Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	know_v	lord_n	see_v	3,997	5	3.2299	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25204	Decus & tutamen, or, Practical godliness the ornament and muniment of all religion being the subject of several sermons preached at Westminster upon Titus ii, 10 / by V. Alsop ...	Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.	1696 (1696)	Wing A2907; ESTC R16042	63,995	144

it to Christ that he had kept all the commandm●…nts from his youth he began early continued long promised to persevere to the ●…nd I confess I suspect he either lyed against his Conscience or else had a very bad one and he had been more hopeful if from a sound Conviction he had bitterly cried out All these commandments I have broken from my youth But be it so Christ willing to try the truth of his Active by his Passive Ob●…dience put him upon this Trial Go and sell all that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven This was a pinching Word indeed The Neck-Verse for a Hypocrite Methinks I see his Courage cool his Countenance change and grow pale Amazement and Confusion in his Looks he turns about and goes away sorrowful sar he had great possessions Upon no lower Terms than these must w●… hope to Recover the Glory departed from our Profession Then when we can cast all at Christ's Feet resign all into his Hands and whether he gives or takes say with holy Job Job 1. 21. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. Let us therefore set before our Faith and imitate the Father of the faithful Gen. xxii who when called of God to offer up his Son his only Son his well-beloved Son the Son of the Promise and that in a way which seemed to Contravene the Law of Nature the positive Law of God yet disputed not delayed not but gave this clear Demonstration that he had nothing too Dear for his God 5. In all things Whether in a more narrow and private or in a more enlarged and publick capacity The Heavenly Orbs are of different Diameters yet they move regularly according to the Laws imposed upon them by their Creator The Stars are of differing Lustre and Glory and yet they shine and grudge not their influences to this lower ungrateful World which returns them nothing but Fogs and Mists to obscure their Light and Beauty God has placed us All in Spheres of different Circumferences how small soever they be let our Motion be Regular and Orderly he has filled us with various degrees Grace and Gifts let us lay out all faithfully There are various Talents with which our Soveraign Lord has intrusted us for kind for number 1 Cor. xii 11. Wrought by that one and the same spirit dividing to every one severally as he will If then our Talents be few let 's be faithful in the using diligent in the improving them the unprofitable servant Matth. xxv was not condemned because he had but one Talent but because he hid it in a Napkin He that has but a little spot of Ground may Cultivate it and shew that diligence in improving it that it may reward his Labour with a blessing Since I considered that passage in the History of Absalom 2 Sam. xv 4. O that I were made judg in the Land that every one that has any suit or cause might come unto me and I would do him justice It has taught me never to be ambitious of great things without more Grace to manage them but we are frank and liberal in our Promises to God to Men and to our selves The poor Man says O had I Riches how rich would I be in good Works The Illiterate says O that I were Learned what service would I do But let us Pray that we may have Grace to be useful and serviceable with what we have that whether in a narrow or more dilated Capacity we may Adorn the doctrine of our God and Saviour in all things 6 In all things In affirmative as well as negative Duties 'T is not enough that we Curse not God we must Bless him The Pharisee Luke xviii 11. had a Religion made up most of Negatives with a small sprinkling of lesser Duties and not without a mixture of Superstition God I thank thee I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican When the final Sentence shall pass upon every wicked Man it will proceed thus Matth. xxv 42. I was hungry and ye gave me no meat I was naked and ye cloathed me not I was sick and in prison and ye visited me not The Indictment will not be laid that they plucked the Bread out of the Disciples Mouths but that they did not feed them Nor did the Charge run that they stripp'd the Cloaths off the Saints Backs but that they did not Cloath them They are not Accused that they Cast them into Prison but that they relieved them not visited them not when there we have all cause to Pray with the holy Person Lord pardon my sins of Omission Negatives will never intitle us to that blessing of living many days and seeing much good We must join the Affirmative with them Psal. xxxiv 14. Depart from evil and do good 〈◊〉 In all things In all Companies whether holy or unholy The Apostle discharges the Corinthians 1 Cor. v. 9 10. from the Company of Fornicators And yet he seems to correct or limit the Prohibition yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world or with the covetous or extortioners or with Idolaters for in that Latitude the Command would not be practicable for then says he ye must needs go out of the world Either a Christian must retire wholly from all Business in the World or must quite remove his Station into the other World A godly Man then may possibly be cast amongst them though a prudent Man will not of Choice frequent them The holy Art and Skill is how he may Adorn the Gospel when he is inevitably thrown amongst them And it 's a good Rule that if we cannot make wicked Men ashamed of their wickedness yet should we neither be ashamed of nor a shame to Holiness if they will not go to Heaven with us let us not in complaisance go to Hell with them Though Prudence will advise us to be wise as serpents a good Conscience will oblige us to keep our selves innocent as Doves That our unseasonable Rashness may not expose us to the fury of Men nor our temporizing Compliance to the wrath of God David had studied this Case with great accuracy Psal. xxxix 1 2 3. I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me I was dumb with silence I held my peace even from good and my sorrow was stirred My heart waxed hot within me while I was musing the fire kindled then spake I with my tongue Here was a notable conflict in David's soul betwixt his Prudence and his Zeal while the wicked were before him Prudence advised Silence Zeal counselled Speech while the Case was desperate and no hope of doing good appeared Prudence prevailed he was silent but as soon as there appeared fair probability of doing more good than harm or rather some good and no harm then Zeal unlock'd his Lips and he spake with his tongue A modest

