Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	punishment_n	sin_n	sin_v	1,923	5	9.5821	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05318	An exhortatory instruction to a speedy resolution of repentance and contempt of the vanities of this transitory life. By Samson Lennard	Lennard, Samson, d. 1633.	1609 (1609)	STC 15460; ESTC S108479	125,824	546

angrie with a sinner Againe sometimes the Lord punisheth some things to the end that a sinner yet liuing might learne to flie from future vengeance somethings hee leaueth vnreuenged to the end he may know there remaineth yet a farther iudgement for him Sometimes hee beginneth that punishment heere in this life which hee endeth after this life with eternall damnation For if God should neere reuenge himselfe of all his wrongs to what end should wee looke for the last iudgement By that which hath beene spoken thou maiest gather deare brother that God hateth thee not but before hee forsaketh thee thou hast forsaken him neither is the fault in him that by repentance thou turnest not vnto him but in the obstinacie of thine owne will who refusest to heare his voice or obey his diuine inspirations The Sun shineth vpon the window only doe thou open it and it will enter in Accuse not therefore God but thy selfe for in God who is iust in all his wayes and holy in all his works there is nothing to be reprehended or condemned For as if by reason of the weaknesse of thy body thou art not able to goe another should lend thee his hand to lift thee vp and to hold thee whilest thou walkest thou refusest his helpe and haddest rather lie vpon the ground than be holpon by him the fault is not his but thine if thou rise not euen so the Lord of his owne accord offereth himselfe vnto thee and is alwayes readie to helpe thee beare the burthen of thy sinnes and to direct thy steps into the right way doe thou only apply thy will vnto his will and be willing to receiue that grace and fauour which he offereth vnto thee CHAP. II. A sinner how he falleth from one sinne into another and so is hardned in his sinnes AFter that the God of patience long sufferance hath a long time expected the conuerfion of thee a sinner hee giueth to thee not conuerting but contemning his patience greater stumbling blockes to fall for whilest thou art earelesse to redeeme thy lesser sinnes by little and little thou fallest lower and lower and being insensibly seduced by vse custome thou growest bolde to commit greater sinnes When the tongue hath once liberty to vtter idle speeches it shortly after growes bolde to vtter any wickednesse and whilest thou art giuen to gluttonie thou fallest into drunkennesse yea madnesse it selfe for as for the most part it falleth out that one disease ingendereth another and that hee that is ouerladen with a great burthen doth easily fall so the burthen of sinne which by repentance is not speedily shaken off with the burthen thereof presseth a man to other sinnes and one sinne is the cause of another and the latter a punishment to the first as a righteous man ascendeth from one virtue to another and from one good worke taketh occasion to do another One sinne may be the cause of another three maner of wayes sometimes by reason of the finall cause as murther is committed for couetousnesse sometimes by reason of the materiall cause as when by superfluity of diet gluttony ingendreth luxurie vaine glorie whilest it seeketh the glory of a vaine name lest another should attaine vnto it ingendreth enuie sometimes by reason of an inueterat custom as when the custome of one sinne induceth a man to another By these three meanes a sinner falling from sinne to sinne at the last runneth himselfe into the bottomlesse pit of all sin and God in his iust iudgement hardeneth his heart in such a maner that he that by repentance would not clense his sinne heapeth vp sinne vpon sinne and wallowing in his owne filth groweth more filthy Sinne that by repentance is not taken away is both a sinne and the cause of another sin because thereby the mind of a sinner is farther ingaged but that sinne that ariseth out of another sinne is both a sinne and the punishment of a former sin and sometimes the cause of a following sinne too So that in this life sinnes are reuenged by sinnes and the punishment of sinnes are not torments but increase of sinnes the facilitie likewise of committing sinne is made the punishment of precedent sinnes of all which the last punishment is the fire of hell Neuerthelesse a sinner being hardned in his sinnes by reason of his insensible hardnes knowes not himselfe to bee punished heereby vntill