Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	acknowledgement_n	appear_v	great_a	20	3	2.1094	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09277	Vindiciæ gratiæ. = A plea for grace More especially the grace of faith. Or, certain lectures as touching the nature and properties of grace and faith: wherein, amongst other matters of great use, the maine sinews of Arminius doctrine are cut asunder. Delivered by that late learned and godly man William Pemble, in Magdalen Hall in Oxford.	Pemble, William, 1592?-1623.; Capel, Richard, 1586-1656.	1627 (1627)	STC 19591; ESTC S114374	222,244	312

whom it is once implanted So that hee who is once converted cannot so shake off the grace of his first that hee should need a second conversion and a sinner once raised from death through the infusion of spirituallife like unto Christ he dyes no more but lives for ever to the glorie of God The reason is strong from that of the Apostle Peter 1. Pet. 1. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is this Seed by which we are borne againe It is not the Word eyther alone or principally considered because that is but an instrument and arbitrary too the force whereof so depends on the chiefe agent the power of the Spirit that without it is but a dead sound And the reason why the word Lives endures for ever is only because the power of the H. Spirit w ch gives it its effect is everlasting Well then this Seed is the power or vertue of the H. Ghost so called by similitude because that as of Seed the Conception is formed so by the power of Gods Spirit immediatly the New man or graces of Sanctification are begotten in us But why is this Divine vertue the seed of our regeneration called Incorruptible seed is it in regard of it selfe or in respect of the fruite For it selfe t is most true that as the Person so the Power of the Holy Ghost is eternall and incorruptible But hee is wilfully blinde who sees not that in this place it is so styled in relation to the effect it workes in us quatenus Semen as it is seed incorruptible producing fruit like to it selfe incorruptible and immortall And the opposition here made is manifest We are not borne of corruptible Seed for that perisheth and so what is borne of that must needs be corruptible but wee are borne of incorruptible seede which lives and endures for ever and therefore what is born of that must needs be incorruptible This is plain then that this Quickening Power of Gods Spirit whereby we be regenerate lives for ever not only in it self but in us also supporting and sustaining our soules for ever in their spirituall life of grace once infused into them And if any will cavill St. Iohn puts all out of doubt when speaking of every regenerate person he saith that this Seed remaineth in him and so that cannot sinne 1 Iohn 3. 9. Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne for his Seede remaineth in him and hee cannot sinne because hee is 〈◊〉 of God And this for the Habit of grace the Constancy whereof no desperate defender of the Saints Apostasie bee hee Papist or Arminian shall bee ever able to shake In the next place touching the Operations of Grace which we performe by the ayde of the Spirit there is not such Constancy to be found in them as in the former For the Holy Ghost doth not at all times alike either stirre up the faculties of the Soule by holy motions or assist their endevours in performance of Good desires Some presumptuous Sinne against Conscience some Pride in our owne strength some neglect of pious duties especially Prayer and spirituall Meditation some Carelesse entertainment of the blessed motions of Grace some Security through long enjoying of heavenly comforts some such or other offence may Quench the Spirit and cause him to withdraw from our Soules all Sense of his comfortable presence and assistance for a time And then the Soule being destitute of this actuall concurrence of the good Spirit falls a Languishing bewrayes presently its naturall impotency like hot water taken off the fire begins to returne to its first coldnesse and for a time corruption prevailes against Grace that which is naturall against that which was but Accidentall Such Cessations or Interruptions of grace as these are all men grant and all good men feele but yet though the act faile the Habit ceaseth not nor is the ground straitway barren because it misseth a Season or two They are but chastisements for negligence past and admonitions to ensuing industry both ending in a large augmentation of all comforts when upon submission God is intreated againe to cause the light of his Favour to shine upon us ●…s much touching the second Circumstance about our Conversion viz. the maner how t is wrought I should proceed to the third viz. the Subject of it but I should vtterly weary you who by this time cannot but desire to be rid of mee Pardon me yet a small trespasse upon the time and your patience that I may conclude all in a word or two of application to our practice Yee have heard touching our conversion that the cause of it is Gods free love without our worth before we were that the manner of it is by the grace of the Holy Ghost without our helpe when wee were weake and of no strength Let the serious thought of these things breed in our hearts a double grace 1. Of Thankfulnesse 2. Of Humility Le ts joyne both together for they are twins of one birth and as you shall never see a proud man thankfull either to God or man so you shall never behold an humble minde but it will alwayes appeare in the most gratefull acknowledgement and confession of the least good turn We shal see how great cause there is in this businesse of our conversion that wee should empty our selves of all proude imaginations and fill our hearts and tongues with the Praises of Gods rich grace and free Mercy if wee will enforce upon our dull heartes the powerfull meditation of these foure points 1. The Desperate and forlorne estate of an unconverted person 2. The Impossibilitie of our recovery out of this damnable condition by any strength of our owne or other creature whatsoever 3. The admirable Graciousnesse of Almighty God in providing the meanes and by them effectually working our full deliverance from the power of Sinne Damnation 4. Lastly the blessed estate of Grace whereto hee hath now brought us and wherein hee preserves us under the hope and expectation of eternall glorie I beseech you that among the multitude of your thoughts and studies you would be pleased to make these things the subject of your best advised meditation Hold me for ever guiltie of a damnable lye if you finde not by experience how forcible this course will be to take downe our foolish haughtinesse and swelling conceits of our own sufficiencie and to inlarge the heart in sweetest songs of thanksgiving to him that hath done so great things for our soules My brethren slight it not t is a matter of greatest consequence and touches us neerely Doe but conceive with me How horrible that thought is and ful of unspeakeable terrour when the conscience freed from the clamours of ill companie cooled after the heate of wine and fulnesse of bread retyred from the distracting businesse of our Callings and stilled after the rage of some furious passtons or glut of pleasures shall in silence turne in upon it selfe and falling upon the inquirie

