Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	act_n	sin_n	will_n	1,889	5	6.7849	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39353	Justifying faith: or, That faith by which the just do live briefly describ'd in a discourse on 1 Joh. 5.12. By the author of a late book, entitled Summum bonum, or, An explication of the divine goodness, &c. To this discourse is added, an abstract of some letters to an eminent learned person, concerning the excellency of the Book of common prayer, &c.	Elys, Edmund, ca. 1634-ca. 1707.	1679 (1679)	Wing E675C; ESTC R204257	23,218	50

even his Infinite Perfection and Love himself which is to be communicated according to ●● Wisdom and Free Will and not as a natural necessary emanation from his Essence to the utmost of his ●●solute Power To this I Answer first that Utmost ●ower is in no wise to be spoken of God whose ●ower is INFINITE Secondly I do conceive ●●at your Notion here is not Contrary to mine ●●ough it come somewhat short of it I think your ●●eaning is not Opposite to what I Understand by ●●e Diffusiveness of the Divine Goodness but only any Conceit of the Limitation of the Divine Pow●● which no Creature is Able to Resist There can no Impediment to It ab extra c. but I add neither ab Intra call it Negative or Self-Limiting or ●hat you please Therefore I say again 't is Essen●●●l to Infinite Goodness to fill the Capacities of His creatures c. which I think I shall clearly De●onstrate thus That which does not Fill all Cre●●ed Capacities is not Infinite Therefore c. But perhaps you will say is not a Sinner Capable of being Sanctified I Answer that Sin is the Creatures ●●king It self Uncapable for the present of the ●ivine Goodness through a false Conceit that the Creator is not All in All. For I hold yea I know and am perfectly Assur'd that this Conceit is Virtually if not Formally implyed in all Sin or Aver● on of the Heart from Our HOLY ONE My using these words Secundum Naturam Bonitatis Infinit● was not as you say to hide the Sense but to prevent your Opinion that I should hold such an Absurdity as this that God Acts any thing ad ul●mum Posse which words can in no wise be spoke● of God but it seems I had not my Aim For in the Close of your Letter you tell me that you think m● work is to Prove that God communicateth Goo● Naturally to the utmost of his absolute Power as th● Sun doth its influence of Light Heat and Motion God Forbid that I should undertake to Prove tha● God acts like a Finite Agent as Finite as having any Utmost or Limited Power Whether I misu● derstand Goodness which is another Passage in you● Letter I shall entreat you to Consider by what shall say of it in my present Reflexions upon the words of yours His Goodness even his infinite Perfection and Love to Himself This is GOD Himself He is His own infinite Joy and Life and Glory He is All in all Things and Ecents Sin only excepted Enjoying Himself in these small Creatures which are so contemptible in the Sight o● Men no less than in the most Glorious of the Heavenly Hosts And the more we Partake of the Divine Nature the more we Delight Ourselves in a● the Works both of Creation and Providence Here I cannot but tell you that I Hate as the Gates of Hell the Folly and Madness of some of the Adversaries of Our Liturgie which prompted them ●o speak contemptuously under Pretence forsooth ●f Zeal for the Pure Service of God of that Excellent Hymn O all ye Works of the Lord Bless ye the Lord Praise ●im and Magnifie Him for Ever O all ye Angels of the Lord Bless ye the Lord c. There is say you a Negative Limitation which is ●ot in Gods Power and you seem to grant it to be in ●is Wisdom which you truly call the Councell of his Will But what Wisdom doth it doth as the Guide ●f the Will and therefore as Wisdom is the reason of ● I suppose you mean of a man 's not being Actually better than he is for you say in the next Page ●hat our want of Goodness is the consequence of a ●eer Non Velle negatione Directionis so the Will ●ust needs be the cause of it negatione Volitionis To ●his I Answer that the cause that any