Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	action_n	necessary_a	will_n	2,167	5	7.9150	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01045	Funerals of a right reuerend father in God Patrick Forbes of Corse, Bishop of Aberdfne [sic]. Tou en hagiois reuenderendissimi in Christo patris, Patricii Forbesii a Corse, episcopi Abredoniensis, tumulus. A multis omnium ordinum collachrymantibus variegato opere exornatus.	Lindsay, David, 1565?-1627.	1631 (1631)	STC 11151; ESTC S102430	243,542	510

actions as a naturall and necessarie cause and not free it is false For Hee doeth nothing ad extra without Himselfe necessarilie but altogether freelie 2. If you say that GOD willeth not that which is formall in sinne this is not sufficient For by the materiall of sinne wherevnto they say GOD praedeterminateth they vnderstand the actions according to all the conditions and circumstances determining and making it individuall Nowe if GOD bee the cause of this inwardlie moving and praedeterminating our wills to consent therevnto Hee must needes also bee the cause of that which is formall Hence first God forbiddeth that in sin which is materiall as when He forbiddeth to commit adulterie or steale The sense is not Beware heereof that when thou takest another man's goods agaynst his will there bee in that action the privation of rectitude or meralitas malitiae for wee can not hinder this sequell of evill But the meaning is Take heede thou doe not this act wherevnto evill is necessarilie joyned If GOD forbid it and deterre from it can Hee effectuallie praedetermine mee therevnto before all inclination of my will and altogether independentlie from my libertie 2. Man is no other wayes the cause of tha● which is formall in Theft or the lyke sinne but by producing the positiue entitie and free act of taking another man's goods Hee willeth not the formall evill yea hee would that this action had beene without it yet doeth hee properlie a morall evill because evill necessarilie cleaveth vnto his action 3. Admitting that Praedetermination great and light temptations should not differ by vehemencie of the object or temptation of the Devill But all the danger should be from this Divine praemotion and impulse which beeing present wee should fall into the lightest and beeing absent should stand in the greatest assaultes All this is so absurd that even some of the Dominicans themselues though they mayntayne Praedetermination in good actions yet they denye it in evill as Franciscus Cumel Disputat ad primam partem primam secundae Thomae pag. 209. If it bee objected That the same absurdities follow vpon the immediate concourse of GOD to the act of sinne though there bee no praemotion or praedetermination I answere 1. That this praemotion is more absurd For 1. The praedeterminantes admit this immediate concurrence and the moving or impelling of the agent besides 2. Praedetermination hath a necessarie and determinate connexion with the act of sinne so that it can not bee joyned with the contrarie act and GOD they say frameth the decree of it of Himselfe and without anie respect to our will But the denyers thereof say That GODS concurrence though immediate is generall indifferent and indeterminate in so farre as the concurrence of GOD in actu primo that is GOD vt paratus ad concurrendum quantum est ex se ex munere causae primae according to His place is readie to cooperate to anie action of the creature whether good or evill This they meane by GOD'S indifferent concourse and not that the action is onelie from GOD secundùm rationem genericam as some doe chyldishlie interpret them And so probablie they teach though the act of sinne in respect of that which is materiall bee from GOD and the creature both yet considered as it is free and in respect of the moralitie founded vpon Libertie it is not from GOD. Vasquez Canus Scotus Vega Raynaud So in a vitall act of vnderstanding or loue though the vitalitie bee one with the entitie of the act yet the vitalitie of the action followeth not the same cause that the entitie thereof doeth For the act of vnderstanding is vitall by reference to that onlie principle from which it inwardlie ●loweth to wit the vnderstanding and yet it receaveth not the whole entitie or beeing from the vnderstanding alone but also from the species and habite which sometymes interveaneth Praedetermination therefore is much more repugnant to Divine Holinesse and innocencie Secondlie Some and those verie learned haue affirmed That the concurrence of GOD to evill actions is not immediate and as they speake identificatus or altogether one with the act it selfe So not onlie Durand and Aureol who denye this kynde of concurrence to anie act but also diverse others albeit saith Vasqu the opinion of Durand and Aureol taking it in the full latitude thereof hath no other patron tamen quod spectat ad actum peccati non videtur ita destituta For amongst the Schoole-men saith hee Antisiod L. 2. Summae Tract 27. C. 3. and Gregorius Arriminensis thinke it probable Diverse also in the tyme of the Master of Sentences were of this mynde as hee showeth Lib. 2. Dist. 37. where hee himselfe also dare not take vpon him to define the contrarie