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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	according_a	grace_n	work_n	1,598	5	6.0605	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75616	Armilla catechetica. A chain of principles; or, An orderly concatenation of theological aphorismes and exercitations; wherein, the chief heads of Christian religion are asserted and improved: by John Arrowsmith, D.D. late master both of St Johns and Trinity-Colledge successively, and Regius professor of Divinity in the University of Cambridge. Published since his death according to his own manuscript allowed by himself in his life time under his own hand.	Arrowsmith, John, 1602-1659.	1659 (1659)	Wing A3772; Thomason E1007_1; ESTC R207935	193,137	525

Micah 7. 18. mercy mercy pleaseth him as much as ever any sin did thee What though thy rebellion hath been long continued The Psalm 103. 17. mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him Yea what though to former guilt thou hast added back-sliding and relapses to rebellion yet remember that in Jeremiah Return Jerem. 〈◊〉 22. ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings together with that in the last of Hosea where Israel had no sooner said In thee the fatherless findeth mercy but it followeth immediately I will heal Hos 14. 3 4. their back-slidings I will love them freely But lest any should surfet on these sweet meats take we heed § 5. Secondly Of abusing mercy by presumption Mercie improved openeth to us the surest refuge Mercy abused brings upon us the sorest vengeance It would be considered that there is one kinde of presumers whom mercy it self is resolved to have no mercy on so long as they continue such to wit those that dare expect it notwithstanding their resolution to go on in their impenitence and ignorance of God For thus saith the God of heaven concerning him Who blesseth himself in his heart saying I Deut. 29. 19 20 21. shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart to add drunkenness to thirst The Lord will not spare him but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man and the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven and shall separate him unto evil And again It is a people of no Isa 27. 11. understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Such shall at length finde to their costs that the Justice of God as well as his Mercy endures for ever And that as nothing is more calm then a smooth more raging then a tempestuous sea nothing more cold then lead when it is taken out of the mine nor more scalding when it is heated nothing blunter then iron yet when it is whetted nothing more sharp So none more mercifull then God but if his patience be turned to fury by our provocations none more terrible Because I have purged thee saith the Lord and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee I the Lord have spoken Ez●k 24. 13 14. it and I will do it I will not go back neither will I spare neither will I repent c. Wo and again wo to them all against whom mercy it self shall rise up in judgement Look as the power of God though infinite receives limitations from his will He could have made millions of worlds would make but one In like manner his infinite mercy is also limited by his will and his word the interpreter of his will plainly telleth us that as Physicians begin with preparatives so he begets fear in their hearts whom he intendeth mercy to Look as a father pittieth his his children so the Lord pittieth them that Psal 103. 13 17 18. fear him The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him to such as keep his Covenant and to those that remember his commandments to do them Not they that presume but that fear not such as break but as keep his Covenant not those that forget but that remember his Commandments to do them or at least whose earnest desires and endeavours are that way bent may expect and shall Exerc. 2. receive mercy from him They shall finde by sweet experience the infallible truth of what Mr Peacock once said Mr R. Boltons Instructions pag. 87. upon his recovery out of a deep and long desertion viz. That the sea is not more full of water nor the sun of light then the Lord is of mercy EXERCITATION 2. Grace what From it spring Election Redemption Vocation Sanctification and Salvation A Caveat not to receive it in vain It purgeth and cheereth Glosses upon Titus 2. 11 12. and 2 Thess 2. 26 17. The exaltation of free grace exhorted to Long-suffering not exercised towards evil Angels but towards men of all sorts It leadeth to repentance is valued by God and must not be sleighted by us A dreadfull example of goodness despised § 1. A Second branch of Gods goodness is Grace which relates to unworthiness as the former did to misery God is mercifull to the ill-deserving Gratious to the undeserving So far are we from being able to merit so much as the crumbs which fall from his table that even temporal favours are all from grace Noah was preserved in the deluge Why because He found Gen. 6. 8. grace in the eyes of the Lord. Jacob was enriched and had enough How came it to pass Because God said he to Esau Gen. 33. 11. hath dealt graciously with me But beside that common favour which all share in more or less there is a more special grace which the Psalmist prayeth for Remember me O Lord with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people O visit me with Psal 106. 