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
A58583	Act ratifying the confession of faith and settling Presbyterian church-government Edinburgh, the seventh day of June, 1690.	Scotland.	1690 (1690)	Wing S1157; ESTC R34034	26,464	30

them whatsoever himself pleaseth In his sight all things are open and manifest his Knowledge is infinite infallible and independent upon the Creature so as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain He is most holy in all his Counsels in all his Works and in all his Commands To him is due from Angels and men and every other Creature whatsoever Worship Service or Obedience he is pleased to require of them III. In the Unity of the God-head there be three Persons of one Substance Power and Eternity God the Father God the Son and God the holy Ghost The Father is of none neither begotten nor proceeding The Son is eternally begotten of the Father The Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son CHAP. III. Of God's Eternal Decree GOD from all eternity did by the most wise and Holy Counsel of his own will freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass yet so as thereby neither is God the Author of sin nor is violence offered to the will of the Creatures nor is the Liberty or contingency of second Causes taken away but rather established II. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all supposed conditions yet hath he not decreed any thing because he foresaw it as future or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions III. By the Decree of God for the manifestation of his Glory some Men and Angels are predestinated unto everlasting life and others fore-ordained to everlasting death IV. These Angels and Men thus predestinated and fore-ordained are particularly and unchangeably designed and their number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either increased or diminished V. Those of Mankind that are predestinated unto Life God before the foundation of the World was laid according to his eternal and immutable purpose and the secret Counsel and good Pleasure of his Will hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting Glory out of his meer free grace and love without any foresight of Faith or good Works or perseverance in either of them or any other thing in the Creature as conditions or causes moving him thereunto and all to the praise of his glorious Grace VI. As God hath appointed the Elect unto glory so hath he by the eternal and most free purpose of his will fore-ordained all the means thereunto Wherefore they who are Elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season are Justified Adopted Sanctified and kept by his power through faith unto salvation Neither are any other redeemed by Christ effectually Called Justified Adopted Sanctified and Saved but the Elect only VII The rest of mankind God was pleased according to the unsearchable counsel of his own Will whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he pleaseth for the glory of his Soveraign Power over his Creatures to pass by and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sin to the praise of his glorious justice VIII The Doctrine of this high Mystery of Predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care that men attending the will of God revealed in his Word and yielding obedience thereunto may from the certainty of their effectual Vocation be assured of their eternal Election So shall this Doctrine afford matter of praise reverence and admiration of God and of humility diligence and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the Gospel CHAP. IV. Of Creation IT pleased God the Father Son and Holy Ghost for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal Power Wisdom and goodness in the beginning to create or make of nothing the World and all things therein whether visible or invisible in the space of six days and all very good II. After God had made all other Creatures he created Man Male and Female with reasonable and immortal souls endowed with knowledge righteousness and true holiness after his own Image having the Law of God written in their hearts and power to fulfill it and yet under a possibility of transgressing being left to the Liberty of their own will which was subject unto change Beside this Law written in their hearts they received a command not to eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil which whiles they kept they were happy in their Communion with God and had dominion over the Creatures CHAP. V. Of Providence GOD the great Creator of all things doth uphold direct dispose and govern all Creatures actions and things from the greatest even to the least by his most wise and holy Providence according to his infallible fore-knowledge and the free and immutable counsel of his own will to the praise of the glory of his Wisdom Power Justice Goodness and Mercy II. Although in relation to the fore-knowledge and decree of God the first cause all things come to pass immutably and infallibly yet by the same Providence he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second Causes either necessarily freely or contingently III. God in his ordinary Providence maketh use of means yet is free to work without above and against them at his pleasure IV. The Almighty power unsearchable wisdom and infinite goodness of God so far manifest themselves in his Providence that it extendeth it self even to the first fall and all other sins of Angels and men and that not by a bare permission but such as hath joyned with it a most wise and powerful bounding and otherwise ordering and governing of them in a manifold dispensation to his own holy ends yet so as the sinfulness thereof proceedeth only from the Creature and not from God who being most holy and righteous neither is nor can be the Author or Approver of sin V. The most wise righteous and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptation and the corruption of their own hearts to chastise them for their former sins or to discover unto them the hidden strength of Corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts that they may be humbled and to raise them to a more closs and constant dependency for their support upon himself and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin and for sundry other just and holy ends VI. As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God as a righteous Judge for former sins doth blind and harden from them he not only withholdeth his grace whereby they might have been inlightned in their understandings and wrought upon in their hearts but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they had and exposeth them to such objects as their corruption makes occasions of sin and withal gives them over to their own Lusts the temptations of the World and the power of Satan whereby it comes to pass that they harden themselves even under these means which God useth for the softning of others VII As the providence of God doth in general reach to all Creatures so after a most

