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
A17144	An apologie for religion, or an answere to an vnlearned and slanderous pamphlet intituled: Certaine articles, or forcible reasons discouering the palpable absurdities, and most notorious errors of the Protestants religion, pretended to be printed at Antwerpe 1600. By Edvvard Bulkley Doctor of Diuinitie	Bulkley, Edward, d. 1621?; Wright, Thomas, d. 1624. Certaine articles or forcible reasons.	1602 (1602)	STC 4025; ESTC S106873	145,731	186

who was Deane of the Church of Mentz in Germanie in y e time of Charles the 4. about Anno 1370 in these words Recessit lex à sacerdotibus c. 1. The law is departed from Priests iustice from Princes counsell from the Elders faithfulnes from the people loue from parents reuerence from subiects charitie from Prelates religion from Monkes honestie from young man distipline from Cl●rkes learning from teachers studie from schollers eqeitie from Iudges concord from Citizens feare from seruants fellowship from Countrimen truth from Marchants vertue from Noblemen chastitie from Virgins humilitie from widowes loue from the married and patience from the poore O times O maners most troublesome and miserable times reprobate and wicked maners both of the Clergie and of the people Here by this man others who so much accure our manners these times may see what hath bin the estate of the Church manners both of the Priests people heretofore when Poperie most florished therby may discerne with whom dissolution loosenes of life do most raigne The Pamphlet The Protestants make God the author of sinne the onely cause of sinne that man sinneth not that God is worse then the Diuell 5. Article WHosoeuer defendeth that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth impelleth to sinne maketh God the cause of sinne But all Protestants say that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth impelleth to sinne Ergo. The Protestants make God the cause and author of sinne The Maior I proue for if God perswade or impell men to sinne as for example Iudas to sell Christ Saint Peter to deny Christ the Iewes to crucifie Christ questionles he intended the sacriledge of Iudas the negation of Peter the murder of the Iewes and this much more effectually then Iudas Peter or the Iewes For who can resist his impulsion or who can frustrate his intention Voluntati eius quis resistet Who is able to oppose himselfe against his will yet what man is he that in conscience were not bound to conforme his will vnto the will of God who is the author of all good wills and the first rule and square of all regular wils Iudas Peter and the Iewes if they bad followed the motions of God who could haue blamed them for following him who could not erre in impelling nor sinne in perswading them But some will say that God moued them for a good end videlicet the redemption of man and they intended an ill end to wit Lucre reuenge or some other sinister effect Yet this shift will not salue the sore for euill may not be done that good may follow Non sunt facienda mala vt inde veniant bona For otherwise a man might steale to giue almes be drunke for a meriment commit aduontrie to beget children Moreouer why might not Iudas Peter or the Iewes intend that good end which God intended and yet haue sould denied and crucified Christ conforming their intentions to his they being instruments and he the first moouer Againe it cannot be said but that God indirectly and most effectually intended their sinnes for he that intendeth any effect wherewith another effect is necessarily conioyned consequently intendeth it as for example He that intendeth to burne a ship in the midst of the sea intendeth consequently the death of all the men which be in her In like manner if God intended that Iudas should sell Christ vnto which action sinne was necessarily adioyned consequently God intended the sinne as well as the selling The Minor is to too euident For the Protestants deride Gods permission they say that all his actions are energeticall or effectuall they desperately auer that Paules conuersion and Dauids aduoutrie were in like manner the workes of God And as he elected some to glorie before the preuision of workes so he reiected some from glorie before the preuision of sins Here hence I infer that according to the Protestants principles God is most properly the author of sinne because he impelleth most effectually thereunto Next that he is the only author of sinne for that he inforceth men vpon necessitie to sinne and they as instruments follow the motion of their first cause Againe that man sinneth not for where there is necessitie of sinning there is no sinne for sinne is free or no sinne besides how can man sinne in conforming his will with Gods will Finally God is worse then the diuell for that the wickednes of the diuell principally consisteth in moouing perswading and inducing of men to sinne the which by the Protestants confession God performeth more effectually then the diuell because the motions of God are more forcible and lesse resistable then the illusions or suggestions of the diuell Many sinnes moreouer are acted without the temptations of the diuell some of ignorance some of passion but none without the motions of God so that God is worse then the diuell both in causing a greater multitude of sinnes then the diuell and in the forcible manner of causing sinnes which the diuell cannot attaine vnto The which doctrine is as good a ground for Atheisme as euer hell could deuise for were it not much more reasonable to say there were no God at all then to beleeue there were such a God as commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth impelleth men to sinne and yet for the same sinnes will torment them with the inexplicable paines of hell Answere THis man sheweth himselfe to be like to the vnrighteous iudge who neither feared God nor reuerenced man or rather like him that is a slaunderer of Gods Saints and a lyar and the father of lies For the Minor or assumption of this syllogisme that all Protestants say that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth and impelleth men to sinne is as true as that is that Catholikes in England be wrapped in beares skinnes and cast vnto dogges to be deuoured which was published in Rome by a printed booke and set out in tables confirmed with Pope Gregorie the 13. priuiledge The which as all men know to be a false malitious slaunder to discredit our gracious Queenes mercifull and good gouernment so is this also to defame the teachers of Gods truth For if this man or any of his partners can proue that either all Protestants or any learned Protestant doth say that God commaundeth perswadeth vrgeth and impelleth to sinne then will I yeeld vnto him not onely in this but in all other matters of religion If this cannot be shewed as most certainly it cannot what a shameles man is this to vtter such a grosse and palpable lye as euen a blind man may as it were feele it with his fingers and in what miserable estate be those simple ignorant soules which credit such lying spirits But this is the iust iudgement of God against them that receiue not the loue of the truth that they might be saued to send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lies As touching the matter we beleeue with our hearts and confesse with our mouthes that

