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	faith_n	love_n	1,510	5	5.7755	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19650	An apologie, or defence, of those Englishe writers [and] preachers which Cerberus the three headed dog of hell, chargeth wyth false doctrine, vnder the name of predestination. Written by Robert Crowley clerke, and vicare of Sainct Giles without Creple-gate in London	Crowley, Robert, 1518?-1588.	1566 (1566)	STC 6076; ESTC S119169	136,938	214

for then shoulde the lyke haue bene wrought in the Iewes that came to take Christ for when he sayde I am they al fel to the ground but it was wrought within by the power of the spirite Saint Augustine therefore sayth very well Qui fecit te sine te non te iustificat sine te Ergo fecit nescientem iustificat volentem He that made thee without thee doth not iustifie thée without thée therefore he made thée when thou knewest not but he doth iustifie thée being willing To this doe the wordes of Sainct Paule agrée when he sayeth Deus est qui operatur in vobis velle operari It is God that worketh in you both the will and the worke that is according to the will But first the will So that before we follow the drawer we are by the same drawer made willing to follow Thus doth S. Austen and so doe we that Cerberus barketh so at vnderstand the will of man to be frée To conclude this matter and to see what mans freewil is able to doe sée what S. Austen sayeth Creatus est primus homo in natura sine culpa in naturae sine vitio creatus est rectus nō se fecit rectū Quid se autem ipse fecerit notum est Cadens è manu Figuli fructus est Regebat enim cum ipse qui fecerat voluit deserere à quo factus erat permisit Deus tanquā dicens Deserat me inueniat se miseria sua probet quia nihil potest sine me Hoc modo ergo ostēdere voluit Deus homini quid valeat liberum arbitrium sine Deo The first man was created in nature without blame in nature without fault he was created vpright he did not make himselfe vpright It is knowne what he made himselfe Falling out of the hande of the Potter he was broken For he y ● made him did gouerne him but he was willing to forsake him that had made him And God suffered him so to doe as it were saying thus Let him forsake me that he maye finde himselfe and that he maye by his miserie proue that without me he can doe nothing By this meane therfore would God shewe vnto man what frée will is able to doe without God This maye suffise to as many as will be satisfied But I feare me that Cerberus and his felowes are none of them By this it appeareth that we runne not into the extremities as Cerberus sayth we doe For we neyther teache fatall destinie nor popishe will libertie but we affirme that man hath a choyse and that in some meaning the same is frée and yet notwithstanding Gods forknowledge predessination and election to be infallible As shall more playnely appeare when I shall come to the place wherein I am by Cerberus charged with the setting forth of such a doctrine as is worthily mysseliked of many In the meane while I must say something of y ● wherin I with others be charged and playnely affirmed to be Pelagiās And that it may appeare whether we be so or no it shall be néedefull that we set downe the opinion of Pelagius as we finde it written by S. Austen in a booke of more authoritie than is that Epistle that Cerberus buildeth vpon Saint Austen being requested by one named Quod vult Deus to write a Cataloge of heresies he satysfieth hys request And thus he writeth of Pelagius heresie Pelagianorum est heresis hoc tempore omniū recentissima à Pelagio Monacho exorta c. At this time sayth he there is the heresie of the Pelagians which is the newest of all and sprang out of one Pelagius a Monke Which maister one Celestius did in such sorte followe that their followers are also called Celestines These men are such enimies to the grace of God whereby we are predestinated to be adopted or chosen to be his children through Iesus Christ and whereby we are deliuered from the power of darkenesse that we may beleue in him and be translated into his kingdome for which cause he sayd No man cōmeth vnto me except it be giuen vnto him of my Father and wherby Charitie is poured out in our hearts that fayth may worke by loue that they beleue that man is able without it to do all the cōmaundements of God whereas if that were true it might séeme that the Lord had in vaine sayde Sine me nihil potestis sacere Without me you can do nothing Whether we be of this mind with Pelagius or no let all the world that séeth our writings or heareth our doctrine iudge Or whether Cerberus and his fellowes be like to be of this minde which finde fault with our doctrine bycause we teach that there is an elected and chosen number to whome God hath giuen fayth and hath poured out loue in their hearts so that they maye come vnto Christ and by their works of obediēce to Gods wil shew forth the liuely fayth in Christ that in their election they haue receyued freely at Gods hand Let all the worlde I say iudge betwixte vs. We say that there is a certayne chosen number which in mercy are chosen to be the children of God images of the sonne of God Iesus Christ and inheritoures of his kingdome And that none can be of this number but those onely to whome it is giuen fréely without any maner deseruing eyther past present or to come And that they being thus chosen predestinated must alwayes acknowledge that it is God that worketh in them and that of them selues they are not able so much as to think a good thought And yet assure them selues that Hell gates can not preuayle agaynst them that is that the power of the Diuell shall not be able to hurte them And that though they be still sore assaulted and sometimes sore woūded yet they shal neuer be ouercome but shal ouercome in Christ and triumph with him in immortalitie for euer But Cerberus and his company say that al mankind is elected and that there is no reprobation at all and cōsequently no election For if there be none resused then is there none election but a generall acceptation And this their election they say is so vncertayne that no man can thereby be certaine of his saluation but al men must still remayne in doubte of damnation by sinne whereas S. Paule hath sayde that there is no damnation to them that be grassed into Christ And Christ himself saith that it is not possible that the elected sorte shoulde be seduced They say also that the power of mans Frée will is to receiue or refuse the grace of God which is indifferently offred vnto al. Which if it be true then must he be able also of himselfe to do that God commaundeth which is the playne errour of Pelagius Well I leaue these two opinions to the iudgement of the reader to consider which of them is most like to be that which Pelagius helde

