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
A48737	Solomons gate, or, An entrance into the church being a familiar explanation of the grounds of religion conteined in the fowr [sic] heads of catechism, viz. the Lords prayer, the Apostles creed, the Ten commandments, the sacraments / fitted to vulgar understanding by A.L.	Littleton, Adam, 1627-1694.	1662 (1662)	Wing L2573; ESTC R34997	164,412	526

that makes such interpretations of the will of God as that his good pleasure or everlasting purposes should thwart the manifestations of his will which he hath made in his word For instance God saith that he would not the death of a sinner but rather that he should repent and live And his Apostle saith that he would have all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth He then that shall teach that God hath absolutely predestin'd any sinner to damnation and by irreversible decrees concluded him under an impossibility of repentance layes an imputation upon God's veracity and makes him if not a lyar yet which is the worse of the two a dissembler to say he desires their life when he hath by an irrevocable decree prejudg'd them to unavoidable death and with all arguments of love to invite them to come to heaven when he hath long before they were born shut the gates against them By his decrees he hath from the beginning set down with himself what shall be in time foresees and orders all events to his own end insomuch that one tittle of his word shall not pass away till he have accomplish'd his full will and brought about his own purposes Poor weak men want strength and policy to perfect designs and many times we are cut of in the mid-way by an untimely death But God's counsels are laid deep and he is of an infinite power and lives to do what he doth to the uttermost Nor yet does he act so absolutely as to take from second causes their freedom of acting or impose a necessity upon man's will to force it this way or that Far be it from any sober heart to think that God can in any sense be the authour of sin Should this doctrine obtein in any man's mind that all his actions are from all eternity predetermin'd by God so that he must needs do what he doth and cannot possibly do otherwise I should desire that it may onely be consider'd what direfull consequences will naturally insue from such a persuasion when 't is in good earnest own'd and liv'd after and whether all the villany and mischief in the world will not find hence a ready justification Not to say how vain and useless all reason counsels debates exhortations and reproofs all that by which we are men or Christians the use of ministry and ordinances and all the arguments for a virtuous and a godly life would prove with one that were obstinately possest with this opinion and were resolv'd to live according to it But 't is safer for us to consult God's precepts then tamper overboldly with his decrees and to study his will in his commands with humility adoring the wisedom and righteousness of his unsearchable counsels These he hath reserv'd to himself and locked up from us as the Arcana imperii The other he hath plainly made known unto us and proclaim'd them in his word and we hear the sound of them in our eares O that they might also sink into our hearts to doe them By these we shall at last be tryed when every one shall receive according to his works nor will the decrees of God prejudice that soul which hath duly observ'd his commands or secure those who wilfully break them Scripture is the plain rule which we are to walk by the book of decrees is that sealed book which none but the Lamb is worthy to open We ought to study our duty more then destiny Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart and thy neighbour as thy self are flat commands that require absolute obedience But the promises and threatnings of God are under condition and God will make righteous judgement and be found no respecter of persons when Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of our Father which is in Heaven BE DONE God's decrees are done upon us his commands are to be done by us those require our submission these our performance And indeed our whole duty is made up of a passive and active obedience whereby we willingly bear what evils God is pleased to send and as readily doe what good he bids us But why doe we pray that God's will may be done since his decrees will come to pass though we pray not and his commands 't is our part to perform The reason is for the first to shew our compliance with God's will for the second to desire God's assistance since without the aids of his grace we are not able to doe any thing as we ought ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN That men here below may as willingly submit to his good pleasure and pay as chearfull and constant obedience to his commands as the Saints and Angels above doe who alwayes stand in his presence in a readiness to serve him who never quarrel at any of his appointments or grudge at any pains they put themselves to praising him continually falling down before him and ascribing power and dominion and glory to him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb All the business they have to doe there and to spend their time at is the singing of Hallelujahs and delighting themselves in seeing the face of God and meditating on his goodness They have no other imployment but the contemplation and enjoyment of the chiefest good and count it their happion to be taken up alwayes with these thoughts oh what a heavenly life should we lead here on earth if we could but thus throw all our desires at God's feet contenting our selves with his disposals not trouble our selves with the cares of this life but count it our meat and drink to do his will to obey him and trust in him though he should kill us to doe and suffer any thing for his sake and think it our honour that we are thought worthy to breath after heaven mind heavenly things and whilst we are in this valley of the shadow of death prepare our selves for eternity by doing that here in this life which will be the whole imployment of the next To gather up the sum of the whole petition 't is this That God would give us patient and chearful spirits so far that we may resign up our selves and our interests wholly into his hand and submit to his good pleasure possess our souls with patience and count that condition best which God out of his infinite wisdom and tender care thinks fittest for us as being well assured that he doth all for the best that he loves us better then we our selves do That we should thankfull acknowledge his goodness in his preservations of us and provisions for us And if at any time he chastise us with wants and distresses and exercise us with afflictions to entertain them as messages of his love and tokens of his kindness not to murmur or repine under the cross think we are hardly dealt with but to account it great joy and