Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	lord_n	love_n	love_v	2,989	5	6.7075	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30122	The barren fig tree, or, The doom and downfall of the fruitless professor shewing that the day of grace may be past with him long before his life is ended : the signs also by which such miserable mortals may be known / by John Bunyan ; to which is added his Exhortation to peace and unity among all that fear God.	Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.; Bunyan, John, 1628-1688. Exhortation to peace and unity among all that fear God.	1688 (1688)	Wing B5485; ESTC R29145	71,178	194

of the Dresser o● the Vineyard who I told you 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ for he made intercession fo● the Transgressors And they contain Petition presented to an offended Justice praying that a little more time an● Patience might be exercised towards th● barren cumber-ground Fig-tree In this Petition there are Six things considerable First That Justice might be deferred O that Justice might be deferred Lord ●et it alone c. a while longer Secondly Here is time prefixed as a space to try if more means will cure a bar●en Fig-tree Lord let it alone this Year also Thirdly The means to help it are propounded until I shall dig about it and dung it Fourthly Here is also an insinuation of a Supposition that by thus doing God's expectation may be answered And if it bear Fruit Well Fifthly Here is a Supposition that the barren Figtree may yet abide barren when Christ hath done what he will unto it and if it bear Fruit c. Sixthly Here is at last a Resolution that if thou continue barren hewing Days will come upon thee And if it bear Fruit well And if not then after that thou shalt cut it down But to proceed according to my former Method by Way of Exposition Lord let it alone this Year also Here is astonishing Grace indeed astonishing Grace I say that the Lord Jesus should concern himself with a barre● Fig-tree that He should step in to stop● the blow from a barren Fig-tree True He stopt the blow but for a time Bu● why did he stop it at all Why did no● he fetch out the Ax Why did he not do Execution Why did not he cut it down Barren Fig-tree 't is well for thee that there is a Jesus at God's right Hand a Jesus of that largeness of bowels As to have compassion for a barren Fig-tree else Justice had never let thee alone to cumber the Ground as thou hast done When Israel also had sinned against God down they had gone But that Moses stood in the breach Exod. 32. 10. Let me alone said God to him that I may consume them in a moment and I will make of thee a great Nation Barren Fig-tree dost thou hear Thou knowest not how oft the hand of Divine Justice hath been up to strike and how many Years since thou hadst been cut down had not Jesus caught hold of his Father 's Ax. Let me alone let me fetch my blow or cut it down why cumbereth it the ground Wilt thou not hear yet Barren Fig-tree Wilt thou provoke still Thou hast wearied Men and provoked the Justice of God And wilt thou weary my God also Isa. 7. 13. Lord let it alone this Year Lord a little longer le ts not lose a Soul for want of means I will try I will see if I can make it fruitful I will not beg a long Life nor that it might still be barren and so provoke thee I beg for the sake of the Soul the immortal Soul Lord spare it one Year only one Year longer this Year also if I do any Good to it it will be in little time Thou shalt not be over-wearied with waiting one Year and then Barren Fig-tree Dost thou hear what striving there is between the Vine-dresser and the Husband-Man for thy Life Cut it down says one Lord spare it saith the other 'T is a cumber-ground saith the Father one Year longer prays the Son Let it alone this Year also Vntil I shall dig about it and dung it The Lord Jesus by these words supposeth two things as Causes of the want of Fruit in a barren Fig-tree and two things he supposeth as a Remedy The things that are a cause of want of Fruit are 1. 'T is Earth-bound Lord the Fig-tree is Earth-bound 2. A want of warmer Means of fatter Means Wherefore accordingly he propoundeth First To looser the Earth to dig about it Secondly And then to supply it with Dung to dig about it and dung it Lord let it alone this Year also until I shall dig about it I doubt it is too much ground-bound The Love of this World and the deceitfulness of Riches Luke 14. lie too close to the Roots of the Heart of this Professor The love of Riches the Love of Honours the Love of Pleasures are the Thorns that choak the Word 1 Joh. 2. 15 16. For all that is in the World the Lusts of the Flesh the Lusts of the Eyes and the Pride of Life are not of the Father but enmity to God how then where these things bind up the Heart can there be Fruit brought forth to God Barren Fig-tree see how the Lord Jesus by these very words suggesteth the cause of thy fruitlesness of Soul The things of this World lie too close to thy Heart the Earth with its things have bound up thy Roots Thou art an Earth-bound Soul thou art wrapt up in thick Clay If any Man love the World the Love of the Father is not in him how then can he be fruitful in the Vineyard This kept Judas from the Fruit of caring for the poor Joh. 12. 6. This kept Demas from the Fruit of Self-denial 2 Tim. 4. 10. And this kept Ananias and Saphirah his Wife from the goodly Fruit of Sincerity and Truth Act. 5. 5 10. What shall I say These are foolish and hurtful Lusts which drown Men in Destruction and Perdition for the love of Mony is the root of all Evil 1 Tim. 6. 9 10. How then can good Fruit grow from such a Root the Root of all Evil Which while some covet after they have erred from the Faith and pierced themselves through with many Sorrows It is an evil Root nay it is the Root of all Evil how the● can the Professor that hath such a Root or a Root wrap'd up in such earthly things as the Lusts and Pleasures and Vanities of this World bring forth Fruit to God! Vntil I shall dig about it Lord I will loose his Roots I will dig up this Earth I will lay his Roots bare my Hand shall be upon him by Sickness by Disappointments by cross Providences I will dig about him until he stands shaking and tottering until he be ready to fall then if ever he will seek to take faster hold Thus I say deals the Lord Jesus oft-times with the barren Professor he diggeth about him he smiteth one blow at his Heart another blow at his Lusts a third at his Pleasures a fourth at his Comforts another at his Self-conceitedness thus he diggeth about him This is the way to take bad Earth from his Roots and to loosen his Roots from the Earth Barren Fig-tree see here the Care the Love the Labour and Way which the Lord Jesus the Dresser of the Vineyard is fain to take with thee if happily thou mayest be made fruitful Vntil I shall dig about it and dung it As the Earth by binding the Roots too closely may hinder the Tree's being fruitful so the want of better Means may be also a Cause

