Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	life_n	love_n	love_v	2,826	5	6.6025	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16531	The vnbeliefe of St. Thomas the Apostle laid open for the comfort of all that desire to belieue. Whereunto is added a comfortable treatise for all that are afflicted in soule or body. The first armeth vs against despaire in the houre of death; the second against impatience vnder the crosse. By Nicholas Bound, Doctor in Diuinitie.	Bownd, Nicholas, d. 1613.; Bownd, Nicholas, d. 1613. Treatise ful of consolation. aut	1628 (1628)	STC 3442; ESTC S113890	68,060	212

Thomas and as he hath done with vs very often and in many things And this is that which the Prophet noteth to haue beene very often in the people of Israel whiles they were in the wildernes of whome he saith ●●al 78.41 They returned and tempted God and limited the holy one of Israel that is according to the straitnes of their owne heart in their vnbeleefe so did they imagine of Gods presence and power and therefore they are said to limit the holy one of Israel and as it were to compasse him in certaine bounds and to indent with him after this manner if hee would doe so and so for them they would thinke that he cared for them and were among thē for their good if he would not doe so they would not beleeue it And thus they did often and therefore it is saide they returned and tempted God for when they had tēpted God thus one way then they did it an other way For sometimes they desired water sometimes meate sometimes daintie flesh as quailes and that so importunately that they said vnles they had these things according to their owne desire they thought either that God could not doe it or that he cared not for them and thus they spake against God saying vers 19. Can God prepare a table in the wildernes behold he smote the rocke that the waters gushed out and the streames ouerflowed can he giue bread also and prepare flesh for his people And thus did they not onely once but many times and for many things in so much that the Prophet speaketh with admiration How oft did they prouoke him in the wildernesse and grieue him in the desert And thus for their assurāce that God was with them and that he was willing and able to helpe them they desired these outward things so by the foolishnes of their desires did apparantly shew the vnbeleefe that was in them So doe many vnbeleeuers of our time looke what they earnestly desire if they haue it not they will not beleeue that God careth for them hereupon some of them say if I might haue such a thing I would think that God loued me and others say if God would bestowe this or that vpon me I would hope that I were in his fauour And what things are they then which they desire onely outward and appertaining to this life and so according to their present wants through vnbeleefe they limite the loue of God some to one thing some to an other and will not be perswaded of it but by the inioying of such things as themselues desire And it is thus not onely in the vnbeleeuers but all Gods children so farre as the remnants of vnbeleefe do preuaile in them are subiect vnto these temptatiōs and to these desires and are ready to say if I were rid of this affliction which hath lien heauily vpon me a long time I could be perswaded of his fauour towards me By which we are thus to profit thereby to see what infidelity is lurking in vs that so we might be sory for it seeke to be holpen of it And then we shall see the remedie against it to be this that as the Apostle S. Thomas should not haue tied the certenty of Christs resurrection to his apparition and shewing of himselfe vnto him saying Vnles I see him my selfe I will not beleeue it for it was true to be beleeued of him and others that Christ was risen againe though they had neuer seene him much lesse should he haue tied it vnto this that he would see him in that forme that he was in vpon the crosse with the wounds and marks in his bodie saying Vnles I see in his hands the print of the nayles and put my finger into the print of the nayles and put my hand into his side I will not beleeue it for he might haue appeared vnto him in some other forme as he did vnto others at diuers times Euen so we are not to tie the certentie of Gods fauour to any one thing and to say vnles I haue this o●● that I can not be perswaded of Gods fauour much lesse vnto any of these outward things which appertaine vnto our bodies and to this life for God our heauenly father hath many waies and meanes to assure his children of his loue and fauour towards them and doth it as our earthly fathers doe not onely to some one way and to others an other way but euen vnto the same not alike at all times and by the same things But especially there are more sure pledges and tokens of his loue which he bestoweth vpon his children then all the outward benefits in the world which onely for the most part the vnbeleeuers desire and measure gods fauour by them For there are the graces gifts of his holy Spirit proper vnto the elect as a loue of God and of goodnes an hatred of euill a desire to please God a delight in the companie of the godly and such like in bestowing of which vpon man he doth most of all manifest his loue vnto them There are also his holy word and Sacraments whereby he worketh the beginning and increase of these and other graces in those that are his rare and inestimable testimonies of his fauour of which it is said in the Psalme ●●al 147.19 He sheweth his word vnto Iaakob his statutes his iudgements vnto Israel he hath not dealt so with euery nation neither haue they known his iudgements Where he maketh this a note of the loue of God to the people of the Iewes aboue all other nations that they had among them the doctrine of euerlasting life which others wanted And so this is none of the least testimonies of Gods fauour towardes vs that we liue in these happie daies and blessed times in which the Gospel is purely and sincerely preached and that we inioy the ministerie of it But the greatest token of all wherby God hath manifested his loue vn●o vs is the death of his sonne of which Christ speaketh in the gospel God so loued the world Ioh. 1.16 that he gaue ●is onely begotten sonne that who●oeuer beleeueth in him should not ●erish but haue euerlasting life wher ●e noteth the excellency of the loue ●f God by the excellency of the gift He so loued the world with an extra●rdinarie and wonderfull great loue ●hat he gaue his onely begottē sonne ●o saue vs and this is the fountaine ●nd cause of all other benefits of his ●estowed and to be bestowed vpō vs ●s the Apostle saith Rom. 8.32 God that spared ●ot his owne sonne but gaue him ●r vs all to death how shall he not ●ith him giue vs all things also and 〈◊〉 him there are purchased and pre●●red for vs euerlasting ioyes in the ●●ngdome of heauen and though we ●●ant many things in this world yet God giueth vs patience and mindes well contented with our estate as a token that he loueth vs. So

