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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	act_n	power_n	will_n	1,439	5	6.6180	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15734	A dangerous plot discovered By a discourse, wherein is proved, that, Mr: Richard Mountague, in his two bookes; the one, called A new gagg; the other, A iust appeale: laboureth to bring in the faith of Rome, and Arminius: vnder the name and pretence of the doctrine and faith of the Church of England. A worke very necessary for all them which haue received the truth of God in loue, and desire to escape errour. The reader shall finde: 1. A catalogue of his erroneous poynts annexed to the epistle to the reader. 2. A demonstration of the danger of them. cap. 21. num. 7. &c. pag. 178. 3. A list of the heads of all the chapters contained in this booke.	Wotton, Anthony, 1561?-1626.	1626 (1626)	STC 26003; ESTC S120313	151,161	289

thing more fully in his opusc 1. lib. 3. cap. 15. num 20. he writeth thus Mans will cannot haue any connaturall power which by its nature is a worker of a supernaturall act either as a totall or partiall cause but when the creature doth so worke it worketh as an instrument of God although it worketh by his owne entitie yet notwithstanding not out of a force naturall but obedientall This addition I make by his owne authoritie for he doth professe in his Appeal p. 90. that he takes the foresaid explication from Pontificians I answer All this labour might haue beene spared because it helpeth the matter nothing at all It makes it more obscure then before Every man can vnderstand what you meane when you say the will doth worke by the naturall force but when you say the entitie of the will doth worke by a supernaturall force elevation and actuation he will be to seeke of your meaning Moreover this explicatiō doth take away the free vse of the free facultie which you contend for or leaue mans will to worke by the naturall force of the created facultie which is the thing you would thrust off and I shew it thus This elevation and actuation if by grace is either a morall or a physicall worke if physicall then the will is determined vnto one the free vse of the facultie is abridged and restrained for this worke of grace is previall in nature and causalitie and truely efficient vpon the will before it be applyed vnto operation in the second act If it be morall then the will doth worke of the naturall force therof because the morall worke of grace is no more but a perswasion offered to the vnderstanding and resteth there It hath no influence vnto nor reflection vpon the will which is vncapable of Iudging of truth and falshood onely it cannot will any obiect but that which the vnderstanding sayth is good which connexion between the vnderstanding and the will is naturall no worke of grace To conclude two propositions may be inferred from this explication 1. Man doth not produce supernaturall acts by the force of his created facultie 2. Man hath no free-will in supernaturall acts You are at your choice if you haue the first you haue the second if you take the second you grant the thing in question If you deny the second you must deny the first and thereby you defend a sentence which Molina doth accurse vnto hell de Concor in q. 14. art 13. disp 40. Nostra itaque c. The tenth and last sayth Man being prevented by grace he putteth to his hand to procure augmentation of grace I answer to procure may signifie the act of an efficient either morall by the way of merit or physicall by the way of reall influence into the effect In both these senses this tenth proposition is false and the Church of Rome hath decreed sess 6. cap. 8. the grace of Iustification cannot be merited much lesse will any be so voyd of pietie as to say man can compell God to giue him grace but what ever his meaning be here it must be observed mans hand is the next cause of a supernaturall act vnto preventing grace and the putting thereof forth is attributed vnto man himself which is a large doctrine of free-will as I haue shewed in the former part of this Chapter num 4. Far exceeding the limits of the Councell of Tren● sess 6. cap. 5. 6. Which joyneth grace and mans will alwayes together in his preparation and assigneth adiuvating grace between preventing and cooperating which sheweth his consent with Arminius in those grosse points which the Church of Rome durst not Patronize CHAP. IX The point of Iustification Mr Mountague Man hath a double estate of sinne wherein he was borne produced in life and action acquisite renewed according to the spirit gagg p. 141. In the first state he is not Iust p. 141. To Iustifie hath a 3. fold extent To make Iust To make more Iust To declare or pronoūce Iust p. 140 Iustification properly is in the first sence gagg p. 142. 144. A sinner is then Iustified when he is made Iust That is translated from state of nature to state of grace as Colos 1. 13. Who hath delivered vs from the power of darknesse and hath translated vs c. Which is motion as they say betwixt two termes And Consisteth in forgiuenes of sins primarily and grace infused secondarily Both the act of Gods spirit in man p. 142. 