5. thy salvation § 2. This third is drawn throughout the whole web of salvation and there is not a round in the ladder to heaven which doth not give every one that steppeth upon it just occasion of crying Grace Grace Did the Lord elect thee to life and glory when so many were passed by What reason can be given of this but free grace Paul styleth it the election of grace in his Rom. 11. 5. epistle to the Romanes and telleth his Ephesians that God had chosen them in Ephes 1. 4 5 6. Christ before the foundation of the world according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glorie of his Ibid. vers 7. grace Hast thou obtained redemption through the bloud of Jesus That also saith he there flows from the riches of his grace Hath the Lord effectually called thee Bow down thine head and adore free grace as the cause thereof For he saveth and calleth us 2 Tim. 1. 9. saith the same holy Apostle with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace So in the Acts when a great number beleeved and were turned to Christianity Barnabas saw the grace of Act. 11. 21. 23. God shining forth in their conversion Hast thou received any abilities tending either to thine own sanctification or to the edification of others Do the like upon this occasion too as Paul did saying By the grace of God I am what 1 Cor. 15. 10 I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly then they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me In a word dost

servants He would have such a person a despiser 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and contemner of others which is plainly Pharisaical thinks all that savoureth of humility unworthy of his magnanimous man whereas Solomon telleth us It is better to be of an humble Prov. 16. 19. spirit with the lowly then to divide the spoil with the proud Yea he alloweth him in case of contumely to speak evil of his adversaries whereas our Saviours rule is Bless them that curse you pray for them Matth. 5. 44. that despitefully use you EXERCITATION 3. Oracles of God vocal or written Books of Scripture so called in five respects viz In regard of their declaring and foretelling their being consulted prized and preserved § 1. IN the epistle to the Hebrews these two phrases The first principles Hebr. 5. 12. and 6. 1. of the oracles of God And the principles of the doctrine of Christ import one and the same thing implying also that Scripture Records are the onely Store-house and Conservatory of Christian Religion I shall therefore from hence take occasion to shew That books of Scripture are oracles of God why they are so called and wherein they excell other oracles For the first There were two sorts of Oracles belonging to God vocal and written The vocal were those answers he gave from between the Cherubims on the top of 1 Kings 6. often and Chapt. 8. 6. the Mercy-seat which covered the Ark by reason whereof the Holy of Holies where that Ark stood was styled the Oracle The written are the two tables Exerc. 3. of the Law called by Stephen the lively Acts 7. 37. oracles and the Canonical books of Scripture as well those of the old Testament of which Paul speaketh when he declareth it as the great priviledge of the Jews that to them were committed the Rom. 3. 2. oracles of God as those of the New to which Peter is like to have had a peculiar respect in that saying of his If 1 Pet. 4. 11. any man speak let him speak as the oracles of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Especially if his meaning be to admonish such as speak in congregations publick teachers or as another Apostle styleth them Ministers 2 Cor. 3. 6. of the new Testament that they be carefull to deliver Scripture-truths in Scripture-words New-Testamentmatter in New-Testament-language taking the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that text for a note not of similitude but of identity as when it is said We beheld his John 1. 14. glory the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father it is not meant of a glory like his but the very same So let him speak as the Oracles of God that is the self-same things which Vid. Gerhard Coment in 1 Pet. 4. pag. 631 634. God hath spoken in his word § 2. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby heathen writers had been wont to express their oracles chiefly such are were uttered in prose while such as were delivered in verse went under the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was enfranchised by the holy Ghost and applied to the books of Scripture to intimate as I conceive that these books were to be of like use to Christians as those oracles had been to Infidels whereof take a five-fold account I. Those declared to heathen men the will of their Idols whence also they had their names of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and oracula from orare quod inerat illis Deorum oratio as Tully giveth the etymologie because they contained what the Gods spake and delivered to be their minde The Scriptures in like manner contain the minde of Jehovah Somewhat of his nature we may learn from the creatures but should have known little or nothing of his will had not canonical Scripture revealed it We use to call a mans Testament his last will because in it he