man is not ●etter than he is is not that God cannot make him Better i. e. that there is any Defect of Power in God neither can it be rightly said that God can make him Better than he is For I understand those words as you rightly conjecture in sensu composito But perhaps you will say God could have made him Better than he is To this I Answer that the making him better than he is was never the Object of the Divine Power of which there can be no other Object ad Extra but what is judg'd Fit to be brought to pass by that Wisdom which is Essentially the Same with Infinite Goodness This deep ●hing let me presume to tell you in all Humility ●equires your Utmost Attention Neither are these Negations if we may put a Periphrasis of Noth● in the Plural number of Wisdom to Direct Will to Execute the Cause c. For of m● Negation there is No Issue or Consequence ● that you say Reflecting upon my words co●cerning the Object of Gods Volition or Noliti● c. I do most Affectionately Approve as i●porting very much of the same Truth for wa● of which Dr. Twisse whom you mention see● to me in many Passages of his Controversial Wr●ings to Rave and Talk indeed like a Schol● but like one out of his Right Wits rather than Dispute But you seem to Faulter very much when you come to say that our want of Goodness the Consequence of a meer Non Velle For as I sa● but now of a meer Negation or Nullity i. e. Nothing there is no Issue or Consequence at a● I think say you that it is not true that Voli● quà Talis efficit ad Extra sed tantùm quatenus ●● Potentiam Operatur To this I Answer Volitio D●vina ad Extra quà Talis Divina inquam Efficit ● Extra nam Essentialiter includit Sapientiam P●tentiam Infinitam To these words Omnis Volit● non est Efficiens for God willeth himself much less omnis Nolitio I Answer thus Gods Willin● of Himself may not properly be term'd Efficien● but it is Effectual or to the Purpose that i● which He Willeth to Be And every Object o● His Volition ad Extra Is or Shall be Throug● the Efficacy of His Power set on work by th● Infinite Goodness of the Councel of his Will As fo● the Divine Nolition this I say By it we mea● not the Negative of Volition but an Adverse Act the Will which Essentially implying Infinite ●●●sdom and Power can never be Frustrated but wayes Effects the Opposite to that to which it is ●●verse So that if any man's being Actually Bet●● than he is were the Object of Divine Nolition it ●●st needs follow that God would be the Direct ●use of the Opposite thereof viz. that the man is ●●tually so Bad as he is What then is the Cause ●● I say again Onely the Perverseness of his ●n Will Sin only can be the Cause of Sin What ●use than had the first Sin why as in effect I we say'd already none at all Man 's own Perversess of Will say you was not

the Cause of his First ●rverting or Sin When we speak of Perversness of Will with Reference to the First Sin we mean ●●thing but the First Sin under that Notion not at this Perverseness of Will is Really Distinct ●●om the First Act of the Will Perverted I can●●t translate OPTIMA into any English so suitable ●● my Conceptions as these words FULL of Goodness I did not retire into Silence as you speak at ●e Instance of the Heathens but Told you this Cer●●n Truth That we Ought not to Deny our As●●t to such Evident Propositions as this that 'T is ●ssential to Infinite Goodness to Fill the Capacities ●● all Creatures so that properly and in the strict● sense there is no Evil but the Aversion of the ●ill of the Creature from the Will of the Infinitely ●ood and Wise and Powerful Creator To this say we ought not to Deny our Assent because we ●●nnot give an account of some Particular Wayes of Providence i. e. of the Modes or several Kinds the Influence of Infinite Goodness upon some Pa●… of the Creation Modes c. we Attribute only Extrinseco to the Divine Providence they being only in the Creatures The Reason or Proof of the Consequence if God cannot be the Direct cause 〈◊〉 Stinting c. is this because if He cannot be t●●Direct Cause of Stinting his Influence c. It is 〈◊〉 His Part Unstinted