143. In the state of Grace a man is Iust when he is changed which must haue concurrence of ow● things Privation of being to that which was the body of sinne Wherein A new constitution vnto God in another state Of grace whereto In which he that is altered in state changed in condition transformed in mind renued in soule regenerate and borne a new to God by grace is Iust in the state of Iustification p. 141. To speake properly God onely Iustifieth who alone imputeth not sinne and createth a new heart within vs. The soule of man is the subiect of this act In which vnto which are necessarily required certaine preparations and previous dispositions to the purpose As knowledge of God c. feare hope contrition loue desire of purpose for a new life and such like But these are all with and from faith The principall indowment of grace may worthily be ascribed vnto the roote and originall of Christian pi●tie Faith gagg p. 143. 144. The Church of Rome The Iustification of a sinner is a translation from that state in which man was borne a sonne of the first Adam into the state of grace Concil Trent sess 6. cap. 4. Iustification it selfe is not onely remission of sinnes but also the sanctification and renovation of the inward man by a voluntary receit of grace and gifts from whence a man is made Iust of vniust cap. 7. There is required on mans part that he be prepared and disposed by the motion of his owne will vnto the obtaining the grace of Iustification can 9. Man is disposed vnto the iustice of Iustification By faith feare hope loue begun some hatred and detestation of sinne a purpose to be baptized to begin a new life and to keepe Gods cōmandements cap. 6. We are sayd therefore to be Iustified by faith because faith is the beginning foundation and roote of every Iustification cap. 8. Cap. 10. It decreeth that Iustification receiud is increased The Church of England That we are Iustified by faith onely is a most wholsome doctrine and very full of comfort as more largely is expressed in the Homilie of Iustification Arti 11. To be washed from sinnes in such sort that there remaineth not any spot of sin is that Iustificatiō or righteousnes which S. Paul speaketh of when he sayth No man is justified by the workes of the Law The forgiuenesse of sinnes and trespasses is that righteousnesse which is taken accepted and allowed of God for our profit and

words were spoken onely to the young man And he that readeth his Confirmation of his 5 argument shall find it so If you will proue the doing of voluntary workes by our owne conf●ssion you must bring vs things true and not falshood against the light of the Sunne Yet so ioyous confident and iocund is hee in this argument as if all were his owne as if hee had spoken nothing but what was as true as Gospell therefore he proceedeth on this wise If you doe not sell all that you haue and giue it to the poore you must giue me leaue to thinke you dissemble If you demand of him wherein that dissimulation should lye he is not to seeke for answer thus he doth shew it you You would perswade men of a case of necessity that your selues may feed fat vpon their folly I answer when I read this passage I could not but stand amazed and my heart within mee became cold to see the libertie that an angry minde and an euill tongue will take but staying my s●lfe a while at last I remembred him that said I will lay my hand vpon my mouth and him that was a lambe dumbe before the shearer that opened not his mouth That indured such speaking against of sinners This gaue me satisfaction for the iniurie of this euill sentence touching the Author whereof I say no more but this Lord forgiue him for hee knoweth not what he doth and so I might put an end to this whole point But stay he must talke a few cold words with you before you part and these be they He that said a man may doe more than he is commanded was no Papist they that say it is Popery are men of poore capacitie not apprehending what is popery what is not they misdeeme mistake misname popery Appeale p. 217. 218. I answer this suteth well with the last passage both of th●m together doe witnesse without exception that Mr Mountagu is a carefull obseruer of Councels for these sentences be vnmeasurable railings and I am sure they were neuer cōmanded and I presume neuer co●ncelled by God He must shew vs then who gaue him a law for them or whose Councells they are By Popery he must meane the erroneous faith of Rome That being so his bitternesse is ioyned with falshood a sweet Garden that yeeldeth such flowers That it is he faith of Rome is already agreed on That it is erroneous hath beene hitherto inquired of in this question It was your duty to haue shewed vs your voluntary works in the Scripture but you haue not therefore we must resolue you cannot If they be not there you must confesse they be erroneous Therefore the vnderstanding and capacitie of them that deny them was rich enough to finde out your Popery and giue the right name to it I could giue him that vrgeth Popish voluntary works such titles as he doth iustly deserue and which might equall those which he vniustly giues to such as refuse them but I leaue them as fittest for his eloquence and such Reuilers to the dispose of him that hath pronounced a woe vnto such as are strong to doe euill CHAP. XIX Of Predestination Master Mountagu The Church of England I conceiue of Gods act or decree of Predestination after this sort Appeale p. 61. to 65. 