be remedied The Apostle answers If any obey not the word they may be won by the conversation of the wives but the question is what Conversation will reach that end He answers again While they behold your chast conversation coupled with fear Are there any of you who have a Neighbour a Relation a Friend that is as your own soul for whose Conversion you have longed prayed mourned and added Counsel Entreaties to your Prayers and Tears add a holy humble consciencious Conversation keeping your Consciences void of offence toward God and Men and despair not of success 5. Reason There 's nothing more Provokes the wrath of God than to throw Dirt in the Face of the Gospel and the next Provocation is not to wipe that off which others have thrown upon it Which way God will vindicate his insulted Honour which way he will Avenge himself upon a careless or loose or indifferent Generation of Professors I cannot foretel whether he will take the Sword into his provoked Hand or give a Commission to Fire Plague or other Judgment to avenge the Quarrel of his Gospel but certain it is he will do it Levit. xxvi 25 26. I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant●… and when you are gathered together in your Cities I will send the pestilence amongst you and ye shall be delivered into the hands of your enemies and when I have broken the staff of your bread c. We have notoriously assronted the Gospel of our God and Saviour either by unmerciful Persecution or an unsuitable Conversation this Gospel has just cause of Quarrel against us God takes the Quarrel of his despised Truths Precepts Promises Ordinances into his own Hands he will avenge it He has already sent us a Challenge nay he has drawn blood on us but yet his patience waits and strives with us and calls to us to take up the Controversie what shall we do Either we must fight it out and carry on a vigorous War against Heaven or entertain O that we would entertain better wiser Counsels and Agree with our Adversary quickly whilst we are in the way with him and he in the way with us lest I tremble to mention what follows Let us then Repent and turn to the Lord with our whole Heart let us Reform our Persons Families our Lives peradventure the Lord may be nay certainly the Lord will be reconciled to us and have Mercy upon us § 5. The Improvement of the Point only remains and till we have done that we have done nothing but here we are usually under some mistake we think it is only the Preachers work to make Application when it 's the proper Duty of All to apply it All he can do is to Direct how it may how it must be appplied by all that hear it This Truth must be applied and improved two ways by way of Humiliation and Exhortation I. Improvement by way of Humiliation ARE we then throughly convinced that it ought to be the cautious care of all that Profess the Gospel to Adorn the Doctrine of it in all things Let us then be humbled Let us take up a bitter Lamentation over this bleeding gasping and if Grace prevent not this dying Gospel It has fared amongst us just as the poor Man Luke x. 30. Who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves they strip him wound him and leave him half dead but who could expect better quarter from bloody Thieves In this dying and desperate state there comes by a Priest he sees him but his Eyes did not affect his Heart but passes by A Levite next he bestows a careless look upon him but passes by on the other side Might not better things have been expected from the Priests and Levites Well! In the agony and pangs of Death comes by a Samaritan one abhorred both by Priest and Levite one that they damned for a wretched Schismatick but yet he had Bowels of Compassion for the expiring Man he binds up his Wounds and takes care for his Cure The Doctrine the Gospel of God our Saviour lies here a bleeding a dying 'T is in vain to inquire who has been the Assassin who has committed the Massacre For all will remove the guilt from themselves though all be guilty in the mean time Religion bleeds on and is ready to give up the Ghost Now it 's usual when a Person is found sore wounded in the Streets to ask who wounded him At least to describe them by such Characters that they may be pursued seized and brought to Condign Punishment But have we Courage enough Conscience enough to ask wounded Religion this question How readily would it answer though with the Accents of a languishing Voice It was you all and every one of you that are guilty and our own Consciences will accuse and convict us that we are the Men When our Saviour Matth. xxvi 21 22. Had told his Apostles that one of them should betray him They were exceeding sorrowful and began to say one by one Lord is it I Lord is it I He that knows his own deceitful Heart and the Corruption that lies dormant there will find Reason to suspect that a Temptation may awaken it to deny his Lord nay to betray and sell his Lord and Saviour Peter and James and John suspected themselves as much as Judas and none of us but have cause to say Lord was it I I that denyed thy Truth I that blemished thy Gospel And if so O let us mourn and mourn bitterly over him whom we have pierced as one that mourneth for an only Son Zech. xii 10. It was a cutting word that would have wounded the Heart of any but an Obdurate Judas Judas betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss Do we pretend to Kiss him and yet basely betray him The smiling Face aggravates the Rancour of the false Heart This was the baseness of Joab that he saluted A●…ner and stabbed him do we Complement Christ and Stab him The Gospel may say to us in the language of that Prophetick Scheme Zech. xiii 6. The Qucstion was asked What are those wounds in thy hands Religion will answer Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends This is that which wounds deeper than the Swords the Nails the Spear the Thorns that wounded Christ He has been wounded in the House of his Friends Let not our deceitful Hearts think to evade the charge by saying Lord when did I Buffet thee or Spit upon thee It was the Soldiers When did I Crown thee with Thorns or put a Reed into thy Hands Or nail thee to the Cross or pierce thy side with a Spear It was the Jews that Accused thee Pilate that Condemn'd thee the Souldier that Pierced thee Nay but it was thou even thou who pretending to submit to my Scepter didst make it at pleasure but a broken Reed It was thou that didst profess much love with thy Lips and yet