Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	justice_n	king_n	lord_n	2,858	5	3.8642	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93771	Vindiciæ redemptionis. In the fanning and sifting of Samuel Oates his exposition upon Mat. 13. 44. With a faithfull search after our Lords meaning in his two parables of the treasure and the pearl. Endeavoured in several sermons upon Mat. 13. 44, 45. Where in the former part, universal redemption is discovered to be a particular errour. (Something here is inserted in answer to Paulus Testardus, touching that tenet.) And in the later part, Christ the peculiar treasure and pearl of Gods elect is laid as the sole foundation; and the Christians faith and joy in him, and self-deniall for him, is raised as a sweet and sure superstructure. / By John Stalham, Pastour of the Church at Terling in Essex.	Stalham, John, d. 1681.	1647 (1647)	Wing S5187; Thomason E384_10; ESTC R201450	156,279	216

the field of precious promises 't is not so easily recovered again when but left or decaied Why should not our loves and esteems be more now then at first seeing more of Christs worth and and sufficiency is discovered daily And yet thou nor I did ever hear or know of half his worth which is further to be revealed Get we therefore more high and capacious apprehensions of his excellency and hide we him in our bosome with dearer affections then ever he is worthy of all our love of all our estimations and highest value we can prize him at he is above all we can love or beleeve or esteem or thinke of him Get we an estimation of him and affection to him beyond expression that still there may be more hidden in our hearts then can be uttered by our tongues or published by our pens 5. Having found Christ hold him fast hide him in your purposes yet more closely and strongly it was Barnabas exhortation e Act. 1● 23. and it shall be mine that you would all with purpose of heart cleave unto the Lord. Christ knows from the beginning who have who have not beleeved who sticketh to him who departeth from him by an evil heart of unbelief an heart that purposeth not to live and die beleeving beware of it it is the first step of Apostacy be not fickle for fits and moods of beleeving let but there be the hidden frame of beleeving set and resolved to keep the heart close to Christ and Christ close to the heart daily hourly constantly Lay him and the promises up in the heart for use for a treasure of such worth a pearl of such price is much more worthy and precious to the soul as it is used and improved for it's spirituall advantage It followeth And for joy thereof c. These words have a two-fold connexion and dependance on the words before When he had found and on those that follow goeth and selleth c. From the first connexion ariseth our 5. Observation Every true beleever hath some joy yea Doct. 5 the conceptions of great joy in the finding of the Lord Jesus A beleever is a joyfull man Christ What man ever found a treasure and hid it for himself and as his own and joyed not at the very thoughts of it Beleeving thoughts are joyous thoughts and acts of beleeving bring in habits of joy or joyfull impressions at least till they break forth in gladsome expressions There be instances not a few to clear this truth When Christ hath prevented Zacheus and Zacheus at that instant is called effectually to beleeve in the Lord He receiveth Christ joyfully saith the Text f Luk. 19. 6. both into his heart and into his house The converts at Peters Sermon g Act. 2. 41. gladly receive the Word of salvation and of the promise to them and theirs A treasure a pearl in the field of the promise for them and their children this they rejoyced in and this doe beleevers that have right evangelicall apprehensions in our daies rejoyce in also When this Treasure is discovered to the people of Samaria h Act. 8. 8. 12 and many beleeved what Philip preached of the Kingdome of God and the name of Iesus Christ there was great joy in that City so was there in the Jailours heart and house i Act 16. 31 34 The Apostle Paul tels the Philippians for his part and Timothies k Phil. 3. 3. whom he joyns with himself in the inscription of the Epistle cap. 1. 1. We rejoyce in Iesus Christ and he speaks in the name of all beleevers if not there I am sure in his Epistle to the Romans l Rom 5. 11. We joy in God reconciled through our Lord Iesus Christ Saint Peter also tels the Christians he writes to that beleeving they doe rejoyce in Christ with joy unspeakable and full of glory Reason 1 1. It is an unspeakable and glorious treasure that is found by every true beleever the very sight of it by faith cannot but ravish the heart and might were it narrowly viewed transport it into an extasie of joy 't is no common favour nor ordinary but rare and extraordinary to finde a treasure hid in a field And as for this treasure few there be that finde it As there is no other pearl of pearls but Jesus Christ so none but elect vessels of mercy doe finde him contain or hold him Well may every such soul rejoyce He that findes a treasure out of which he hath sufficient to pay all his debts and to stock him for trading with the be●t of merchants and merchandize may well rejoyce and rejoyce again The Christian here a bankrupt before he findes this Pearl this Treasure he findeth that in Christ his righteousnesse which satisfies Gods justice and justifies his person dischargeth him of all debts and trespasses and that in Christs spirituall graces which affords him a sufficient stock to be trading with heaven and to fit him for commerce and communion with Saints and with the King of Saints in earth and heaven Hath not he cause to be glad who findes a pearl that affords a rich dowry for the soul and prefers him to a marriage with the King of heaven That which brings him into sonship presently to God and heirship to a Kingdome and which gives him title to the crown of heaven and stores him with money to maintain warres against the spirituall enemies of his soul sinne world Satan Antichrist who would deprive him of his inheritance and take away his Crown Title and Dignity over whom the Christian combitant is made more then Conquerour through him that loved us 2. As the worth so the propriety which comes by finding of it joyes the heart a man may finde that which he must go cry in the market-place and part with it when the right owner is found out which brings but little recompence and comfort to the finder But here is a treasure who so findes it hath it for the finding Who so findeth me findeth life saith the wisdome of God m Prov. 8. 35. He that beleeveth in me saith Christ n Joh 6. 47. hath everlasting life He that hath the Sonne saith the holy Ghost in Iohn o 1 Joh. 5. 12. hath life He hath it for his own for his use for his comfort for his rejoycing Ioy cannot but rise out of faith which instrumentally doth bring home all Gospel-treasure to the soul therefore called the joy of faith p Phil. 1. 25. being the proper right-bred childe of faith conceived and brought forth by faith nursed and maintained by faith till faith ends in vision and hope in fruition of what is found 3. The beleever hath hope or certain expectation of the sure and full possession and of the pleasure that he shall have in such a purchase and possession and in hope of all this and of the glory of God he doth and will rejoyce Men of great and

