Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	affliction_n	punishment_n	sin_n	1,661	5	5.5146	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62593	A sermon preached before the Queen, at White-Hall, upon Friday the 26th of Febr. 1691/2 by W. Talbot ...	Talbot, William, 1658 or 9-1730.	1692 (1692)	Wing T123; ESTC R7001	16,845	34

wicked ones did whom he mentions in the 11th ver who inferr'd from it that God does not know there is no knowledge in the most High And at this time this is the great Argument which the Atheist uses to banish the belief of a God and his Providence out of the world For thus he argues from the wicked's oppressing and afflicting the pious Servants or God and prospering and thriving by it Either God does not see has no knowledge of these things or if he does see and has knowledge of them he either would hinder them but cannot or can hinder them but will not If God would hinder them but cannot then is he not omnipotent if he can but will not then is he not just and good so that either his Power or his Justice and Goodness must be given up or else those Attributes must be salved by the Imperfection of his knowledge and so he pretends it a kinder as well as more reasonable thing to say that God does not regard is not at leisure to take Cognisance of affairs below rather than that he wants either the power or justice and goodness to hinder such irregularities and thus the knot is cut instead of being untied and the Atheist seems so tender of some of God's Attributes as to take those measures to secure them which would effectually prove him not to be God which is what he desires to prove for the true Notion of a God is a Being infinite in all perfections and that Being that wants any is not God and therefore he that is defective in knowledge can no more be God than he that is not infinite in Power Justice or Goodness Thus these disputers of the world who through wisdom as the Apostle speaks know not God by their foolish reasonings would dispute him out of Being III. But to vindicate the Divine Providence from these unreasonable cavils and to expose the weakness of those objections which are made against this procedure which was the third thing proposed I have no more to do than to shew that it may be very consistent with the Justice and Goodness of God to permit these things for the Objection is built upon the contrary supposition and the Atheist would therefore prove that if there be a God either he does not know or cannot hinder these things because it is inconsistent with his Justice and Goodness to suffer them if he knows and can prevent them But now if God may be very just and good notwithstanding he does suffer and can prevent them then is his permission thereof no argument either of his want of Knowledge or Power I say then God does see has knowledge of these things nay he not only sees but orders or suffers them for nothing falls out but by his appointment or permission all the occurrences in the world are the results not of Chance but of his wise Counsel the effects of that Providence that extends it self to the most minute Creature not a Sparrow falls to the ground without him even the hairs of our head are all numbred And he can prevent and hinder these things if he pleases his power extends to every thing that is the object of any power to every thing that does not imply a contradiction But though God does see and order or permit and can prevent these things if he pleases yet is his permission of them not at all inconsistent with his infinite Justice and Goodness For the proof of which I will endeavour to make good these three things 1. That it is not inconsistent with God's Justice and Goodness to suffer good men to be afflicted in this World 2. That it is not inconsistent with God's Justice and Goodness to suffer bad men to be prosperous here 3. That it is not inconsistent with God's Justice and Goodness to suffer bad men to be the instruments by which good men are afflicted I. It is not inconsistent with God's Justice and Goodness to suffer good men to be afflicted in this world for these reasons 1. Because afflictions in this world are not always punishments but many times excellent means whereby God designs a great deal of good and benefit to those that are exercised with them by which he weans them from the world reduces them when they are going astray tryes proves their Faith Patience Submission Resignation to and dependence upon himself by which he advances and increases their Graces raises and heightens their desires and longings after that perfect state of unmixt happiness where no afflictions can enter and then when afflictions produce such blessed effects when they yield such peaceable fruits of righteousness certainly God is neither unjust nor unkind in suffering his best Servants to be exercised with them But 2. Supposing afflictions to be punishments yet let the best man that ever labour'd under the severest of them but look into himself and he will find abundant cause to acquit the Justice and Goodness of God for there is none righteous that sins not the just man falls seven times a day the very best of meer men have many failings are guilty of many sins which if God should deal rigorously with them would make them justly liable to eternal damnation Is God then unjust in punishing those that offend and deserve punishment in punishing those with temporal calamities that deserve eternal Nay is he not very good and merciful in chastising them here for their sins and not reserving them for the dreadful Account of the other world So that considering the nature of afflictions that they are not always punishments and the demerits of the best of men that though they were punishments yet they deserve much worse it can be no impeachment of God's Justice and Goodness that he permits good men to be afflicted in this world especially since 3. He has appointed a day wherein he will abundantly recompence all the troubles and sorrows and sufferings of the pious men with joys unspeakable and full of glory when all the pressures and injuries he laboured under here shall add weight and lustre to that never-fading Crown which is reserved for him in the Heavens 2. As it is not inconsistent with God's justice and goodness to suffer good men to be afflicted so neither is it to suffer bad men to be prosperous here For 1. As afflictions are not always punishments so prosperity is not always a blessing to let a sinner commit his villanies with impunity and to be a gainer by them is it may be one of the severest inflictions that God lays upon men in this world there is not a more dreadful sentence that God passes upon any wretch in this life than that or such like as he pronounced against Ephraim Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone let him take his course enjoy his beloved Idols go on merrily in his sins he shall have no check or hinderance from me The steps to God's hardning of Pharaoh as the Scripture terms it were the taking