Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	justify_v	righteousness_n	work_n	2,671	5	6.2724	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29134	The sleepy spouse of Christ alarm'd, or, A warning to beware of drowsiness vvhen Christ calls, lest he withdraw in a discontent being the sum of some sermons upon Cant. 5th, and the beginning / by J. B., minister of the Gospel ; recommended in a preface by Nath. Vincent.	J. B. (James Bradshaw), 1636?-1702.; Vincent, Nathanael, 1639?-1697.	1667 (1667)	Wing B4151; ESTC R27223	96,463	214

to mention here If thou wilt freely open to Christ now He will readily open to thee at Death and Judgment There are few but they are convinced of the trouble and restlesness of their present state and not fully satisfied with the present state they are in but are still seeking and labouring for something further in hopes another condition may be better and this they might gather from all their experiences that a rest is not to be had here And consequently all men in this life are but in a seeking condition seeking for rest and can finde none as our Saviour speaks in the Parable they have often something within that suggests This is not your resting place By dayly experience they also see that it is appointed for all men once to die And therefore they might conclude that a rest must be had in another world or not had at all for here no rest is to be had And certain it is that There doth remain a rest for the people of God and to them only and who are these people of God but they that open to Christ here for all power is committed into the hands of Christ He it is that hath the key of David that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth And can we reasonably imagine that he will open to any at that day that will not open to him now No he tells us quite the contrary Prov. 1.24 c. You know the foolish Virgins cryed loud Open to us but he answered I know you not depart from me ye workers of iniquity If therefore there be any restlessness in this world that thou art weary of or in Hell that thou art afraid of or if there be any rest at death and in Heaven desireable open to Christ now as ever thou wouldest avoid the one or desirest to partake of the other So that to conclude this Use if either sense of duty love to thy self and thine own happiness the love of God and Christ or love to God and Christ may have any influence upon thee if any thing either of Divinity or Humanity may work upon thee here is fulness of reason and motives to perswade thee to open to Christ and therefore let reason prevail with thee But thou wilt say How shall I open to Christ And what would you have me in this case to do I am willing to open to Christ if I knew but how to do it and what is required in this case That I may help thee a little in this great and necessary work I shall give thee some directions how to carry and what to do and so shall conclude this subject And these directions shall be of two sorts 1. Such as may have respect unto the Heart and the manner or way of the Hearts opening to Christ 2. Such as may have respect to Christ and the several ways of his coming in and making himself manifest unto the Soul 1. I begin with such directions as respect the Heart and the way and manner of the Hearts opening to Christ Now that we may the better know how many ways the Heart must be opened to Christ it may not be impertinent to consider how many ways the Heart may be shut against Christ Now it is evident that the Heart may these several ways be shut against Christ By Pride and self-confidence by unbelief by impenitency by want of Love or coldness of affection by sloth and sluggishness either in our watch or work A little to open each of these and then you shall see by them what of the Heart or in what respects the Heart is to be opened to Christ 1. The Heart may be shut against Christ by Pride and self-confidence Such is the Pride and haughtiness of corrupted Nature that though the sinner be justly condemned for his sin yet he seeks to justifie himself and would not seem to be beholden to Jesus Christ nor his satisfaction for a pardon This is evident in our first Parents in their shifting off their sins and endeavouring to transmit the guilt upon some one else Adam when examined rather than he would be found faulty lays the blame upon Eve and in some sense upon God himself The woman which thou gavest me gave me c. and I did eat The woman when examined lays the guilt upon the Serpent The Serpent beguiled me c And the same principle of Pride remains in some measure in the Hearts of all Adam's Posterity which makes them use their uttermost endeavour to justifie themselves This is the true cause of all excuses that are made for sin and the reason why persons do so over-much value their own works of Righteousness judging in effect that every small parcel of duty and obedience is sufficient to expiate the greatest sin And by this means Jesus Christ is undervalued and little store set by For a man will never be wholly beholden to Jesus Christ for his justification while he hath any Righteousness of his own to lean to And by this means the Heart is shut against Christ As this Pride hardens God's heart against the sinner and makes God to resist or set himself in battle-array against the sinner as the word signifies James 4.6 and as this self-justifying confidence causeth Christ many times to pass by the door of such a sinner without calling upon him for he tells us that he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Matth. 9.13 that is those that are through Pride and self-confidence righteous in their own eyes So this Pride doth harden and shut the heart of the sinner against God and Christ And therefore the Psalmist saith The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God Psal 10.4 This therefore must be removed out of the way before the door of the Heart be truly and fully opened to Christ Wouldest thou therefore open to Christ get rid of all Pride and self-confidence labour to be humble low and vile in thine own eyes and to such Christ will look Isai 66.2 To this man will I look that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that trembles at my word And elsewhere The poor have the Gospel preached to them i. e. They that are of a poor humble self-denying spirit have the glad tidings of Salvation brought unto them to these the Son of Righteousness ariseth with healing under his wings And therefore blessed are these poor in spirit for they shall see God While David justified himself and hid his sin the hand of God was heavy upon him but when he humbled himself and confessed freely his sin God came in with pardon Psal 32. Oh therefore labour after humility and lowness of spirit for God resisteth the proud but gives grace to the humble Humble your selves therefore and in due time God will exalt you with his presence and company Christ must do all and have the glory as well as the command of all where he comes and