be performed with the like faithfulness VI. It is not to be made to any Creature but to God alone and that it may be accepted it is to be made voluntarly out of Faith and Conscience to Duty in way of thankfulness for mercy received or for the obtaining of what we want whereby we more strictly bind our selves to necessary duties or to other things so far and so long as they may fitly conduce thereunto VII No man may vow to do any thing forbidden in the Word of God or what would hinder any duty therein commanded or which is not in his own power and for the performance whereof he hath no promise of ability from God In which respects Popish Monastical Vows of perpetual single life professed Poverty and regular obedience are so far from being degrees of higher perfection that they are superstitious and sinful snares in which no Christian may intangle himself CHAP. XXIII Of the Civil Magistrat GOD the Supream Lord and King of all the World hath ordained Civil Magistrates to be under him over the people for his own Glory and the publick good and to this end hath armed them with the power of the Sword for the Defence and Encouragement of them that are good and for the punishment of evil doers II. It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the Office of a Magistrate when called thereunto In the managing whereof as they ought specially to maintain Piety Justice and Peace according to the wholsome Laws of each Common-wealth so for that end they may lawfully now under the New Testament wage War upon just and necessary occasions III. The Civil Magistrat may not assume to himself the administration of the Word and Sacraments or the power of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven yet he hath Authority and it is his duty to take order that Unity and Peace be perserved in the Church that the truth of God be kept pure and intire that all Blasphemies and Heresies be suppressed all corruptions and abuses in Worship and Discipline prevented or reformed and all the Ordinances of God duely settled administred and observed for the better effecting whereof he hath power to call Synods to be present at them and to provide that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the mind of God IV. It is the duty of People to pray for Magistrates to honour their Persons to pay them Tribute and other Dues to obey their lawful commands and to be subject to their Authority for conscience sake Infidelity or difference in Religion doth not make void the Magistrates just and legal Authority nor free the People from their due obedience to him from which Ecclesiasteal persons are not exempted much less hath the Pope any power or jurisdiction over them in their Dominions or over any of their people and least of all to deprive them of their dominions or lives if he shall judge them to be Hereticks or upon any other pretence whatsoever CHAP. XXIV Of Marriage and Divorce MArriage is between one Man and one Woman neither is it lawful for any Man to have more than one Wife nor for any Woman to have more than one Husband at the same time II. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of Husband and Wife for the increase of Mankind with a legittimat Issue and of the Church with an holy seed and for preventing of uncleanness III. It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry who are able with judgement to give their consent Yet it is the duty of Christians to marry only in the Lord. And therefore such as profess the true reformed Religion should not marry with Infidels Papists or other Idolaters Neither should such as are godly be unqually yoked by marrying with such as are notoriously wicked in their life or maintain damnable Heresies IV. Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of Consanguinity or Affinity forbidden in the Word Nor can such incestuous Marriages ever be made lawful by any Law of Man or consent of Parties so as those Persons may live together as Man and Wife The Man may not marry any of his Wifes kindred nearer in blood than he may of his own nor the Woman of her Husbands kindred nearer in Blood than of her own V. Adultery or Fornication committed after a Contract being detected before Marriage giveth just occasion to the innocent Party to dissolve that Contract In the Case of Adultery after Marriage it is lawful for the innocent Party to sue out a Divorce and after the Divorce to marry another as if the offending Party were dead VI. Although the corruption of Man be such as is apt to study Arguments unduely to put asunder those whom God hath joyned together in Marriage yet nothing but Adultery or Civil Magistrat is cause sufficient of dissolving the Bond of Marriage wherein a publick and orderly course of proceeding is to be observed And the persons concerned in it not left to their own wills and discretion in their own case CHAP. XXV Of the Church THe Catholick or Universal Church which is invisible consists of the whole number of the Elect that have been are or shall be gathered into one under Christ the Head thereof and is the Spouse the Body the fulness of him that filleth all in all II. The visible Church which is also Catholick or Universal under the Gospel not confined to one Nation as before under the Law consists of all those throughout the World that profess the true Religion together with her Children and is the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ the House and Family of God out of which there is no ordinary possibility of Salvation III. Unto this Catholick Visible Church Christ hath given the Ministry Oracles and Ordinances of God for the gathering and perfecting of the Saints in this life to the end of the World and doth by his own presence and Spirit according to his promise make them effectual thereunto IV. This Catholick Church hath been sometimes more sometimes less visible and particular Churches which are Members thereof are more or less pure according as the Doctrine of the Gospel is taught and imbraced Ordinances administred and publick Worship performed more or less purely in them V. The purest Churches under Heaven are subject both to mixture and error and some have so degenerated as to become no Churches of Christ but Synagogues of Satan Nevertheless there shall be always a Church on Earth to Worship God according to his will VI. There is no other Head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ Nor can the Pope of Rome in any sense be Head thereof but is that Antichrist that Man of Sn and Son of Perdition that exalteth himself in the Church against Christ and all that is called God CHAP. XXVI Of the Communion of Saints ALL Saints that are united to Jesus Christ their Head by his Spirit and by Faith have fellowship with him in his graces sufferings death resurrection and glory