Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A79475
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A plot for the good of posterity. Communicated in a sermon to the Honorable House of Commons for the sanctifying of the monthly fast. March 25. 1646. / By Francis Cheynell.
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Cheynell, Francis, 1608-1665.
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1646
(1646)
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Wing C3814; Thomason E329_11; ESTC R200698
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45,495
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60
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Apostates scandalous and impenitent persons who lived and died in sinne appeare at that terrible day of accounts Christ will protest unto them that he never knew them that is He never approved them Math. 7. 23. Nay for the present Christ doth usually set a brand upon all false-hearted men though they are highly conceited of themselves and cried up by others for prudence and piety yet Christ saith I know such and such but I will never trust them because I know them and I will lay them open to my people that they may know them for they will deceive all that trust them Some mens sinnes goe afore to judgement and some mens follow after for they that are otherwise cannot be hid 1 Tim. 5. 24 25. When Christ wrought miracles many beleeved in his name but Christ did not trust them for he knew what was in man in every man for he knew all men John 2. 23 24 25. Christ workes miracles in our dayes and there are many that seeme to beleeve in his name but if they be not sincere Christ will lay them open for it is impossible to deceive the Searcher of hearts and Judge of Secrets our Omniscient and Impartiall God Lastly We may learne from hence That what ever God doth approve in man hee doth worke in man for this knowledge is not a Notionall but a Practicall effectuall knowledge * whatsoever God knowes to be future he doth will if it be evill he doth willingly permitte it or else he would certainely hinder it For even sinne which is against his will cannot come to passe without his will but if that which is to come to passe be good then God doth not onely know or permit it but worke it also for God is the Author of every thing that is good and therefore God foresees no good in the best of men but such as he from all eternity decrees and in time doth according to his decree worke in them Socinus makes quick worke in this point for rather then he will deny the liberty of mans will he like an Atheist denyes the foreknowledge of God I shall not here launch into the deepe and discourse of Scientia simplicis intelligentiae scientia visionis nor trouble you with the confutation of that Jesuiticall nay Arian Semipelagian invention of Scientia Media nor will I wrangle with Pererius about Abrahams foreseene merits which in his conceite moved God to make nay to decree to make Abraham so great and glorious I can with one light touch crush these Apples of Sodom and make them vanish into smoake or fall into ashes * God knowes all things that are possible because he knowes his owne Power God knowes all things future because he knowes his owne Will for nothing can passe out of the ranke of things meerely possible into the ranke and order of things Future before some Act or Decree of Gods Will hath passed for its Futurition A thing must be Future before God can know it to be future and therefore the futurition of a thing is not knowable no not in Signo Rationis before God hath passed a decree for its futurition If God should foresee any good habit or action proceeding from mans will before he hath decreed to worke both in man and for him Mans will would be the first and Independent cause of something which is good We must speake Scripture reason God sets his love upon us because he loves us Deut. 7. 7 8. And out of free grace and undeserved love decrees to make us holy and so foresees and approves our holinesse The Knowledge then in the text being a Knowledge of Approbation supposes the free grace undeserved love Immutable and Effectuall Decree of God which is the fountaine of grace and glory In bad actions we can hardly take enough to our selves for the divell cannot make me sinne unlesse he aske me leave and gaine my consent but in good actions I can never ascribe too much to God who saves me out of free grace without any contributions of helpe or attributions of worth seene or foreseene in my fraile and sinfull selfe True it is God doth bestow his saving benefits in a certaine Order so that one of his Favours doth make way for another But his second favours cannot be deserved by his first because his first favours make way for his second and both proceede from his free grace The Decree of God is a sure foundation the Fore-knowledge of God is a certaine Seale The Foundation of God standeth sure having this Seale The Lord knoweth them that are his There is the Privy-Seale the Broade-Seale is stamped upon them In the next words And let every one that names the Name of Christ depart from iniquity 2 Tim. 2. 19. The Lord doth bring all that are his not onely to name the Name of Christ to professe his Name call upon his Name and beleeve in his Name but to depart from iniquity live holily and persevere in faith and holinesse Faith by fetching strength from Christ doth strengthen all patience beares all love sweetens all and perseverance crownes all thus then in a word I know him saith God that is I love him and cannot but approve him because I have chosen him for mine owne and am resolved to stand to my choise I have bestowed effectuall grace upon him which hath moved him to choose me for his God as I have chosen him for my friend and my grace shall be further effectuall to make him stand to his choise and therefore I know both what he is and what he will be he is right for the present and I know he will be upright for the future because I know him thence it will come to passe that hee will command his children faith an acute and learned Expositour upon the place Doct. It is our duty to endeavour to bring all that are under our command to be at Gods Command Abraham did not leave his children and servants to their owne Genius their owne counsels their owne lusts though it is certaine that divers of them would have thanked him for such a liberty for they had beene nursed up in superstition and Idolatry as Abraham was and might have pretended that they were not satisfied in point of conscience but Abraham knew how to distinguish betweene Phantasy and Conscience betweene Liberty of Conscience and Liberty of Lust and therefore would not allow them such a Liberty as would have enticed them into the worst kinde of Bondage Abraham did command I know saith God that he will command he will make his children know that he is their Father and his servants know that he is their Master Abraham shewed his Authority Prudence Love Diligence and Faithfulnesse by laying a strict and speciall Command upon his Houshold for the eternall welfare of their pretious soules First His Authority he was a King a Priest a Prophet in his owne Family and therefore did command them to subject