Sinners are by nature so fast asleep in such a dead sleep of sin and security that nothing less than the voice of the Son of God knocking and speaking at the door of their Hearts will awaken them hence we read John 5.25 That the time is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live Which must be meant not of a natural Death or of the day of Resurrection but of a Death in sin because he saith the time now is And therefore saith the Apostle Eph. 2.1 You hath he quickned i. e. by the powerful voice of his Spirit Who were dead in trespasses and sins Would you see what one of Christ's calls are in this case read Eph. 5.14 Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead and Christ shall give thee life This he speaks not onely to the Ear by his Word but to the Heart by his Spirit 2. Christ his calls at the doors of our hearts many times designe Repentance Repentance is a Gospel-duty incumbent upon every person Acts 17.30 But now commands all men every where to repent And for this end he sends forth his Ministers to preach the Doctrine of Repentance to shew the necessity of Repentance and that there is great reason or cause for Repentance because we have sinned and thereby departed from God and cannot come to him again but by Repentance It is called The Doctrine of Repentance because Repentance is properly a Gospel-doctrine a Doctrine that the Law preacheth not for the Law or Covenant of Works admits of no Repentance but upon our breach of the Law immediately pronounceth a Curse Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them But the Gospel-covenant admits of yea calls for Repentance as the way and means to obtain Mercy yea promiseth Mercy and Pardon upon our Repentance Prov. 28.13 He that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy Therefore the Gospel tells us that Except we repent we shall all likewise perish Luke 13 5. If persons be in a state of unregeneracy then Christ knocks by his Word and by his Providences by his Mercies and his business with them is to shew that there is a necessity of their Repentance and that they must either repent or perish everlastingly If persons be in a state of regeneracy and have by some temptation or other lapsed or fallen into Sin or it may be have some Sin lodging in them not yet truely discovered and consequently not particularly repented of Then and in such case Christ calls to renewed and enlarged acts of Repentance for Repentance is a grace that concerns us all our lives long And therefore the calls of Christ in this case may be such as these Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand 3. Christ calls to reconciliation with God When Christ comes to the door of thine Heart he comeS as a mediator and peace-maker to make peace between God and thy Soul which are at variance with each other and by reason of sin have an utter enmity against each other The cause of this enmity Christ hath taken away by his death upon the Cross and nailed it to his Cross The cause being removed he comes and calls to intreat that the enmity it self may be taken away and we would be reconciled unto God 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. Though there be little reason for it yet man is hard to be wooed and perswaded to cast out of his heart the enmity that is lodged there against God and his way● And therefore Christ is forced to knock and call again and again before we will in this case be perswaded to yield to his suit 4. Christ calls for a closure with himself by Faith as the onely way and means to obtain peace and reconcilation with God We by our Sins are indebted to God more than ever we are able to pay are therefore in danger to be arrested by Divine Justice and cast into prison where we may lie and rot to all eternity Jesus Christ seeing us in this misery and distress comes and calls at the door of our hearts offers to be our Surety to pay every farthing of our debt for us and that upon this condition only that he may have our full and free consent to do this for us and that we will accept of with thankfulness what kindness he shews herein and rely upon him for the perfecting of this work for us and where-ever Justice shall lay any charge or accusation against us we will by Faith confidently and stedfastly plead his Satisfaction for our Discharge This is all that he requires from us and upon this condition only promiseth to pay our Debt reconcile us to God free us from imprisonment and seal us an absolute and full discharge that shall for ever stand good to all intents and purposes And therefore Christ his calls in this case are such as these Matth. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Isai 55.1 H● every one that thirsts come unto the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come and buy wine and milk without money and without price Rev. 22.17 Let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take of the waters of life freely and he assures us John 1.12 that As many as receive him upon these terms to them he will give power to become the sons of God to them that thus believe on his Name And surely one would think this call is worthy to be embraced with all readiness of heart and thankfulness 5. Christ calls to sincere and hearty obedience to his commands and subjection to his revealed Will and Law he calls to take his yoke upon us and learn of him Mat. 11.29 This call is like unto that of Boaz to his Kinsman Ruth 4. Buy Naomi's inheritance but know also that thou must buy it of Ruth i. e. buy the inheritance but thou must take her to be thy wife also to raise up seed to thy kinsman that is dead So saith our Saviour Come and take the inheritance that I have purchased for th●● and thou art freely welcome to it but know that in the day where●in thou dost this thou must also 〈◊〉 me to be thy Lord and Husband and 〈◊〉 solemnly engage to behave thy 〈◊〉 as a loyal faithful and obedient wife to me thou must take me wholly as I am onely absolutely and everlastingly not only for a Priest to make atonement for thy Sins and to sanctifie and offer thy gifts to the Father but as a Prophet to teach thee such Laws Statutes and Judgments as are fit and requisite for thee to observe and as a King to rule and govern thee by my Law Thy heart must be my Throne and there must I sit and exercise my Authority and have thy whole man