against his will hee feele by a manifest punishment how great that sinne is which hee willingly committed Psal 69.27 And therefore saith the Psalmist Lay iniquity vpon their iniquity and let them not come into thy righteousnesse And the Prophet Hosea Hosea 4.2 By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and whoring they breake out and blood toucheth blood Blood toucheth blood when sinne is added vnto sinne the soule by multiplying of sinnes is wounded before the eyes of God and made a burthen vnto it selfe How strait are thy iudgements O Lord How great a punishment of sinne is the multiplying of sins Farre greater doubtles than any temporall punishment nay than hell it selfe The will which first turneth from God is the first beginning of sinne by sinne the grace of God is neglected by which neglect man is continued in sinne by continuance he is confirmed and by confirmation hardened therein And so being fallen into the depth of sinne hee doth not only grow carelesse in the desire of Gods assistance to rise againe but hee likewise resisteth his diuine inspirations that hee may continue in his sinnes God on the other side resisting him freeth him not from his sin but withdraweth frō him many his gifts of grace suffereth him to fall into greater sins and somtimes inflicteth vpon him temporall punishments and at the last eternal Whereby we may not gather that God who loueth righteousnesse and hateth iniquitie compelleth a sinner to sinne but onely permitteth him to continue in his sinnes For from whom hee withdraweth certaine of his graces for sinnes past to him not willing to repent he yeeldeth not the grace of iustification the effect of which grace being the mollifying of the heart that being withdrawne there must necessarily follow hardnesse of heart as the Lord speaketh of Pharo Exod. 4. I will harden his heart The Lord hardneth not the heart of a sinner but as hee that taketh awaie the prop of an house is said to plucke it downe so God is said to harden a sinner because hee freeth him not from it God hardeneth not by imparting malice or that any thing can come from him whereby a man is made the woorse but onely by not imparting mercy and that nothing comes from him whereby a man is made the better Hee hath mercie on whom hee will haue mercie and though he harden yet he is still iust whilest he permitteth the reprobate heart of a sinner voide of pietie ignorant of compunction free from the dew of all spirituall graces to perseuere in hardnesse and not to be mollified

ought the disciple to loue them whilest he liueth But thou a base contemptible worme a polluted peece of dung when thou seest the King of glory forgiuing his contumelies pardoning the agonies and torments of his Crosse art yet being prouoked with the least wrong that may be stirred vp to furie and desire of reuenge and offerest greater wrongs than thou hast receiued Thou doest what hurt thou canst and thou threatnest more than thou canst and when thou canst not or darest not openly to reuenge thy wrongs thou inwardly frettest and boilest with malice and in vain thou afflictest thy selfe and not thy enemie For as the good will of a man when there wants ability of performance hath a reward so thy ill will seeking after reuenge scapes not vnpunished because God considereth not so much what thou hast done as what thou wouldst haue done if thou hadst been able Wherfore deare brother incline the obstinacy of thy impatient minde to mercy and following the steps of our lord and master let it not seeme hard vnto thee to forgiue thy enemy as often as thy enemy shall offend thee that euery day those sinnes may bee remitted that thou doest euery day commit that whilest thou pardonest thy neighbor light and small wrongs God may pardon thee great and greeuous For if thou truly repent thou must prepare thy self to endure wrongs and neuer be mooued when thou hearest thy sinnes obiected against thee By this which hath beene spoken thou plainly seest in how damnable a state thou liuest so long as thou harborest malice and rancor in thy heart against thy neighbour To the end therefore thou maiest become a new man The conclusion if thou haue any thing against thy neighbour forgiue it and God will forgiue thee which if thou doe not thinke it is vaine for thee to beg forgiuenesse at Gods hands for such as thou art towards thy fellow seruant thou shalt finde him Thou hast power nay there is a necessity imposed vpon thee to forgiue any man that shall wrong thy selfe for any cause whatsoeuer but if he shall sinne against God or his neighbour it is not in thy power to remit but thou