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
A91367	The vvay to heaven discovered: and, the stumbling-blocks (cast therein by the world, flesh, and devill) removed. Or, The ready way to true happines: leading to the gate of full assurance. With a word of reproof to the scattered, discontented Members of the late Parliament. And a word of advise to the present supreme authority of England. / By Robert Purnell.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.	1653 (1653)	Wing P4243; Thomason E1489_2	94,272	222

required as absolutely necessary to salvation Joh. 17. 3. Joh. 3. 36. 8. 24. Psal 2. 12. Luk. 19. 27. So that election and reprobation are not in any sense causes of salvation and damnation but Christ is the proper and meritorious cause of salvation and sin the proper and meritorious cause of damnation so that election and reprobation they are but precedent acts or decrees and the causes of salvation and damnation they come in between the decrees and the execution thereof So then if we consider men in themselves and without Christ they are dead in their sins without any spirituall strength and having neither will nor spirituall power neither in themselves nor of themselves either to beleeve or to doe any good work from any true principle or for any good end therefore Gods grace prepareth us before we can be able and worketh in us that we may be able nay the Lord doth work all our works in or for us as well after beleeving as before beleeving Take a man that is quickned inlightned converted and impowered by the Spirit of God in the inward man this man hath need of a continuall supply Phil. 1. 19. of the Spirit of God of renewed strength for we read of Peter that he rested upon some old received strength and so fals before a new temptation So again Paul I can doe all things through Christ enabling me he knew he must not rest upon what he was inabled to doe but expect a continuall enabling by the same Spirit that at first enabled him Eph. 6. 10. Be strong in the Lord that is be ye strengthned daily more and more by the power of the Lord that is be ye encouraged to doe the thing required of the Lord by that union ye have with him by faith drawing from him all the strength ye stand in need of 1. Consider thou hast a power already given thee by which thou art able to doe the thing required 2. Or else with the command the Lord conveyes a power to inable thee to do the thing commanded Thirdly when thou lookest upon the command on thy left hand then look upon the promises on thy right hand wherein the Lord God hath promised to inable thee and not not not faile thee nor nor forsake thee Heb. 13. 5. It is observed that there are five Negatives in these words although our Translation doth expresse but one but for more carefull practising doing and observing all the commands of our God consider these few things as incouragements 1. He requires no more of us then he hath inabled us to doe or at least promised to inable us to doe 2. For our encouragement he hath promised to reward us for doing our duty so that to every precept there are two Promises the one to reward us the other to inable us and both to encourage us And in case of slothfulnesse and negligence in leaving undone what we ought and might have done First he complains on us Secondly he exhorts us Thirdly he threatens us Fourthly he tells us that he did put a prize into our hands but we like fools had no heart to it and so our cloudings eclipsings mis-givings and doubtings are but the effects of our negligence See Isa 59. 2. Isa 1. 15. Jer. 5. 25. Psal 107. 17. 34. The Lord doth protest we are not straitned in him he is not wanting to us what could I saith the Lord have done more for my Vineyard Isa 5. 4. And when I looked for Grapes it brought forth wilde Grapes wherefore judge are not my wayes equall and yours unequall Heare O Heavens and give eare O Earth be astonished I have furnished a people with strength to obey me and they have rebelled against me What will no man believe me did I ever say seeke mee in vaine did not your Fathers trust in me and were saved are not my wayes equall and yours unequall do I reap where I have not sown do I require much where I have given little is not my promise before you and my presence with you is not my blessing upon you and my Angels guarding you dost thou want strength ask of me dost thou want wisdome ask of me Have not I said in my Word that I do give liberally and upbraide not have I not said I will withhold no good thing from thee and have I not promised to work faith in thee and protested I will never faile nor forsake thee Why dost thou not take hold of my Covenant and assure thy self I will never faile thee The soul having all its stumbling-blocks removed it begins to clear up and solace it self in the apprehension of Christ and application of his promises and so breaks forth into these or the like words Ever blessed be the name of God that hath removed these terrible stumbling-blocks that lay in my way now I see that I never saw now I know that I never knew he hath anoynted mine eyes he hath scattered all my doubts he is my God and I will prepare him a habitation in my soule and the chiefest roome in my heart God told Moses he could not see his face and live If I cannot see his face and live then let me dye that I may behold him as he is and have full injoyment of him O I am sick for the love of him that dyed for the love of me I was ignorant as a beast before him but now I know him and have experience of him he hath avouched himselfe to be mine and I have avouched my selfe to be his Jacobs life was bound up in Benjamins but my soule is bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord my God so that for me to live is Christ and to dye is gaine he hath overcome me with his love he hath made knowne his minde to me in removing these stumbling-blocks from me I am overcome with admiration and replenished with exceeding consolation 21. The last stumbling-block that I shall name is this And saith many a poor soul with-within it self I know not with what Society or Assembly to joyne with there are so many opinions viz. Presbytery Independency Anabaptist Arminians Antinomians Ranters Quakers Seekers I know not with whom to sit downe O tell me O thou whom my soule loveth where thou feedest thy flock that so I may be able to discerne betweene him that serveth God in pretence or in truth Ans My advise is That thou wouldst own all men and women let them go under what name soever if thou seest any thing of the appearance of Christ in them and know no man after the flesh 2 Cor. 5. 16. that is do not so much take notice of mens outward appearances viz. kindred quality honour wisdome or eloquency but meerly know them after the spirit that is according to the spirituall power vertue and grace that is in them the true Church then are a people created in Christ Jesus or begotten and born to God in the faith and knowledge of his Son by the