illarum verò sententiarum judicium prudentis lectoris arbitrio relinquimus We leaue it sayeth hee to the prudent Reader to judge which of these two opinions is most true Scotus also thinketh this opinion probable Aristotle was of this mynd sayth Lessius But which is most of all holie Augustine seemeth to haue beene of this mynde concerning evill actions Saynct Hieron Dialog 1. contra Pelag. sayeth Vasquez in the place before cited seemeth to favour this opinion but farre more clearlic August for in his second Booke de Lib. Arbit cap. 20. hee sayeth that motus aversionis which is sinne is not from GOD Ad DEVM non pertinere ne dubites sayeth hee It belongeth no wayes to GOD but to our will Neyther speaketh hee onelie of the defect but also of the act it selfe So in his Booke de perfect justitiae hee sayeth sinne is not res but actus for hee granteth a distinction betwixt these two vnderstanding by res a substance as in diverse other places he doeth therevpon he admitteth that there must bee some other author even of the act of sinne than GOD esteeming it onelie absurd to admit an author alicujus rei that is of some substance beside GOD. So hee playnlie sayeth that the motion it selfe of the will whereby wee sinne is not from GOD. Thou toldest mee sayeth hee also with a strong voyce O LORD in my inner eare howe that it is thy selfe who made all these natures and substances which are not what thy selfe is and which yet haue their being and howe that onelie is not from thee which hath no beeing no nor the will that slydeth backe from thee that art eminentlie vnto that which hath an inferiour beeing because that all such back-slyding is transgression and sinne This I haue insisted so much in to show that there is no necessitie in this philosophicall argument to make vs admit anie thing contrarie to true Divinitie and praejudice of the Sanctitie of GOD. Leaving therefore more curiouslie to search in this manner of GOD'S working I conclude this poynct with holie Augustine speaking of this matter this to wit that sinne is not from GOD

That noble and valorous Earle ROBERT DEVEREUX Earle of ESSEX who suffred in the yeare 1601 for his rebellion and died verie Christianlie as Historicians report being desired by the Pastors who were present at his execution to laye aside all feare of death ingenuouslie confessed that although hee had beene in manie extreame daungers and consequentlie had looked death oft tymes in the face yet hee had never looked vpon it without much horrour and feare But our worthie Prelate was so wonderfullie assisted and strengthened by the Spirit of GOD agaynst the terrours of death that in all these conflictes and wrastlinges which in his bodie hee had with death hee seemed rather to bee a spectator than an actor And this his more than ordinarie carriage continued still with him vntill hee breathed out his Soule into the Bosome of his Master To conclude then I haue spoken somewhat of this most Reverende Praelate but much short of his worth graces If any of you think that I haue said too much of his vertues truelie I will professe to you that I thinke farre more of them nor I haue sayde neyther dare I speake all that I thinke lest my speaches seeme to these who know him not or loue him not to proceede from a flattering humour I will not say of him as VELLEIUS PATERCULUS sayde of SCIPIO AEMILIANUS that in all his lyfe hee neyther did nor spake nor thought anie thing but that which was prayse worthie a speach not hyperbolicke onlie but impious but as Metellus Macedonicus sayde of the same man to his sonnes when they were going to his Buriall Goe my sonnes and celebrate his Exequies you shall never see the Funeralls of a greater Citizen so I will saye nowe to you Goe celebrate the Funeralls of our Venerable and moste worthie Bishop you shall never see the Funeralls of a worthier Praelate whyle you liue And so I ende beseeching God to giue to vs all as hee gaue to him grace to liue in the LORD to the effect that we also may die in the LORD AMEN A FVNERALL SPEACH In commemoration of the right Reverend Father in GOD PATRICKE FORBES of CORSE late Bishop of ABERDENE Chancellour and Restorer of the Universitie thereof one of his Majesties most honorable Privy Counsel a jewell both of Church and State Baron of ONEIL c. Delivered Apr. 12. 1635. by ALEXANDER SCROGIE Doctor in Divinitie and ordinarie Minister of Gods word in the Cathedrall Church of ABERDENE THE beholding of this place over-shadowed with a darke and dolefull countenance vpon this vnacceptable occasion GOD so ordering and disposing the wayes of men by his providence giveth vs just cause of heavines for the losse of that Graue and Reverend Praelate and ever worthie Diocesane a Man of eminent and best place amongst vs whom albeit wee had cum necessitate amittendi and haue lost him cum spe recipiendi and so are comforted with the will of the LORD that must be done yet not to haue feeling of that which so nearlie concerneth vs were not patience but blockish stupiditie contrarie the example of Heathen and Sayncts and the Lord IESUS mourning for Lazarus the destruction of Hierusalem and hard heart of the Iewes This is a praecursorie judgement and