that is to say in an Unlimit●… Abundance But say you God may Non Age●● without any Stinting Cause what restrain'd him fr●● making the World from Eternity To this I Answe● though God may Non Agere without a Cause such a Sense as you Instance in yet there is a●wayes some Cause of his Not-Giving Grace to a●man to Do what He Commands him not that th●● can be any Impediment put upon God but th●… He is ab Extrinseco Denominated Not-Giving Gra●● for that the Creature does not Receive it from his the Cause of which Non-Reception is only the Pe●versness of his own Will which indeed is nothing else but his Aversion from the Divine Goodness To your Objection against my Description 〈◊〉 Gods Offering of Grace viz. Offering is less th●… making and making is more than offering c. I Answer thus Every Real Offer must needs imp●● the Presenting of the Object of Reception wherever there is an Object of Reception there is a Capaci●● or Power to Receive There can be no Power to Receive that which is Good but only from GOD Therefore I do again most Confidently ●…verr that Gods Offering of Grace is the making men Presently Capable of Doing His Will or as we ●ay speak of receiving His Commands By the Assi●ance of His Holy Spirit From my Description of Gods Offering of Grace here may be an Objection rais'd against what has ●een so Earnestly insisted on viz. that the Divine Goodness fills all the Capacities of His Creatures c. ●ut the Answer is Easie viz. that the Present Ca●acity of Doing the Will of God is Fill'd i. e. the Will of God is Done According to that Capacity where the Capacity is not Instanly Nullifyed by the Creatures Sinning or Averting itself from the Di●ine Goodness The Sense whereof that I may more ●igorously Excite in the Mind of the Learned and Pious Reader I shall here give him my Latine Translation together with the Original of an Excellent Prayer compos'd in English Verse by the ●ncomparable Mrs. K. P. The Same Sense in two Languages seems to me to Condense the Thoughts of the Reader and to give the greater Strength to their Influence upon His Affections ETernal Reason Glorious Majesty * Compar'd to whom what can be say'd to be Whose Attributes are Thee who art alone Cause of all various things and yet but One Whose Essence can no more be searcht by man Then Heav'n thy Throne be grasped with a Span. Yet if this great Creation was design'd To sev'ral ends fitted for ev'ry kind Sure Man the Worlds Epitome must be Form'd to the best that is to Study Thee And as our Dignity 't is Duty too Which is summ'd up in this to Know and Do. These comly Rowes of Creatures spell thy Name Whereby we grope to find from whence they Came By thy own Chain of Causes brought to think There must be one then find the Highest Link Thus all Created Excellence we see Is a Resemblance faint and dark of Thee Such Shadowes are produc'd by the Moon-Beams Of Trees or Houses in the running Streams Yet by Impressions born with us we find How good great just Thou art how unconfin'd Here we are swallow'd up and gladly dwell Safely Adoring what we cannot Tell. All we know is Thou art Supreamly Good And dost Delight to be so understood A spicy Mountain on the Universe On which thy Richest Odours do disperse But as the Sea to fill a Vessel heaves More greedily than any Cask receives Besieging round to find some gap in it Which will a new Infusion admit So dost Thou covet how Thou mayst dispense Upon the empty World thy Influence Lov'st to disburst thyself in Kindness thus The King of Kings Waits to be Gracious On this account O Lord enlarge my Heart To entertain what Thou would'st fain impart Nor let that Soul by sev'ral Titles Thine And most Capacious form'd for things Divine So nobly meant that when it most doth miss 'T is in mistaken pantings after Bliss Degrade it self in sordid things delight ●r by prophaner mixtures lose its right ● that with fixt unbroken thoughts it may ●dmire the Light which does Obscure the Day ●nd since 't is Angels Work it hath to do ●ay its Composure be like Angels too When shall these clods of Sense and Phantsy break That