1 God decreed to create man 2 He created man good 3 Man fell from that good 4 By that fall hee was plunged into Perdition 5 God saw him and had compassion of him 6 He stretched out deliuerance to thē in a Mediatour 7 Drew them out which tooke hold of Mercy this I must professe Predestination to life is the euerlasting purpose of God whereby before the foundations of the world were laid hee hath constantly decreed by his Councell secret to vs to deliuer from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in CHRIST out of mankinde and to bring them by Christ to euerlasting saluation as vessells made to honour CHAP. XX. The point of Predestination is debated THis Chapter examineth two questions onely 1 Whether his doctrine of Predestination bee true or not 2 Whether he consenteth in it with the Church of England c. We omit to enquire whether he consenteth with the Church of Rome or not because the Counsell of Trent hath decreed nothing that I can finde touching the nature of Predestination and the most common opinion of their Schooles dissenteth not from the Church of England Some doe dissent as Occham and others with him in former times And in latter times Gabriel Vasquez and some others with him but the difference is rather in Position and manner of speaking then really and in the thing The disputation in this Chapter is restrained vnto the second onely for of this point he saith Appeale page 61. Take it as I conceiue it and so shall professe it vntill I am informed and ascertained that the Church of England teacheth all otherwise then I conceiue of it This sheweth you lose but labour when you attempt to draw him from his opinion by any arguments taken from Scripture or mans writings bring him the Church of England and it sufficeth if you bring not that he is still where he was The doctrine of the Church of England is not concealed from him nor is the sense obscure hee needeth not dig de●pe to finde it there is none worse then hee that will not vnderstand Before I can shew what the Church of England teacheth and how hee dissenteth there-from I must take a view and haue a cl●ere vnderstanding of the things deliuered by him In which there is seuen distinct branches as the reader may see in the former Chapter The seuenth branch hath these words He drew them out which tooke hold of mercy This branch doth appertaine to Pred●stination for it concerneth mans ordering vnto his last end and perfection The other sixe belong not thereto for they speake of mans being and the causes thereof and things pertaining thereto They haue not a word of ordering man to any end If this seuenth branch bee framed according to Art it will stand thus Predestination to life is an act or decree of Gods will whereby he purposed to draw them out of the state of perdition which tooke hold of mercy In this frame wee haue the thing defined and that whereby it is defined I restraine the question vnto Predestination to life because our Church doth so Artic. 17. and the Scriptures are more frequent in that and no meruaile why because the Scriptures were written for the direction and consolation of them that shall goe to heauen I haue framed it altogether by his owne direction the question of Predestination is put so by himselfe as I will now shew Appeale page 38. hee calleth it an act or decree of God which must needes be an act of his will and so hee termeth it Appeale page 61. This act is immanent not transient for he saith in the same place hee conceiues it setting by all

be nothing but grace for can it bee conceiued how our comming to saluation can bee attributed to God as his worke but by reason that hee doth giue grace Lastly it cannot bee conceiued how God should bring to saluation by Christ but by giuing of grace seeing none come to saluation by Christ but such as are members of Christ and none are members of Christ but by the meanes of grace And that it was the meaning of our Church to make finall grace one thing appointed by Predestination to be giuen vnto man it is apparent by that doctrine of the Article which followeth where it maketh Predestination to be the cause or reason wherefore God bestoweth grace and glory vpon man in the euent for thus it saith Wherefore they which bee indued with this excellent benefit viz. of Predestination be called according to Gods purpose by his Spirit they through grace obey the calling and at length by Gods mercy they attaine to saluation BY CHRIST Hereby our Church doth set forth the means appointed by Predestination wherby in course of time man shal enioy the thing appointed by Predestination and that is Iesus Christ vnder whose name all other subordinate meanes are fitly comprehended and that our Church meant so need not be doubted because it addeth other meanes of grace and saluation besides Christ in the doctrine of the Article following TO DELIVER FROM DAMNATIOM By this the nature of Predestination formerly deliuered is set out or made more plaine vnto vs for this being contrary vnto that doth make it the more manifest vnto our vnderstandings and the Scripture taketh the same course also as in many other places so in these He that beleeueth is passed from death vnto life There is no condemnation to him that is in Christ Rom. 8. 