Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	adam_n	sin_n	will_n	1,571	5	7.0624	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A18021	Achitophel, or, The picture of a wicked politician Diuided into three parts.	Carpenter, Nathanael, 1589-1628?	1629 (1629)	STC 4669; ESTC S107539	48,330	72

eyther it concernes the supportance of the creature which in the first moment is tearmed Creation in continuance Preseruation or the preordination of the Agent which with our Diuines against the Tenent of Arminius I dare to call Predetermination The externall is the presentment of some externall and present obiect to the apprehension of the sense will or vnderstanding which latter acts concurre as well in Gods hinderance of humane actions For the same Almighty power can at once both promote his owne and hinder mens counsels This Hinderance is many waies brought to passe for either the impediment is cast on our authority power will or state Our authority of free-working i●… curbed and restrained by the Law whereof the breach is a sinne as that of Adam in Paradise whose liberty could not dispense with the tasting of the forbidden tr●…e Our Naturall power is checkt by many interuenient causes first by cutting off the agent from life and being as that of the siege of Ierusalem by Senna herib by smiting in one night an hundred fourescore and fiue thousand or the bringing of 〈◊〉 the Prophet to 〈◊〉 by the consumption of 〈◊〉 men by ●…ire from heauen Secondly by detraction or diminution of the power as I●…roboam was res●…rained from apprehending the Prophet by the drying vp of his hand Thirdly by opposition of equall or greater strength as Vzziah was hindred by 〈◊〉 and his fourescore Priests from offering in the Temple Fourthly by remouing or subtraction of the obiect as our Sauiour saued himselfe from the violence of the Iewes and the Tribune Paul from the conspiracie An impediment may be cast on our will either by Gods Predetermining power which against Arminius we haue formerly maintained or by some outward perswasiue argument The arguments wherewith he vsually dis-swades our will from commencing any action are commonly drawne either from the Topickes of seeming impossibilitie and apparant difficultie or vnpleasantnesse losse and dishonour By the first for a while the Scribes and Pharis●…es were restrained from offering violence vnto our Sauiour because they knew him of the people to be esteemed as a Prophet In like sort God heretofore set a barre betwixt his owne people and the Idolatrous Israelites lest they should trafficke as well sinnes as familiarity By the second Iosephs brethren were diuerted from the murther of their Brother becouse a milder course seemed to serue their purpose By the third and last Ioseph was disswaded from adultery with Potiphars wife and Dauid from touching the Lords ano●…nted An obstacle may be cast on the act it self two maner of waies eyther by taking away the obiect which with some we haue reduced to the impediment of the power or by disabling the influxe and power of the agent in regard of the patient whereof we haue an example in the three Children vnconsumed in the fiery surnace The Negatiue act of Gods concurring is permission is cleane opposite to the other and therefore ought to be squared by the same distinction for as Logicians haue taught vs Opposites ought to suffer the same diuiston Onely from hence we must except the impediment caston our actions by the law or anthoritie for otherwise would there follow an apparant contradiction that the same act should be a sinne and yet no sinne a sinne as it is by the Law forbidden and yet no sinne as it is by the same power permitted These acts forespoken of Gods concurrence seeme to pr●…uent and precede the action of an inferiour agent In the action it selfe we finde two speciall acts the one an actuall determination of the agent to the obiect the other a direction to the end An instance of the former wee haue in 〈◊〉 cruelty vpon the children which was diuerted by our Sauiour by the substitution of another obiect Of this latter in King Ahasuerosh who amidde the spoyles of so many virgin concu●…ines lighted on Hester whom Prouidence had marked out to be the preser●…er of the Iewesh nation The concourse of God after and in the end of humane actions is no other than the direction of the euent to a further purpose which we obserue in the Iewes crueltie in crucifying our Sauiour the execution of whose malice was found to be the most exquisite meanes of our saluation But I haue almost lost my selfe in this Labyrinth whereinto though Philosophy seemes to haue taught an entrance in yet Diuinitie neuer discouered a passage out as that which begins with mans smallest knowledge and