Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	believe_v	election_n	faith_n	1,811	5	6.4367	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10194	The perpetuitie of a regenerate mans estate VVherein it is manifestly proued by sundry arguments, reasons and authorities. That such as are once truly regenerated and ingrafted into Christ by a liuely faith, can neither finally nor totally fall from grace. It is also proued, that this hath beene the receiued and resolued doctrine, of all the ancient fathers, of all the Protestant churches and writers beyond the seas, and of the Church of England. All the principall arguments that are, or may be obiected against it, either from Scripture, or from reason, are here likewise cleared and answered. By William Prynne Gent: Lincolniensis.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1626 (1626)	STC 20471; ESTC S115319	355,787	462

infirmitie to his Saints and that for Christ their Mediators sake For so it is written That there is no condemnation to those which are in Christ Iesus Besides we beleeue teach and confesse that faith and saluation are preserued in vs and retained not by our owne workes but only by the Spirit of God Againe they beleeue and confesse that Predestination or the eternall election of God belongs only to the good and the beloued sons of God and this is the cause of their saluation For it procures their saluation and orders those things which belong vnto it vpon this predestination of God our saluation is so founded that the gates of Hell cannot subuert it And againe by this doctrine of predestination wee are assured that wee are elected to eternall life out of meere grace in Iesus Christ without any merit of our owne that no man shall take vs out of the hands of Christ and that we shall constantly perseuere vnto the end And a little after God in his eternall purpose hath decreed that he will defend all those whom he hath elected called iustified euen amids their many and sundrie infirmities against the diuell the world the flesh and lead them on guide them in his waies and if they chance to slide at any time that he will put vnder his hand that so they may receiue solid consolations in all their crosses and temptations be preserued vnto eternall life he hath decreed that he will finish that good worke which hee hath begun within them that he will confirme and finish it vnto the end Which doctrine of Predestination doth afford vs excellent consolation For how great a benefit of God is this that he hath beene so carefull of the conuersion righteousnesse and safetie of euery Christian and so faithfull to procure it that he hath deliberated and ordained before the foundations of the world were laid how he would call and bring vs to saluation preserue vs in it that hee should fence our saluation with such strong garrisons that hee should place our saluation in his eternall purpose which can neuer be deceiued nor altered as in a most defensed Castle and place it to bee kept in the Almighty hand of our Lord Iesus Christ out of which no man can pull vs. If the custody and safegard of our owne saluation were committed to our selues good God how easily should wee loose it for the infirmity wickednesse and corruption of our flesh how easily would it bee wrested and taken from vs by the trecherie and power of Satan and by the policie of the world Therefore Paul builds the certainty of our happinesse vpon the foundation of Gods purpose when he collects from this that wee are called according to Gods purpose that no man can separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. And a little after Seeing our election to eternall life doth not depend vpon our virtues or righteousnesse but vpon the only merits of Christ and the good pleasure of our heauenly Father who cannot deny himselfe since that in his will and essence hee is immutable for this cause when his children doe disobey him and fall into sinne hee calls them to repentance by his word and makes the holy Ghost eflectuall in them by his word that they may returne into the way and amend their liues These and many such like sayings are to be found in this Lutheran Concordancie which giue sufficient testimonie that all the 〈◊〉 and Protestants in Germany concurre in judgement with vs that the true regenerate Saints of God can neither finally nor totally fall from Grace See more of this p. 488. 568. 569. 600 650. 661. 671. 