makes a final declaration of what he would have his executours do He that would exactly know the will of God must look into his two Testaments there he shall finde it fully expressed and no where else § 3. II. Those foretold future events which made them to be so much frequented by such as thirsted after knowledge of things to come These reade every one his destiny and acquaint him aforehand with what he may or may not infallibly expect according to his present and future qualifications Not to mention prophesies in the New testament whereof the principal magazine is the Apocalypse the old contains very many predictions beyond the activity of humane foresight For although such effects as depend upon natural causes which are uniform in their workings may be foretold by a skilfull naturalist and a wise Statesman observing the present constitution of a government may prognosticate what events are like to ensue upon those counsels and courses which he sees taken yet the quickest eye upon earth cannot foresee such future contingents as have their dependance upon the mere free-will of persons yet unborn and whereunto when they are born not common principles but heroick impulses must incline them Whereas in the Scriptures we meet with the names of Josiah and Cyrus and with their performances long before they had a being We finde old Jacob foretelling the respective fates of all his children and of their posterity Isaiah speaking of Jesus Christ as if he had written an history rather then a prophesie And Daniel who lived under the fitst describing the severall revolutions under all the other Monarchies as if he had seen them with his eyes § 4. III. Those gave advice in doubtfull cases and were in all undertakings of moment consulted with by devout Heathens who as Strabo testifies Lib. 16. in descript Judaeae in their chief affairs of state relied more upon the answers of their oracles then upon humane pollicies These were Davids delight and his counsellours Psal 119. 24. as we use to advise with those friends whom we take most pleasure in He had many wise men about him but in all their meetings for advice the word of God was still of the Quorum and nothing to be concluded of in the result without its consent Scripture must not onely be heard in all our debates but when any thing comes to be voted always have a negative voice Concerning Achitophels advice it was said what he counselled in those days was as if a man had enquired at the Oracle of God 2 Sam. 16. last which words being as it is well said by Peter Martyr Comparatio non aequiparatio a comparison onely not a parallel sufficiently intimate that all the Oracles of God are to be consulted and also that their counsel is to be rested in I shall therefore be bold to say to him that reads whoever he be as Jehoshaphat once did to Ahab Enquire I pray thee 2 Chron. 18. 4. of the word of the Lord to day As Paul to his Colossians Let the

deceived Rev. 20. 10. them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever § 3. Thirdly Deep things of God of the divine Essence and Will concerning which the Apostle saith The 1 Cor. 2. 10. Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God Things which the clearest understandings of men and Angels entertain with amazement we cannot but bewray our balbutiencie when we treat of One in Three and Three in one such a mysterious gulf is the Trinitie so when we discourse either of the Personal Union or the Theandrical acts of Christ And no wonder seeing we meet with such secrets and depths even in Gods revealed Will The greatest divines have acknowledged many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Things hard to be understood yea diverse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knots that cannot be untied till there either come further light into this world or we be translated into a better Such as every modest christian will be readie to say of as the learned Cajetan did concerning the reason of that difference which in the Hebrew Text is observable betwixt the title of Psalm 121. and those other Psalms of Degrees Reservo Spiritui Sancto I reserve the solution of this and that doubt to the holy Spirit For to him and the other Divine Persons such things are no riddles though to us they be dark and Enigmatical yea perhaps unsearchable Although we ever and anon meet with cause of crying out as Saint Paul once did How unsearchable Rom. 11. 33. are his judgements and his waies past finding out Let us alwaies remember and believe that of St. James known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the Act. 15. 18. world § 4. Well may the prudent consideration of what hath been said concerning the depth of Divine Omniscience put the wisest of men in minde of their Nescience keep them from leaning to their own understandings and give them just occasion to think of an answer to Zophars question What canst thou know If the secrets of nature do so puzzle thee what canst thou know concerning those much greater secrets of grace and glory of which Luther Quid si philosophia haec non capit fides tamen capit major est verbi Dei authoritas quam nostri ingenii capacitas major Sp. Sanctus quàm Aristoteles Luther de captivit Babylonic● Psal 147. 