things and things of less moment eat up our Zeal for the more indisputable and practical things in Religion which may give us cause to fear that this will be the Character by which our Age will be known to Posterity that it was the Age that talked of Religion most and loved it least Look upon those Churches where Peace is and there you shall find Prosperity When the Churches had rest they were not only multiplied but walking in the Fear of the Lord and the Comforts of the Holy Ghost they were edified it is when the whole Body is in it together as with Joints and Bands that they increase with the Increase of God We are at a stand sometimes why there is so little growth among Churches why Men have been so long in learning and are yet so far from attaining the knowledg of the Truth some have given one Reason and some another some say Pride is the cause and others say Covetousness is the cause I wish I could say these were no causes but I observe that when God entered his Controversy with his People of old he mainly insisted upon some one Sin as Idolatry and shedding Innocent Blood c. as comprehensive of the rest not but that they were guilty of other Sins but those that were the most capital are particularly insisted on in like manner whoever would but take a review of Churches that live in Contentions and Divisions may easily find that breach of Unity and Charity is their capital Sin and the occasion of all other Sins No marvel then that the Scripture saith the whole Law is fulfilled in Love and if so then where Love is wanting it must needs follow the whole Law is broken It is where Love grows cold that Sin abounds and therefore the want of Unity and Peace is the cause of that leanness and barrenness that is among us it 's true in Spirituals as well as Temporals That Peace brings Plenty Seventhly Where Unity and Peace is wanting our Prayers are hindered The Promise is that what we shall agree to ask shall be given us of our Heavenly Father No marvel we pray and pray and yet are not answered it is because we are not agreed what to have It 's reported that the People in Lacedemonia coming to make Supplications to their Idol God some of them asked for Rain and others of them asked for fair Weather The Oracle returns them this Answer That they should go first and agree among themselves Would a Heathen God refuse to answer such Prayers in which the Supplicants were not agreed and shall we think the True God will answer them We see then that Divisions hinder our Prayers and lay a prohibition on our Sacrifice If thou bring thy Gift to the Altar saith Christ and there remember that thy Brother hath ought against thee leave thy Gift and go and first be reconciled to thy Brother and then come and offer it So that want of Unity and Charity hinders even our particular Prayers and Devotions This hindred the Prayers and Fastings of the People of old from finding acceptance Isa. 58. 3. The People ask the Reason wherefore they fasted and God did not see nor take notice of them He gives this Reason because they fasted for Strife and Debate and hid their Face from their own F●esh Again Isa. 59. the Lord saith His Hand was not shortned that he could not save nor his Ear heavy that he could not hear but their Sins had separated between their God and them And among those many Sins they stood chargeable with this was none of the least viz. that the way of Peace they had not known You see where Peace was wanting Prayers were hindred both under the Old and New Testament The Sacrifice of the People in the 65th of Isaiah that said Stand farther off I am holier than thou was as Smoke in the Nostrils of the Lord. On the other hand we read how acceptable those Prayers were that were made with one accord Acts 4. 24. compared with verse 31. they prayed with one accord and they were all of one Heart and of one Soul and see the benefit of it they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke the Word with all boldness Which was the very thing they prayed for as appears vers 29. And the Apostle exhorts the Husband to dwell with his Wife that their Prayers might not be hindred 1 Pet. 3. 7. We see then want of Unity and Peace either in Families or Churches is a hindrance of Prayers Eighthly It is a dishonour and disparagement to Christ that his Family should be divided When an Army falls into Mutiny and Division it reflects disparagement on him that hath the Conduct of it In like manner the Divisions of Families are a dishonour to the Heads and those that govern them And if so then how greatly do we dishonour our Lord and Governour who gave his Body to be broken to keep his Church from breaking who prayed for their Peace and Unity and left Peace at his departing from them for a Legacy even a Peace which the World could not bestow upon them Ninthly Where there is Peace and Unity there is a sympathy with each other that which is the want of one will be the want of all Who is afflicted saith the Apostle and I burn not we should then remember them that are in Bonds as bound with them and them which suffer Adversity as being our selves also of the Body Heb. 13. 3. But where the Body is broken or Men are not reckoned or esteemed of the Body no marvel we are so little affected with such as are afflicted Where Divisions are that which is the Joy of the one is the Grief of another but where Unity and Peace and Charity abounds there we shall find Christians in Mourning with them that mourn and rejoicing with them that rejoice then they will not envy the Prosperity of others nor secretly rejoice at the Miseries or Miscarriages of any Last of all I now come to give you Twelve Directions and Motives for the obtaining Peace and Unity First If ever we would live in Peace and Unity we must pray for it We are required to seek Peace Of whom then can we seek it with expectation to find it but of him who is a God of Peace and hath promised to bless his People with Peace It is God that hath promised to give his People one Heart and one Way yet for all these things he will be sought unto O then let us seek Peace and pray for Peace because God shall prosper them that love it The Peace of Churches is that which the Apostle prays for in all his Epistles in which his desire is that Grace and Peace may be multiplied and increased among them Secondly They that would endeavour the Peace of the Churches must be careful who they commit the care and oversight of the Churches to as first over and besides those Qualifications that should