Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	law_n	sin_n	transgression_n	1,540	5	10.6759	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89517	A brief commentarie or exposition upon the prophecy of Obadiah, together with usefull notes / delivered in sundry sermons preacht in the church of St. James Garlick-Hith London. By Edward Marbury, the then pastor of the said church.	Marbury, Edward, 1581-ca. 1655.	1650 (1650)	Wing M566; Thomason E587_11; ESTC R206281	147,938	211

he sinneth another sin against the first Table and forsaketh the confidence in God and putteth his trust in men which turneth to his utter ruine and destruction So even the Saints of God fall as David for his adultery began to defile him and then he stained himself with the blood of his wel-deserving and faithful Subject this is the Plot of David in the matter of Vriah The reason why sin should be the punishment of sin is because nature being once corrupted and grace withdrawn we are then prone to those defections from God which do more and more corrupt us And that is a great punishment S. Paul cleerly sheweth it in the degrees thereof 1. When they knew God Lam. 1.21 they glorified him not as God 2. They were not thankefull 3. They became vain 4. Their foolish heart was darkened Thus did they runne out of one sin into another and at last Therefore God gave them up to uncleannesse Ver. 24. Ver. 26. through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonour their own bodies between themselves for this cause God gave them up to vile affections God gave them up to a reprobate mind Ver. 28. to do those things which are not convenient Sin in the heart is a fire in the bosome Prov 6.27 Can a man take fire in his bosomed and his clothes not be burnt Can a man go upon ●ot coles an his feet not be burnt St. Gregory hath a good description of sinnes 1. Some are simple in themselves sinnes such is every thought word and work against the Law 2. Some sins are causes of more sins as surfetting and fulnesse causeth luxury and uncleannesse of the flesh 3. Other sins are the punishment of former sins as in my Text. Edom his former sin is punished by a latter 4. Other sins are the punishment of former sins and the causes of latter as in David His idlenesse was punished by his Adultery and that Adultery was the cause of murther But here is a Quaere Quaere If sin be a punishment it is of God for all punishment is just and is of God but God is not author of sin therefore sin is no punishment To this our answer is that sin may be considered two ways Sol. 1. As it is a pollution of man 2. As it is in the effect thereof the just punishment of man God is not the author of sin as it is a pollution but being committed God in the even course of his justice turneth it into punishment of man And man is punished saith Thomas Aquinas three wayes 1. In praecedentibus because God withdraweth his preserving grace from a sinner and maketh the means of his preservation ineffectuall For to the just he faith I will not leave thee nor forsake thee but to the reprobate he shutteth up their eyes ne videant he stoppeth their ears ne audiant he hardeneth their hearts and leaveth them to their own corruptions to be wrought upon 2. In concemitantibus these are either 1. Inward the pollution of the heart 2. Outward in the calamities of life 3. In subsequentibus that is the unrest of the conscience and distraction of the mind Excellent and full to this purpose is the example of the Prodigall for 1. God withdrew his grace from him and left him to take his vitious and luxurious courses in the world till he had spent all and was cast forth 2. God punished him in his mind by giving him over for a time to the pollution of sin he outwardly punished him with contempt and beggery and famine 3. He punished him in his Conscience with the remorse of his sin which wrought with him so effectually that he repented him of his sin and returned to his Father so this punishment was not ad amandationem but ad emendationem Et que paena fuit facta est medecina Thus sin in the Elect may be the punishment of sinne to their great good and the recovery of them again to God as in Davids example and in the example of Peter But the reprobate are forsaken of grace polluted in their minds and tormented in their consciences and feele crosses and afflictions in the flesh and these be rods of their own making wherewith God scourgeth them sending the Angel of Satan to buffet them The most dangerous and damnable estate is of those who when they have sinned do not love the word of God which should restore them like those froward sick persons that refuse the physick that should heale them The word of God is plain-dealing and telleth every one of his faults and revealeth to them the justice of God When men begin to take exceptions at the Word and quarrell with the food and medicine of life and to say Durus est hic sermo this is an hard saying then sin groweth an heavie punishment