Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	ability_n	according_a	act_n	15	3	5.1961	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15447	Seuen goulden candlestickes houlding the seauen greatest lights of Christian religion shewing vnto all men what they should beleeue, & how they ought to walke in this life, that they may attayne vnto eternall life. By Gr: Williams Doctor of Divinity	Williams, Gryffith, 1589?-1672.; Delaram, Francis, 1589 or 90-1627, engraver.	1624 (1624)	STC 25719; ESTC S120026	710,322	935

and more fauour to deliuer me from my miserie then onely to remaine with me in my prosperity c. And therefore if we be free from troubles it is Quia bonus Deus Israeli from the goodnesse of God that preserueth vs if we be punished and afflicted repose thy trust in God Forti animo mala fer nec bis miser esto dolore and bee not deiected to adde griefe vnto griefe but thinke it is because it is good for vs to be afflicted and if we be deliuered from our afflictions and preserued from that poyson of despaire and other euils that they bring on others it is from this goodnesse of God Rom. 8.28 which worketh all things together for the best for them that loue him What the grace of Iustification is Secondly the grace of Iustification is that infused Faith which hee worketh in the hearts of his Elect whereby they doe lay hold and apply vnto themselues all the merits of Iesus Christ and doe by that imputatiue righteousnesse of him stand iustified in the sight of God What the grace of Sanctification is Thirdly the grace of Sanctification is that whereby we are heartily sorry for all our fore-passed sinnes and doe euery day indeuour more and more to liue in all holinesse and righteousnesse to the prayse and glory of God What the grace of Glorification is Fourthly the grace of Glorification is that whereby we liue holily in this life and shall liue happily in the life to come because as Aquinas saith God glorifieth his Saints Per profectum virtutis gratiae per exaltationem gloriae By making them holy here on Earth and bringing them to the happinesse of Heauen All these graces and what grace soeuer else is dependant vpon any of these are ●rought in the Saints by this speciall goodnesse of God Rom. 8.30 for whom God did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also iustified and whom he iustified them he also glorified This is the golden way and the royall degrees of Gods goodnesse whereby the Saints of God are saued And therefore if any of vs doe finde these graces in our selues let vs not ascribe them to our selues but to the grace and goodnesse of God for this is the worke of God that ye beleeue in him whom he hath sent Philip. 1.29 saith our Sauiour Christ And it is giuen to beleeue That if there be any goodnesse in vs we should ascribe it all to God saith the Apostle And herein let vs admire with reuerence and acknowledge with all thankefulnesse his speciall and his singular goodnesse towards vs more then towards others which perhaps naturally are aswell if not better deseruing then our selues for had he bestowed faith and repentance vpon them they would haue beleeued on him and serued him euen as we doe and had hee not bestowed these graces on vs wee should haue beene poore and naked of all goodnesse euen as they are But then here it may be obiected that if we doe no good but what God giueth vs to doe and that the very reprobates would beleeue in God and serue him if God would bestow those effectuall and powerfull graces vpon them which he bestoweth vpon his Saints then it must needes follow that the wicked are not altogether so culpable for the omission of those required duties because God giues them not the grace and ability to performe them Quia nullus actus potest excedere potentiam agentis Because no act can exceede the power of the Agent And therefore whosoeuer limiteth the power is the cause of the intermission of the consequent act and of the euent that floweth thereby And therefore God circumscribing our ability must needes be the cause of our deficiency To this I answere Sol. that we ascribe all the goodnesse of the Saints vnto the grace and goodnesse of God to magnifie Gods goodnesse and to vilifie our owne basenesse to shew that wee haue nothing in the World whereof to boast And we thinke our Sauiours words sufficient to confirme this truth where he saith A man can receiue nothing except it be giuen him from aboue Iohn 15.5 That of our selues we can doe nothing that is good And againe Without me ye can doe nothing And we say that the wicked would doe these things if God would giue them I say not sufficient but effectuall grace to doe them because it is vnpossible but the same measure of effectuall grace should produce the same measure of effects for if God would worke in them that sanctifie which he doth in his Saints how could they resist his will Or is it possible that this will of man should withstand the will of God no wayes And I see no reason why any man should except against this truth but that hereby they feare that imputation of iniustice which as they thinke must needes light on God if hee should condemne them for not seruing him and yet not giue them the grace or ability to serue him or at least wise of partiality if he without any manner of desert of the one more then the other should notwithstanding choose the one sort and inrich them and leaue the other sort and condemne them But to this I answere that if God should require such duties as are not due to him or command them to doe that which they neuer receiued power from him to fulfill we might perhaps thinke him vniust in his demands For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lawes must be made according to the rule of mens ability to performe them or if God did take away this power againe from the Agent then might he likewise be said to be the cause of the deficiency of the subsequent act but if God requires nothing at our hands God taketh not the power of seruing him from any man but that which is our duety to doe what he made vs able to performe and we through our owne default and wilfulnesse Male vtentes potestate Abusing this ability which God hath giuen vs like those that spend their wealth on whores which they should imploy to mainetaine their Wiues and Children haue lost this power that wee had receiued and brought vpon our selues an ineuitable impotency the very Law of humane reason will here take part with God against vs Non habere excusationem c. that he hath no excuse for himselfe which is the cause of his owne impediment as a Father saith And therefore seeing man lost the power of seruing God by his owne fault in offending God and that God is not bound to restore it againe God in not giuing it is no efficient cause of their not seruing him but as the Sunne is the cause of darkenesse Non per se sed per accidens Not because properly it effecteth darkenesse but accidentally by reason of its departure from vs So is God onely the cause why the wicked serue him not not because he worketh any