5. very excellently Philosophy receives them not faith doth The authority of Scripture is greater by far then the capacity of our wit and the Holy Ghost then Aristotle Well may the depth of Divine understanding which the Psalmist saith is infinite Great is the Lord and of great power his understanding is infinite cause us to reflect upon the shallowness the finiteness yea the folly of our own For if the foolishness of God be wiser then men as the Apostle telleth us it is 1 Cor. 1. 25. what is his wisdome Add if the wisdome of this world be foolishness with God 1 Cor. 3. 19. what is its folly No wonder if one learned man wrote a book of the vanity Cornel. Agrip. of Sciences others of the Nullity Anton. Verderius Franc. Zanch. M. D. Hoc unum scio quod nihil scio Socrates Quo magis studiis incumbimus eò magis nos videre quàm nihil scimus Ap. Jo. Bevoricium Epist quaest p. 86. Quod nihil scitur If the wise heathen profest the onely thing he knew was this that he knew not any thing at all If Frier Paul of Venice the judicious author of that excellent history of the Councel of Trent was wont to say The more we studie the more we see how little or nothing we understand yea if more knowing men then any of these abounded in acknowledgements of their own ignorance Asaph So foolish was I and ignorant Psal 73. 22 Prov. 30. 23. I was as a beast before thee Agur Surely I am more brutish then any man and have not the understanding of a man I neither learned wisdome nor have the knowledge of the holy So true is that of our great Apostle If any man think that he knows any thing he 1 Cor. 8. 2. knows nothing yet as he ought to know § 5. Next followeth the third dimension which is Longitude in this expression The measure thereof is longer then the earth For the better stating whereof let it be considered that whereas the word here translated Measure relateth not to extension onely but also to duration and the earth hath a double longitude one of space the other of continuance which the Scripture taketh special notice of in other texts as in that of Ecclesiastes One generation Eccles 1. 4. passeth away and another generation cometh but the earth abideth for ever I conceive the latter may here be alluded to viz. the earths long continuance as in some low proportion fit to resemble that everlasting duration of God which cannot be adequately represented by any creature Sure I am by the Ancient of days in Daniel the eternal Dan. 7. 9 13. Jehovah is described by length of Prov. 3. 16. days in wisdomes right hand of which in the Proverbs many Interpreters understand the blessings of Eternity And this very place of Job is expounded by Gregory in this sense His words are Terrâ longior quia creaturae modum perennitate Greg. Moral lib. 10. cap. 7. suae Aeternitatis excedit All creatures had an original all but some few shall have a dissolution Of the Creatour and of him onely is that of the Psalmist verified From everlasting Psal 90. 2. to everlasting thou art God He gave beginning Principium sine p●incipio finis sine sine to all things but was himself without a beginning is the end for which all things were made but himself without end The best of men alas are but of yesterday and know not where they shall be to morrow according to that of Bildad We are but Job 8. 9. of yesterday and know nothing because our days upon earth are a shadow His being God from everlasting to everlasting should encourage us to walk in the way everlasting having this everlasting consolation Psal 139. last 2 Thess 2. 16. and good hope through grace that he will save us with an everlasting salvation because he wanteth neither power to Isa 45. 17. effect it for his strength is everlasting Isa 26. 4. nor will for his mercy is so too as David testifieth The mercy of the Lord is Psal 103. 17. from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him § 6. The more to blame were some overweening sons of Adam for daring to assume unto themselves and ascribe to other persons and things this incommunicable perfection of God Of old the heathenish people of Rome were wont to style their Emperours yea and their city Eternal Concerning

their interest in him I do not mean an haughty spirit swelled with pride for that is altogether unsutable to a saving interest in God who beholds the proud afar off but Psalm 138. 6. an humble spirit greatned by continual converse with the great God who by raising vp his servants hearts to the contemplation and fruition of higher objects maketh them too big for this world It is reported of Moses that when he was come to years or according to the original when he was waxed great Hebr. 11. 24 25 26 27. in spirit perhaps as well as in stature he did overlook the preferments pleasures and riches of the world which are all there intimated yea the menaces of it too for it is there also said He feared not the wrath of the king but endured as seeing him who is invisible His conversing with the great God had made all these to appear to him as petty things To a soul truly great no Animo magno nil magnum worldly matter hath any true greatness in it As if one could take a station in heaven whatsoever is here below would appear but small in his sight by reason of its distance It is accounted by some a great matter to have the frowns and ill word of a great man But St John whose conversation was in heaven made nothing of it Speaking of Diotrophes his malignancy and reproachfull speeches he phraseth it thus prating against us with malitious John 2 epistle v. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 words The term properly signifieth trifling Though Diotrephes were a great prelate and his words very malitious yet the Apostles spirit was raised so far above them that with him all were but trifles and by him contemned as such APHORISME V. The Goodness and Greatness of God are both abundantly manifested by his decrees of Election and Preterition together with his works of Creation and Providence EXERCITATION 1. Exerc. 1. How predestination cometh to be treated of here Election described from the Nature Antiquity Objects Products and Cause of it Rom. 11. 33. 2 Tim. 1. 9. with Tit. 1. 2. Ephes 1. 4. with Matth. 25. 34. opened Of Acts supposing their objects Of Acception of persons what it is and that Predestination doth not import it Acts 13. 48. Expounded and vindicated Whether one Elect may become a reprobate The negative maintained and 1 Cor. 9. 24 25 26. cleared Ephes 5 and 11. enlightned Concerning the good pleasure of Gods will and the counsel thereof § 1. I Durst not wholly wave the doctrine of Predestination no not in this Treatise of Principles after I had duely Aph. 5. pondered that grave admonition of Ambrose or according to others of Prosper Quae Deus occulta esse voluit non sunt scrutanda quae autem monifesta fecit non sunt neganda ne in illis illicitè curiosi in istis damnabiliter inveniamur in grati De vocar Gent. cap. 7. Such things as God would have kept secret must not be pried into by us nor such denied as he hath openly declared lest we be found in the former attempt unlawfully curious in the latter damnably unthankfull And also laid to heart the endeavours not of foreiners onely but of certain late English writers to possess their readers with vehement and strong prejudices against the long-received truth in those points One of them telleth us It is sacrilegious to grant that God hath I. G. Red. Redeem pag. 243. lin 7. Ibid. pag. 278. lin 46. from eternity elected a certain number of men personally unto salvation whom he purposeth to bring thereunto infallibly c. Elsewhere styling it That capitall errour of personal Election and Reprobation Another speaking of preterition or negative reprobation hath these words This is T. P. Divine philanthropy defended c. 4. § 2. one of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which have been infamously invented to disguise and palliate the frightfull rigidness of their doctrine Not long after he calleth it canting pretends the lamentable distinction as it is there by him styled to be no more then a trick insufficient to buoy up a sinking cause and in another book of his The dream of absolute preterition Mean Divine purity defended pag. 97. while where alas is the reverence and submission due to Scripture that onely card and compass by which we are to sail in this ocean that onely clue by the help whereof this labyrinth is to be traversed It directly opposeth Rom. 11. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Electi and Reliqui the elect and such as were passed by in that saying The election hath obtained and the rest were blinded In it we reade of a book of life containing Revel 13. 8. 21. 27. 26. 15. the names of all those whom God hath chosen and of others whose names were not written in that book Of some whom the Lord knoweth for 2 Tim. 2. 19. Ma●th 7. 23. his and others to whom he will say I never knew you Of Christs sheep given John 10. 26 28 29. to him by the father and of such persons as were not his sheep nor accordingly so given to him This I hope is no canting there is neither Errour nor Trick in all this but to proceed § 2. Election as to our purpose which concerns the choise of men onely not of Angels is that secret unsearchable decree of God wherein he did from everlasting single out of the rest of mankinde a definite number of particular persons ordaining them infallibly unto the attainment of holiness here and happiness hereafter according to the counsel and good pleasure of his Will Which description offers to the readers consideration as things material and not unfit to be treated of provided it be soberly done the Nature Antiquity Object Products and Cause of Election First The Nature of it It is a secret unsearchable decree of God The two principall emanations of God's Will respecting intellectual creatures are his Decrees and his Commands They differ as in sundry other things so in point of perspicuitie The Commands are plain he that runs may read his duty in them the Decrees abstruse Our destinies cannot be so easily read as our duties may And whereas divers secret things may yet be discovered upon diligent search according to that Proverb of Solomon Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water Prov. 20. 5. but a man of understanding will draw it out The Decrees of God are so secret as to be withall unsearchable Whence the Apostle O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of Rom. 11. 13. God! How unsearchable are his judgements and his waies past finding out where by Judgements it is as I conceive most proper to understand the Decrees of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence cerno decerno decretum his Will by Waies the Administrations of his Providence in order to the execution of those