to them and worketh their destruction Vse Therefore let all those that would not be their selfe tormentors heare what the spirit speaketh to the Churches let them not consult with flesh and bloud but let them order their wayes according to the word of God Let no burthen seem so heavy to them as the weight of their own sins Let no annoyance seem so stenching as the turpitude and pollution of their own sins And then Come unto me ye that are weary and heavie laden and I will ease you Come to me you that are defiled and polluted with your manifold corruptions and I will wash you clean in my bloud saith the Redeemer of men When our sins have broken our hearts and made us contrite and the smart of them hath made us weary of them then shall we see them fastned to the Crosse of Christ and the grace of God will be sufficient for us Doctr. 2 God requiteth the wicked with the same measure which they have meeted to others Edom dealt perfidiously and treacherously with Israel therefore their confederates and professed friends deale so with them It is Christs rule of Justice With what measure you meete M●t. 7.2 2 it shall be measured to you again proved Wo to thee that spoylest Isa 33.1 and wast not spoyled and dealest treacherously and they dealt not treacherously with thee when thou shalt cease to spoyle thou shalt be spoyled and when thou shalt make an end to deale treacherously they shall deale treacherously with thee It is the threatning of God Ye shall not afflict the widow or fatherlesse child Ex. 22 1●2 if thou afflict them in any wise and they cry at all unto me I will surely hear their voyce And my wrath shall wake hot and I will kill you with the sword and your wives shall be widows and your children fatherlesse David smarted in this kind He defiled the wife of his faithfull servant Vriah Absolon his son defiled his fathers Concubines in the sight of all Israel Cain feared this judgment so soon as he had killed his brother Abel Gen. 4 14 for he said presently it shall

man is he that desireth life and loveth many dayes Psa 24.12 13. that he may see good Keep thy tongue from evill But of all kind of evill speaking against our brother this sinne of Edom to sharpen an enemie against our brother in the day of his sorrow and distresse this opening of the mouth wide against him to insult over him in his calamity is most barbarous and unchristian Yet I denie not but that God giveth matter of joy to his Church when he destroyeth the enemies thereof and it may be sometimes lawfull to open our mouthes wide in the praise of God for the destruction of the ungodly as I finde joy in the Campe of Israel for the devouring of proud and cruell Pharaoh and his Armies in the Rea-Sea Then Moses taught them a Song Exo 15. not only of thanksgiving unto God but of insultation over those enemies wherein they said Pharaohs Chariots and his Hoast hath he cast into the Sea his chosen Captaines also are drowned in the Red-Sea The depths have covered them he sanke into the bottome as a stone The horse and his Rider hath he throwne into the Sea This was the first Song that we do read of in holy Scripture the ancientest Song that is extant in the world upon record And therefore it is a Type of the jubilation of the Saints in heaven for the destruction of the Beast and it said that they Sing the Song of Moses the servant of God Rev. 15.3 for there was more cause of joy in the whole Church for the fall of the Beast then Israel had for the fall of King Pharaoh for indeed that of Israel was but a type of this But Moses was warrant enough for the one and the same spirit which directed Moses shall authorize the other Yet here is a dangerous way and exceeding slippery and wonderfull circumspection must be used and Davids caution I said I will take heed that I offend not in my tongue for Christ hath put a duty upon us which in his Evangelicall law to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to speake well and do well There is in the enemies with whom we have to doe a double opposition which maketh a double quarrel 1 They are opposite to God himselfe when they oppugne the Church of God or any member of that Church for Gods sake this is Gods quarrell 2 When they personally violate the servants of God in life goods or good name this is our quarrell whether in passion the case be ours or our brothers in compassion There is a double respect to be had to enemies 1 As they are men 2 As they are enemies This ground being layed these conclusions do result concerning this point 1 That no man ought to rejoyce at the ruine and destruction of a man as he is a man for this is a naturall tye that bindeth us one to another and Religion doth not unbind the bonds of nature rather it is religatio and tyeth them much faster The reason is for though the Image of God in which man was created were much defaced in the fall of man yet was it not wholly extinguished for the image of the Trinity is an indelible character it cannot be