Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	woman_n	work_n	world_n	75	3	4.4375	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69089	An excellent and godly sermon most needefull for this time, wherein we liue in all securitie and sinne, to the great dishonour of God, and contempt of his holy word. Preached at Paules Crosse the xxvi. daye of October, an. 1578 by Laurence Chaderton Batcheler of Diuinitie.	Chaderton, Laurence, 1536?-1640.	1578 (1578)	STC 4924; ESTC S117846	46,847	118

gouernment of Israel so also did he in the acknowledging publishing vnto them this doctrine as appeareth in the 22. chap. of his booke saying But take diligent heede to doe the commandement and lawe vvhich Moses the seruant of the Lord commanded you that is that ye loue the Lord your God vvalke in all his waies keepe his cōmandements cleaue vnto him serue him vvith all your heart vvith all your soule Wherein the same doctrine concerning both the worke and the maner of doing almost in the same wordes is plainely confirmed Iohn Baptist the forerunner of Christ preached the same saying Bring foorth therefore fruits vvorthy the amendment of life Iames the Apostle of Christ vtterly condemneth all profession of faith as vaine vnprofitable if it want workes when as he saieth What auaileth it my brethren though a man say he hath faith vvhen he hath no vvorkes can the fayth saue him as if he shoulde say in plaine words Faith outwardly professed without good works can be no pledge or testimony at all of our saluation Peter in his 1. Epistle teacheth that because Christ hath suffered for vs in the flesh therefore we shoulde suffer after a sort in our flesh by dying vnto sinne and liuing to God so long as we remaine in the flesh For he saieth speaking of the regenerate that he henceforvvarde should liue asmuch time as remaineth in the flesh not after the lustes of men but after the vvill of God. Iohn also in his first Epistle denieth vs to haue any felowship with God or any benefite of the blood of Christ if we walke in darknes and not in the light of trueth and godlines For he saieth If we saye that we haue felowship with him and walke in darknes we lye and doe not truely But if we walke in the light as he is in the light we haue mutuall felowship with him and the blood of Iesus Christ cleanseth vs from all sinne Paul in the sixe twentieth of the Actes professeth before king Agrippa that he taught this doctrine touching the necessitie of workes both to Iewe and Gentile saying Wherefore king Agrippa I was not disobedient vnto the heauenly vision but shewed first to them of Damascus and at Ierusalem and throughout all the coastes of Iudea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turne to God and doe workes woorthie amendment of life Moreouer the Spirit of God witnesseth in the twelfth to the Hebrues that without workes no man shall see GOD saying Followe peace vvith all men and holines vvithout the vvhich no man shall see the Lorde an especiall place to prooue the necessitie of workes Lastly our Sauiour Christ in the fiue and twentieth of Matthew teaching that in the day of iudgement all flesh shal be tried and iudged according to the workes of loue and mercie done in this life towardes him in his members confirmeth and establisheth in his owne person and worde the infallible trueth of this doctrine in whom as in all other pointes of religion so especially in this we ought fully and perfectly to rest For there it is briefely concluded that they which gaue vnto his members meate drincke lodging clothing and visited the sicke and imprisoned shal be pronounced righteous and goe into life eternall But the vnmercifull being voyde of these workes shal be pronounced cursed and goe into euerlasting fire and paine Seeing then we haue so many heauenly witnesses of this trueth and that all the Prophetes in their prophecies doe most earnestly and zealously call the people of GOD to the obedience of his lawe and most pitifully complaine of the want thereof threatning both temporall and eternall punishments against disobedient malefactors we may safely conclude and determine that the workes of the first and second table are necessarilie required to the doing of the Fathers will. Nowe then if it be truely preached that without workes there is neither doing of the will of God neither entrance into the kingdome of heauen O Lord what shall we thinke of the licentious life of our English Protestantes or what shall become of this barren and fruitlesse profession of the glorious Gospel of Christ for a man may trauaile almost from the one ende of the land to the other before he can finde one man like vnto iust Iob that feared God and eschewed euill or one woman like vnto Dorcas full of good works and almes As therefore our sauiour Christ the Prophets and the Apostles had most iust cause to complaine in their times of the want of workes and to be grieued with the sinnes of the people so we in this last age haue no lesse cause to complaine neither lesse occasion of sorowe For to come vnto particulars what estate calling or degree is there which doth not content it selfe onely with saying Lorde Lorde being notwithstanding so barren in the bringing foorth of good workes And first concerning the state Ecclesiasticall and vs that be ministers and preachers of the worde whome this place principally doth concerne where are the lippes of those ministers which doe preserue knowledge or those messengers of God at whose mouthes his poore people shoulde seeke his lawe Naye rather where be not whole swarmes of idle ignorant and vngodly Curates and Readers who neither can nor will goe before the deare flocke of Christ in soundnes of doctrine and integritie of life The cause of which enormitie resting principally in the persons them selues and then in those which sent them and nowe suffer them in the Church I charge in the Lord the one that they seriously waying the worthines of the Lordes embassage for the which they are most vnworthie would voluntarily forgoe that calling wherein they can not doe the Fathers will and betake them to some other which they may in a good conscience without offence in some godly and profitable measure discharge The other I counsell and beseeche as a brother in the Lorde that they would more diligently looke vnto their ministerie committed vnto them lest not onely this grieuous offence but also all other their sinnes against God and their brethren be laide vnto their charge when the heartes of all men shal be made open and manifest before the Lorde of life And to proceede to the learned gouernours of the Church is there no tything of Mynt Anyse and Cummin and pretermitting waightier matters of the lawe as Iudgement Mercie and Fidelitie Doe they feede the flocke of God willingly and carefully as being examples vnto it and not for filthie lucresake as being lords ouer Gods heritage yf these things be so howe can they thinke they are doers of the Fathers will What shall I saye of our domme dogges non residents and all those that serue mortall and sinfull men with symonie flattering wordes and seruile obedience not lawfully to obtaine one roome in the vineyard of the Lorde but two three foure or moe places which is

