Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	rome_n	separation_n	2,430	5	10.6947	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62579	The remaining discourses, on the attributes of God Viz. his Goodness. His mercy. His patience. His long-suffering. His power. His spirituality. His immensity. His eternity. His incomprehensibleness. God the first cause, and last end. By the most reverend Dr. John Tillotson, late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. Being the seventh volume; published from the originals, by Ralph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his Grace.	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708, publisher.	1700 (1700)	Wing T1216; ESTC R222200	153,719	440

great absurdities following from the supposing of God to be mere Matter or Body we are to conceive of him as another kind of substance that is a Spirit So that I wonder that the Author of the Leviathan who doth more than once expresly affirm that there can be nothing in the World but what is material and corporeal did not see that the necessary consequence of this Position is to banish God out of the World I would not be uncharitable but I doubt he did see it and was content with the consequence and willing the World should entertain it for it is so evident that by supposing the Divine Essence to consist of Matter the immensity of the Divine Nature is taken away and it is also so utterly unimaginable how mere Matter should understand and be endowed with liberty and consequently with goodness that I cannot but vehemently suspect the Man who denies God to be a Spirit either to have a gross and faulty understanding or a very ill will against God and an evil design to root out of the Minds of Men the belief of a God I come in the III. Place to consider the Objections 1 Obj. Why then is God represented to us so often in Scripture by the Parts and Members of Mens Bodies Ans I shall only say at present that all these descriptions and representations of God are plainly made to comply with our weakness by way of condescention and accomodation to our capacities 2 Obj. How is it said that Man was made after the the Image of God If God be a Spirit of which there can be no likeness nor resemblance Ans Man is not said to be made after the image of God in respect of the outward Shape and Features of his Body but in respect of the Qualities of his Mind as Holiness and Righteousness or of his Faculties as Understanding and Will or which the Text seems most to favour in respect of his Dominion and Soveraignty over the Creatures for in the two former respects the Angels are made after the Image of God Now this seems to be spoken peculiarly of Men Gen. 1.26 Let us make man in our own image after our own likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and the fowls of the air c. IV. I come now to draw some Inferences or Corollaries from hence and they shall be partly speculative partly practical First Speculative Inferences 1. That God is invisible The proper Object of sight is Colour and that ariseth from the various dispositions of the parts of Matter which cause several reflections of Light now a Spirit hath no Parts nor Matter and therefore is invisible 1 Tim. 1.17 Vnto the eternal immortal invisible the only wise God Heb. 11.27 He endured as seeing him who is invisible as seeing him by an Eye of Faith who is invisible by an Eye of Sense 1 Tim. 6.16 Whom no Man hath seen nor can see When Moses and the Elders of Israel are said to have seen God and Jacob to have seen him face to face Exod. 2.9 Gen. 32.30 it is meant of an Angel covered with divine Glory and Majesty as we shall see if we compare these with other Texts When Moses is said to have spoken to him face to face that is familiarly and so Micaiah 1 Kings 22.19 is said to have seen God upon his throne and all Israel scattered up and down this was in a Vision And it is promised that in Heaven we shall see God that is have a more perfect knowledge of him and full enjoyment as to see good days is to enjoy them Those Texts where it is said No man can see God and live Exod. 33.20 and John 1.18 No man hath seen God at any time do not intimate that God is visible tho' we cannot see him but seeing is metaphorically used for knowing and the meaning is that in this Life we are not capable of a perfect knowledge of God A clear discovery of God to our Understanding would let in joys into our Souls and create desires in us too great for frail Mortality to bear 2. That he is the living God Spirit and Life are often put together in Scripture 3. That God is immortal This the Scripture attributes to him 1 Tim. 1.17 To the King immortal invisible 1 Tim. 6.16 Who only hath immortality This also flows from God's Spirituality a Spiritual Nature hath no principles of Corruption in it nothing that is liable to perish or decay or dye Now this doth so eminently agree to God either because he is purely spiritual and immaterial as possibly no Creature is or else because he is not only immortal in his own Nature but is not liable to be reduced to nothing by any other because he hath an original and independent Immortality and therefore the Apostle doth attribute it to him in such a singular and peculiar manner Who only hath Immortality Secondly Practical Inferences 1. We are not to conceive of God as having a Body or any corporeal Shape or Members This was the gross conceit of the Anthropomorphites of old and of some Socinians of late which they ground upon the gross and literal Interpretation of many figurative Speeches in Scripture concerning God as where it speaks of his Face and Hand and Arm c. But we are very unthankful to God who condescends to represent himself to us according to our Capacities if we abuse this condescention to the blemish and reproach of the Divine Nature If God be pleased to stoop to our weakness we must not therefore level him to our Infirmities 2. If God be a Spirit we are not to worship God by any Image or sensible representation Because God is a Spirit we are not to liken him to any thing that is corporeal we are not to represent him by the likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above that is of any Birds or in the earth beneath that is of any Beast or in the waters under the earth that is of any Fish as it is in the second Commandment For as the Prophet tells us there is nothing that we can liken God to Isa 40 18. To whom will ye liken God or what likeness will ye compare to him We debase his Spiritual and Incorruptible Nature when we compare him to corruptible Creatures Rom. 1.22 23. Speaking of the Heathen Idolatry Who professing themselves wise became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and to fourfooted Beasts and creeping things They became Fools this is the folly of Idolatry to liken a Spirit which hath no bodily shape to things that are corporeal and corruptible So that however some are pleased to mince the matter I cannot see how the Church of Rome which worships God by or toward some Image or sensible representation can be excused from Idolatry and the Church of England doth not without very just cause challenge the Romish