wholly lost not in the reprobate I may adde not in the damned for even they also are the workmanship of God Therefore as they are the creatures of God we do owe them love and pity in honour of the Image of God in them and ought not rejoyce to to see the blemishes of Gods Image So the Samaritane shewed kindnesse to the Jew that fell among Theeves although as the woman of Samaria said they converse not together And so Jacob cursed the cruel furie of his sonnes for destroying the Shechemites though Aliens from Israel and usurping their land And so God hating both the Moabite and the Edomite yet he avenged the cause of them against the King of Moab saying For three transgressions of Moab Amos 2.1 and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof because he burnt the bones of the King of Edom into lime But I will send a fire upon Moab and it shall devoure the Palaces of Kerioth And to go lower when the rich man in hell-fire saw Abraham afar off and besought him for helpe he answered him by that loving compellation Son thou in thy life time c. hell would not take that from him but that he was Abrahams sonne according to the flesh And whilst we live here we ought much rather to doe all offices of humanity to our enemies because they are men and because only God knoweth who are his and they may be converted and come into the Vineyard at the last houre 2 As they are enemies 1 We consider them as Gods enemies so we hate them not their persons but their vices for that as Augustine defineth it is odium perfectum a perfect hatred and indeed it is the hatred that God beareth to his enemies For the wrath of God from heaven is revealed against the unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse of men not against their persons they are his workmanship and carry his Image in some sort though much disfigured but against the unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse of men by which their persons do stand obnoxious to his displeasure And thus I find the Saints of God have insulted over the wicked as Israel over Pharaoh and the Gileadites over the children of Ammon Rom. 1.18 not rejoycing in the destruction of Gods creatures but of Gods enemies and wishing with Deborah and Bareck So let all all thine enemies perish O Lord. This is no mo●e but an applauding of the judgment of God and a celebration of his justice and of this we have examples both in the Militant and in the Triumphant Church 1 In the Militant Babylon where the Israel of God were captives and despightfully intreated and where they hung up their Harpes and were scornefully and sarcasmatically required to sing one of the songs of Sion is thus insulted over O daughter of Babylon who art to be wasted Rom. 1 18 happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us Happy shall he be Psa 137.8 that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones Lift ye up a Banner upon the high mountains Isa 13 2. exalt the voice unto them shake the hand I have commanded my sanctified ones Jer. 50.2 I have also called my mighty ones for my anger Declare ye among the Nations and publish and set up a Standard publish and conceale not say Babylon is taken Bel is confounded Merodach is broken in peeces c. In the triumphant Church Rejoice over her thou heaven Rev. 18.20 And ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged yea on her Yet I will not conceale from you that many learned expositors of the Revelation do understand this Text of the Militant Church But no doubt the Saints judging the world

and after the vowes to enquire 3. It is a great favour of God to his Church to reveal to them his will concerning both their own short punishment and the long affliction of their enemies For themselves they shall see in this revelation that God wil not give then over utterly and affliction doth never shew intolerable when we can look beyond it and see faire weather after it This had need be preached to the Church of God to keep them from fainting in their patience from falling into sin David confest Ps 27.13 I had fainted unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnes of the Lord in the Land of the living The Prophet having given us his own example doth also give us his good counsell Wait on the Lord the of good courage Ver. 14. and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. You see the use of this doctrine is to put mettle into us that we be not cast down with the present sense of Gods judgement but that we couragiously do beare them and patiently expect our deliverance from them Of this before 2. It is a comfort and joy to the Church to know that God will execute their judgements upon their enemies and passe the cup of his wrath from them to those that hate them 1. Because it stoppeth the way to an high and grievous sinne which is murmuring against God let every man suspect himself for this for Gods own Israel did often fall this way But when God revealeth to us his purpose we cannot find