malarum cogitationum ordinator est tamen malarum voluntatum de malo opere cuiuslibet mali non desinit ipse botum operari 1. Although God be not the author of euill cogitations yet is hee the orderer of euill wils and of the euill worke of euery euill man he ceaseth not to worke a good worke Therefore these wonderfull workes of God whose iudgements are vnsearchable and waies past finding out are not curiously to be discussed but reuerently to be adored For O man what art thou that pleadest against God In the probation of his minor he first vntruly according to his custome saith that wee deride Gods permission the which is false for we neither deride no deny Gods permission God said to Abimelech I kept thee also that thou shouldest not sinne against me Non permisi te vt tangeres eam therefore I haue not permitted thee to touch her Againe God permitted him not to hurt me But we say first that God permitteth not sinne inuitus against his will but of his will for els he were not omnipotent Secondly that he doth not onely permit sinnes but also by his infinite wisedome and almightie power draweth good out of them and directeth them to his glorie So S. Augustine saith Hoc quippe ipso quod contra Dei voluntatem fecerunt de ipsis facta est voluntas eius c. In that thing which they haue done against the will of God the will of God is done in them Therefore the workes of the Lord are great and are to be sought out of them that loue them So that by a wonderfull and vnspeakeable manner that is not done without his will which is done against his will because it could not be done vnlesse he did permit it nec vtique nolens sinit sed volens neither doth he permit it against his will but with his will Neither would he being good permit euill to be done vnlesse hee being omnipotent could also of euill doe good S. Hierome saith Dicā quicquam sine te fieri ô Domine Deus te nolente tantum posse impium Hoc sentire blasphemum est Quum itaque tu sis vniuersitatis rector Dominus tu necesse est facias quod sine te fieri non potest i. Shall I say that any thing is done without thee O Lord God and that the wicked can doe so much thou being vnwilling To thinke this is blasphemous Seeing therefore thou art the ruler and Lord of the world thou must needs doe that which cannot be done without thee Wee say indeede that Gods workes be energeticall and effectuall not onely in the faithfull but also in the wicked and reprobate whose hearts he hardeneth and eyes blindeth whom he giueth vp to a reprobate minde and to whom hee sendeth a strong delusion to beleeue lies These be Gods iust iudgements wherby he punisheth the wicked who yet are not impelled or coacted of God to these sinnes but willingly harden their owne hearts by the deceit of sinne shut their eyes that they may not see giue vp their members seruants to vncleannes and iniquitie and delight in delusions and in beleeuing lies as Papists now doe We doe not desperatly auerre but you doe falsely and impudently affirme that we teach that Pauls conuersion and Dauids adulterie were in like manner the workes of God This shamelesse saying you haue picked out of Campians reasons out of which you haue like a goodly Rapsodist gleaned a great part of this lying Libel but you cannot shew it in the writing of any Protestant This is calumniari non ratiocinare to slaunder and not rightly to reason But you know your friends and fauourers will beleeue you though it be neuer so false And you haue learned that lesson Audacter calumniare semper aliquid adhaeret We say that Pauls conuersion was a worke of Gods mercie agreeable to his will reuealed in his word Dauids sinne of adulterie was a work which he hateth and repugnant to his said will God wrought mightily in Paul by his holy spirit in conuerting his heart in drawing him out of darknes and in making him of a persecuter a preacher of his Gospell and a minister of his mercie God did not so work at that time in Dauid but left him to himselfe to be tempted drawne away and ouercome of his owne corrupt concupilcence yet wee say that God did draw good out of that sinne of Dauid in making him a patterne of true repentance and example of Gods mercie in forgiuing his sinnes and thereby teaching vs to walke warily and flee carnall securitie For if so excellent a man that was according to Gods heart did so fouly and fearefully fall what may fall vnto vs if we walke not circumspectly and pray not feruently to God to vphold vs with his hand and to guide vs with his holy spirit Touching Gods permission you write as though you neither did know what we teach nor regard what your selfe doe write Doe we teach that God elected some to glorie before the preuision of workes and reiected some from glorie before the preuision of sinnes You shall find this false assertion in our bookes when you finde the former shameles slaunder We do not teach that God elected any to glorie before he did foresee their workes For from euerlasting he to whom all things be present did foresee both the good workes of his elect and the wicked workes of the reprobate But this we say that the foundation and cause of Gods election and reprobation is not his prescience and foreseeing of the good workes of the one and the wicked workes of the other but his owne purpose will and pleasure and that good workes be not causes of Gods election but fruits and effects of it Saint Paul saith Before the Children were borne and when they had neither done good nor euill that the purpose of God might remaine according to election not by workes but by him that calleth It was said to her The elder shall serue the younger At it is written I haue loued Iacob and haue hated Esau Againe As he hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue Who hath predestinate vs to be adopted through Iesus Christ in himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will in whom also we are chosen when we were predestinate according to the purpose of him which worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will Againe God hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen to vs through Christ Iesus before the world was Where we may see that the foundation and cause of Gods election is his owne will pleasure and purpose and not the foreseeing of our workes Saint Augustine saith Quod si futuros