781. Since Luthers and Bucers time and since this Concordancy was composed and the Diot of Ral●…sbon concluded This hath been the constant doctrine of the Lutheran and Protestant Churches that the regenerate Saints of God can neither finally nor totally fall from grace as appeares by those seuerall Catechismes which are publikely taught and receiued in these Churches and by those many learned Writers of those Churches whose names and workes I haue cited before Zanchius in his Confession in this particular point to the Senate of Argentine records it that many Churches many Vniuersities and great men throughout Germanie haue defended and confirmed this assertion and that this our Theses was publikely defended and approued in the Vniuersitie of Maspurge and afterward published in print by the said Vniuersitie as sound and orthodox The Diuines of the Vniuersitie of Leydon and the Professors of it on the 9. of December 1595 in the businesse of Cornelius Wiggerus declared their resolution to the States that the opinion of Wiggerus that the elect Saints of God might out of the liberty of their owne wills fall quite away from the couenant and grace of God was so contrary to the Scriptures and to the Confessions and receiued Catechismes of the Belgicke Church that they could not be reconciled neither could this his assertion bee taught in the Church of God without great hurt and scandall which resolution was subscribed by Iunius Trelcatius Gomarus Bastingius Vtengobardus and others as you may reade in the Conference at the Hage recorded by Bertius and Brandius and by Amesius in his Coronis to this conference pag. 361. 362. The Belgicke confession analized by Festus Hommius Artic. 29. 34. 35. and the Belgicke Catechisme Respons 1. 28. 32. 51 52 53 54. 58. 64. 76. and 126. and Bastingius in his Catechisme Exegisis ad Quaest. 45. 53. 54. concurre in this our present assertion The German Protestants and Orthodoxe Diuines haue from time to time defended it against the Rhemists as appeared by their seuerall 〈◊〉 at the Hage King lames in his Declaration against Vorstius informeth vs That all the Protestant Churches in Germanie had with open mouth complained against Arminius for maintaining of this heresie of the Apostacie of the Saints and those other assertions concurring with it The Church of Geneua hath alwayes maintained this assertion as I haue proued by her Confession and as it is euident by those Theses maintained and defended in her Vniuersitie Recorded in Theses Geneuenses Theses 27. de Fide Thes. 6. where our present assertion is publikely maintained and defended Indeed Mr. Mountague whom I may well stile the Father of lies so many forgeries and vntruths hath hee broached in this our present point hath recorded it that Iohn Deodate Minister of Geneua should tell him when he was with him at Eaton that the Church of Geneua did dissent from this and other priuate opinions of Caluin and Beza But his owne Dioceson Bishop Carlton in the examination of his Appeale hath taken him tardie in this informing vs that Deodate himselfe hath informed a Bishop of this kingdome in a Letter purposely written to him to cleere himselfe of this imputation that he neuer spake these words to Mr. Mountague neither

because they did not beleeue that Christ had the words of eternall life neither were they sure that hee was that Christ the sonne of the liuing God For the Disciples which did beleeue this did continue with him euen for this very cause because they did beleiue it so that this example is impertinent because they were no true beleeuers The fourth example is from Dauid Dauid was a true regenerate man and Saint of God But hee fell from grace by committing adultery and murther For first hee prayes to God to create a new heart and to renew a right spirit within him Psal. 51. 10. Secondly hee was a murtherer and therefore had no eternall life abiding in him 1 Iohn 3. 14 15. Thirdly hee was guilty of adultery which disinherits men of heauen 1 Cor. 6. 10 Gal. 5. 21. and Ephes. 5. 5. Fourthly he lay long in these sinnes without repentance therefore a true regenerate man and Saint of God may fall from grace as Dauid did To this I answer that the Minor is false and that Dauid did not fall totally nor finally from grace in committing of these sinnes which I proue by these reasons First because it is not recorded in the whole booke of God that Dauid fell from the state of grace true it is it is recorded how he fell into these sinnes and I beleeue it to bee true because the Scripture tells me so but that Dauid fell totally from grace in committing of these sinnes the holy Ghost hath not recorded it it is but a bare collection of our Antagonists and therefore it is not to be beleeued Doubtlesse if Dauid had fallen totally or finally from the state of grace in committing these his sinnes the holy Ghost who hath recorded his sinne and life would haue recorded this his fall vnto vs since then the holy Ghost hath not recorded this his fall it is a point of arrogancie and strange presumption for our Antagonists so confidently to determine that Dauid fell away from the state of grace when as the Scriptures doe not warrant it Secondly it is euident that Dauid fell not away from the state of grace when as hee lay in these his sinnes because in the midest of these his sins which he fell into out of infirmitie and not out of any precogitated malice his heart was vpright towards God and the whole bent and frame of his heart was turned towards him for God himselfe testifieth of him that hee was a man after his heart Acts 13. 