fault though we feel where judgment beginneth we know where it shall end 2. It allayeth all thoughts of revenge on them that trouble and persecute us for to what purpose should we fret our selves at the instruments of Gods vengeance when we know the end of these men how God hath set them in slippery places and that he will take the matter into his own hand to revenge it And this is a necessary Doctrine for us because the pursuit of private revenge is one of the crying sins of the time We have poore men that to molest a neighbour will swear the peace against them to put them in bonds when it is to be feared that it is rather revenge then feare that makes them sweare and this upon a little cooling of blood appears cleerly Just Laws are made to do men right against wrongs we must go to Judges as children to their Father to seeke Justice in charity not in the spirit of revenge God hath declared himselfe to be Deus ultionum a God of revenge and hath promised to judge our cause let us commit the matter to him and give our souls rest possessing them with patience Israel shall see their cup that they have but tasted drunk up and swallowed down of their enemies the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Mine eye shall see my desire upon mine enemies Ps 92.11 David maketh this use of this point By this I know that thou favourest me Ps 41.12 because mine enemy doth not triumph over me For it is a good signe of Gods love to his Church that he suffereth not the ungodly to insult over them And for the enemies of the Church they may have victory they cannot have a triumph for the cup of wrath is no sooner taken from the Church but it is presently given to her enemies to pledge them as the Prophet saith When thou hast done spoyling thou shalt be spoyled the drinke shall not pall in the cup. You see that David made that use of the fall and punishment of his enemy only to rejoyce in the Lord and his favour and not to insult over his enemy for the wise man adviseth Rejoyce not when thine enemy falleth Prov. 24.17 18. and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth Lest the Lord see it and it displease him and he turne away his wrath from him Thy patience doth heap coales of fire on the head of thine enemy and thy favourable forbearance of him in triumphing over him holdeth the cup still to his mouth We cannot do our enemy a greater pleasure then to be glad at his afflictions for God seeth it and abateth his displeasure against him but we may rejoyce safely and boldly in the love and favour of God to us VERSE 17. But upon Mount Sion shall be deliverance and there shall be holines and the house of Jacob shall possesse their possessions The second part of the Prophecy containing the comfort of the Church against all her enemies ad finem Capitis to the end of the chapter 1. A promise of restitution of them to their own ver 17. 2. Of victory against their enemies ver 18 19 20. 3. The means ordained for this ver 21. 1. Of their restitution of their own Mount Sion literally doth signifie the seed of Jacob the whole Nation of the Jewes taking name from the most eminent part of their Kingdome as Mount Sion denoteth Esau and his issue this shall be delivered from the captivity of Babilon that is the deliverance here promised And the holines here mentioned is the renewing of the people by repentance and new obedience to the pure worship of God and then the house of Jacob shall recover the possessions which the army of the Chaldeans took from them Allegorically and typically this Prophecy doth foretell the deliverance of the Church from all the enemies thereof in the end of the world which shall be performed by the spirit of sanctification fitting them to the same That the Church shall not alway be under the rod of correction we have formerly declared 1. The point now considerable is what our God requireth of us even holinesse 2. That God performeth his mercy of deliverance first that after he may sanctifie us to himself 1. That God requireth holinesse of us He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee Mic. 6.8 surely to do justice and to love mercie and to humble thy selfe to walk with thy God this is holinesse This is no earthly wisdome which is carnall sensuall and devilish it is the wisdome which is from above and therefore He hath shewed thee O man Holinesse is not learned in the Schoole of nature nor to be seen by the light of reason it is the inward light of the spirit of God that enlightneth our darknesse which openeth to man the way of good life not morall and civill only but religious and spiritual which teacheth justice mingled with mercie both built upon a good foundation of humility and these not as before men but as in a walk with God himself For such as these God keepeth a book of remembrance as the Prophet saith Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another Mal. 3.16 and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name And they shall