Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	apostle_n	faith_n	word_n	1,525	5	4.2834	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A22701	Saint Augustine his enchiridion to Laurence, or, The chiefe and principall heads of all Christian religion a most profitable booke to all those which desire to haue a most compendious briefe of Augustines doctrine, out of Augustine himselfe, when he was old, being repurged, by the old manuscript, of many faults and vnusuall wordes, wherewith it formerly flowed.	Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo.	1607 (1607)	STC 921.5; ESTC S1512	82,205	310

defended against the detractions and slaunders of those which hold varietie of opinions that is a doctrine of greater labour and circumstance For the accomplishment whereof the hand must be filled not with a short Enchiridion but the breast inflamed with a vehement affection CHAP. 7. In the Apostles Creed and the Lords Praier those three principall positions touching the seruice of God namely Faith Hope and Charitie be contained and most briefly deliuered FOr this matter looke vpon the Creede and the Lords praier Then the which what is there to bee heard or read of greater breuitie or what more easily committed to memorie Because therefore mankinde in respect of sin was pressed down with the heauy burthen of miserie and stood in neede of Gods mercie and that the Prophet foreseeing the time of Gods fauour saith And euery one which calleth vpon the name of God shall besaued for this cause was the Lords praier vsed Howbeit the Apostle after hee had cited that Propheticall testimony to set forth the mercy of God hee forth-with laieth down this also saying How can they call vpon him of whom they haue not beleeued For which cause the Creed was deuised In which two wordes looke vpon these three things Faith beleeueth and Hope and Charitie bee our Orators But without faith these two cannot be by which reason faith also is a partie in our petitions Whereupon it is said How shall they call vpon him of whom they haue not beleeued CHAP. 8. What difference there is betweene Hope and Faith of what things Faith doth consist and of what also Hope Also what Christian Faith did properly apprehēd Finally that the knot and bond of these three vertues namely Faith Hope and Charity was not to be seuered or diuided amongst themselues NOw what can be hoped for which is not beleeued But yet on the contrary something may bee beleeued which is not hoped for For which of the faithfull doe not beleeue that there be punishments ordained for the wicked yet doth he not hope to taste therof Which punishments who so beleeueth may fall vpon himselfe and is inwardly troubled with the horror thereof in the vanishing cōceit of his own minde that man is more rightly said to feare in this case then to hope Which two wordes Lucan distinguishing doeth thus describe them The feareful man may yet haue hope Howbeit on the other side it is not so properly spoken by an other Poet though he be the better in reputation If I could hope for no more griefe but this Finally diuers in the rules of Grammar doe borrow this word for an example to shewe how improperly it is vsed who say he vsed that word sperare which is to hope for or in stead of timere which is to fear Ther is a faith therefore both of euill things of good because both good and bad be beleeued and that with a cheerefull and not a fearefull faith There is a faith also of things past things present and things to come For we beleeue that Christ died which is already past We beleeue that he sitteth at the right hand of his father which is at this instant We beleeue that he shall come to iudge a thing that shall be A. faith likewise of things appertaining to our selues and also of things concerning other men For euery man beleeueth that he had a beginning and therefore that hee was not from euerlasting whereof there bee many semblable instances Neither do we onely beleeue many things touching other men in matter of religion but likewise also of Angels Hope also is not but of good euents and not also but of things to come properly likewise concerning him who is thought to put a trust and confidence in the same Which being so Faith is to bee distinguished from Hope as well by a difference agreeing with reason as with the sense of the word For as touching those wordes non videre that is to say not to see in that sense Faith and Hope be all one For in the epistle to the Hebrewes which testimony the famous defenders of the Catholique doctrine haue vsed Faith is said to be a knowledge of things which be not seene Although on the other side when any man shall say that he beleeued not either wordes witnesses or any reasons but things present which he plainely saw that is to say grounded his faith thereupon seemeth not to be so absurd ●s that he may be rightly reprehēded in the sense of the Word out of the which it may be said vnto him Thou didst see therefore thou didst not beleeue Wherupon may be gathered that it is no consequence that the thing is not to be seene which is to be beleeued But indeede wee doe more properly call that faith which as the sacred scriptures haue taught vs is of things inuisible Touching Hope also the Apostle saith that that hope is no hope at all which is of things visible For to what ende doth a man hope in those things which he seeth But if wee hope for those things which wee see not we patiently tarry in expectance thereof Whereas the godly doe beleeue that good things shall fall vnto their portion it is as much to say as they bee hoped for of the good But now what shall I say of Loue without which Faith is of no force for indeed Hope cannot bee without Loue. Finally as the Apostle Iames saith The very Diuels doe beleeue and tremble howebe it they neither hope nor yet loue but rather feare in belieuing that the same shall come to passe hereafter which wee doe hope for and affect For which cause the Apostle Paul doth allow of that faith which worketh by loue and which also cannot bee without hope To conclude therefore neither loue can bee without hope nor hope without loue nor either of them without faith CHAP. 9. For the vnderstanding of Christian Faith the tedious and darke knowledge of naturall causes is not needfull but only the knowledge of that cause which is the efficient of all things the same beeing God that trinitie that is to say the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost WHen the question is therefore What we ought to beleeue in matter of religion in this case the nature of things is not so curiously to be looked into as it is of them whom the Greekes call Naturall Philosophers Neither let it be fearefull to any Christian if hee bee ignorant in some thing touching the force and number of the elemēts the motion order and effects of the planets the celestiall globe the kinds and natures of liuing creatures hearbs stones springs riuers mountaines as also of the distances betvveene places and times the signes of imminent stormes and sixe hundred the like matters which they haue found out or else doe impute to their ovvne inuention Because they haue not been the Authors of these things albeit they vvere inducd vvith excellent vvits feruent in desire full of leasure discouering some things by humane coniecture and

