Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	body_n	matter_n	motion_n	2,080	5	8.1894	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62636	Several discourses upon the attributes of God viz. Concerning the perfection of God. Concerning our imitation of the divine perfections. The happiness of God. The unchangeableness of God. The knowledge of God. The wisdom, glory, and soveraignty of God. The wisdom of God, in the creation of the world. The wisdom of God, in his providence. The wisdom of God, in the redemption of mankind. The justice of God, in the distribution of rewards and punishments. The truth of God. The holiness of God. To which is annexed a spital sermon, of doing good. By the most reverend Dr. John Tillotson, late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. Being the sixth volume; published from the originals, by Raph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his grace.	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.	1699 (1699)	Wing T1264; ESTC R219315	169,861	473

evidently inconsistent with some other and greater Perfection Some things may seem to be Perfections which in truth are not because they are plainly impossible and involve a Contradiction as that what has once been should by any Power be made not to have been or that a thing which by its Nature is limited and confin'd to one place should at the same time be in another These things in Reason are impossible and therefore not to be supposed to fall under any Power how unlimited soever For if we once ascribe Contradictions to God we destroy his Being because then to be and not to be Power and no Power would be all one And then there are some Perfections which do argue and suppose Imperfections in them as Motion the quickness and swiftness thereof in Creatures is a Perfection but then it supposeth a finite and limited Nature For a boundless and immense Being that is every where present at once hath no need to move from one place to another and therefore though Motion be a Perfection in Creatures there is no Reason to ascribe it to God because it supposeth a greater Imperfection And there are also some imaginable degrees of Perfection which because they are inconsistent with other Perfections are not to be admitted in the Divine Nature For instance such degrees of Goodness and Mercy may be imagined as would quite exclude and shut out Justice and on the other hand such a strictness and a rigour of Justice as would leave no room at all for Patience and Mercy and therefore such degrees are not really to be esteemed Perfections For this is a certain truth that nothing is a Divine Perfection which evidently clasheth with any other necessary and essential Perfection of the Divine Nature We must so consider the Perfections of God that they may accord and consist together and therefore it cannot be a Perfection of God to be so good and gracious as to encourage Sin and to overthrow the Reverence of his own Laws and Government 'T is not Goodness but Easiness and Weakness to be contented to be perpetually injur'd and affronted 'T is not Patience to be willing to be everlastingly trampled upon So likewise on the other hand 't is not a Perfection to be so severe and rigorous as to smite a Sinner in the instant that he offends not to be able to refrain from Punishment and to give time for Repentance But whatever Perfection is conceivable or possible and argues no Imperfection nor is repugnant to any other necessary Perfection is to be ascribed to God for this is the most natural and easie conception that we can have of God that he is the most perfect Being This natural Light doth first suggest and offer to the Minds of Men and we cannot conceive of God as meer Power and Will without Wisdom and Goodness Hence it is that the Greeks call God very often 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the best of Beings and the Latin Optimus Maximus the best and the Greatest beatissima perfectissima natura constans perfecta Ratio the happiest and most perfect Nature immutible and absolute Reason and many other such expressions which we meet with in the Writings of the Heathen Philosophers I readily grant that the first and most obvious thought which men have of God is that of his Greatness and Majesty but this necessarily involves or infers his Goodness as Seneca excellently reasons Primus Deorum cultus est Deos credere dein reddere illis majestatem suam reddere bonitatem sine quâ nulla Majestas The first Worship of the Gods is to believe their Being next to ascribe to them Greatness and Majesty to ascribe to them Goodness without which there can be no Majesty And we shall find all along in Plato Tully and the best and wisest Writers among the Heathen that they every where attribute the highest Excellencies and Perfections to the Divine Nature and do steer and govern all their Discourses of God by this Principle that Perfection is to be ascrbied to him And whenever any thing is said of God they examin whether it be a Perfection or not if it be they give it him as his due if it be not they lay it aside as a thing not fit to be spoken of him And in the Scripture we do every where find Perfection ascribed to the Nature and Works and Laws of God to every thing that belongs to him or proceeds from him Job 37.16 Dost thou know the wondrous works of him that is perfect in knowledge And again Canst thou by searching find out God Can'st thou find out the Almighty to perfection Ps 18.30 As for God his way is perfect Ps 19.7 The Law of the Lord is perfect I shall not need to consider particularly the several Perfections of the Divine Nature I shall only give you a brief Scheme and Draught of them Whatever Perfection can be imagined either in the manner of Being or Acting is to be ascribed to God therefore as to his Nature we say that he is a Spirit that is that he is not meer Body or Matter because that would exclude several other Perfections for meer Matter is incapable both of Knowledge and Liberty being determined by necessary Laws of Motion and yet without Knowledge and Liberty there can be no Wisdom nor Goodness We say of God that he is of himself and without Cause and does not owe his Being to any other and consequently that he is necessarily and that he cannot but be and cannot be otherwise than he is for that which is of its self did not chuse whether it would be or not nor whether it would be thus or otherwise for to suppose any thing to deliberate or consult about it's own Being is to suppose it to be before it is We must say of God likewise that he is immense and every where present because to be limited is an Imperfection and that he is eternal that is ever was and shall be for to cease to be is a greater Imperfection than sometime not to have been And then we are to say of God that he is the Cause of all other Beings that they are made by him and depend upon him that he knows all things and can do all things in the most perfect manner by a glance of his Mind and by the meer beck and nod of his Will without long study or deliberation without laborious pains and endeavours and consequently that nothing is exempted from his Knowledge and Power and Providence and that he administers all things in a way of Goodness and Wisdom of Justice and Truth and therefore all things are to be referred to him as their last end All these Perfections and all other that are possible we are to look upon the Divine Nature as fully and immutably possest of and that in an higher and more excellent degree than our finite Understandings are able to conceive or comprehend 2. As we are to ascribe all imaginable