Church with it and make it a ground of separation from her 3. If God be a Spirit then we should worship him in spirit and in truth This is the Inference of the Text and therefore I shall speak a little more largely of it only I must explain what is meant by worshiping in spirit and in truth and shew you the force of this Consequence how it follows that because God is a Spirit therefore he must be worship'd in spirit and in truth 1 st For the explication of it This word Spirit is sometimes apply'd to the Doctrine of the Gospel and so it is opposed to Letter by which Name the Doctrine of Moses is called 2 Cor. 3.6 Who hath made us able Ministers of the new Testament not of the letter but of the spirit not of the Law which was written in Tables of Stone but which Christ by his Spirit writes in the Hearts of Believers Sometimes to the worship of the Gospel and so it is opposed to the Flesh Gal. 3.3 Having begun in the spirit are ye now made perfect by the flesh that is by the works of the ceremonial Law which is therefore call'd Flesh because the principal ceremony of it Circumcision was made in the Flesh and because their Sacrifices a chief part of their Worship were of the Flesh of Beasts and because the greatest part of their Ordinances as washing and the like related to the Body Hence it is the Apostle calls the worship of the Jews the law of a carnal commandment Heb. 7.16 and Heb. 9.10 Carnal Ordinances speaking of the Service of the Law which saith he stood in meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal ordinances Now in opposition to this carnal and ceremonial Worship we are to worship God in the Spirit The Worship of the Jews was most a bodily service but we are to give God a reasonable service to serve him with the spirit of our minds as the Apostle speaks instead of offering the flesh of bulls and goats we are to consecrate our selves to the service of God this is a holy and acceptable sacrifice or reasonable service And in truth Either in opposition to the false Worship of the Samaritans as in spirit is opposed to the Worship of the Jews as our Saviour tells the Woman that they worship'd they knew not what or which I rather think in opposition to the shadows of the Law and so it is opposed John 1.17 The Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ Not that the external Service of God is here excluded not that we are to show no outward reverence to him but that as under the Law the Service of God was chiefly external and corporeal so now it should chiefly be inward and spiritual the Worship of God under the Gospel should chiefly be spiritual and substantial not a carnal and bodily and ceremonious Devotion 2 dly For the force of the Consequence it doth not lie in this that just such as God is such must our Worship of him be for this would exclude all bodily and outward worship our Worship of God must therefore be invisible eternal c. for so is he and besides the Will of God seems rather to be the rule of his Worship than his Nature but the force of it is this God is of a spiritual Nature and this is to be supposed to be his Will that our Worship should be as agreable to the Object of it as the nature of the Creature who is to give it will bear now saith Christ to the Woman the Jews and the Samaritans they limit their Worship to a certain place and it consists chiefly in certain carnal Rites and Ordinances but saith he tho' God have permitted this for a time because of the carnality and hardness of their hearts yet the time is coming when a more spiritual and solid and substantial Worship of God is to be introduced which will be free from all particular Places and Rites not tyed to the Temple or to such external Ceremonies but consisting in the devotion of our Spirits even the inward frame and temper of our Hearts all outward Circumstances excepting those of the two Sacraments which are positive being left by the Gospel to as great a liberty as natural necessity and decency will permit We must worship God and therefore it is naturally necessary that we should do it somewhere in some place now seeing some body must determine this it is most convenient that Authority should determine it according to the conveniency of cohabitation We must not be rude nor do any thing that is naturally undecent in the Worship of God this Authority should restrain but further than this I doubt not but the Gospel hath left us free and to this end that the less we are tied to external Observances the more intent we should be upon the spiritual and substantial parts of Religion the conforming of our selves to the Mind and Will of God endeavouring to be like God and to have our Souls and Spirits ingaged in those Duties we perform to him So that our Saviour's argument is this God is a Spirit that is the most excellent Nature and Being and therefore must be served with the best We consist of Body and Soul 't is true and we must serve him with our whole Man but principally with our Souls which are the most excellent Part of our selves the Service of our Mind and Spirit is the best we can perform and therefore most agreeable to God who is a Spirit and the best and most perfect Being So that the Inference is this that if God be a Spirit we must worship him in spirit and in truth our Religion must be real and inward and sincere and substantial we must not think to put off God with external observances and with bodily reverence and attendance this we must give him but we must principally regard that our Service of him be reasonable that is directed by our Understandings and accompanied with our Affections Our Religion must consist principally in a sincere love and affection to God which expresseth it self in a real conformity of our lives and actions to his Will and when we make our solemn approaches to him in the Duties of his Worship and Service we must perform all acts of outward Worship to God with a pure and sincere Mind whatever we do in the Service of God we must do it heartily as to the Lord. God is a pure Spirit present to our Spirits intimate to our Souls and conscious to the most secret and retired motions of our Hearts now because we serve the Searcher of Hearts we must serve him with our Hearts Indeed if we did worship God only to be seen of Men a pompous and external Worship would be very suitable to such an end but Religion is not intended to please Men but God and therefore it must be spiritual and inward and real And where-ever the external part of Religion