Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	author_n	sin_n	will_n	1,685	5	6.8791	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15505	Zacheus converted: or The rich publicans repentance. Restitution In which, the mysteries of the doctrine of conversion, are sweetly laid open and applyed for the establishing of the weakest. Also of riches in their getting, keeping, expending; with divers things about almes and restitution, and many other materiall points and cases insisted upon. By Iohn Wilson, late preacher of Gods word in Guilford.	Wilson, John, d. 1630.	1631 (1631)	STC 25770; ESTC S100645	142,344	676

men that had faith in him their ●sinnes with desire of remission of his owne sinnes hee sought to see him of whom hee had heard such things not altogether without some sparkles of grace and seed of pietie The Spirit of God works in us so sometimes that we our selves seeme to bee authors of the fact Of himselfe it could not bee seeing it tended unto and ended in his blessed change from the state of sinne to the state of grace his passing from damnation to salvation it was some beginning of his rising out of sinne which argueth the worke of God in three respects 1. In taking away the deformity of the soule by the staine of sinne restoring the comelinesse and beautie of grace 2. In setting the will ordinately in subjection to God restoring the good of nature in beginnings which sinne had corrupted and destroyed the whole nature remaining inordinate thereby 3. In taking away the guilt of sinne whereby man was subject to eternall damnation All which and every of them is Gods worke giving into the mind a light of grace into the will a new quality whereby it is sweetly moved and readily to the obtaining of the eternall good drawing the will to him and none but God against whom the offence is committed can remit the guilt and punishment of sinne There is great difference betweene the ceasing from the act of some sinne and rising out of sinne which is to repaire man unto those things which hee lost by sinning Preventing grace is not common to all but it is proper and peculiar to the elect in whom God workes the will to spirituall and eternall good it doth not expect mans will neither doth mans will call to it but it prevents it by preparing it that it wills good and helps it being prepared that it may performe it it was a will before but not a good and right will Not onely the will of man is not sufficient if the grace of God bee wanting for so it might bee said on th' other side the grace of God sufficeth not if our will bee not wee must give the whole to God Preventing grace is faith with love The good will of man is prevented with that benefit of grace whereby it is freed from servitude of sinne and prepared and that benefit is the faith of Christ so the will is healed the Spirit of God being author and so disposed that it actually wills and indevours what God commands Faith is in him which willeth to beleeve whose good will it prevents not in time but in cause and nature There is a beginning of faith a good thought of beleeving which is of God only wee being not sufficient of our selves unto it 2 Cor. 3 5. Which is not meant of any thought whatsoever but of a thought of beleeving or right living which affects the will It signifieth not simply to apprehend something in our mind But with deliberate judgment of reason and affection of the will about the thing apprehended as Philip. 4. 8. If there bee any vertue if there bee any praise thinke on these things Our conversion is described by our knowledge of God Gal. 4 9. and first receiving light Heb. 10 32. But it is such a knowledge of him as hee gives in the face of Iesus Christ unto some measure of faith drawing us to him to seeke reconciliation remission sins and is an effect of his knowledge of us As the Apostle adds by way of Correction or rather are knowen of God if any man love God the same is knowne of him as hee saith in another place received of him Rom. 14 3. Hee is knowne with approbation and drawne to God So it might bee in Zacheus such beginning of faith as is in a good thought in some knowledge of God in Christ with some love and could not for the preasse because hee was little of stature Thus it falls out to men of good desires sometime that their hope is deferred and the satisfying of their desires suspended some way or other M●●tha and Mary desired the healing of their sicke brother to prevent his death sent to Iesus about it hee deferred their desire till he was dead buried and stunke that hee might worke a greater miracle in raising him from death to life for Gods glory and the confirmation of the faith of his Disciples this may bee one stay more glory to God good to men Iohn 11 4 15. So was Iairus his desire of the healing of his daughter deferred and hee disswaded from troubling Christ any further as counting it hopelesse for now she was dead onely Christ excites his hope of the life of his daughter Luke 8 42 49 50. Sometimes men of no ill meaning do hinder the lawfull and good desires of other a little from their present fulfilling as the two blind men desiring mercie of Christ to receive their sight were rebuked by the multitude that went before because they should hold their peace They that brought their Children to Christ with desire of his blessing were a little stopped by his Disciples Sometimes a man hath impediments and lets from himselfe as Zacheus from his low stature that could not looke over the multitude that were about Christ it may bee his faith is not such as God will have it before hee receive what hee desires if it bee of a good thing to bee done by himselfe When hee hath a good will and desire the flesh hath another will against it that hee cannot performe his purpose and desire til he get more strength There is a remainder of Originall sinne that so besetts good men that they cannot runne the race of godlynesse as they desire till they cast it away that the comfort is most in this strife to doe it in the willingnesse of the spirit hindered by the flesh Matthew 26 Chapter verse 4. Satan is a great hinderer of good desires as the Apostle saith in his owne case in desire to see the Thessalon●ans from whom he was taken for a short time in presence not in heart and indevouring it with great desire Hee would have come once againe but Satan hindred it 1 Thess. 2 17 18. How hee hindered ●s not expressed whether by tempests of the aire or by the tribulation of the persecuting tyrants or lying in wait for him in the way to kill him or by sicknesse but it is cleare hee hindered his good desire and indevour to come to them for confirmation of their faith Hee assirmes the decree of his will to it and his preparation to accomplish it once and againe and in that hee was hindred the inward act of the will the Divell cannot discerne or hinder so as the outward act of the body as to preach the Gospell c. The Divell and his angels are noted to hold in their hāds the foure winds of the earth that the winde should not blow upon the earth or the sea or on any tree which signifieth the

