Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	person_n	place_n	time_n	2,415	5	3.5747	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97109	The vanitie of the present churches, and vncertainty of their preaching, discovered. Wherein the pretended immediate teaching of the spirit, is denyed, and the all-sufficiency of the Scriptures teaching, is maintained. With, a new and true method of reading thereof, for the peace of the mind, and rule of life.	Walwyn, William, 1600-1681, attributed name.	1649 (1649)	Wing W693A; Thomason E1367_1; ESTC R210498	20,838	55

taught unto them the truth whereof they were enabled and did confirm with miracles so as it might be as truly said of them as it was of Christ our Lord that they taught as men having authority and not as the Scribes nor as the uncertain pharisaicall teachers of these times Unto which word of theirs we are principally to give heed but therein also we are chiefly to discover and to mind what that Doctrine was which they by the spirit were ordained to preach because that being understood and believed doth give the beleever thereof the name and being of a Christian how plain and brief soever it be for we must note that there are many things written by the Apostles upon occasions that concerned only or chiefly the times wherein they wrote and the places and persons to whom they wrote which is the true cause that many things are too hard for us to understand but there was one universall Doctrine which they were to preach to all Nations where with all their writings do abound and which is very plain and easie to be understood And this is it namely that the same Jesus whom the Jewes crucified was Lord and Christ That he is the propitiation for our sins and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world That it is the bloud of Christ which cleanseth us from all sinne That his love is so exceeding towards us that even when we were enemies Christ dyed for us This was the Doctrine which begot people unto the faith and made them Beleevers and they used no other inducement unto Beleevers to walk as becometh this Gospel or glad tydings of peace and reconciliation between God and us but this ye are bought with a price therefore honour God both in your bodies and in your spirits their strongest Argument to perswade being this and the like That the love of God which bringeth salvation unto all men hath appeared teaching us to deny all ungodlinesse unrighteousnes of men and to live righteously godly and soberly in this present world that we should love as Christ hath loved who gave himself an Offering and a Sacrifice for us so that if we would try each others Faith we are to consider each others love so much faith so much love so much love so much pure and undefiled Religion extending it self to the fatherles and to the Widdow to the hungry the naked sick and imprisoned it being evident that he who hath this worlds goods and suffereth his brother to lack hath not the love of God in him yea though he have never so great parts of knowledg zeale tongues miracles yet being void of love he is nothing plainly manifesting that all other Religions are but as defiled and impure in comparison of this And these are the Doctrines which make good the rejoyning of the Angels bringing glory to God in the highest in earth peace good will towards men These are sufficient and in these do all sorts of Christians agree and never had disagreed but for false Teachers Wolves in sheepes Clothing who crept in to devoure the flock causing divers strifes and contentions about genealogies and about the Law which made the Apostle abundance of trouble crying out O foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you telling them plainly if righteousnesse came by the Law then Christ dyed in vain others it should seem fell to observe Dayes and Times Sabaoths and Weeks justifying themselves and censuring others provoking the Apostle to tell them he was afraid of them that he had bestowed labor in vain upon them earnestly desiring them to let no man deceive them in respect of an holy day or of the new Moon or of the Sabaoth c. The truth is and upon experience it will be foudn a truth that once exceed these plain indisputable Doctrines and you will be ever to seeke for though it be a kind of happinesse to read in Genesis the proceedings of God towards our first Parents to Abel Cayne Enoch to Noah and the world that perished in the floud to see his mighty power at the Confusion of Babell his love to Abraham and Sarah to Isaac Jacob and the twelve Patriarks to see their way of worship to observe his mighty wonders in Egypt in the Wildernesse and in the promised Land under the Judges Saul and David Solomon and the rest of the Kings of Judah and Israel To know with what power he spake by his holy Prophets in all times even to John the Baptist Yet when we have done all we must acknowledge that very many things exceed our understandings and that we draw no comfort like unto this that unto Christ do all these beare witnesse and though we have great cause to blesse God for those wonderfull things we read of the life of Christ of his wisdom goodnesse and power by which he beat down the wisdom craft and policy of the Scribes and Pharices of the high Priest and great ones of the world and whereby he made it manifest that he was indeed the Christ yet draw we no comfort like unto that which the Apostles publish't by the power of the holy spirit the comforter promised by Christ before his Assention because by this dispensation of God only do we come to know the benefits of Christs death and that he is the end of the Law for righteousnesse and the propitiation for our sinnes whereby we have peace of Conscience and joy in the Holy-Ghost We Read with thankfulnesse to God the Acts of the Apostles all the Epistles of Paul of Peter James Jude and the Epistles of John the Revelat. to St. John But we must still acknowledge that there are very many things in them all which wee apprehend not fully We Read of Apostles E●angelists Prophets Pastors and Teachers and of the ordering and regulating of Churches and of gifts given to all these from on high but not so plainly exprest as to leave the Conscientious without dispute and difference thereupon nor so collected into any one Book as to convince that God now under the Gospel so exactly enjoyned Church Government as he did under the Law where Moses was expressely commanded to write particularly all that was required not leaving out so much as Candlesticks Snuffers or Besomes And when we come to compare the Churches or their Pastors and their abilities of our times with those we read of or the infallible power by which they spake with the uncertaine Doctrines of ours alas we must lay our hands upon our mouths and hide our faces as children use to doe when they are discovered by people of understanding at their childish immitations of Christnings and Feastings where in a low and miserable weake forme they counterfeit things reall so that if we shall deale plainely with our selves we must confesse wee are at a losse in these things and that hence onely is our rejoycing That wee undoubtedly know Jesus Christ and him Crucified and knowing him accompt all things as losse and