in deede in whom was no guile of the Centurion that there was not the like fayth in Israel of Anna that she liuing a widdowe foure score and foure yeeres went not out of the Tēple but serued God with fasting and prayers night and day finally of all the primitiue Church both men and women immediatly after the ascension of Christ that they continued with one accord in the Apostles doctrine felowship in breaking of bread in prayers supplications eating their meate together with gladnes singlenes of heart praysing God yea that the multitude of them that beleued were of one heart and of one soule neither any of them said that any of that which he possessed was his owne but they had all things common Wherefore seeing we are compassed with so great a cloud of witnesses of kings of Prophets of Iewes of Gentiles of men of women which haue serued the Lorde in this right maner of doing let vs also cast away euery thing that presseth downe and the sinne that hangeth so fast on let vs runne with ioye pacience in this straight race which is set before vs without wearines and fainting For doubtles the want of those things ioyned with the practise of the contrary vices are the causes of all the punishments of God that are or haue bene in the world For whence commeth warre famine pestilence translation of Monarchies Kingdomes ouerthrowes of families Townes Cities whole Countries but from this that we doe not the will of our heauenly father as it is done in heauen For want whereof we that liue nowe in this peaceable land flowing with milke and hony and in the light of the Gospel shining vnto vs for the space of twentie golden yeeres are of all other most inexcusable For who can tell repeate the warnings whereby God in mercie hath called vs to repentance and reformation of our liues But who hath shed foorth as yet the Christian teares of repentance Not foure yeres agoe the Lord did as it were with his owne hand set a starre in the heauens whereof the wisest Astronomer that liueth can giue no reason Since that we haue bene admonished by a great and strange Comete in the ayre by earthquakes inundations of waters all which signes forerūners of Gods wrath are returned to him again as being vnable to mollifie our stony hearts that we might turne vnto the lord Onely his glorious Gospel abideth with vs but alas it grieueth me to consider howe litle place it findeth in our hearts how carelesly receiued and how generally by the life conuersation of Christians it is defamed discredited so that I greatly feare that within short time it also will depart from vs and by the commaundement of God goe vnto a people which shall as the Thessalonians did receiue it not as the word of men but as it is in deede the worde of god Well in the meane time for the better auoyding and turning away the iudgements of God which hang ouer our heads namely this present plague whereby the Lorde in mercie hath visited this Citie I am to request in the Lordes behalfe the right honorable the Lord Maior of this Citie and the reuerend Father the Bishop that they would ioyne together in gathering together the people and calling a solemne assemblie and sanctifiyng a generall and publicke fast according to the commaundement of God and the necessitie of this present time This dutie and christian exercise is the rather to be done least our English Church for want thereof may through ignorance iudge it either altogether vnnecessarie or not much materiall But if this cannot be obtained to be done in a publicke solemne maner with all zeale and feruentnes in prayer and hearing the worde of God which I most heartily wishe and desire then I doe admonishe euery one priuately both to vse this and all other good meanes to turne from vs and this Citie all those punishments which our sinnes haue most righteously deserued For it is not the cleane keeping and sweeping of our houses and streetes that can driue away this fearefull messenger of Gods wrath albeit as I approue these lawfull ordinarie meanes so I mislike the desperate tempting of God which I heare to be in some but the purging sweeping of our consciences from all the stincking filthe and drosse of sinne deliuereth from the feare and perill of all euill and maketh vs pure and holy vessels meete for the holy Spirit of God to dwell in If you will imploy all your labours studies and cares hereunto and offer vp this sacrifice of praying fasting preaching and thankes giuing euen from the morning vnto the euening according to the example godly practises of our fathers which haue gone before vs who knoweth deare brethren yf the Lorde will returne and repent and leaue a blessing behind him euen the precious treasure of his glorious Gospel which now we haue and the benefit of helth which as yet we want But if this exhortation and request shall fall to the ground and bring forth no fruit as commonly the woorde of God doth amongst vs such is the hardnesse of our stonie heartes then your sinne lieth at the doore and abideth but my dutie though in great weakenesse and feare is discharged Nowe therefore I commende vnto you both this speciall and singular woorke of publike and solemne fasting and all other godly woorkes with faith hope loue feare and watchfulnesse wherein consisteth the syncere doing of the Fathers will desiryng and beseeching you all to receiue approue and fulfill them vnto your liues end that you may enter most ioyfully into the kingdome of heauen Thus much by good occasion I haue spoken concerning the two sortes of professors nowe I am to speake by order of the Apologie defence of the former sort for the auoyding of the finall sentence of condemnation conteyned in these wordes Manie will say vnto me in that day Lorde Lorde haue we not by thy Name prophecied and by thy Name cast out deuils and by thy Name done manie great workes In these wordes Christ bringeth in not the vnlearned but the learned and those that seemed to be the chiefest and best professors of the Gospell reasoning with him selfe touching the matter of entring into the kingdome of heauen They alledge for themselues two principall and worthie workes not common vnto all but almost proper and peculiar ●iftes to the Ministers and Apostles of Christ that is to saye preaching the word ment here by prophecie and working of myracles vnderstoode by casting out deuils and doing many and great workes It may seeme strange and marueylous in our eyes that those which can in trueth alledge for them selues these two workes shoulde be secluded from the kingdome of heauen seeing that of preachers it is witnessed that because they turne many vnto righteousnesse they shal shine as the starres for euer euer of others that whosoeuer shal