of this article of our ●aith The resurrection of the bodie ●hat is that these very bodies of ours ●eeing turned into dust and ashes ●●e same in euery part and member ●ould be raised vp againe Some of ●●e wiser sort of the Heathen did ac●●owledge the immortalitie of the ●ule and that there was a place of ●y for them that liued well and of paine for them that swarued from the rules of right reason after death Bu● that the same bodies of men should rise againe they did not so much as once dreame of it because they could not comprehend it by any reason● therefore in that matter we must beleeue others aboue all reason The like is to be saide of almes which hath a promise of increase so that by giuing to the poore we shal● not loose any thing but gaine which is a thing contrarie to reason that th● more a man should giue away from himselfe the more he should inric● himselfe and therefore few doe beleeue it which maketh them couetous and hard hearted and to be wi●●ling to depart from nothing lea●● they should want themselues and ●● specially to be most hard hearted ●●● their poore brethren in the times o● scarsitie and want when they shoul● be most liberall and by that meane● best prouide for themselues which S. Paul was so fully perswaded of that he doth commend it vnto vs by an excellent comparison saying 2. Cor. ● ● He which soweth sparingly shall reape also sparingly and he that soweth liberally shall reape also liberally Where he compareth almes vnto sowing of seede the more a man soweth the more he reapeth by Gods blessing the more a man giueth the more he receiueth by Gods promise the one we see by experience which maketh mē in the times of dearth and scarsitie to sow most the other we comprehend by faith which maketh the beleeuer in the hardest times to be most liberall Thus we see what vnbeleefe is in vs in that we giue no credit vnto others any further then we can conceiue a reason of it which is the same that was in S. Thomas and yet he was cured of it and so may we by the same grace of God if we will learne this lesson that in the time of temptation we beleeue others aboue our selues which if we doe not it is the next way to remain in vnbeleefe for euer but if we can come vnto this there is hope of vs in time THe 2. degree of Thomas his vnbeleefe appeares in this that he wold not only not beleeue this being thus often told him diuers times by sundrie credible persons but he will beleeue none but himselfe for he saith in plaine words Except I see in his hands the print of the nayls I will not beleeue it Which is as if he had said you indeed tel me that you haue seen Christ risen again so do diuers others I haue heard these things oftē but I haue not yet seene him my selfe what others haue seene that appertaines not vnto me vnlesse I see him my selfe I will not beleeue it This therefore is further to be considered because somtime it fals out that there is good cause why we should not beleeue a thing spokē often by many And if they be of any good credit though there be no cause in truth to suspect them yet it may seeme vnto vs that there is some and hereupon it commeth to passe that some in their vnbeleefe take exception against the Preachers and thinke that they haue some cause why they should not beleeue thē in the things that they haue preached vnto them though in truth there be none But yet to be altogether of this mind that S. Thomas was here in this matter that we will beleeue none in the world but our selues that seemeth to be such a thing as wanteth all colour of reason And yet thus vnreasonable is vnbeleefe as we see most clearly in this example for he saith very peremptorily that vnlesse I my selfe doe see in his hands the print of the nayles I will not beleeue it He doth not say vnles better men then you doe tell me so or vnles I heare more in number or vnles I heare better reason for this matter then I doe yet I will not beleeue it but if all men in the world tell me of it neuer so often vnles I see him mine owne selfe I will beleeue none of them which is as if he had said In this case I will beleeue my selfe and no bodie els We see then whether vnbeleefe will driue vs if we giue place to it euen that we shall beleeue none but our selues And indeede so it is in all sorts in whome it raigneth they will beleeue no more from any man then they can perswade themselues by their owne reason vnto that they obstinatly sticke against all men and so are not ashamed to say I will beleeue none of you all I will beleeue mine owne selfe and further I will not be lead by any no man shall draw me to ●eleeue that which mine owne reason tells me not And thus they so much abound in their owne sense through vnbeleefe that they perswade themselues that they haue more reason for that they hold then all other men haue for the contrarie And so let men say neuer so much against that which they haue conceited themselues they stil imagine that they haue some thing to say against it and some reason why they should not beleeue them And this is most true not onely in matters of faith but for life and conuersation which is the cause both that Papists and other heretikes are so obstinately addicted to their errors and also wicked men so altogether wedded vnto their sinnes that neither the one nor the other can be reclaimed from them And therefore when men haue saide what they can they will not giue thē ouer for they haue determined to beleeue none but themselues of this minde will they be till God ridde them of their vnbeleefe and then the saying of Christ shal be verified vpon them Ioh. 20.29 Blessed are they that haue not seene and haue beleeued that is they shall beleeue others besides themselues and so blessed shall they be as indeede this is the way to faith and so to blessednes to distrust our selues and to beleeue the seruants of God speaking vnto vs in his name of whō Christ hath saide ●●ath 20 40. He that receiueth you and your doctrine receiueth me And that we might come vnto this we are to remember that true faith yeildes vnto the bare word o● God against our owne reason and so giueth glory vnto God Rom. 4.20 as the Apostle sayth acknowledging and reuerencing his truth mercy and power where we can see no reason o● it and so praysing him for the same and resting in it Which we see to be true in Abrahā not onely in the birth of Isaac which was beyōd the course of nature and so