worke whilst we have the light Joh. 12. 36. And whilst it is called to day to r●turne unto him and to accept of grace offered and not to harden our hearts against it Heb. 13 13 15. And our Saviour b●wayleth Jerusalem because she had let sl●p the day of her visitation therefore all those that have let slip the first tender of grace have cause to ●epent of it but no cause to despaire for if God make them now willing and desirous to accept of mercy then the day of salvation is not yet past to that man or woman nor the date of Gods acceptance of him in Christ as yet out but he or she may in the carefull and conscionable use of meanes appointed by God finde comfort And hereof we have a lively example of Manasses for though the Lord spake often unto him by his Prophets he would not regard but still refused all grace offered unto him as appears in 2 Chron. 33 10. yet at last though but in his tribulation he called unto God for mercy and humbled himselfe before him he was heard of him and received to mercy ver 12. 13. And for that place in Prov. 1. 24. Because I have called and ye refused they shall call upon me but I will not answer by calling here is not meant an hearty praying with godly sorrow for sin but a crying and howling rather like those in Hos 7. 14. under the sense of Gods judgements desiring only to be eased of it as Pharaoh was wont to do but for all this God is mighty to all that call upon him in truth Psal 145. 18. and by refusing here is meant a constant and obstinate refusing of wisdoms counsell untill such time as God hath brought upon them some fearfull judgements Again for that place in Heb. 12. 17. touching Esau his seeking of repentance with tears it is as much mistaken as the ormer for it is not to be understood of Esau his own repentance from his profanenesse but of his Father Isaacs repentance he would have his Father repent of what he had done and to change his mind by revoking the blessing which he had given to his brother and to bestow it on him but he could finde no such repentance in his Father no though he sought it with tears as appeareth Gen. 27. 34 38. And as for the other place Mat. 25. 11 12. touching the foolish Virgins being excluded out of the bride-chamb●r for coming too late we are to consider that this is a parable and parables must not be urged beyond their generall scope now the generall scope of this parable is this that formall professors viz. such as have only a fo … of godlinesse without the power of it although they will not live the life of the righteous yet they could wish with Balaam that their end might be like theirs but forasmuch as they have not provided the oyl of truth and righteousnesse and holinesse therefore at the day of judgement they shall be disappointed of entring into heaven so that this parable is not to be understood of what shall betide poore penitent sinners but of what shall betide hypocriticall professors at the day of Judgment when the gate of mercy shall be shut And for that place Luke 13. 24. Many shall strive to enter in and shall not be able that is as much mistaken as any of the rest or rather more for Christ saith not many shall strive to enter in and shall not be able but many shall seek to enter and shall not be able betwixt which there is a great difference for seeking imports only a bare professing of Christ but to strive is to put all his indevours thereunto to withstand all lets and hinderances that may oppose him to take every advantage that may make the way more passable and to make use of the time and meanes that is offered when the way is so opened this is properly to strive to enter Now never did any thus strive as we read of in Scripture though it were but at the last day of their lives but they received mercy witnesse the penitent Theef Luke 23. 40 41. VII Well saith the poor soul I am fully satisfyed in all the forementioned particulars which were as so many mountaines or at least so many stumbling blocks in my way But behold here is another unmoveable mountain in my way that I fear I shall never get over And in briefe that is this I feare I am not elected to salvation and I finde in Scripture that none shall beleeve and be saved but those only that he hath chosen or elected predestinated and ordained Eph. 1. 4. Act. 13. 48. Rom. 8. 29. Answ Thou art not to enquire after or once to question thy election till thou doest first beleeve and so the Apostle teacheth Rom. 10. 6 7. Say not in thy heart Who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or Who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead looke neither upon election nor predestination but looke upon the invitation that is laid before thee and preached unto thee Isa 55. 1. Ho! every one that thirsteth come and he that hath no money come without money and without price Revel 22. 17. The Spirit of the Bride say Come and let him that heareth Come and let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him come and take the water of life freely there are in each of these texts three whatsoevers I say again there are three whatsoevers 1. What person soever he be viz. Jew Gentile Barbarian Scythian Bond or Free or whether an unconverted sinner or a backslider Act. 10. 35. Joel 2. 32. 2. What sinner soever he be either for number or nature Isa 1. 18. 1 Joh. 1. 7 9. Act. 13. 39. 3. What time soever he doth come he shall finde mercy Luke 23. 43. Now election and reprobation are not as many imagine the causes of salvation and damnation for Christ is the proper and meritorious cause of salvation and sin the proper and meritorious cause of damnation Election and reprobation they are but president and peculiar acts or decrees and the causes of salvation and damnation they come in between the decrees and the execution thereof The Woman of Canaan had as great cause to question her election as any other vile sinner for Christ tels her that he was sent but only to the lost sheep of Israel and she was an Heathen a Canaanite and so tels her It is not meet to take the childrens bread and give it to dogges Mat. 15. 24. 26 c. Now when there be temptations about election and predestination thrown in upon thee the best way for the present is to lay that dispute by as this woman did and to run to mercy and say as she did Lord helpe me Election was never laid down as the ground of faith nor as the ground of repentance but rather