1. By damnation is not meant the state of damnation actually for that sense cannot stand with the doctrine of our Church which followeth but by damnation is vnderstood the possibilitie of being in the state of damnation preuented by the decree of Predestination for that sense doth agree very well with the doctrine of the Article which saith This decree is constant as is declared before SOME ELECTED OVT OF MANKINDE The subiect or parties predestinated are here sayd to bee man but not all men vniuersally it restraineth the same vnto some of mankinde by saying that they are elected ones and elected out of mankind 2. The subiect that receiueth Predestinatiō is described by two things The one by the name and vnder the title of man meerly without any addition whereby is signified that man conceiued in himselfe onely as an intellectuall creature without grace or works of grace is obiected vnto and set before the diuine will of Predestination and in that notion onely he receiueth the same Our Church doth not say that God waited till man had grace and then and vpon the intuition thereof he was moued to and did predestinate him That this may be the sense of our Church is cleere because it is a course agreeable and decent vnto the diuine prouidence and man himselfe and that this must be meant by our Church is certaine also for no other sense can be made therof agreeable to these words and those words that went before which say the reason mouing God to predestinate is secret to vs And grace is bestowed by predestination The other thing describing it is the word elect which signifieth an act of Gods will whereby our Church doth giue vs to vnderstand that the reason why this or that man is predestinate ariseth from Gods will and pleasure of which it is that the predestinate are singled out and seuered from the rest of mankind IN CHRIST Our Church referreth these words vnto the word elect thus Those whom hee elected in Christ In this sentence the word elect doth signifie 1. an act of Gods will 2 An act going before predestination 3 A collection of a certaine number of men from others to be predestinated vnto this or that measure of grace and glory for so it speaketh in the 17. arti saying Those whom he chose he decreed to bring to saluation The words in Christ tell vs that Gods eye was extended to the chosen ones in or through Christ Now this act of election may bee done vpon man in the intuition of Christ either as the end intended and aimed at in the act of election or as the meritorious cause thereof In the first sense wee may not take our Church seeing it saith the reason that moued God to predestinate is secret to vs wee must therefore vnderstand our Church to speake in the first sense for that is most agreeable to the course of Scripture to the dignity of Christ and to the operation of grace in man What heart is it that will not rather make it selfe subordinate vnto Christ then Christ subordinate vnto him And that our Church meant thus we haue yet better reason to thinke viz. because this whole description of predestination is takē out of the first chapter to the Ephesians where the Apostle hauing said in the fourth verse He hath chosen vs in him He concludeth in the 12 verse That we should be to the praise of his glory which sheweth that Christs glory was the end intended aimed at in the act of electiō BEFORE THE FOVNDATIONS OF THE WORLD WERE LAYD That is before the Creation The world is created either in the reall being thereof or in the decree to create Our Church speaketh not of reall creating for then it should say the decree of Predestination is before actuall Creation This it could not meane or that is as much as if it had said the decree of Predestination is eternall for before that creation there is no duration but eternitie But our Church meant not by these words to say Gods decree was eternall for it had said so in expresse words a little before and this phrase of speech doth not make that more plaine but doth rather more obscure it Our Church then speaketh of Gods decree to create and so it setteth forth the moment wherein in our apprehension man is predestinate by God and is as if it had said Gods decree of Predestination in our apprehension goes before his decree of creation And the rather all men should vnderstand our Church thus because this order is agreeable to the nature of the things themselues Predestination being more worthy of loue then Creation That being supernatural perpetuall and mans last perfection This being naturall temporary and at most but a way vnto that therefore it is more orderly to conceiue the decree of Creation to be subordinate vnto the decree of Predestination then Predestination vnto Creation If any thinke that man cannot be predestinate before he be actually made I answer in Gods will of execution it is true man cannot inioy the being of the thing appointed by Predestination before hee hath actuall being himselfe now the will of execution is not now in

because I will auoyde all his suspition and imputation of faction and dissention I will alleadge the words and iudgment of other men not any of mine owne Bellarmine saith de grat lib. 2. cap. 9. after this sort No reason can be assigned on our part of Gods Predestination not onely merits properly so called but also the good vse of freewill or grace or both together foreseene of God yea also merit of congruity and condition without which he that is predestinated should not be predestinated For explication he saith further I adde On our part because on Gods part Cause may be assigned viz. In generall the declaration of his mercie and Iustice In particular God doth not want his reason why hee would predestinate vnto life this man rather then that although the same be hidden vnto vs. Thus farre Bellarmine This sentence he vndertaketh to proue in the tenth chapter following 1. by Scriptures 2. by the testimony of the Church 3. by reason founded vpon Scriptures and Fathers which hee beginneth thus Some out of mankinde are chosen vnto the Kingdome of Heauen 1. Effectually so as they come thereunto infallibly 2. Freely and before all foresight of works This proofe he makes good by the Scriptures in that chapter By the testimony of the Church in the 11. Chapter namely by the allegation of many particular testimonies and then in generall he saith All the Fathers esteemed of by the Church euen all of them without exception did manifestly teach this sentence after the heresie of Pelagius was begunne And also it was approued by the publike sentence of the Church Lastly he concludeth in these words This sentence ought to be esteemed not the opinion of some of the learned but the faith of the Chatholike Church He proues also the same doctrine of predestination by seuen reasons in the twelfth chapter euery one of them being no other but the application and accommodation of Scripture vnto the point and doth defend this sentence against opposition in the 13. 