cite the wordes that are written in the. 33. of Exodie Miserebor cuius misercor misericordiam praestabo cuius miserebor That is I will haue compassion vpon him on whome I haue compassion And I will shewe mercy to whome I will shewe mercy It lyeth not in the willer nor in y ● runner saith S. Paul but in God who taketh mercy For the Scripture sayth vnto Pharao Quia in hoc ipsum exitaui t● vt ostendum in t● potentiam meam vt annuntietur nomen meu 〈…〉 ●n vniuersd terra That is For this cause haue I styrred thée vp that I might shewe my power vpon thée and that my name might be declared through the whole earth And then S. Paule concludeth thus Ergo cuius vult mi 〈…〉 quem vult indurat That is On whome it pleaseth him he taketh mercy whome he lusteth he maketh harde hearted I knowe the common aunswere to this Which is God doth not hearden the hearts of any but he doth suffer them to harden their owne hearts But it 〈◊〉 good for them that stande vpon this common aunswere to cōsider what S. Austen writeth concerning Gods suffering of things to be done Nec dubitādum est Deum facere benè etiam 〈◊〉 fieri quae●ū● fiunt 〈◊〉 Non enim hoc nisi iusto iudicio sinit Et profecto bonum est omne quod iustum est Quamuis ergo ea qu●● mala sunt ▪ in quantum mala sunt non sint bona tamen vt non solam bona sed etiam sint mala bonum est Num nisi esset hoc honum vt essent mala nullo modo esse sinerentur ab omnipotent● bono 〈◊〉 proculdubiò quam facile est quod vult facere tum facile est quod non vult esse non sinere Hoc nisi credamus periclitatun ipsum nostrae fidei confessionis initium qua nos in Deum patrem omnipotentem credere consitemur Nequè enim venicitèr ob aliud vocatur omnipotens nisi quia quicquid vult potest nec voluntate cuiuspiā creaturae voluntatis omnipotentis impeditur effectus That is to saye It is not to be doubted that God doth well yea when he suffreth to be done whatsoeuer things are euill done For he doth not suffer this otherwise than by iust iudgement And surely all that is iust is good Although therfore those things that be euill in as much as they be euill be not good yet is it good y ● there should be things not onely that are good but also that are euill For excep 〈…〉 t were good y ● there should be things that are euill the almightie goodnesse would by no meanes suffer them to be To whome no doubt it is as easie a thing not to suffer that thing to be which he would not should be as it is to doe that which he is willing● to doe Except wée beleue this ▪ she very beginning of the confession of our sayth wherein we confesse y ● we beleue in God y ● Father Almightie is in daunger like to be fosid vntrue For he is not truely called Almightie for any other cause but for that he is able to do what he will the effect of his wyll being Almightie is not by the wil of any creature letted By these wordes of Austen it is playne that God being Almightie can not be sayd to suffer ought to be done which he is not willing should be done The hardening of hearts therfore and that wickednesse that is wrought by the hard hearted is not done without his wil. And although those things be euill in asmuch as they are done by those euill persons yet in as much as the same are done by the will of God it is good that they be done By thys it is plaine that when God doth ordeyne decrée and will that man shoulde sinne he doth not contrarie to Scripture which doth witnesse by the testimonie of S. Austen that it is good that man should do euil in such sense as S. Austen hath declared the same Moreouer Salomon in his Prouerbes sayth thus Vniuersa propter semetipsum operatus est Dominus impiū quoque ad diem malum That is The Lord hath made all things for himself●● the vngodlie man also against the euyl day Esay the Prophet sayth Nunquid gloriabitur Securis cōtra cum qui secat in ea Aut exaltabitur Ser● contra eum à quo trahitur Quomodo si elevetur Virga contra eleuantem se exe altetur baculus qui vtique lignum est That is to say Shall the Are boast it selfe against him that heweth with it Or shal the Saw set by it selfe against him that draweth it That were as much as if the Rod should be lifted vp against him that lifteth it and as if the staffe that is but timber should be aduaunted The vngodlie man sayth Salomon hath the Lorde made for himselfe euen against the euill day that is against the day of vengeance wherein the vngodly shall haue theyr iust reward at Gods hand By this not onely the vngodlie is iustly punished for his vngodlinesse but the godlie is also occasioned to acknowledge that it is mercie alone that doeth preserue him frō the like punishment For he seeth in himselfe no cause why he should not suffer the same condemnation Thus by the wicked both the iustice and mercy of God are made manifest vnto man But the purpose of the vngodlie is nothing lesse than that Gods iustice and mercie should be set forth by him therfore he is iustly punished for his wickednesse And Esaie the Prophet comparing Nabuchodonosor to an Axe a Sawe and a Rodde doth plainly teach that it was God that wrought all the plagues and destructions that were by that wicked instrument brought not onely vpon the people of the Iewes but vpon other Nations also And that that bloudie and ambitious tyrant was but as an Axe Saw or Rod in the Lords hād And therfore when he began to boast of his owne power and policie as though he had by his own wisdom and strength ouercome kingdomes and set himselfe aboue them the Lord to let his people know that it was not Nabuchodonosors power that could haue done or that should doe those things to them which the Prophetes did tell them should come vpon by the Kings of Babilon doeth tell them by the mouth of the same Prophets that the worke was his and that the Kings of Babilon were but hys fooles or instrumentes to worke withall But this can not Cerberus abide God must be but a looker on and no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any of these things For if God should be a worker he must needes be the Authour of the sinne that is in the deede For the old Curre hath his eyes so blinded with the filthie ●●dder of Hell fire that he can not sée how God may be the Authour of the fact and not of the sinne that is in it But when he