Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bad_a	good_a	see_v	1,466	5	3.4614	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A14212	A collection of certaine learned discourses, written by that famous man of memory Zachary Ursine; doctor and professor of divinitie in the noble and flourishing schools of Neustad. For explication of divers difficult points, laide downe by that author in his catechisme. Lately put in print in Latin by the last labour of D. David Parry: and now newlie translated into English, by I.H. for the benefit and behoofe of our Christian country-man	Ursinus, Zacharias, 1534-1583.; I. H., fl. 1600.; Pareus, David, 1548-1622. aut; Junius, Franciscus, 1545-1602. aut	1600 (1600)	STC 24527; ESTC S100227	171,130	346

or sin as it is a motion or triall or exercise or chastisement of the godly or a punishmēt of the evil so it is from Gods prouidēce effectiuely that is so that God is the author of it but as it is sin not effectiuely but permissiuely 8. Now this permission is not a ceasinge of Gods prouidence and working in the actions of evill men wherby it may come to passe that those actions may seeme not to depend of any other cause then of the creatures which a●●●gents but a withdrawing of his heauenly grace wherby God executinge the decree of his will by reasonable creatures eyther doth not reveale vnto the creature his will which will haue that action done or ells boweth not the will of the creature to obey this diuine will in that action Which so standing the creature sinneth necessarilie in deed but with all voluntarilie and freely by Gods most iust iudgment whiles God by it bringeth to passe the iust good worke of his will prouidence 9. God therfore will haue those actions motions which the Divells men by sinning doe effect to come to passe as they are motions and executions of Gods iust iudgment but as they are sins he neither willeth nor appoueth nor effecteth them though he forbid hate horiblie punnish them yet notwithstanding in Divels men ●e suffereth them to concur with his iust actions whilest for verie good reasons most iust causes he doth not effect in them by his spirit the performance of these actiōs iustely that is according to the prescript of Gods will 10 Neither is God therfore the author of confusion which is in the actions of the evill for what they will do inordinatlie that is against the cōmaundemēt of God that God will haue done in excellent most wise order Lastly euen sinnes themselues as they are sins be done by Gods providence though not effecting yet permitting prescribing them boundes directing thē whither it pleaseth him 11 Neither is God by this doctrine made the author of sin because the sin of the sinfull creature doth by accident concur with the good and iust worke of God which he in his owne coūsel determineth by the sinfull creature executeth And therefore in respect of Gods will those actiōs are iust and right which in respect of the wicked by whom they be done are sinnes 12. And these things are manifest first by the vniversall nature causes effects being such of thēselues naturally or by accidēt For whē the same effect hath many causes some good some badde that same effect in respect of good causes is good in regard of bad causes is bad good causes of thēselues naturally are the causes of good effects but by accidēt of euil effects or sins which is foūd in the effect by some other euill or sinful cause cōtrarywise euil causes are of thēselues the causes of evil but by accidēt they may be causes of that good whith is foūd in the effect 13. Secondly the truth of these matters appeareth by the immutable nature of God the foūtaine and author of all good For Gods wokes are equaly good whether he effect thē by evil or good instruments neither are they battered by good or made worse by evill instruments seeing their iustice and goodnes dependeth not on the nature of the instruments but of God which maketh vse of the instruments but on the other side the creatures can neither be nor continue good nor do anie thing that is good except God make them good vphold thē in goodnes so governing thē that they may work that which is good with God who by thē worketh that good which he will 14 Yet hereby we do not attribute vnto God cōtrary wils For God wil wil not the same actiōs in divers respectes Hee will as they are conformable to his most iust iudgement and order and he will not but rather hateth and detesteth yet permitteth them to be done as they are contrary to his order and law against which they are committed by the wicked 15 Neither doth the necessity of consequence which happeneth to the events by the immutable decree of Gods providence take away that contingēce or casuality which they haue frō the mutable nature of second causes or from the power liberty of God whereby he so decreed from al eternity if we distinguish rightly betweene both as that there is a respect betweene causes working immutablie or mutablie For thereby euerie man may see that the same effect proceeding frō●auses partly mutable partly immutable may wel be called cōtingēt in respect of mutable causes and necessary in respect of causes immutable 16 Neither doth this immutable providence of God derogate ought from the vse of teaching our desire of wel-doing as if these things were in vaine or to no purpose for admitting a first cause it is not necessarie to denie the second causes nor the first admitting the secōd And God hath promised