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
A76262	A Legacie left to Protestants, containing eighteen controversies, viz. 1. Of the Holy Scriptures. 2. Of Christs Catholick Church, &c. 3. Of the Bishop and Church of Rome, 4. Of traditions needfull, &c.	Bayly, Thomas, d. 1657?,; T. B.	1654 (1654)	Wing B1512; Thomason E1667_2; ESTC R208395	72,275	206

far surpassing mans wit to be conceived making God not onely Author of mens damnation but of those sinnes likewise for which he condemneth them and so consequently a greater Tyrant than ever was amongst men or can be imagined First against plaine authorities of Scripture wherein God is said non Ps 5 volcns iniquitatem no willer of iniquity but a hater of the wicked and all Sap. 14. Ps 44. their impiety That he loveth Justice and hateth all iniquity That his eyes are cleane and cannot approve evill That he delivereth men from temptations but tempteth no man Habac. 1 Jacob 1. Secondly against the light of Faith and Reason together by changing the nature it selfe of Sinne and making it a holy worke as b●ing done according to the will of God inciting and moving men unto it taking so away all difference between good and evill actions by making the greatest sins of men Gods especiall works and destroying the high attribute of sanctity in God whereby all his Counsels Will and Works are said to be holy as ever conformable to the highest rule of rectitude his own wisdom to wit and goodnesse which he cannot go against without denying himself in any wicked will or action done by him So as Eusebius said well he amongst Lib. 6. de praep●rat Evangilicae men must certainly be the wickedest that will affirm God to move men to commit Adulteries Rapines and other Sins because if this were so not men but their Creator himself should be chiefly Author of sch sins ●nd men not blameable at all in doing them as inforced by him to commit them which seemed so hellish a doctrine to the Magistrates of Bern Calvins next neighbours as under great penalties they have forbidden their Pastors to hold or teach it And Amandus Polanus chief Professor at Basil hath written a whol book against this execrable doctrine And Graverus a chief Lutheran Divine hath in a particular Treatise proved Calvins whole doctrine of Predestination impiam esse absurdissimam to be most wicked and absurd Jacobus Andraeas Luthers successor at Wittenberg hath made the like judgment In Epitome Colloquii Montis gradensis thereof and so have the Tigurin and Bernian Divines in their several confession● of faith Bullinger likewise himself hath particularly impugned it besides other Authors c. And against Calvins horrible doctrine that Christ died onely for the Elect without any benefit at all intended for others by him Hemingius hath written a book intituled De gratia Vniversali of Universall Grace wherein he proveth by many clear texts of Scripture that Christ was sent by his Father to redeem the whole world to save all mankinde to take away the sinnes of the world to call sinners to cleanse them with his blood c. that his death was in it self sufficient to redeem all men made for that purpose by themselves ineffectuall And that nothing can be more certainly and plainly testified in Scripture then that great graces have been given unto many who notwithstanding are damned because they did not rightly and perseverantly make use of them God is good saith S. Austin and Lib. 3. in Julianum de articulis illi fa. so impositis he is just he can save some without any merits because he is good and he cannot without demerits condemn any man because he is just ejus praedestinatio nunquam extra bonitatem nunquam extra justitiam est his predestination ever includeth goodnesse and justice he knoweth before they are done the good and evill actions of all men yet so saith S. Fulgentius as he predestinateth Lib. ad Nonymum the former and the latter are permitted onely by him And this is true generally that he is never angry with any man untill he hath by his iniquity provoked him And when he is said to be Author of evils in Scripture it is to be understood of penall evils and punishments of such as have offended him when likewise he is said to have hardned Pharoahs heart and caused the Egyptians to hate his People to have commanded Simei to revile David these and the like maner of speakings are to be understood not only of permitting such persons to will and do wicked things but of withdrawing also for just causes the light of his grace from them and suffering the Devill more powerfully to tempt them ordaining still to his own greater glory the wickednesse of them Let us not therefore conc●ive so hardly of him who is mercy goodnesse it self that the onely chief cause why he permitteth mens sinnes to be this that he may punish the Authors of them for albeit amongst other reasons S. Paul assigneth this for one yet are there other causes to be yeilded for his permission as to leave men to the freedome of their own wills to shew greater mercy unto them after they have offended him that his Sons merits may be usefull in his Church by being applied to the remission of mens sins by Sacraments for that purpose ordained by him whose incarnation was by Adams sin as the Church singeth on Easter Eve happily occasioned Blessedly therefore permitted by God not absolutely willed or decreed by him as is by Calvin falsly and wickedly affirmed from whose patient loving and mercifull proceedings towards Sinners here in this world after they have often and hainously offended him we may well gather how far he is now and ever he hath been from hasting his judgments or delighting himself in executing the rigour of his justice on them according to Calvins doctrine against which we Catholicks deny not Gods Predestination and Reprobation of Souls to be chief parts of his generall Providence over Creatures to their severall ends directed by him but acknowledge that by the sormer all ordained to salvation are certainly saved by him and by the latter others are no lesse certainly damned the one is an Act of Gods mercy freely and graciously without any desert at all unto some a-above others afforded by him and the other is an act of Justice and a will to punish such as have offended him that is the Origin and Source of all blessings and meanes of attaining salvation for us in this life prepared as St. Austine hath defined it The other is the cause not of sin as Calvin affirmed but of all pain and punishment due to it that is of Gods free election not supposing any good in our selves before it but this other is neither decreed nor inflicted by God all goodness mercy but for some evill formerly committed Those were not more worthy or better disposed to be chosen by God than these other who made themselves worthy by their ill deeds to be damned by him As those by congruous effectuall graces are holpen unto their lives end to attain Salvation so these others want not sufficient graces helps to be saved with a free liberty of their wills to make use accordingly of them God for his part doth most seriously exhort command by threats likewise and promises seek to draw sinners unto him out of a will to save them so as it must be imputed unto themselves when for their sins they justly deserve to be damned by him And to conclude this doctrine as a crown is prepared according to the merit of such as are freely predestinated chosen so are punishments prepar'd inflicted on those who are reprobated not chosen as by wicked facts they have deserv'd them And herein consists the abyssall depth of Gods mercy to ward his elect that in a like estate of damnation incurr'd by all mankind he will have mercy of some to save them and not of others according to his high pleasure without any wrong at all done to them This doctrine destroyes the dilemma or mad arguument of some careless of their eternall salvation Either I am predestinated or not If I bee sure I am let me doe what I will to be saved If I be not let me live never so holily sure I am to be damned because nether part of this collection is true for if thou art predestinated to glory it must be by living well and serving God as thou should'st do and if thou failest in doing so thou mayst assure thy self that thou art predestinated nor canst thou have any hope to be saved And if thou art not predestinated thou shalt I deny not certainly be d●mried but it shall be for thy owne sinfull life which thou mightst have ordered otherwise by Gods grace not denied unto thee and so have come to be predestinated and saved And this free election and predestination of some and not of others to grace glory increas●th true piety in holy souls by perfectly subjecting them to the high will and pleasure of God and relying on his grace make them with fear and trembling work their owne salvation and strive as St. Peter willeth them by living well and doing good works to make sure their election not presuming of their owne forces or merits but solidly grounding themselves in an humble confident hope of Gods gracious love and goodnesse for his sons sake and by his inexhausted merits procured for them Leaving his secret judgements unto God himself with love and veneration and without overcuriously diving into them so resolved that during their life whatsoever shall happen unto them afterwards they will strive as they can by the help of his grace to please love and serve him FINIS