punishment So God maketh a way for his judgementes to come vpon a Church or kingdome when insensiblie and graduallie hee eateth out the heart and strength of a State and so by degrees weakeneth and praepareth it for a fatall blow that so without resistance hee may ruine it as pyking out and taking away nowe a prudent and experienced Counsellour and then another out of the way and those that pray for the welfare of the Nation and wrastle mightilie with God for the peace of it the Charets and Horse-men of the land the staffe and the stay and pillars of the house and so by degrees departing himselfe a new judgement in his anger entereth in rowme thereof Then Trueth and Holinesse commonlie depart and Ministers begin to bee corrupt the Prophet is a foole and the spirituall man is mad the power and puritie of the trueth and the good and olde way departeth and so idolatrie groweth and Sects encrease and a perilous desolation and change of all things enseweth What mischiefe followed the death of Samuel David Salomon and Iosias The Gothes after the death of Ambrose made in that same place irruption and setled the seat of their kingdome When Augustine ended his dayes in defence of the grace of GOD the Vandales crueltie and errours succeeded And after the death of blessed Martin Luther the bloodie Spaniards invaded Germanie and tooke Wittenberg And shall wee not wit when GOD departeth but bee as Sampson GOD by death hath taken away within this short space a great number of rare and worthie men both for wisdome and learning which were Ornamentes and Lightes in this Diocie and wee see no great evidenes howe to fill vp this gap It is an ancient proverbe Vivorum oportet meminisse and why then should there not bee made an honourable mention of them who haue died in the Lord because they liue to God Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Sayncts and shall it seeme vnto vs superfluous at such tymes as these are to heare in what manner they ended their lyues he hath so exactly recorded in Scripture in what sort they haue closed their dayes on earth that hee descendeth even to their meanest actions as what meat they longed for in their sicknesse what they spake to their Children or Friendes howe they framed their Testamentes where they haue willed to bee buried yea the verie turning of their faces to this or that side the setting of their eyes the degrees whereby their naturall heate departed from them their cryes groanes breathinges panting and last gasping hee hath solemnlie commended to all generations And GOD by the Prophet hath for ever commended to the Church David his Epitaph and Funerall Song of wicked Saull and Ionathan his sonne He decoreth them as if God from Heaven had said that the Captaynes of the Armies of Israell should not bee convoyed to the graue without honour and teares And no lesse they who haue deserved well of the Church and Common-wealth who haue put to flight the enemies with the sword of their mouth and of the Spirit than they which haue slayne them with the mouth and edge of the Sword and by Armies God maketh an honourable commemoration of them that did assist his service and cause and giveth them their glorie that doe any thing for him Which Christ applyeth to the woman that anoynted him So that it is not onlie lawful but also profitable that the godlie lyfe manners and vertue manner and forme of the death of the faythfull servands of God worthie of aeternall prayse bee recommended to future ages that they may bee acquaynted therewith So the care of the

anie but sinners Say not thou It is through the Lord that I fall away For thou oughtest not to doe things which Hee hateth Say not thou Hee hath caused mee to erre For Hee hath no neede of the sinfull man ECCLESIAS●ICVS 15.11.12 Wee are so farre from believing say the Fathers of the second Arausican Councell Can. ult that anie man is appoynted to evill by the power of GOD that on the contrarie if anie will be so bolde as to belieue so great an evill cum omni detestatione in illos anathema dicimus let such bee most dreadfullie accursed Iustice it selfe should bee vnjust sayeth Fulgentius if it should not finde but make men guiltie that so they might bee punished The third degree is All His affections and actions are so exactly conforme to the rectitude of His aeternall Lawe that there is no possibilitie in Him of such evill For first His infinite perfection can not stand with anie possibilitie of sinfull defect All apprehende GOD as such a One that nothing better can bee conceaved Yea Hee exceedeth all good that can bee comprehended by thought or by vnderstanding Nyssen de Opisic hominis Cap. 16. Which should not bee if Hee were not out of all danger of falling and had libertie in respect of morall evill Secondlie GOD necessarily loveth Himselfe and all other thinges but secondarilie and with reference to Himselfe Therefore can Hee not loue anie thing but that which is louelie and which may bee referred to His owne soveraygne goodnesse Thirdlie As the rule cannot erre because of it selfe it is right and can not fall from it selfe But the hand may erre because not beeing it selfe a rule it may declyne from the rule and not bee conforme to