to saue vs not without but by these means and hath for this reason cōmanded vs to vse thē expecting the good successe of them from him 17 But when God in scripture is denied to will the actions of Divels or sinful men that is to bee vnderstood as they are sins or to that end wherevnto they are done by divels mē not as they are actions or done vnto that end which God in the order of providence respecteth For actions are distinguished by their endes 18 The church thus perswaded her selfe and teaching others of Gods providēce doth vtterly cōdemne detest the furies madnes of Epicures and Academiques with the devises of all others which wil haue gods providēce either to be none at al or not to extēd vnto all things in the world or els to be only a certain kinde of fore-knowledg in God not any decree and execution 19 As much it condemneth the blasphemies and errours of the Manichees Stoickes Libertines and others which make GOD the authour of sinne or take from him his libertye whereby from all eternitie hee made his decrees or else abolish the operations and vse or differences of second causes working either necessarily or contingently or voluntarily freely 20 This doctrine is to be retained in the Church for Gods glory that so it may appeare that God is the governour of all things yet not the author of sinne but the most free and excellent effector giver of all good things It is also so necessarie for our instruction and comfort that we may become thankefull vnto God as being the well spring of all goodnes and patiently suffer evils as happening vnto vs by his will perswading our selues that all things shal serue for our salvation that acknowledging God to bee the author of punishments we might amende not despaire of Gods helpe though we be left destitute by second causes that we trust not in our selues but in feare of

so great a benefi● which God through Christ in this life bestowed on vs namely the certaintie of our saluation purchased for vs by Christ which is the summe and foundation of our comforte and religion For what comforte were it to know that indeed Christ did ones purchase saluation for vs but everie moment it is a thousand waies subiect to be lost we must therefore know that our life is with Christ in God and there as safely kept as is the life of Christ him-selfe reigning in heauen This is a thousand times saide in scripture Read Melancthon vpon the 7. ca. of Mat. in the place aboue cited Read the 5. and 8. chapt to the Rom. I see you doe not put difference betweene securitie of the spirit of the flesh and that you stagger even in the verie grounds of Christianity if in heart you maintaine this tedious opinions If it be so I am verie sorrie for you and doe exhorte you to read the scriptures diligently That also is a meere cavill that we should saie the elect cannot forgoe the holie spirit Nay they often loose manie gi●es of the same spirit but recouer them againe by repentance For they do not quite revolt from God and become professed enimies of the truth that is they sinne not against the holy Ghost nor so fal that finally they perseuere in their errours against the foundatiō and in their sinnes against conscience Neyther doth this comforte make men secure because it concerneth them onely which haue a purpose to beware of falling abhor nothing more then offending God there is therefore a manifest contradiction in that diuelish scoffe of the wicked which say If I be elected I wil do what pleaseth me because it shal not hurt me For God will haue vs be sure that we are elected but this we can not do without faith and repentance All thinges worke for the best trew vnto them that loue God There is no condemnation to them which walke according to the spirit● These two ioyned togeather exclude securitie stirre vs vp to cheerefulnesse and alacritie to runne our race according to the commaundement make your election certaine On the other side they sleep securely in their sins which dreame that it is in their owne handes to take and lay aside repentance whensoeuer and as often as they list and play with GOD at their pleasure But say you I woulde faine shifte of this triall wherevnto the certainetie of saluation doeth call That is it the Divell woulde haue Those sayings Matthew the two and twentith and tenth Hee vvhich continueth to the ende c Revelations the second and tenth To him that overcommeth I vvill giue a crowne c. Doe not derogate from the certaintie of saluation but are exhortations wherby God vpholdeth vs in that certainetie stirring vp in vs a desire of godlinesse and hatred of sinne The like slaunder it is when you say that vvee teach men to iudge of election a priore or by the cause Eyther malitiously they dissemble our opinion or else they vnderstande neither themselues nor vs. VVee iudge by the effect that is by faith and repentaunce of the cause that is of election But to iudge thus is to iudge a posteriors that is by the effect That wee ought not to determine of any before the ende of his life whether hee shall bee saued or no if you meane it of others you say well if of our selues or of euerie mans ovvne conscience and certainetie in himselfe it is a detestable wicked diuelish and blasphemous sayings overthrowinge the whole foundation and groūdworke of saluation Hee that taught you this taught you a doctrine of diuels though he were an angell from heauen But I will tell you an other lesson except you be certaine before the end of this life