in his greatest ignorance Hence are we taught not so far●…e to trust to Gods prouidence as to neglect the ordinary meanes which God offers to our industry or obseruation Hezekiab though he had already receiued vnder Gods owne hand and seale a lease of fifteene yeares to the date of life almost expired neglected neither the Prophets counsell nor the helpe of his Physitians and Dauid in this place a man after Gods own heart and confident enough of his protection hath notwithstanding his present recourse to second causes as preordained of God for Achitophels defeate and his deliuery Which second causes comming next in order particularly to be traced out your fauourable attention will I hope a while longer hold the candle while I briefly reade them 5 The inferiour agents concurring to the neglect of Achitophels counsell are reduced vnto two heads The impulsiue and instrumentall The impulsiue cause which moued God to defeate Achitophels counsell so farre as according to the language of men wee may speake of God was Dauids prayer whereby he besought him to confound the counsell of Achitophel his profest enemy The good vse of prayer amongst deuout and religious men hath alwayes beene esteemed both the first and last remedie in our greatest dangers as the surest key which opens and shuts the doore of Gods secret closet When our friends shrinke from vs and all worldly stratagems are out of sight when dangers present their Gorgon faces as hideous as our feares and death stands at our elbowes to summon our appearance to the last arraignement only prayer is left to intercede as a gracious Orator and effectiue aduocate Though Achitophel in wit and industry would shew himselfe a politician yet Dauid in sanctitie must expresse himselfe a Prophet and though Absolons hopes are grounded on his worldly strength yet Dauids strength is erected on Gods protection Neither in his sacred ●…iaculation where in he addressed himselfe to Gods will and mercie was his desire vntutured or his deuotion ignorant Hee kn●…w to whom he spake and obserued a distance as fearing lest his religious zeale might seeme vnmannerly if vnseasonable The greatest offices are commonly subject to the greatest solaecismes and Prayer deuotions must trusty messenger if not well directed or acquainted with her Embassage may soone degenerate into superstition But so well instructed was Dauid in this religious courtship as if the end of his suite had been others institution and his example our rule Whether we respect the Author ●…nd Obiect Time or

greatest part enuied her historie hath yet cherished in her bosome this one darling and kept a sure register of all her actions Should I descend to particular examples of Gods concurrence in mans actions I should sooner lose my selfe than finde an end The most irreligious Heathen through the thicke clouds of ignorance haue often espied the glimpse of Gods dreadfull lightning and often quaked at his thunder They haue felt his finger in their wounds and acknowledged his strength in their weaknesse Yea such hath beene the power of Almighty God to expose their owne wicked actions as a table of their confession and extort an acknowledgement of his victorie out of their blasphemy Iulian that wicked Apostate though as politicke to obscure as malicious to oppose the truth of Christ Iesus was yet in the end constrained to shut vp his tyrannie with a Vi●…isti Gal●…leae In like sort we reade of Mahomet the second the first Emperor of the Turkes that at the siege of Scodra against the Christians in the defence of so small a Citie against his mighty Army finding God his enemy he blasphemously asked by way of exprobation whether God had not enough to doe in Heauen that he should interpose himselfe in his affaires on earth He that will not deny a God must of necessity grant a prouidence and who knowes himselfe and sifts into his owne will and actions must needs acknowledge a supernall power which determines them to good or euill Here stood it with my time or your patience could I proceed to taxe Pelagius and his latter spawne the Iesuites and Arminians who imagining our will to be her owne mistresse haue admitted God no otherwise than as a seruant or assistant as though that Almighty power were not authorized to preordaine but onely bound to second our conuersion Their saluation they would rather owe vnto themselues than grace as though they sought the first cause in their own inclination and expected nothing of God but a Morall and strong perswasion But although in deede they will deny a certaine and speciall Predestination yet in words they will grant a Prescience Here would I willingly aske a question out of my Text Whether God absolutely foresaw Absolons inclination of