesse and forgiuenesse of sinnes by the keeping of the Law which God gaue vpon Mount Sinai with so great glory and maiesty be the denying of Christ and of his Grace what shall wee say to those that will needes iustifie themselues afore God by their owne lawes and obseruances I would wish that such folkes should a little compare the one with the other and afterward giue Iudgement themselues God mindeth not to doe that honour not to giue that glory to his owne Law and yet they will haue him to giue it to mens lawes and ordinances But that honour is giuen onely to his onely begotten Sonne who alone by the sacrifice of his death and passion hath made full amends for all our sinnes past present and to come as S. Paul and S. Iohn declare Wherefore as often as wee apply this satisfaction of Iesus Christ vnto our soules by faith out of all doubt we obtaine forgiuenesse of our sinnes and become good and righteous before God through his righteousnesse

all the other parts so ought wee to determine with our selues that our brother feeleth not any inconuenience which should not mooue vs to compassion With such manner of thoughts must we prepare our selues to this holy Sacrament quickning vp our spirits with a feruent loue to our neighbourward For what greater spurre can we haue to pricke vs to loue one another then to see that Iesus Christ by giuing himselfe vnto vs not only allureth vs to giue our selues one to another but also by making himselfe common to vs all maketh vs also to be all one selfe-same thing in him In respect whereof we ought to couet and procure that in all of vs there may be but one minde one heart and one tongue accorded and vnited together in thoughts words and deeds And wee must marke well that as oft as wee receiue this holy and worthy Sacrament wee bind our selues to all the duties of charitie as not to offend any of our brethren nor to leaue any thing vndone that may bee profitable and helpefull in their necessitie But if there come any to this heauenly Table of the Lord that are diuided at variance with their brethren the same must assure themselues that they eate vnworthily and are guiltie of the body and blood of the Lord and that they eate and drinke their owne damnation for that there wanted nothing on their behalfe but that the body of Iesus Christ was rent and plucked in pieces againe whilest they by hatred are diuided from their brethren that is to wit from the members of Iesus Christ and haue not any part with him and yet neuerthelesse in receiuing this holy communion pretended to beleeue that their whole saluation consisteth in the participation and vnion with Iesus Christ Then let vs goe my brethren to the receiuing of this heauenly bread to celebrate the remembrance of our Lords passion and to strengthen and fortifie the beliefe and assurance of the forgiuenesse of our sinnes with the remembrance thereof and to quicken vp our minds and tongues to praise and exalt the infinite goodnesse of our God and finally to cherrish brotherly loue and to witnesse the same one to another by the straight vnion which all of vs haue in the body of our Lord Iesus Christ Besides prayer and the remembring of Baptisme and the often resorting to the most holy communion there is one other very good remedy against distrust and fearefulnesse which is no lesse friend to Christian charity namely the remembrance of our predestination and election to eternall life grounded vpon the Word of God which is the Sword of the H. Ghost wherewith we may beat backe our enemies Reioyce ye in this saith the Lord that your names are written in heauen There is no greater ioy in this life nor any thing that more comforteth the Christian that is afflicted tempted or falne into any sinne then the remembrance of predestination and the assuring of our selues that we be of the number of them whose names are written in the Booke of life and which are chosen to be fashioned like vnto the Image of Iesus Christ O how vnspeakeable is the comfort of him that hath this faith and museth continually in his heart vpon this exceeding sweet predestination whereby he knoweth that although he fall often yet notwithstanding God his Father who hath fore-ordained him to euerlasting life holdeth him vp and reacheth out his hand vnto him continually And he saith continually in himselfe If God haue chosen me and predestinated me to the glory of his children who can hinder me If God bee with vs saith S. Paul who can be against vs Nay rather to the end that the Predestination may be accomplished in vs he hath sent his deare-beloued Sonne who is a most sure earnest penny and pledge vnto vs that we which haue receiued the Grace of the Gospell are Gods Children chosen to eternall life This holy Predestination maintaineth the true Christian in a continuall spirituall ioy increaseth in him the indeauour of good workes and inflameth him with the loue of God and maketh him enemy to the world and to sinne Who is so fierce and hard-hearted which knowing that God of his mercy hath made him his child from euerlasting will not by and by be inflamed to loue God Who is of so vile and base courage that hee will not esteeme all the pleasures all the honours and all the riches of the world as filthy mire when he knowes that God hath made him a Citizen of heauen yea these are they that worship God rightly in spirit and truth receiuing all things as well in prosperity as in aduersity at the hand of God their Father and euermore praising and thanking him for all as their good Father who is righteous and holy in all his workes These being inflamed with the Loue of God and armed with the knowledge of their predestination feare neither death nor sin nor the diuell nor hell neither know they what the wrath of God is for they see none other thing in God but loue and fatherly kindnesse towards them And if they fall into any troubles they accept them as tokens of Gods fauour crying out with S. Paul Who is it that shall separate vs from Gods loue shall tribulations shall anguish shall persecution or hunger or nakednesse or perill or sword as it is written For thy sake are we killed all the day long and counted as sheepe appointed to the slaughter But in all these things we get the vpper hand through him that hath loued vs. Wherefore it is not for nought that Saint Iohn saith how the true Christians know right well that they must be saued and glorified and that by reason of the same affiance they make themselues holy as Iesus Christ is holy And when Saint Paul exhorteth his Disciples to a good and holy life he is wont to put them in remembrance of their election and predestination as of a thing of very great force to stirre vp the minds of the true Christians to the louing of God and to the performance of good workes And for the same cause our good Lord Iesus Christ speaketh openly of this holy predestination as one that knew of how great importance the knowledge thereof is to the edifying of his elect But perchance thou wilt say to me I know well that they whose names are written in heauen haue cause to liue in continuall ioy and glorifie God both in word and deed but I know not whether I am of that number or no and therefore I liue in continuall feare specially because I know my selfe to be an exceeding weake and fraile sinner from the violence whereof I am not able to defend my selfe but that I am ouercome of it daily And furthermore forasmuch as I see my selfe continually afflicted and troubled with diuers temptations mee thinkes I doe as it were behold with mine eyes the wrath of God scourging