another Gospel then that of justification by faith he speaks of the man and his miracles with a holy disdain He that ministreth c. q Gal. 3. 5. as not owning the man nor his gifts For his part he would have all common gifts to vale and stoop to the exalting and lifting up of the knowledge of Christ and him crucified 3. All his own righteousnesse which men have an opinion of and confidence in for their acceptation before God either as it lieth in outward conformity to the commands of first or second Table or in the inward frame of the heart by inherent qualifications before or after faith All these when God cals a man to beleeve in Christ alone for justification and life a true beleever finding this treasure in Christ renounceth and disclaimeth as any piece of his justifying righteousnesse before the Lord. St Paul was most eminent in this also Touching the righteousnesse of the Law he was blamelesse r Phil. 3. 6. before men and for his inward conscience he did not sin against the common light of it Å¿ Act. 23. 1. what he did against Christ he did it ignorantly t 1 Tim. 1. 13. And after his conversion he walked in his calling of the Ministery most innocently and uprightly and was not conscious to himself of base ends c. yet did he sell away and suffer the losse of all his Pharisaicall blamelesse life and renounced his innocent conscience yea and sanctified conversation and gracious frame of heart in the point of his justification I know nothing by my self yet am I not hereby justified u 1 Cor. 4. 4. I have suffered the losse of all and doe count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having on mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith x Phil. 3. 8 9. From which Scriptures you may observe he did not throw away his blamelesse civility but the Pharisaicall pride of it nor did he pack up his sanctification and send it beyond sea as a commodity he would in no case have any dealings with but in comparison of Christs inherent righteousnes imputed to him by faith to his sole and perfect justification he will own none of his own adherent moralities or inherent graces nor in the least confide therein or admit thereof as a co-partner with Christ c. The best frame of heart or life is but for evidence to a soul that he is justified not any ground of beleeving as in any piece of the cause why he is justified 4. All worldly comforts and advantages and creature-engagements they are likewise by consent put away sit loose from and as God cals parted with to instance 1. In worldly profits no sooner doth the Lord call Matthew not only to a Christian estate but to the Ministery of the Gospel but he riseth up from the receit of custome where he had sweet gains and comings in and followeth Christ a Mat. 9 9. No sooner doth Christ call Simon and Andrew his brother with this promise to make them fishers of men but straightway they forsook their nets and followed him b Mar. 1. 17 18 The like did James and John Mark 1. 16 20. Not that all who finde Christ must presently forsake their particular lawfull vocations and imploiments but when such a vocation and imploiment will be a distraction let and hinderance to Christianity and much more to the service and work of the Ministery then all such shackling profits and profitable imploiments are laid aside If Peter or any of the Apostles did afterwards goe a fishing upon the sea it was not as their particular calling but upon the by as we say and but occasionally Take another instance or two of parting with worldly advantages upon the finding of the Gospel-treasure Zacheus you know gave away half of his goods to the poor and if he had taken any thing from any man by false accusation he restored him four-fold c Luk. 19. 8. here is but half you will say of his estate but that half is freely offered and given before an explicite call And again a four-fold restitution of what was snatcht by forged cavillation if he had much plaid the Sycophant would take away a good share of the other half of his estate and for the remainder he that prevented the poor before they askt a part to give the half and those he had wronged to offer so fair and full a restitution was prepared to let goe all the rest of his estate when God called for it As the members of the prime Church at Jerusalem came up to this fale of worldly estates and profits in the very letter by the power of the Spirit d Act. 2. 44 45. 4 34 35. they gave as if others had interest and right in their goods with themselves and sold to that end that they might put the propriety out of their hands to the common stock for the Church it 's maintenance which upon such a speciall call and extraordinary occasion by the grace of self-deniall the true Christian merchant consents still unto and would bring into act 2. As for pleasures of the world and even lawfull recreations he sels them away also consents to none which prove a bait and a snare to sin and useth none but with an indifferent minde as the Apostle exhorteth e Cor. 7. 30. He rejoyceth as if he rejoyced not 3. As for honour credit favour this also with Moses f Heb. 11. 25 26. is lightly set by and the afflictions with Gods people and the reproach of Christ esteemed and chosen before it When both these Christs favour and the worlds Gods honour and esteem with the creature cannot actually be held together the later is both actually and affectionately forsaken and the former cleaved unto 4. As for relative engagements to friends parents children wives husbands kinred house and family these are set by and not known in Christs cause yea there is a kinde of comparative hatred of them in respect of the Pearl and Treasure 'T is remarkable that when John and Iames were called by Christ to follow him and to take up a new profession They left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants g Mar. 1. 20. Yea Paul though of the stock of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin h Phil. 3. 5. yet forsakes his kinred and fathers tribe and family where they forsook Christ and the Gospel Eminent is the story of that noble Marquesse of France Galeacius Caracciolus who did dis-engage himself from estate friends wife children and all for the Gospel sake and how many such self-denying Merchants some of them noble and great have we among the Martyrs In the Martyrology i M. Fox vol. 2. p. 178. there is mention of one Galeazius Trecius who was bound to a