or reall Christian vertue and no marvaile For such as the tree is such ever will be the fruit they boast to have the Spirit of God you see it is but boasting or their own imagination only and in the mean time take the Scriptures for a dead Letter and either reject them or make them speak according to the spirit of their own Imaginations and so instead of being reall are at best but fantastick Christians uncertain if not false Teachers and such are their fruits The greatest part of their time wherein they should be imployed to feed the hungry cloath the naked or in visiting the fatherlesse widdow or in delivering the Captive and setting the oppressed free all which are workes so fully and plainly set forth in Scripture as most pleasing to God being spent in talking upon some hard texts of Scripture such are their Sermons or in disputes contests upon some nice difficult questions And this exercising themselvs there in week after week and day after day and in fastings and repetitions and in writing of these doubtfull Sermons is by them called a Religious exercise and those who can but attain to so much boldnesse and utterance as to speak and pray an howre two or three together take upon them and are reputed guifted Christians and principall religious persons when as many of them get good estates by so doing good benefices and others who make not a trade of it as many devout pastors do yet gaine so much credit thereby as doth much increase their Trades and advance their Custom and dealing in the world and now and then helps to a good round Office And whilst any of this strain of Christians may live in this kind of devotion twenty years preached for twenty or forty shillings a year and have the repute of a most religious knowing Christian from the testimony of the most grave learned and solemn pastors of all Congregations if but a part of their religious disbursments be spent upon them it is not to be wondered at that so few are found to serve God sincerely in the way of pure and undefiled Religion which would plume their Peacocks feathers and cost them more in one year then all their lip-service and Church-devotion doth many of them in their whole life-time Nay so impudent are many of these proud boasting Churches who glory to follow precisely the pattern shewed in the mount that contrary to all example of the Apostles and first Christians they can content themselves to be known usurers and those that are not such themselves can allow it in their fellow Members their Pastors Elders and Deacons can tolerate it and why not as well as for their pastors to take monies from such as are of lesse abilitie then themselves nay do not many of them spend the greatest part of their time either in making buying and selling of baubles and toyes such as serve only to furnish out the pride suxury and fantasticallnesse of the world yea view them well in their apparell from head to foote consider them in their dyet and usuall feastings in their furniture for their houses even in these sad and miserable times and then say whether their silks their fine and delicate linnen their Laces Beavers Plushes their Fancies Plate Rings and Jewells do not demonstrat from what roote they are that they are meere worldlings indeed and Christians only in name and tongue and not that neither if they are well observed For there are many amongst them for slandering and back-biting for circumvention and an hipocriticall carriage shall vie and compare with any sort of men in the world they can play the part of Spies Intelligencers plot and betray upon pretence of intimacy of endeared friendship and familiarity eat drink be merry with you day after day week after week for months yea for many years and after al professe boldly openly confidently before their Church to Neighbors friends or strangers that all this intimacy friendship familiarity was only and meerely to deceive and to discover what might be to mischief the parties with whom they held it shall we aske which of the Apostles was a slanderer a spy an Intelligencer a betrayer certainly none but Judas and the followers of Judas let them henceforth professe themselves at least let all that know them so account them unles they manifest their speedy true repentance for bringing such reproach ●o the profession of Christianity But what will such men stick at as have once dared to dissemble before God to call themselves Preachers and are not to gather Churches and to joyn and continue in the fellowship of meere mock-Churches that dare attempt the Ordinances with prophane hands without and before Commission given from above that dare pretend Commission and yet can shew no seale no letters of credit from Heaven that dare affirm their own opinions and Sermons to be the word of God and all this after admonition from such persons too as out of Conscience have seperated from them against whom also they persist to shoote their most sharp and poysoned Arrowes even bitter words false invectives lyes and slanders O therefore consider this all ye whose Consciences are yet sound amongst them or but a little taynted and see into what a wretched condition ye may be led before ye are aware there is no stop in wickednesse but a progresse from one degree of evill to another unlesse at first therefore stop in time and come out from amongst them least ye soone partake with them in their sinnes and neither approve nor connive at what you see and know to be against the judgment of your Consciences least in time you become as the worst and vilest of them Study the Scriptures that word of truth blesse God for them forsake them not for the vain traditions of men for the uncertain notions Doctrines and comments of pretended Preachers and be certain of this that you may as soone as they themselves come to a good and right understanding therein and that you may do so Read them with these Considerations That although whatsoever is written is written for our learning and that we have great cause to be thankfull to God for vouchsaffing us the knowledge of the severall wayes of his dispensations to man according to the severall times and ages which were from Adam which was the first unto the time of the descending of the holy spirit which was the last yet are we seriously to know that this last dispensation of the holy spirit is that which principally concerneth us rightly to understand and to apply to our selves both for our comfort and rule of life for unto this time and depensation doth our blessed Saviour himself referre us saying I will send you another Comforter he shall lead you into all truth he shall bring to remembrance the things that I have told you and he performed his promise effectually to the Apostles whose writings we have containing what the same spirit