whether you shall be heire of eternall life you shall neuer so be after this life For faith in this ve●●e certainetie which is the beginning of eternall life this all must haue in this life vvhich looke for that other life If you haue thought on the nature and definition of hope that it is a sure and certaine expectation of eternall life you should haue found no such thing there My hart doth stand on end to think of your blasphemy I would not for an hundred thousand worlds be so seperated from Christ as to be vncertaine whether I were his or noe These are heathenish blasphemes the verie entrance of hell Wherefore you do well to confirme it with testimonies of the heathen for these thinges refarre wide of the worde of God Why doe you so co●rupt the wordes of scripture wresting them from a ●onne like to a seruile feare what mystere what blindnesse is it for a man to boast of vniuersall promises and not to sifte himselfe and trie whether he be of their nomber of whom the promises speak This is in deede to bring in amongst men carnall security and a shadow of faith which in the confl●ct driueth vs head-long into desperation I do not th●nke Luther Melancthon taught any mā so to babble and fome out these vniuersall promises But the carrier calles for my letters and I haue to my great paines spent the whole night in wrighting these lines Farewell Let me entreat you to provoke me no more with such disputations Fare-well hartily this 2 of september 1573. OF THE CAVSE OF SINNE Parte of a letter of Vrsinus to his friend concerning the cause of sinne ONe terrible bug-beare they haue of the cause of sinne all the rest is foolish and not worthy the aunswearing But even that also is a childish fallacie of accident For by accident that is through defect fault and error of the will of the Divel or man sin commeth to bee that worke which God by will most iust most agreeable to his nature the Law wil haue done permitting in the mean time the sins of the creature that is not so correcting directing it that it may do iustly togither with God doing iustly or els while he doth not enlighten it with the knowledge of his will or doth not so turne it by his spirit that it may doe that which it doth for obedience sake to the revealed will of God So that God ever doth well both by those that are good and also by those that are evill But the creature doth well togither with God in that goodnes wherein it is created preserved or therevnto againe restored by God The good therfore which it doth is the work of God which himselfe doth will and effect the evill which it doth is frō it selfe Now this euill is not done but permitted by God whiles he doth not cause the will of the creature to become good and to do good togeather with God doing good For the same worke in respect of diuerse causes is both good euil mutable immutable contingent free as the causes them-selues are diuerse which concu●●e in producing therof Hee which

much disabled as also because if I were furnished with gifts of vtterance which in my selfe I acknowledge to be very slender yet nowe the waight of this vvorke the scantnesse of time and vehemencie of my griefe haue debarred me all vse and practise of them Wherefore I would indeede haue perswaded some others of our colledge to take some paines in this matter thereby to ease mine owne study and sorrow but they excused themselues vvith the publique griefe and their owne most affectionate heavinesse And must wee then needes neglect the commendation of that sacred soule if in this publique calamitie of the Church and our schoole wee giue our selues wholy to mourning and lamentation But that perhaps wil seeme an vndutiful nicenes tēdernes to such as know not the vehemēcie of our griefe Besides to vse the words of S. Amb. though it do but increase our griefe to wright of that which grieveth vs yet because cōmonly we content our selues with the remembrance of him whose losse we lament for th●● in wrighting a whilest that our mindes by meditation are wholy fixed on him wee imagine him to liue in our discourse it is a thinge that must be done except we will be thought to haue buried in silence the memorie of a pledg so well deseruing and to haue vouchsafed him no honor or els to haue avoided all incitemēts to greife wher as for the most part to greiue is the especial comfort of such as are greiued Shall we then differ this commendation any longer no truelie but rather let vs stirre vp your mindes to maintaine his memorie both now to al posteritie hereafter for as Nazianzen saith good men ought to be especially remembred and they whose memorie is godlie and p●offitable But stay then am I the boldest of this companie of professors not so But perhappes I am the most officious and forward to shew my dutie truelie neither am I so greed●e of the glorie of this actiō that I could finde in my heart to snatch it from others by prevention How then am I belyke the most vnwise of all others truelie I do not arrogate to my selfe any great wisedome onely I hope this my dutie shal be without off●ces with thought hereof I am much comforted But what mooued mee aboue others to take vpon me the penninge and pronouncing of this oration Because of dutie one of vs must needes haue done it that which was a dutie in all greife excused in other and might as well haue done in me had not very necessitie not onelie required but also euen exacted it at my handes For first I owe as much to the memorie of that iust man