much is our assent weakned But of the three the authority of the speaker is the chiefest whose wisedome and fidelity certainely knowne unto us will move us to a certaine beliefe of those things wherein we apprehend no great matter of consequence nor discerne any evidence of the truth at all whereas if one that hath neither wit nor honesty tell us of a matter of greatest moment wherof we also see the probability and truth in part yet doth he not perswade us to beliefe though he may move us to a strong suspicion Thus then you see that assent being the approbation of the truth of any thing is common to Knowledge Opinion and Beliefe but with this difference In exact Knowledge our assent is alwaies firme and unremoveable in Opinion t is alwaies wavering and mutable in Beliefe t is certaine but more or lesse according to the different concurrence of those three forenamed grounds Now out of that which I have spoken let these two conclusions be carefully observed 1. That all Knowledge is more certaine than Beliefe which rule you must understand in things of the same kind not of divers thus He that most firmely beleeves any truth upon the former grounds is not yet so certaine of it as hee that perfectly knowes it as a Countri-man who strongly beleeves that the Sunne or least Starre is bigger than the whole Earth upon the affirmation of a learned and honest Mathematician is not yet so certaine of it as when afterward he knowes it by infallible demonstration But now in divers kindes our beliefe of some things may bee more certaine than our knowledge of others as our beliefe of divine things upon Gods testimony may be more certaine than the knowledge of humane things by the light of our reason because our understanding hath alwaies this prejudice that in the generall it may possibly erre but Gods Word cannot erre at all 2. That perfect Knowledge takes away all Beliefe that is for so you must understand it perfect knowledge of any thing excludes all beliefe of the same thing otherwise perfect knowledge in one thing may helpe our beliefe in another and knowledge in part of the same thing doth much strengthen our beliefe of the other part But here in this opposition betweene knowledge and beliefe your must alwayes remember what knowledge wee meane namely Scientiam Intuitivam or per Visionem that knowledge which is had by beholding things in their proper nature but not Scientiam Disciplinarem or per Revelatione● that knowledge which is got by discourse and relation of others And so these two propositions We beleeve what we know not and We beleeve what we know are not opposite each to other for t is true we beleeve that which we do not know namely by the proper and immediate sight of the things themselves and t is true also we beeleeve that which we doe know viz. by relation which so far forth represents to us the nature of the thing related as that we are not ignorant what it is we doe beleeve Where it must also be observed that the difference is great between these two sorts of knowledge in regard of the assent that is given to matters thus known Knowledge that is by Vision or Intuition of things that are presented to the sense or understanding in their proper evidence inforceth assent unto the things knowne For in this case the apprehension of the thing is so cleere that the understanding cannot but approve the truth of it And therefore the Colledge of the Sceptikes of old was little better than a Society of fools and their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Perpetuall doubtfulnesse of all things was somewhat worse than madnes when they would not assent that they saw the Sunne shine when they looked on it nor that the fire was hot when they felt it burne nor would be certaine of any principles or conclusions in reason nature And such was Anaxagoras his dull melancholy or wilfull frenzy to maintaine in good sadnesse that the snow was blacke For such is the naturall assinity between evident truth and our understanding that though wee would yet wecannot but subscribe and yeeld our allowance and assent unto it Whence it falls out many times that a Vsurer a Chuch-robber or some other not willing to leave this or that course though doubtfull whether lawfull or not dares not for his life read such or such a booke written on those subjects for feare lest he should bee made to know more than hee is content to practise and that his conscience should bee convicted in spight of his will But now t is not so in that other knowledge by relation let a thing be never so plainly delivered so that we fully conceive the meaning of that which is spoken yet if neyther our owne sense nor reason doe convince us we may choose whether or no we will beleeve and assent unto it embracing it for a truth It is the very naturall property of man never to be satisfied with others reports till we our selves have seene and knowne the thing it selfe by evident experience Draw the liveliest picture of any man the most curious landship of any country it contents not wee must see both the one and other Set downe the most tried experiments in nature taken by most skilfull Artists this pleases not others till their owne triall confirm them Generally every man would faine see with his owne eies heare with his owne eares understand by his owne not another mans reason In which inclination of nature lies the originall of all the distrust and diffidence that is in the world and also the cause of those restlesse inquiries which we make one after another into the same things Whence it comes to passe that whilst we are bul●ed in examining our forefathers inventions and posterity also imployed in making triall of our examinations neither we nor they have much time to adde any thing unto the increase of learned knowledge Hence also may we ghesse at one cause why many Sciences even for some thousands of yeares have kept one pitch and not growne above that dwarfish stature they had in their infant invention and also what the reason is why many that reade most prove not the deepest schollars for no greater impediment to exact learning than to make use of other mens understandings and neglect our owne It would also hence appeare that History a pleasant and profitable imploiment is yet of all studied learning the weakest to give full satisfaction to the minde of man because that depends wholly upon such grounds of truth as mans minde desires not to depend upon at all namely anothers tongue eyes and eares And it is observable that very usually those that are of credulous and passive understandings least able to imploy their owne strength in painfull and attentive inquiries after knowledge such doe not unwillingly apply their diligence to that course of study But I