reiecting Achitophels counsell or not If they grant the Negatiue they deny a Prescience If the Affirmatiue I demand againe whether this fore-sight could imply a necessity of euent or leaue Absolon to his owne free choice If the former they must deny him a Free-will of declining to the other side which they labour by all meanes to establish If the latter they must eyther acknowledge Gods prescience to bee vncertaine against the ground they haue already granted or at least affirme that a certaine knowledge may be of such things as shall neuer come to passe Here the Iesuites are better prouided to shift than answer like the subtile Sep●…s to make an escape by troubling the water and rather than they would be thought to know nothing they will say any thing Where the Scripture shewes no faire countenance and Reason faints their recourse to Schoole-subtilties must be their only refuge But were there no Smith in Israel yet might these Philistins be entreated to sharpen our sword for our defence against their battery God say they from all eternity foresaw the inclination of mans Free-will vpon which he grounded his decree of withholding or conferring farther grace Here I must aske againe Whether God foresaw it in his own decree or the disposition of the second causes If they assent vnto the former then must this foresight in the order of our vnderstanding not preuent but rather second the decree which they deny If they sticke to the latter as indeede they doe I demand how second causes may be supposed to work except they were predetermined and actuated by the first That second causes worke not in their owne but their owners strength is their owne principle and to grant them an operation not depending on the first Agent were to set an instrument to worke without a hand I would aske moreouer Whether God foreseeing Achitophels counsell and Absolons inclination bad the power to hinder it or not If so then was it in his power to foresee what himselfe could hinder which checkes the certainty of Gods knowledge and inuolues an apparant Contradiction If not how can we imagine him Omnipotent which cannot challenge so much power ouer second causes as to turne and diuert them to his owne vses This argument Vorstius and Episcopius found so strong against them that to backe their absurdity they must adde apparant blasphemy allowing God eyther no Prescience at all or such as is onely vncertaine and 〈◊〉 which impious and grosse opinion I hold sufficiently confuted in the mention But I haue stayed here too long and haue farre to goe wherefore hauing taken a generall suruey of the primary or chiefe cause of Achitophels defeate let vs descend to the second causes which in the next place offer themselues to obseruation 4 Gods power hath expressed it selfe legible as well in the Book of Nature as of Grace and naturall Agents as you haue heard as they deriue their operations from his strength so they are determined by his will and directed to his glory Here we finde Nature in second Agents not set against her selfe though raised a pitch beyond her priuate inclination and the first cause without eyther neede or violence to entertaine the seruice of the second Whence ere we descend to each particular inferiour agent will arise one generall obseruation That Almighty God bringing to passe miraculous and great euents commonly admits the cooperation of second causes As easie was it questionlesse for that great Architect of nature who out of waste and emptinesse begat a world to create as to command to cause as to entertaine the operation of inferior Agents Here might History shew her selfe prodigall of examples but neuer bank-rupt euery moment in the ordinary course of humane actions begets some instance or other to demonstrate Gods gracious loue and fauour to the world who able to dash both Policy and Nature out of countenance is notwithstanding pleased to admit them as his obedient hand-maides But to expresse the secret cooperation of God working by second causes is a matter which hath heretofore staggred Philosophy and puzled the apprehension of the sharpest and acutest Diuines Neuerthelesse so farre forth as the infinite power of God may dispense with mans enquiry we may reduce the manner of his working to certaine heads to decline as much as we can the two enemies of vnderstanding Obscurity and Confusion The action then of Gods concurring with second causes concernes either the beginning progresse or end of the same act In the beginning we may call it either Positiue or Negatiue The Positiue consists either in the furtherance or hinderance of humane actions both which may be either internall or externall The internall promotion or hinderance is againe diuided into two acts for