the outward direction thereof So anie creature because it is not the rule may erre But GOD who is the rule and can not deny Himselfe is not subject to sinne or morall errour it is impossible that He should doe anie thing amisse It can not bee that Hee can bee the procurer or doer of anie evill worke that taketh to Himselfe and justlie the Name of Perfect Father and Iudge Light can not bee changed into darknesse nor Goodnesse it selfe become wicked Wicked Martion as crooked and perverse as his mynd was was affrayde to ascrybe evill to the good GOD and choosed rather geminare Deitatem and to divide it betwixt two one good and one evill The Philosopher affirmeth indeede That GOD and good men may doe evill thinges But hardlie can I thinke that hee speaketh there according to his owne mynde but rather according to the common opinion of those amongst whome hee lived Neither is this praejudiciall to the liberty of GOD. Possibilitie to doe evill is not necessarie therevnto This is a weaknesse of created Free-will which is flexible to evill and lyable to defect It is a blessed necessitie whereby GOD can not bee evill as Augustine teacheth vs. Not onlie can Hee not will or doe evill but also of necessitie Hee hateth it and that with an infinite hatred For 1. since necessarilie Hee loveth the rectitude of His aeternall Lawe of necessitie Hee must hate whatsoever is contrarie therevnto and such is all sinne 2. Hee necessarily loveth His goodnesse and perfection of His nature and therefore must needes hate sinne which is repugnant and contrarie therevnto As darknesse to Light and deformitie to Beautie and crookednesse to Strayghtnesse and defylment to Puritie The infinitenesse of His hatred appeareth first From that Hee depryveth a sinner for it of an infinite good to wit Himselfe 2. To blot it out Hee sent His owne Sonne both to take our flesh and to vndergoe death 3. Hee for it inflicteth infinite sorrowes and ignominie even aeternall tormentes And though one had innumerable good workes yet for one grievous sinne Hee forgetteth them all EZECH 18. For one sinne Hee thrust downe from Heaven so manie millions of Angels Hee cared not for their innumerable multitude nor for their eximious beautie nor for the excellencie of their nature most nearlie resembling His nor for their depth of engine pearcing comprehending so many things nor for that blessed sight which should for ever haue shyned in their mynds or perfect loue whereby they should haue loved Him aboue all thinges nor for the prayse thankesgiving and glorie which Hee should haue had for ever through saving so manie spirites Hee cared not for all the evill which Hee knewe could come by their condemnation their aeternall blasphemies and contumelies the fall of man-kynde and perverting of the whole worlde So hatefull infinitelie to His Holinesse was sinne that passing by all these considerations Hee did stryke them immediatelie with the Thunder-bolt of Condemnation The lyke terrible demonstration of His infinite hatred of sinne may also bee seene in His dealing towardes man Hence ISAI vj. in that mysticall vision the SERAPHIMS provoke Him as it were to punishment of that wicked people by a threefolde compellation of His Holinesse What man should not bee infinitelie punished by His Holinesse for sinne if Hee were not restrayned by His infinite Mercie Hence clearlie may appeare the errour of those vvho teach That GOD by an absolute will praedefyned and decreed from aeternitie all actions and positiue effectes of the creatures howe wicked soever so and so to bee done in particular with all their circumstances and That accordinglie in tyme Hee moveth pusheth and physicallie praedeterminateth them to those effectes This praevious motion beeing such that without it no creature can doe anie thing But it beeing present they must needes doe that wherevnto it carrieth them This doctrine at once destroyeth both the Libertie of men and Sanctitie of GOD. The first For that praemotion or praedetermination is independent from our libertie It is not in our power though it bee simplie necessarie to our actions according to the authors thereof when wee haue it not therefore wee can not worke some necessarie thing beeing deficient to vs which GOD alone can giue If it bee present wee must needes doe that wherevnto it impelleth and this necessitie is antecedent which playnlie overthroweth Libertie as Anselme observeth 2. It destroyeth the Sanctitie of GOD For if Hee so moue push and praedetermine the will to evill that it can not doe otherwayes nor in another manner howe can Hee bee more effectuallie and powerfullie the author of evill Which is an horrible blasphemie To advyse and command sinne should not make Him so truelie and effectuallie the author thereof as by this doctrine Hee is made according to which Hee directlie willeth the evill act and inwardlie moveth applyeth and praedetermineth the will that it may bee done Advyce and commandement moue onlie objectiuelie and may bee resisted but this Praedetermination pearceth the essence of the will and inwardlie frameth it to worke so that no way it can bee resisted or the worke hindered If you say that GOD is to bee esteemed in these