Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	witness_v	word_n	world_n	103	3	4.0733	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64834	Sin, the plague of plagues, or, Sinful sin the worst of evils a treatise of sins tryal and arraignment, wherein sin is accused for being, proved to be, and condemned for being exceeding sinful : and that 1. as against God, his nature, attributes, works, will, law, image, people, glory and existence, 2. as against man, his good and welfare of body and soul, in this life, and that to come : with the use and improvement to be made of this doctrine, that men may not be damned, but saved, &c. : being the substance of many sermons preached many years ago in Southwark / by Ralph Venning ...	Venning, Ralph, 1621?-1674.	1669 (1669)	Wing V226; ESTC R38391	212,020	400

from sinners and their society to have no more to do with them then needs must this separation from their persons is only because of their sins if good men be constrain'd to converse with them yet they cry out as Psa 120.5 6. Woe is me that I dwell in Meshek and the Tents of Kedar The society of the wicked is very burthensome to the godly Lot was in a kind of hell when he was in Sodom their wickedness was continually vexing his soul 2 Pet. 2.7 8. This withdrawing from or groaning under the society of the wicked testifies against sin and is in obedience to the Command of God 2 Cor. 6.14 c. 4 Their mourning over other mens sins shews that in their eyes sin is an abominable thing though but the sin of others Psal 119.136 Mine eyes run down with rivers of tears why because men keep not thy Laws Oh how dear is the Law of God and how vile the sin of men to holy David so the Prophet Jeremiah Ch. 13 15.-17 expresseth the like zeal for God Hear ye and give ear be not proud give glory to the Lord c. But if you will not hear my soul shall weep in secret for your pride mine eyes shall weep sore and run down with tears The Apostle Paul when he speaks of the sins of men he doth it weeping Phil. 3.19 Other mens sins cost good men many a weeping eye and aking heart because sin is so contrary to God and the good of men 5 And lastly to name no more they testifie how sinful a thing sin is by their prayers and endeavours to get pardon for their sins who it may be scarce seek it for themselves Sinners little think how much they are beholding to good men who pray for their salvation even then when the wicked seek their destruction Said St. Stephen Father lay not this sin to their charge oh forgive them How earnestly did Abraham pray for mercy in behalf of Sodom that if possible it might not be destroy'd When Israel had sinned a great sin and provokt the Lord Moses mediates and intercedes for them and offers to die that they may live Exod. 32. Now if they did not know that sin were a sinful thing offensive to God and destructive to man would they interpose at such a rate no they would not But by all this it appears that good men witness against sin as the worst of evils yea and wicked men bears witness against sin no man hath a good word for sin There is no man can plead sins cause or be its Advocate but before I produce their testimony I am to shew 2 That good men witness against their own sin 2 Against their own sin as well as against other mens sins they do not only wish others reformation but do endeavour their own and would if possible be so innocent as not to sin at all 't is their ambition and prayer that their thoughts words and deeds may be all acceptable to God Psa 19 14. they would not dream extravagantly if they could avoid it nor that a vain thought should lodge within them 't is possible indeed that some men may declaim bitterly against other mens sins and yet indulge their own as if they had rather see other men reformed then themselves and virtue were a more pleasant Theme to talk of then a thing to be possest but godly men dare not do so but are against sin in others and against sinning themselves As appears 1 By this that they will not dare not sin though they have opportunity and may do it with pleasure honor and profit as the world rates these things Some men that do not sin for want of opportunity would sin if they had it they want not heart but occasion not inclination but opportunity they would sin if tempted to sin Others avoid sins that would bring disgrace c. but for pleasant fashionable and profitable sins they can easily imbrace such but godly men dare not sin though all these concur take an instance in Joseph who when he was courted into pleasure c. yet even then saith he how oh how can I find it in my heart can I do how shall I do this wickededness and sin against God! Gen. 39 7.-9 't is saith he sin against my Master sin against thee sin against mine own soul but the worst is 't is against God how shall I do this wickedness and sin against God! Another instance of him there is in relation to his brethren how ill they had deserved at his hands what opportunity he had to be revenged is well known yet he generously forgave them and provided for them and this was the reason I saith he fear God Gen. 42.18 Job also in his Apology Ch. 31. c. gives a full account how odious a thing sin of all sorts was unto him even in his prosperity when he might according to the course of this world have done whatever seem'd good in his own eyes and none have said to him what dost thou or why dost thou thus You shall find Balaam after the guize and mode of hypocrites talking and pretending like an Angel but acting and intending like a devil 't was a kind of trouble to him that he could not sin Numb 22.18 I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord but it seems he would if he could whereas a Saint would say I neither can nor will go against or beyond or short of the word of the Lord if I can help it 2 Good and godly men discover that sin is odious to them by this that they will rather suffer then sin Many men make an ill choice such an one as Elihu charged on Job Ch. 36.21 This viz. sin hast thou chosen rather then affliction but godly men make Moses his choice who chose affliction rather then the pleasures of sin Hebr. 11. As precious a thing as life is a godly man would not willingly sin to save his life Though the mouth of a Fiery Furnace heated seven-fold were open to devoure the three children as we use to call them yet they would not sin Dan. 3.18 and Daniel would rather adventure on the Lyons then neglect a duty to his God Dan. 6.10 Though bonds waited on S. Paul every where yet he could not be withheld by fear of them from preaching the faith of Jesus Acts 20.23 24. with 21.11 15. you have a long Catalogue a little Book of Martyrs Hebr. 11. who chose all manner of deaths before any kind or manner of sin and would not accept deliverance on ignoble terms but had rather die holily then live sinfully They all declare that 't is better to suffer to avoid sinning then sin to avoid suffering 3 They witness against sin by this that they will not sin though grace abound or that grace may abound Rom. 6.1 2 no God forbid Though they have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who is the Propitiation for their sin