I may hear the God within me speak When with a silent and retired Art ●hall I with all this empty hurry part To the Still Voice Above my Soul advance My Light and Joy plac'd in his Countenance ●y whose dispense my Soul to such frame brought May tame each treach'rous fix each wandring Thought With such distinctions all things here behold And so to separate each dross from Gold That nothing my free Soul may Satisfie But t' imitate enjoy and Study Thee O Ratio Omnipotens Majestas Gloria Summa Cui si Confertur Quicquam Non Esse probatur Cui Quod inest est Tu Qui cunct is Rebus habere Esse suum Varium das Unus Semper Idem Cujus non magis Explorari Essentia possit Humano Ingenio quàm Summi Culmina Coeli Comprendi Palmo At fuerint si Cuncta per Orbem In certos generis diversi condita Fines Ipsum Hominem Mundi Specimen Quò Maxima Spiret Nasci constat idest Quò se Tibi MAXIME Reddat Hoc Nostrum Officium est haec Nostra est Gloria Sc● Et Facere usque Jubet quicquid Divina Voluntas Condita quaeque Tuum quasi Sculpta Vocabula Nome Designant Fontem hinc pervestigamus eorum Scilicet ostendit Causarum longa Ca●ena Esse Unam Summam ● Quâ Pendent Singula Causa● Naturae quicquid Praeclarae lumina s●argit Hoc levis IMMENSI perhibetur LUMINIS Umbr● Quales in Fluviis Tectorum aut Arboris Umbras Producit tenui splendescens Cynthia Cornu Idêis tamen Innatis BONITAS Manifesta est Illa Tua nullis Te clausum Finibus esse Hîc Alto Absorptos nos LUX IMMENSA recondit Tutò Admirantes Non Enarrabile Verum Novimus hoc solum de Te BONITATE SUPREM Gaudentem Titulo Te Velle Agnoscier Isto Mons es Aromaticus Jucundos Suavis Odores Divite profluvio totum diffundis in Orbem Ut coit Unda aliquod Vas impletura receptum In Mare scrutando Rimas quibus Influat usque Prosiliens plus quàm possit Vas accipere urgens Ut Pater Alme Tuâ possit Bonitate repleri Sic urges Vacuum Foecundo Numine Mundum Ipse Benignus Amas Te Dispensare Favorem Exhibet Indignis condonat Crimina gratis Rex Regum Amplifica DEUS O Ter Maxime nostr●● Cor Avidè Arripiat quod Tu Largir is Amanter O Anima haec Titulis Tibi soli Debita multis Magna Tuique Capax tam purum nobile cui sit Ingenium ut Sitiat Verum quod Devia linquit Ne se Deliciis Pravis illapsa Minorem Quàm Quae Facta fuit Faciat revoluta deorsum Jus adeo Antiquum potiundi Numine perdens ● utinam certis immotae viribus Ipsa Mentis in Augustum sit Sacro Rapta Stupore ●umen quo victi vel lucida Tela Diei ●n Tenebras abeunt Quam fungi Munere Oportet Angelico Angelicam tandem Pater OPTIME reddas ●lli Temperiem Quando ista Repagula Sensus ●laudentes Animum penitus Rumpentur ut Intus Alloquio DEUS ipse Suo me Personet Arte Quando Ego Tranquillâ Curâ semota Metuque Despiciam stolidi Bacchantia Gaudia Mundi Tu Rape sursum Animam Lenem super Aethera Vocem Audiat inque Tuo semper Mea Gaudia Vultu Ponantur Nostras Te Disponente Medullas Nè Superet Fallax Agitet nec Mobile Coenum Clariùs ut valeam rerum cognoscere causas Atque Auro cautè Scoriam distinguere vilem Ut ruptis tandem Mens evolet Ignea Vinclis Et Tibi se jungens Aeternâ Pace Quiescat FINIS Page 7. of the Letters line 12. for Punishes read Purifies Books Newly Printed this Year 1678. for William Crook 1. THe Wonders of the Peak in Darby-shire commonly led the Devils Arse of Peak 2. Reflections upon Antient and Modern Philosophy M● and Natural treating of the Philosophers of all Count● and Ages 80. 3. Melpomene or the Muses Delight being New Poems Songs written by several of the great Wits of the pres● Age. 4. Decameron Physologicum or ten Dialogues of Natural losophy By Tho. Hobbs of Malmsbury 80. 5. Tunbridge Wells or a Dayes Court-ship a Comedy Ac● at the Dukes Theatre 6. The Man of New-Market a Comedy Acted at the Thea● Royal. 7. A Discourse Whether it be lawful to take Use for Mon● Written by Sir Rob. Filmer and published by Sir R●● Twisden 120. 8. The School of Righteousness A Sermon Preached before King by Dr. Sandcroft Arch-bishop of Canterbury 40. 9. Praxis Curiae Admiralitatis Angliae * In cujus Essentiae comparatione Esse nostrum non Esse est S. GREG. Ior. 16. c. 16.