my good fellow-professor as others doe namelie an honorable remembrance of him Moreouer I owe so much dutie and more to this our Schoole which may iustly callenge my diligence as well in this as in other causes Lastelie I shall hereby provide both for the publique good and also for mine owne credit for otherwise who would not be readie to obiect against me that sayinge of Sophocles Alasse how soone thanklesse posteritie Leaues to retaine a dead freindes memorie But these learned and iudicial men herepresēt may in the common heauinesse make this benefit that they perswade themselues they may shift of the burden of this exercise without preiudice of their credit as for me the necessitie of my place enforceth either to prouide some other who will and may better discharg it then my selfe or els to submit my selfe to the hazard of your censures The waight of my other affaires do ouermuch distract me the conscience of mine owne weaknes doth amaze mee the worth and greatnes of the thinge it selfe deters me All this notwithstāding the authoritie of this schoole preuaileth ouer mine affaires good ensample and publique paterne of the church forceth my conscience and necessitie it selfe doth thrust me forward setting aside respect of the worthe and maiestie of this subiect to say some thinge therof in this assemblie Trusting therfore to your courtesie and indifferencie worshipfull and worthie auditors first I desire entreate you to heare favorably this my oration no way matching I confesse that matchlesse mans desertes or your expectation or mine owne duty but onely fitting my poore mediocritie then that you woulde vouchsafe lovingly to excuse mee plucking onelie some few fruites from that most rare and sacred tree if I neither flourish out this picture with those curious colours nor furnish out this table with those diuers and daine●i● dishes which that rich store house might afforde but rather supplie what mine ignorance hath omitted and pardon both for shortnesse of time and vehemencie of griefe whatsoever I shall happen to speake vnadvisedly For in that man I purpose not to speake of that wee admired whilst it vvas present and now want being absent for I neither know nor can reckon al nor of many such things as I know and haue much thought of for even that also were almost infinite and would seeme incredible to manie but I intend in few words to lay downe a briefe of those vertues and good giftes which heretofore wee haue all seene and whose losse wee now lament and to shaddowe out vnto you the damage redounding to vs all by the vntimely death of that man of fame that by this fi●e wee may bee inflamed to strong faith and serious repentaunce and more and more frame our selues to imitation of this worthy witnesse and valiant champion of CHRIST IESVS Zacharie Vrsine was borne at Pres●aw of honest parentage by discent in the yeare of our Lorde 1536. Hee was naturallie for constitution of bodie strong but more strong of minde and courage especiallie after there had beene ioyned to the goodnesse of his nature artes and sciences and other most excellent and heavenlie giftes qualities But touching the giftes of his body we shal not neede to speake much considering that some of them are indifferentlie common to all men others besides men are also incident vnto beastes For although in themselues they be cōmodious and such as every man may wel wish to further him in laudable attemptes yet they make nothing to the true glorie and commendation of those in whom they are found wherefore I am resolved to giue vnto him his deserued commendation not as he was man but a most absolute Divine But touching the vertues of his mind which by consent of al good men deserue of themselues to be desired and possesse the perpetual fruit of true glorie what shal I saie whence shoulde I beginne or when should I end if I should endevour to speake all that might be said of this most holie choice vessell ordained to the glorie of his maker I should sooner want time then matter in so iust a cause Nowe then I see well what I haue to do I must prescribe vnto my selfe certaine limites bounds beyōd which would I never so faine I may nor stray that so both I may promise to

sees not this sees nothing But if I can I will one day answeare you in feawe wordes For whether I can or no whē I can I doe not yet knowe besides that it is tedious to me to handle these stale sophismes Learne in secret whē your thoughts are at leasure meditate on this that every man may trouble a true but God alone can quiet it If you would not crie rost-meat you might haue fared much better March 10. An. 1573. THAT PROVIDENCE DOTH NOT DEROGATE FROM PRAIER Part of an other letter to the same friend wherein is debated this question Whether the doctrine of Providence doe derogate from praier THe godly exercise of praier wel agreeth with the doctrine of Providence and is confirmed established thereby For whosoever beggeth at Gods handes with an vpright heart things necessary to salvation the same is verily perswaded that he forth with receiveth them The contrary opinion shaketh rooteth vp our faith cōfidence in God and suffereth vs not stedfastly to beleeue the last Article of the Creed But praier when it sueth for things on which salvatiō depēdeth not patiently humbly submitteth it selfe vnto Gods will not desiring to obtaine any other thing then that which GOD in his secret counsell hath decreed best and most profitable for vs. Nothinge more