appointed to all men once to die and 't is well if they die but once and the second death have no power over them they must see corruption or death in equivalence i.e. a change for this flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdome of God as that wherein we were created might possibly have done 1 Cor. 15.50 Our body is sown in corruption in dishonor in weakness 1 Cor. 15.42 43. and is therefore called vile Philip. 3.21 and before this body be laid in the grave 't is languishing in a continual Consumption and dying daily besides all the dangers that attend it from without And 2 Sin is against the good of mans Soul too 2 Against his Soul The Soul is transcendently excellent beyond the body and the good of that beyond the good of this so that a wrong done to the Soul is much more to mans hurt then a wrong done to the body therefore saith our Saviour Fear not them that can kill the body and do no more which is but little in comparison of what God can do to the soul if it sin but fear him that can destroy i.e. damn soul and body in hell Mat. 10. 'T is not very ill with a man if it be well with his soul but it can never be well with a man if it be ill with his soul so that we can more easily and cheaply die then be damned and may better venture our bodies to suffering then our souls to sinning for he that sinneth wrongs his soul Prov. 8.36 Nothing but sin doth wrong a mans soul and there is no sin but doth it Thus we see in general that sin is against the good of mans body and soul But yet for a more clear and full discovery hereof I shall consider and speak of man 1 In a Natural Sense 2 In a Moral Sense 1 If we consider man in a Physical or Natural state 1 In a natural sense we shall find sin to be 1. Against the well-being And 2. Against the very being of man it will not suffer him to be well or long in the world nor if possible to be at all 1 'T is against mans well-being in this life And so 1 Against his well-being vivere est valere well-being is the life of life and sin bears us so much ill will that it deprives us of our livelihood and that which makes it worth our while to live man was born to a great estate but by sin which was and is Treason against God he forfeited all Man came into the world as into an house ready furnished he had all things prepared and ready to his hands all the creatures came to war on him and pay him homage but when man sinn'd God turn'd him out of house and home all his lands goods and chattels were taken from him Paradise was mans Inheritance where he had every thing pleasant to the eye and good for food as for cloaths he needed none while Innocent but when he sinned God dispossessed him of all and drave him out into the wide world like a Pilgrim a Beggar to live on his own hands and to earn his meat with the sweat of his brow as you may read at large Genes 3. Thus by sin man that was the Emperour of Eden is banisht from his Native Country and must never see it more but in a new and living way for the old is stop'd up and beside that 't is kept against him with flaming swords Ever since it hath been every mans lot to come into and go out of this world naked to shew that he hath no right to any thing but lives on the alms of Gods charity and grace all ●●e have or hold between our birth and death is clear ●gain and meer gift God might chuse whither ●he would allow us any thing or no and when he hath given he may take again and none of us have cause to say any thing but what Job did Chap. 1.21 Naked came I into the world and naked shall I return the Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. All we have our food and rayment is but lent us we are only Tenants at will and therefore seeing we deserve nothing we should be content with and thankful for any thing 1 Tim. 6.7 8. 2 To shew that man by sin had lost all when our Lord Jesus came into this world for the recovery of man and stood as in the sinners stead he had not where to lay his head the Foxes had holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head Luke 9.58 Which plainly shews that the sin of man had left the Son of man nothing Though Christ were Lord of all yet if he will come in the likeness of sinful flesh he must speed not like the Son of God but Son of Man and be a man of sorrows destitute forsaken and afflicted and though we fare the better for his suffering yet he fared the worse for our sin and among other the miseries he under-went he had not where to lay his head Again To add yet another discovery of the venomous nature of sin as to this that we are upon 't is not a little observeable that though God took not the full forfeiture nor stript us so naked and bare a he might have done but indulged us comperent subsistance and accommodation and as the first fruits of his goodness made the first suit of cloaths which Adam and Eye wore yet sin is against that good which God left us and fills it with vanity and vexation with bitterness and a curse God left Adam many acres of land to till and husband but he hath it with a curse sweat and sorrow many a grieving bryar and pricking thorn stick fast to him Gen. 3 17.-19 God left him ground enough v. 23. but alas 't is cursed ground so that sin is against mans temporal good either in taking it from him or cursing it to him Sin is so envious that it would leave man nothing and if God be so good as to leave him any thing sins eye is evil because God is good and puts a sting in it viz a curse Yet more particularly 'T is 1 Against his rest 1 Sin is against mans rest and ease of which man is much a lover and indeed needs it as being a great part of the well-being of his life 'T is a sore travel which the sons of men have under the Sun yea what hath man of all his labour and the vexation of his heart wherein he hath laboured for all his daies are sorrows and his travel grief Eccl. 1.13.2.22 23. whither he increase wisdome and knowledge or pleasures and riches yea he taketh not rest in the night but is haunted with vain and extravagant if not feared with frightful dreams and his fancies which are waking dreams by day are more troublesome then them of the night