22. that hee went fully after the Lord. 1 Kings 11 6. and that his heart was perfect with the Lord. verse 4. and therefore since that God himselfe hath giuen such Elogies and testimonies of him it cannot stand together with them that Dauid should fall quite away from grace though hee fell into these sinnes Thirdly it is euident and plaine by Psal. 51. 11. for there hee prayes to God in his penitentiall Psalme which was penned when as the Prophet Nathan came vnto him and informed him of his sinnes of murther and adultery Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me If Dauid then immediately vpon the sight of these his sinnes did pray to God not to take away his holy spirit from him it is certaine then that hee had the spirit of God abiding in him notwithstanding these his sinnes else hee would haue prayed thus to God restore and giue me thy holy spirit ô Lord and not Lord take not thy holy spirit from me if then the spirit of God were still within him then certainely hee was not fallen totally from the state of grace Yea but saith Hunnius and some other of our Antagonists the spirit of God which hee lost by these his sins was now restored to him and therefore he prayes to God not to take it away from him not because hee lost it not before but because it was now restored vnto him againe I answer that this is but a meere cauill and an idle conceite not grounded on the Scripture For if Dauid had lost the Spirit by this sinne or if God had restored it to him againe no doubt but the Scripture would haue mentioned it and Dauid himselfe would haue expressed or at least haue intimated it in this Psalme of his which wee see hee doth not doe Againe if Dauid had lost the Spirit of God by these his sinnes I would demand of our Antagonists when this holy Spirit of God returnes vnto him againe whether before or after his repentance or in the very act of his repentance If before his repentance then Dauid was in the state of grace and not in the state of damnation before hee did repent which you your selues deny If after his repentance that cannot bee for repentance is the worke of the holy Ghost and vnlesse Dauid had had this holy Spirit of God he could not haue repented thus yea then Dauids prayer had beene in vaine for how could hee haue prayed vnto God not to take away his holy Spirit from him if he had it not as yet restored to him for when he penned this Psalme he did but begin he had not fully finished his repentance for these sinne therefore the holy Spirit of God was not restored to him after his repentance If it were restored vnto him in the very beginning and act of his repentance from whence doth that appeare sure I am there is no ground in Scripture for to warrant it and if it were so then it follows that the Spirit of God may bee restored vnto men before their actuall repentance which you denie because the very beginning of repentance or a thought to repent is no perfect actuall repentance no such repentance as you require to regaine the Spirit and the state of Grace And therefore seeing that the Scripture informes vs that the holy Ghost abides and dwells in mens hearts and soules for euer Iohn 14. 15. 16 and 1 Iohn 1. 20. 27. we may safely say that the holy Spirit of God was neuer taken away from Dauid but continued in him still Againe to what end should this prayer of Dauid serue if God had now restored his Spirit to him He had as yet committed no such sinne since the restitution of the Spirit to him as might cause God to depriue him of it and therefore this prayer of his was not so fitting to the purpose in this sense therefore we must take it in the ap●…st sense and as Dauid did intend it Dauid he was affraid left God should depriue him of his holy Spirit for those sinnes which he had committed against him before and this was the cause and ground of this his prayer now therefore this his prayer and the whole Psalme hauing reference only to his former and not to his future sinnes it must needs follow that this prayer of Dauid extendeth meerely to the Spirit which hee had before his sinnes committed and not to the Spirit newly restored to him