able to Arise from the Dead Not in Thine own Naturall Power but thou mayst Certainly by the Power of the Lord of Life that Calls upon Thee to arise This Call this Commandement is Life Everlasting If Thou wilt not Stop thine Ears against it Thou shalt Live for ever But I do not yet understand this Mystery how I should Act in the Power of Christ Take it for Thine own Rely upon It in a Sense of Thine Interest or Propriety in It. How shall I do that why It is in a manner Thine own already because It is Freely offer'd unto Thee So that there can be no other Cause of thy Abiding in Death but the Perverseness of Thine own Will Because Thou wilt be a Fool and Embrace this Present World and Despise the Lord of Glory Because Thou wilt be the Worst of Mad men a Destroyer of Thy self a Lover of Death But oh why Wilt Thou dye Receive the Lord Jesus and He will give thee Power to become one of the Sons of God to have thy Conversation in Heaven He will make thee Partaker of Eternal Life of Joy Unspeakable and full of Glory And O that We would All Hearken with the utmost Propensity and Intention of our Hearts and Minds to the Voice of the Lord Our God Calling upon Us in the Words of the Blessed Psalmist with which I shall Conclude my Discourse Kiss the Son lest He be angry and ye Perish from the way when his Wrath is Kindled but a little Blessed are all they that put their Trust in Him AMEN HALLELUIAH AN ABSTRACT OF SOME LETTERS TO AN Eminent Learned PERSON Concerning the EXCELLENCY Of the BOOK of COMMON-PRAYER c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 8. 1. LONDON Printed for William Crook at the Green Dragon without Temple-Bar 1679. SIR I Humbly entreat you to tell me whether you do not Judge it Sinful to stay at home on the Lords Day rather then go to Church only to hear the Common Prayer Preaching doubtless is in no wise to be Neglected but this I must say that I cannot apprehend that that person has any Actings of that Faith which worketh by Love without which All the Knowledge we gain by Hearing Sermons does not Edify but only Puff up the Mind who when he comes to the Place of God's publick Worship knowing that he may not expect a Sermon there is not Confident that he shall be as much Edified by the Prayers Chapters c. as he should be by never so good a Sermon But however by reason of the Rarity of the Habit of True Christian Faith even in that part of the World which we call Christendome and the frequency of the long Interruptions of its Actings where it is Various fresh Expressions of Saving Truths which are apt to Excite the Minds of the Unsanctifyed by the Phantasie to give heed to the Sense they import are very Necessary But This is most evident that People are exceeding apt to take the Sensible Workings of their Soul stir'd up by the Novelty of Expression in Sermons the Emphatical Pronunciation of the Preacher c. for Fervency of SPIRIT which Sensible Motions I presume you will grant are of no value otherwise than as they are Subservient to Rational Abhorrence of all Sin of all Inordinate Affection to Finite Objects or to a Rational or Spiritual Inclination to the ONE INFINITE GOOD through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD the Effectual Notices of which INFINITE GOOD how is it possible but we should be continually stir'● up unto in the Hearing of the Common Prayer we would Apprehend the Free Offers of the Spirit of Truth which the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ makes unto us in an Unlimited Abundance in the Use of all such Means of Grace as He calls us unto Here I could Run out with much Fervor o● Indignation against the Despisers of these Means o● Grace Strong Guards from those Accursed Errors Socinianism c. which whilst I liv'd in Oxford seem'd to me to be coming in like a Mighty Torrent upon this Distracted Kingdom whil● the Frequent Professions of Belief of the TRINITY Gloria patri and the Three Creeds were ca● out of Our Churches If it be say'd what Reformation have we now c. I Reply that one Reason of this Kingdom 's Miscarriages I might say Abominations is that some of those that are syncerel● Learned Pious have not such an Esteem of ou● Liturgie as they Ought to have And hundreds ●● those that are thought by the Vulgar to be so ●● themselves Despise it or Countenance others in doing You give me not any punctual Answer to my Question whether you do not Judge it Sinful to stay at home though to read Good Books c. on the Lords Day rather than come to Church when nothing is to be heard there but the Common Prayer You say you are more against spending the Lords Day in Idleness or in any thing which is worse than in Hearing that alone I thank God I was never so Mad as to make a question of This I have nothing to say to it but that I dislike these words worse than the Common Prayer which seem to insinuate that It is not Good I am not guilty of ●lighting Preaching as 't is taken in contradistinction to Reading c. as you seem to Conceit I Affirm that to Suit or Proportion our Expectations of Grace in the Use of All Means whereunto we are Called to the Apprehensions of INFINITE Bounty c. is a Property of Saving Faith But say you GOD who appointeth several Means doth usually work according to them and when he withdraweth them it is a Judgment which it were not if he had promis'd as much Grace without them as with them I grant that God who appointeth several Means doth usually work according to them But I utterly Deny that when he withdraweth any Particular Means of Grace it is a Judgment to Him who is in the Act of syncere Love to the Blessed Jesus for such a one is at All Times and in All Places Under the Gracious Influences of the INFINITY of Light and Love directing him how by Submission to the Diuine Will withdrawing any Particular Means of Grace and by the Renewing his Resolutions to make a Right Use of all such Means as God shall at any time call him unto c. He may Receive of the Fullness of Christ in as great Measures as he could have done in the Use of the Means withdrawn from him The LORD give us both Understanding in all Things Now I have found the way by your Letter to discover your Thoughts concerning the Common Prayer in your Printed Papers I shall not trouble you with any more Post-Letters on that Subject but shall stick to the Defence of this Great Truth that the withdrawing of any particular Means of Grace is not a Judgment to him that is in the Act of Divine Love Against which you Argue thus That