of the Spirit Satis n●ta est sermonis forma qua fieri aliquid tum demum dicitur quando magis ●t evidentius fit quam antea fiebat aut quando aliquo novo modo incipit fieri sicut dominus loquitur Ioh. 16. Maiore fiducia ex multo clariore agni●ione Frequentius atque ardentius orabant quam antehac dam ad huc rudes et ex corporali prasentia Christi securiores erant Ac longiores in precibus They sinne that teach that Christ gives life justice to some that extinguish it fall from it They are of two sorts some teach and some hold that reprobates have true justice From which they fall totallie and finally that a man may bee the Child of God yet not inherite It is for consolation to the beleevers such as God hath brought to Christ his power is ingaged for their continuing in grace unto salvation not onely that they cannot loose grace finally but that they shall at no time by any power of hell have grace so shaken out of them as that there should not be left that which accompanies Salvation Get of God pray for his glorious power strive to feele it Ascribe to Christ the power of standing stedfast in grace The Sonne of man is come to seeke and save c. The proprietie of this worke of saving the lost is in Christ not communicated to any other Revel 7 10. This may appeare in Gods appointing him and sending him to save those that hee did appoint and give to him that hee might give them eternall life Hee is Gods Elect for that purpose Esay 42. His servant on whom he will stay or whom hee will establish This his enemies confessed to bee true of the Messiah Luke 23 45. Let him save himselfe if hee bee that Christ the chosen of God The Father is said to seale him to this Iohn 6 27. Wherein is declared his authoritie from the Father to give the food that lasts to eternall life this way God ordained before the world to our glory 1 Cor. 2. He hath predestinated him 1 Pet. 1. raised up for us Luke 1. 69. prepared Luke 2 30. 2. In his sufficiencie for this worke Esay 63 1. sufficient to save or almighty to save I speake in righteousnesse and am sufficient to save this is in fullnesse of grace and truth Iohn 1. Being very God v. 14. The fullnesse of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily Coloss. 2 9. So as wee are compleate in him v. 10. That beleevers need nothing out of Christ unto their justification and Salvation they have fullnesse in him and need nothing out of him to peice up their felicitie he is able to save perfectly such as come unto God by him Heb. 7 25. He is made unto us of God wisedome righteousnesse Sanctification and redemption that they which rejoyce might rejoyce in th● Lord. Coloss. 3 11. Christ is all and in all things All-sufficient to true happinesse It pleased the Father that in him all fullnesse should dwell What wee can desire for our perfection or God require for his satisfaction it is full in Christ. Hee is said to bee not onely a Saviour but the salvation of God ascribing all that belongs to salvation unto him Esay 49 6 Luke 1 69 and 2 30. In whole and in part The author of eternall Salvation Heb. 5 9. And the finisher of it Heb. 12 2. If any other cause of salvation be added it must bee to supply the want of the sufficiencie of Christ for this which is blasphe●ie to ●●firme All other Saviours in whole or in part besides him are excluded Esay 43 11. I even I am the Lord and besides mee there is no Saviour as there is but one God so is there but one Saviour who can bee a Saviour that is not God Esay 63 3. Christ in his answere to the 2. Question of the Church Wherefore is thine apparrell red and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine presse takes it wholy to him selfe to deliver the Church like a mighty conqueror from all her enemies I have trodden the wine-presse alone and of all people there was none with mee c. The Church nor any member of it could do any thing to their owne Salvation and deliverance from their enemies but Christ did it alone and so mightily that none of the Churches enemies could withstand him I will tread downe the people in my wrath and make them drunken in mine indignation and will bring downe their strength to the earth Luke 1 71. He condemned sinne in his flesh hee cancelleth the Law Coloss. 2 14. And taketh it out of the way nayling it to his crosse Hee tryumphed over the Divell and all the hellish principalities Coloss. 2 15. 1 Cor. 15 24. Heb. 2 14. And destroyed death for ever did abolish it Hos. 19 14. 1 Cor. 15 55. He is the way the truth and the life so as there is no other way to come to the Father but by him Iohn 14. There is not salvation in any other neither is any other name under heaven given among men by which they must bee saved Act. 4 12. By himselfe hee purged our sinnes Heb 1 3. It serveth for confu●ing of that opinion m●r● full of pittie than truth that hea thens may be saved by keeping the Law of nature our of the acknowledgement of the true God It appeares that all the light of the heathens whereby they know God in some sort and put a difference betweene honest and unhonest things their naturall conscience accusing excusing according to their judgement in particulars will not be to save them but to leave them without excuse Vt constricti convictique teneantur proprie damnationis q. d. eos ne mutire quidem ausuros ad desensionem suam Tremel Not onely noting the consecution but why God would have that light to shine in darkenesse that men should have nothing to pretend Ber. Vt nullam possint adserre defensionem in iudicium Dei quin iure sint dānabiles Calv. God left not himselfe without a witnesse yet suffered the gentiles to walke in their owne wayes Act. 14. Wincked and regarded not those times of ignorance But now Christ is revealed calls all men unto repe●tance every where Actes 17. The heathens are in the prayers of the Church left comparatively to the wrath of God as a people not so much as in outward covenant with God Ier. 10 25. Powre out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not knowne thee upon the families that call not upon thy name Psal. 79 6 7. The Prophet gathers by that that God calls them not to bee of his household but letts them remaine strangers that they are under his wrath and so desires him to put a difference betweene his owne people and them that worship him not The heathen are said to bee without God and without hope Ephes. 2 Not under mercie 1 Pet. 2 10. They are children of wrath