art to vse thy best indeuour to haue him punished by law not out of ill will but out of that will wherewith a father correcteth his childe whom hee cannot hate But thou contrarily in the wrongs of God and thy neighbour art calme and quiet but in thy owne thou art furious and violent wherein thou expressest thy little loue towards God and thy neighbor Neither is it any wonder at all if thou louest not God whom thou canst not see when thou canst not loue thy neighbour whom thou seest knowest whom if thou haue first offended bee first reconciled vnto him if he be thy enemy be friendly to him that thou maiest so win him to bee thy friend and though hee haue first offended thee yet bee thou first reconciled vnto him and so thou shalt winne vnto thy selfe a twofold blessing one because thou hast patiently endured wrong another because thou art the first that inuitest thine enemy to vnity and concord Consider with thy selfe what S. Paul for our instruction saith 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then are we Embassadours for Christ as thogh God did beseech you through vs wee pray you in Christs stead that yee bee reconciled to God So that we see that by sin we haue made an enmitie betwixt God and vs and yet God preuenteth vs and first sendeth his messengers of peace vnto vs that we that haue sinned may bee at peace with God Blush therfore if thou be backward since thy Sauior Christ Iesus is so forward who is blessed for euer and euer The Fourth Part of the exhortation to repentance CHAP. I. That God forgiueth sins when with a true and contrite heart wee confesse them vnto God FOurthly it may be thou wilt saie thou couldest bee content to repēt but that it is necessarie to repentance that thou confesse thy sinnes vnto God that thou art ashamed to do Resp First my deare brother let me propose this example vnto thee A theefe stealeth before the king and is taken in his theft and yet though his theft be manifest hee will not confesse it whereupon hee is condemned to die and being bound hand and foot conueied to his execution His king being moued to compassion saith vnto him my friend thou knowest that I tooke thee with the theft in thy hands but thou fearing least by mee thou shouldest bee thought a theefe obstinately deniest thy offence whereof I am an eie witnesse and for this cause as thou seest art thou condemned Neuerthelesse to the end that my good nesse may ouercome thy wickednesse I wil haue mercy vpon thee and deliuer thee from this shamefull death If thou wilt acknowledge thy offence and say I haue sinned O Lord and done wickedly in thy sight What thinkest thou it is fit this theefe should do vpon so kinde and so mercifull an offer Should hee not confesse his offence and say I haue sinned But if he be so obstinate that hee will rather die than acknowledge his offence hath not this king reason to execute his iudgement vpon him is not the theefe for his obstinacie woorthie to be hanged Thou art this wicked wretch who in the presence of God to whose eies all things are naked and open Heb. 4.13 Psal 118. and in whose sight are all thy wares hast greenously offended and art apprehended in the works of thy hands And because the reward of sinne is death Rom. 6. and the soule which hath sinned shall die therefore the sentence of eternall death is pronounced against thee And whilest thou refusest to foresee those imminent dangers that interrupt thy present ioies thou runnest blindfold to the pit of hell being fast bound in thine iniquities with no other irons than thy iron will The diuel hath captiuated thy will whereby hee hath made an iron chaine wherewith hee draweth thee fast bound to the pit of hel But behold the goodnesse of God hath couered thy wickednes his piety thy impietie hee hath seene thee sinning and yet forbeareth he tollerateth thee resisting him and still calleth thee vnto him by his Prophet Esai 43.25 I euen I am hee that putteth away thine iniquities for my owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes Put mee in remembrance let vs bee iudged together count thou that thou maiest be iustified O vpon how easie a condition doth the Lord promise to forget thy sinnes Onely call thou to remembrance and count them and thou shalt bee iustified Onely forget not thy sinnes and hee forgiues vncouer and he couereth thy shame with righteousnesse open and hee shuteth Preuent the wrath of an angrie Iudge by accusing thy selfe yea be angry with thy selfe and let not thy owne mouth spare thee for then thou beginnest to bee iustified when thou beginnest to be thy owne accuser Open the eies of thy faith and