slacketh our obedience in this pointe nothing more disturbeth our comforte and quiet of minde herein then that errant cōtingency whereby the Academicks Epicures beare the world In hand that the events of thinges are not governed and determined by Gods divine counsel Recall to minde that distinction of thinges to bee praied for often taught and daily repeated vnto children by our country-man Philip Melancthon and this whole controversie of praier shal be cleered and put out of doubt Herevvith meeteth our opinion but the contrary opinion swarveth wholie from it so that truth wel suteth with truth but falshoode agreeth neither with truth nor falshoode The summe of all is you must ground your cōfidence on God and craue all good things of him and be thankful vnto him for the same no otherwise thē as if all thinges proceeded from him without any your endeavour and yet must you performe your dutie with as great diligence and industrie as if you were able to procure and gaine all thinges of your selfe and by your selfe without him Whosoeuer directeth not the whole doctrine and disputation of Providence and Election vnto this end he waxeth vaine in his curiositie intangleth himselfe in many snares which himselfe laieth for him selfe On whomsoever God hath decreed to heap his blessings to them he hath appointed the spirit of praier If then hee hath giuen thee a desire to praie assure thy selfe this gift is not in vaine but thou shalt alwaies bee heard according to Gods own promise This is the Consequent thou oughtest to deduce and gather on good ground infallible conclusion out of that precedent benefit Seest thou thē the cōtrary of this thy fear For nothing lesse impeacheth nothing more cōfirmeth the desire custome and consolation of prayer then the doctrine of Providence I much marueile that you yet still dreame of the ghostes spirits of particular men Howe often haue you hearde and reade the contrarie to be trew howsoeuer the miserable Sophists of our time groping in the thicke darkenes of their Academicall blockishnesse cavill hereat For without the doctrine of Election and certainety of salvation the vniversalitie of promised grace which appertaineth to al the faithfull and to them alone can neither stand or be mainetained nor applyed to the comforte and vse of the godly How often hath it beene reiterated vnto you that you must iudge of Election a posteriors from the subsequent signs effects it causeth For you must repute and iudge your selfe elected by that measur of faith which is required in the elect Yea this is true liuely faith for a man to beleeue that he is elect vnto eternall life for Christs sake Search then sift thine own conscience whether there be found in thee faith repentance and vnfeigned desire of the grace and fauour of God then pronounce thy selfe one of Gods elect al curious disputatiōs set apart I protest before God that I● see not by what meās I could haue stood stedfast in many my priuate greeuances had I not held this one comfort impregnable No man shall take my sheepe out of my handes c. What are all other comfortes if this be not at hand with vs that all thinges good and evill befall vs not casually but by the eternall decree purpose of God worke for our saluation 9. Iun. 1575. A PREFACE OF AN ORATION pronounced on Easter evē by a certaine student of Divinity in the famous Vniversity of Heidelberge touching this question To whom the benefite of the Death and Resurrection of Christ appertaineth and how Christ died for all men COncerning the story benefite of our Lordes Resurrection I suppose I haue hitherto sufficiently treated It followeth that I proceede vnto the last point proposed I mean to whom this benefite appertaineth Wherfore directing our course as it were by the loadstar of scripture we pronounce by vertue and authoritie thereof that so precious inestimable a benefite belongeth vnto all the faithfull and to them alone and we exclude the wicked vnbeleevers as long as they remaine such from hauing any interest therein For all the faithfull they alone haue a taste of the sweetnes of those fruites suppose free iustification before God a quickening from the death of sinne and of the body lastly immortall life and glory these heauenly blessinges I say all the faithfull and they alone partake and enioy because they all they alone apply thē vnto themselues through faith For these are they who heare Christes wordes who beleeue haue eternal life and come not into condemnation These are they who are iustified by faith are reconciled vnto God and haue peace with him through our Lord Iesus Christ These are they who being regenerate by the holy Ghost are raised with Christ vnto newenes of life whose heartes are purified by faith Finally these are they which sleepe in Iesus whome one day God will bring with him hauing raised them from the dead that they may enioy for ever the glory of his heavenly kingdome Nowe the wicked being vtterly voide and destitute of faith which iustifieth howe should they I pray you partake in any of these blessinges with whom God is not pleased for without faith it is impossible to please God who belong not vnto Christ neyther are heires of the kingdome who neither haue title nor right In Christ Iesus nor To Christ Iesus as the lawiers vse to speake how should Christ appertaine vnto them How should the benefites be extēded vnto them Nay rather all these are by the mouth of the sonne of God himselfe farre remooued debarred