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	see_v	word_n	3,071	5	3.9363	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90291	The stedfastness of promises, and the sinfulness of staggering: opened in a sermon preached at Margarets in Westminster before the Parliament Febr. 28. 1649. Being a day set apart for solemn humiliation throughout the nation. By John Owen minister of the Gospel.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1650 (1650)	Wing O808; Thomason E599_9; Thomason E618_7; ESTC R203108	32,151	58

will be merciful to your sins I pray believe me for I will pardon your iniquities yea it shall be so I will blot cut your Transgressions as a cloud There is not any want whereunto we are liable but thus he hath dealt concerning it As his Command is line upon line so is his Promise And this is one way whereby God causeth the Truth of his Promises to appear To take away all colour of staggering he speaks once yea twice if we will hear 2 The Second way of Confirming any Truth is by an Oath Though we fear the Truth of some men in their Assertions yet when once they come to Swear any thing in Justice and Judgement there are very few so knownly profligate and past all sense of God but that their Asseverations do gain Credit and passe for Truth Hence the Apostle tells us Heb. 6. 16. That an Oath for Confirmation is to men an end of all strife Though the Truth be before ambiguous and doubtful yet when any interposes with an Oath there is no more Contest amongst men That nothing may be wanting to win our Belief to the Promises of God he hath taken this Course also he hath sworn to their Truth Heb. 6 13. When God made Promises to Abraham because he could swear by no greater he sware by himself He confirms his Promise by an Oath O faelices nos quorum causa Deus jurat ô infaelices si nec juranti Deo credimus When Christ came in whom all the Promises of God are Yea and Amen to make sure work of the Truth of them he is confirmed in his Administrations by an Oath Heb. 7. 21. He was made a Priest by an Oath by him that said The Lord sware and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever Now I pray what is the cause of this great Condescention in the God of Heaven to confirm that word which in it self is Truth by an Oath The Apostle satisfies us as to the End aimed at Heb. 6. 17 18. This was saith he the Aim of God herein That his People seeing him ingaged by two such immutable things as his Promise and his Oath may be assured that there is an utter impossibility That any one word of his should come short of it's Truth or that they firmly resting upon it should be deceived thereby And this is a Second way 3 Another Course wherby men Confirm the Truth of what they speak is by entring into Covenant to accomplish what they have spoken A Covenant gives strength to the Truth of any ingagement When a man hath but told you he will do such and such things for you you are full of doubts and fears that he may break with you but when he hath indented in a Covenant and you can shew it under his Hand and Seal you look upon that consider that and are very secure Even this way also hath the Lord taken to confirm and establish his Truths and Promises that all doubtings and staggerings may be excluded he hath wrapped them all up in a Covenant and brought himself into a faederal Ingagement that upon every Occasion and at every Temptation we may draw out his Hand and Seal and say to Satan and our own false hearts see here behold God ingaged in Covenant to make good the word wherein he hath caused me to put my Trust and this is his property That he is a God keeping Covenant So that having his Promise redoubled and that confirmed by an Oath all Sealed and made sure by an unchangeable Covenant what can we require more to assure us of the Truth of these things But yet further 4 In things of very great weight and Concernment such as whereon Lives and the Peace of Nations does depend men use to give Hostages for the securing each other of the Faith and Truth of all their Ingagements that they may be mutual Pledges of their Truth and Fidelity Neither hath the Lord left this way unused to confirm his Promise He hath given us an Hostage to secure us of his Truth one exceedingly dear to him one alwayes in his bosome of whose Honor he is as Careful as of his Own Jesus Christ is the great Hostage of his Fathers Truth the Pledge of his Fidelity in his Promises God hath set him forth and given him to us for this end Behold the Lord himself shall give you a sign a sign that he will fulfil his word A virgin shall conceive and bare a Son and shall call his name Immanuel Isa 7. 14. That you may be assured of my Truth the Virgins Son shall be a Hostage of it In him are all the Promises of God Yea and Amen Thus also to his Saints he gives the further Hostage of his Spirit and the first fruits of Glory that the full accomplishment of all his Promises may be contracted in a little and presented to their view As the Israelites had the pleasures of Canaan in the Clusters of Grapes brought from thence Now from all this it is apparent not only that there is Truth in all the Promises of God but also that Truth so confirmed so made out established that not the least Occasion imaginable is thence administred to staggering or doubting He that disputes the Promise and knows not how to close with them must find out another Cause of his so doing as to the Truth of the Promise there is no doubt at all nor place for any 2 But Secondly though there be Truth in the Promise yet there may want Ability in the Promiser to accomplish the thing Promised because of it's manifold difficulties This may be a Second Cause of staggering if the thing it self ingaged for be not compassable by the Ability of the Ingager As if a skilful Physitian should Promise a sick man a Recovery from his Disease though he could rely upon the Truth and Sincerity of his Friend yet he cannot but question his Ability as to this knowing that to cure the least Distemper is not absolutly in his power but when he Promises who is able to performe then all doubting in this kind is removed See then whether it be so in respect of these Promises whereof we speak When God comes to Abraham to ingage himself in that Covenant of Grace from whence flow all the Promises whereof we Treat He laies this down as the Bottom of all I am saith he God Almighty Gen. 17. 1. or God Alsufficient very well able to go through with what ever I Promise When Difficulties Temptations and Troubles arise remember who it is that hath Promised not only he that is true and faithful but he that is God Almighty before whom nothing can stand when he will accomplish his Word And that this was a bottom of great Confidence to Abraham the Apostle tells you Rom. 4. 21. Being fully perswaded that he who had Promised was able also to performe When God is ingaged by his VVord his Ability is especially to be eyed The Soul is apt