iudged a contempt of knowledge then an ignorance of the trueth And therfore if for our sinnes we pleade ignorance when we might easily haue knowne the will of God if we had had any desire or diligence to search out the same we shall but deceaue our selues and be found guilty of greater condemnation Secondly For the sinnes of knowledge Iohn 9.39 What a fearefull thing it is to commit those sinnes which we know to be sinnes Our Sauiour sayth of the Pharisees that if they were blind they should haue no sinne but because they said they did see therefore their sinne remained For as Adams great perfection both in power and knowledge made his sinne so vnexcusable and the like transcendent excellency of Lucifer made his fall so vnrecouerable so the more noble the more powerfull or the more excellent in knowledge we be the more haynous and intollerable are our sinnes And therefore Saint Chrysostome saith Chrysost hom 5. in Rom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee that hath enioyed more instruction deserues to vndergoe the more punishment if he transgresse and our Sauiour saith Luk. 12.47 that the seruant which knoweth his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes For to him that knoweth to doe good James 4.17 and doth it not to him it is sinne i. e. Sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sinne in the highest degree saith the Apostle And yet as an old man said of the Athenians at the games of Olympus Plutarch in lacon Athenienes norunt quid sit honestum sed eo soli vtuntur Lacedaemonij They knew what was honest but they did it not they were excellent gnostrickes but bad practitioners like the Pharisees that sate in Moses Chaire and taught what was good but did none of those things themselues That we doe those sinnes which we know to be grieuous sinnes So might I say of many millions of men amongst vs they know that swearing and drunkenesse lewdnesse and prophannesse and such like horrible sins are most odious damnable in the sight of God They know the Sabbaoths should be sanctified our poore Brethren should be releeued Rom. 1. vlt. and our good God should be worshipped they know that they which commit such sinnes are worthy of death and that they which doe such workes of pietie shall be sure of life and yet you see how we doe continually commit the one and omit the other Alas beloued we cannot say with Saint Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 we doe it ignorantly We cannot say we know not these things to be sinnes for we know them we doe know them and yet we daily doe them And therefore art thou inexcusable O man Rom. 2.1 whosoeuer thou art that knowest these things Bern. in Cantic Ser. 36. or the like to be sinne and yet wilt fearelesly carelesly commit them then of all other men thou shalt finde thy selfe at last to be most wofull and lamentable for The excellency of our knowledge makes vs the more horrible sinners in the sight of God vt cibus sumptus non decoctus perniciofus est As meate receiued and not digested proues most dangerous or as physicke taken inwardly and not working outwardly proues poysonous so the knowledge of the truth which is the meate and physicke of our soules being receiued in our vnderstanding and not practised in our conuersation will proue to be a most dangerous deadly disease vnto euery Christian soule What the sins of infirmity are 3. We say those are the sinnes of infirmity when in our hearts wee haue an earnest desire to serue our God and to refraine from sinne but through the violence of Satans temptations and the vntamed lusts of our owne flesh which is euer prone to euill and vnapt to good wee either neglect that duty which wee heartily desire to doe or perpetrate those deedes which by no meanes wee would doe for so our Sauiour saith of his Disciples Math 26.41 that the spirit was willing but the flesh was weake So Saint Peter in heart was willing to die with his Master but for feare of death he was driuen to deny him and to sweare that he knew him not Cap 26.14 and so all other Saints of God doe finde that how desirous soeuer they be to doe their duties and to serue their God their flesh is often times weake and vnwilling to performe those good things and most violently strong to draw their vnwilling soules to sinne Aug. de eccles dogmat That no man is free from the sinnes of infirmity And therefore Saint Augustine saith that in respect of this infirmity of the flesh Nullus Sanctus iustus vacuus est peccato nec tamen definit esse iustus quia affectu semper tenet Sanctitatem There is not any Saint that is void of sinne neither yet may he be said for that to be no Saint because in heart and affection he alwayes desireth and to the vttermost of his ability followeth after Sanctity and so Saint Iohn sheweth quod non est homo qui non peccat Iames 3.2 That no man liueth but he sinneth for in some things we sin all i. e. through the infirmity of our flesh and yet he that is borne of God Iohn 3.9 sinneth not that is with his full consent but doth euen then sigh and grieue in spirit when his flesh drawes him on to sinne But that we may the better know those sinnes which though they be enormities in themselues yet may be truely sayd to bee infirmities in the Saints and may stand with grace Galat. 6.1 as they are committed by them it is obserued by Diuines that they are First Such sinnes as are committed of incogitancie Aug. de peccat merit remiss l 2. cap. 2. and besides the purpose generall or particular of the offender i. e. sinnes of precipitation and not of deliberation as Saint Gregorie tearmes them for so Saint Augustine speaking of these sinnes sayth Tentatio fallit praeoccupat nescientes How we may know sinnes of infirmity by foure speciall differences they doe suddenly assault vs and attache vs vnawares and we are as it were ouertaken with the sinne before we can see the sinne So the adultery of Dauid was not thought of before it was suggested and the deniall of Saint Peter was neuer purposed vntill it was acted Secondly Such sinnes as are euer resisted to the vttermost of our abilities before they be committed and yet at last are perpetrated quia tentatio praemit vrget infirmos Aug quo supra because the violence of the temptation subdueth the infirmitie of our flesh Thirdly Such sinnes as haue for their causes some preualent passions in nature as the feare of death in Saint Peter which is the most terrible of all euill sayth the Philosopher and the feare of shame in Dauid which many men doe more feare then death Fourthly Such sinnes as in the reluctation are