14. and 15 chapters following These testimonies of Bellarmine must bee allowed of by M. Mountagu for many reasons 1. Because hee is a Iesuit and Iesuites haue the preeminence for the present in the Church of Rome as himselfe informeth Appeale pag. 203. and Bellarmine was a man of better spirit then some of that society as himselfe auoucheth Appeale pag. 239. whom he doth there also professe to be ingenious and biddeth him well to fare He doth commend him and preferre him too before others saying Bellarmine is a man of as strong a braine and piercing apprehension as any new vpstart master in Israel of the packe Appeale p. 77. But it may be he will say Bellarmine is factious in this point I answer I will therefore fortifie Bellarmines testimony but not with the testimony of any other Iesuites though I might alleadge Suarez who is not only so full in this point as Bellarmine is but also doth exceed him in the explication and vrging thereof and that most frequently but I will forbeare that and only adde the Dominicans and because I will auoyd needlesse allegations I will content my selfe with Aluarez who in his booke de Auxiliis disp 37. n o 6. 9. c. Disp 120 n o 4. saith There can be no cause reason or condition on mans part assigned of Predestination but it is to be referred vnto the meere and vndeserued will of God Which he saith further is according to the Iudgement of Augustine approued of by many Popes and taken out of most euident testimonies of holy Scripture The testimonie of these two must needs be of great force vnto euery man that doth duely consider them because 1. They are our aduersaries whose testimony is of more waight then if they were friends 2. They are such aduersaries as purposely doe refuse to speake as we doe If then they concurre with vs in words and the thing it selfe then it is manifest the truth compels them for there is nothing else to induce them they want not euasions if any were to bee found for they are men of learning they haue parts of nature they are industrious themselues and are abundantly assisted by others neither are they ignorant that this their doctrin of predestinatiō is the opinion of Caluin To conclude this is a sentence not peculiar to themselues that is to the society of the Iesuits and the family of the Dominicans whereof they are but it is a doctrine vniuersally receiued by their learned as may appeare by Aluarez in the 37. disputation alleadged and Suaerez opusc 1. lib. 3. cap. 16. n o 7. and that which goes before onely some of them doe differ in the manner of handling it namely whether both grace and glory or grace onely bee thus freely predestinated Lastly it may bee truely esteemed the faith of the Councell of Trent also because that Councell knew it to bee the iudgement of Caluine whose sentence they meant to reproue in all things they could yet they decreed not a word against it and it is apparent they did not forget it because they spent so many yeares in that Councell which is a plaine argument they throughly considered all the differences betwixt them and Caluin Besides in the sixt Session and twelfth Chapter it decreeth against such as resolue with themselues that they are certainely in the number of the Predestinate iudging this to be the opinion of Caluin which is a plaine proofe that they forgot not Caluins opinion in the rest of his Doctrine touching Predestination I hope this proofe is sufficient to cleere this point from nouelty faction c. termes which it pleaseth Mr. Mountagu to giue it for what can bee more Writers ancient and latter Churches of Rome and ours agree in it confirm vrge it If this be nouelty faction puritanisme desperate detestable and horrible to the eares of pious men Mr. Mountagu is happy and his Dutchmen with him that haue chosen the contrary sentence but no reasonable man will beleeue it therefore I proceed His next flourish is in this sort The Lutherans detest and abhorre it Gagge p. 179. Strange though too true imputations are raised against it Odious things are inferred from it Appeale page 54. pressed to purpose and you cannot auoid to my poore vnderstanding their conclusions Appeale page 52. This discourse may serue to disgrace but not to disproue for hee assigneth no imputations nor consequents nor consequences nor antecedents in particular but speaks onely of such and onely auowes them vpon his owne affirmation and vnderstanding which are of little worth for his word is found false n o 11. 12. and himselfe saith his vnderstanding is poore Let him bring those particular imputations those consequents which hee saies are so odious and consequences which hee saith are so necessary and antecedents from which they flow let him shew what is imputed and vnto what and the world shall see he speakes neuer a true word Hee telleth vs of Rouing