yet the first death whereby the soule is compelled to forsake his body nor the second death whereby the soule is not suffred to depart out of the body that shall bee punished should euer haue happened to man if no man had sinned And truely the punishment of such persons shall be most easie who besides the guilt of originall sinne haue not added more thereunto of themselues and amongst those additionall sinnes euerie mans damnation shall be the more tolerable by how much the lesse hee hath sinned in the first life TOVCHING ETERnall life CHAP. 94. That the blessed in the state of eternall life which by Gods mercie they shall obtaine shall most fully perceiue the force of Gods grace WHen the reprobate of Angells and men shall remaine and haue their being in the place of euerlasting punishment then shal the blessed more sensibly feele and vnderstand what the fauour and grace of God hath voutsafed vpon them Then shall appeare in the euidence of things themselues that which is written in the Psalmes To thee O Lord shall I sing mercie and iudgement Because no man is deliuered from euerlasting destruction but by a mercie not due vnto vs by any specialtie of debt nor any againe condemned to eternall death but by a iudgement duely inflicted vpon him CHAP. 95. In the life eternall wee shall knowe why rather they then the other were the chosen of God AT that day it shall bee reuealed which now is concealed as touching the two infants whereof the one through the mercie of God was to bee chosen the other in his secret iudgement to bee refused in which iudgement hee that shall bee elected shall vnderstand what in iustice was due vnto him vnlesse mercy had holpen him why he rather then the other was elected whē the cause was alike to both Why miracles or strange works were not done amongst some which if they had beene done such persons should haue repented and yet were done amongst those concerning whom God did know that they would not beleeue For the Lord doth plainely affirme Woe to thee Corazin Wo to thee Bethsaida for if in Tyre and Sidon those great workes had been done which were do●e amongst you they had long sithence repented in sacke-cloath and ashes Neither therefore would not God vniustly haue them to bee saued when as they might haue beene saued if they woulde Then shall that appeare in the clearest light of wisedome which the godly in this world doe apprehend by faith That is to say howe certaine immutable and most effectuall the will of God is how much he can do and yet will not and that he willeth not that thing which he cannot performe as also how truely it is sung in the Psalme Our God which is in heauen aboue hath done all things in heauen earth which hee would Which assertion is not true if hee would haue had somthings yet did thē not and which had been more derogatorie did not therfore accomplish it by reason the wil of man did hinder the performance of that which the omnipotent would haue done And therfore there is not any thing acted vnlesse the omnipotent would haue it so either in suffering it to be done or effecting it himselfe TOVCHING GODS Omnipotencie CHAP. 96. That God is said to be omnipotent because all thinges that bee are by his wil or permission neither can hee bee crossed by any creature NEither ought wee to doubt that God doth well in suffering of euills whatsoeuer to bee done For his permission thereof is not without a iust iudgement And no doubt but that euerie thing is good which is iust Although therefore these thinges which be euill in that they are euill cannot be also good yet is it good that there be not onely good but euill actions also For if this were not good that there should be also euils the Almightie who is good would not by any meanes suffer the same To which Almightie as it is no doubt easie to doe what hee will so is it as easie for him not to permitte that which hee will not haue done Which vnlesse wee doe beleeue it shaketh the verie foundation and beginning of the confession of our faith whereby wee doe confesse that we do beleeue in God the father almightie Neither is he truely called omnipotent for any other cause but because he can doe whatsoeuer hee will Neither is the will of the Almightie interrupted by the will of any creature TOVCHING GRACE and Predestination of the Saints CHAP. 97. The question is whether certaine things which God would haue done may bee crossed by men that they cannot take effect WHērefore wee are to consider how it is said of God in that which the Apostle most truely affirmed Forasmuch as God would that al should be saued For seeing not all but the most part or greater number is not saued it seemeth therefore that that which God wold haue done is not done mans will forsooth resisting Gods will For when the cause is examined why all bee not saued it is wont to be aunswered because they themselues will not haue it so Which saying cannot bee extended to infants in whom ther is no power to will or nill For that which infants do by instinct of nature if the same were ascribed to their wil when in baptisme they resist and shrinke from that water as much as they can by that reason wee should affirme that they were saued against their wils But the Lord speaketh more plainely in his Gospel talking with the wicked Citie How often sayth he would I haue gathered together thy children euen as the henne doth her chickens and thou wouldest not as though Gods will were ouerruled by mans will and that men being most weake of all creatures by their vnwillingnes hindering the same the most mightie could not accomplish that which hee desired Where then is that his omnipotencie whereby hee did all things in heauen and in earth which hee would if hee would haue brought home the lost children of Israell and did it not Or rather would not that Citie that hee should bringe home her Children and yet notwithstānding whether shee would or noe did not the Lorde reduce such of them as hee would for as much as both in heauen and in earth hee did not will certaine thinges and doe them not dooing some other things which hee would haue done but hee did whatsoeuer hee would CHAP. 98. Albeit God can when hee will conuert the euill dispositions of men yet doth hee iustly although hee doe not reforme the same and when hee turneth them vnto him hee doth it of his owne meere grace and mercie WHo moreouer is so wickedly vnwise as that hee will affirme that God cannot make good when hee will the euill dispositions of men which of them hee will when he will and where hee will Howbeit when hee doth it hee doth it of his owne mercy and when hee doth it not he doth it not by reason of