Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A19331
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A short dialogue, wherein is proved, that no man can be saved without good vvorkes
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Corderoy, Jeremy, b. 1562 or 3.
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1604
(1604)
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STC 5756; ESTC S115604
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42,072
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138
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excuseth himselfe laying the fault in a manner on God saying Gen. 3.12 the woman that thou gavest me gaue it mee Wicked men vvho willingly and wilfully break the coÌ„mandements of God beeing carried awaye with their own lusts Iames 1.24 lay the fault on God that they do not liue as they shold as if God had put such wickednes into their hart so to doe when as on the contrary God calleth them earely and late Deut. 28. ezhorteth them with the blessings of this life and of the life to come threatneth the obstinate oftentimes layeth punishmeÌ„ts on them that they may know themselues yet for all this they will not regarde him though he vseth long suffering and giue them time to repent whose patience they misvse and misconster according to that testimonye vvhich Salomon giveth of them Eccl. 8.11 Esay 26 10 Psa 50.21 Because saith he sentence against an evill worke is not speedily executed therfore their hart is fuâ—ly set to doe evill Yea they imagine that God regardeth not vvhat is done here on earth But to turne to your words wherein you would not be blamed though you liue not according to the will of God ascribing the fault hereof to God PardoÌ„ me if I flatter you not I say the fault is yours you are highly to be blamed For hee that will liue godly must vse such meanes to bring himselfe therevnto as GOD hath appointed hee that vvil prolong his naturall life must vse such meanes as God hath appointed therevnto as meats drinks else he caÌ„not if he refuse it he is guilty of his own death In like maÌ„ner he that wil liue a spiritual life must vse such meanes as God hath appointed thervnto as reading of his word frequeÌ„ting of sermons praiers frequenting of godly mens coÌ„pany by having coÌ„ference with theÌ„ Which things it appeareth by your own confession you haue not vsed therfore no marvel though you haue no delight in a godly life Gall. Wel wel no more I pray you It is pitty such doctrine shoulde be publikely preached it would make many dispaire Scholl The revealed worde of God must be preached though the wicked take offence at it predestinatioÌ„ is an excellent doctrine yet it is a stumbling blocke to many vvho carelesly say vvhen they heare of it if we be pred stinated to eternall life our ill life wil not make vs reprobates if we be reiected our good life vvill not prevaile that we may be saved vpoÌ„ this false collection they run into al manner of lewdnes not considering that those whom he hath ordained to everlasting life not only must but also will liue a holy life If there bee any that will take an offence at this doctrine of repeÌ„tance good works it wil be such as are or haue been desperately wicked as for those that are not gone to that hight of wickednes they will when they heare this doctrin become more zealous of good works and walk more warily redeeming their time lest they overpasse the time of their repentance knowing that if they haue not oile in their lamps they shall be excluded the wedding And if this doctrine were not coÌ„venieÌ„t to be published so many not able meÌ„ of God would not haue published it De doctrina Christiana lib. 1. cap. 19. ideÌ„ lib. 20. ca 6 de civitate dei Augustin he saith that there are two sortes of deaths of the soule the one in this life vvhich is a renouncing of his former ill manners and wickednes which is done by a true repentaÌ„ce the other in the world to come concludeth in the end of the same Chapter that except the soule dyeth in this world and begin to bee formed according to the image of God Rom. 8.29 she shal not come to the heavenly blessednes but to eternal punishment alluding to those vvordes in the Revelations Blessed is bee that hath his part in the first resurrectioÌ„ Rev. 20.6 for â—n such the second death hath no power And in an other place the same Augustin sheweth this point proving it by the example of David De doctrina christiana l. 3. c. 2â— vvho wheÌ„ his wicked son Absolom was caught betweene the cliftes of the tree by the necke was suddenly put to death David lamentâ—d him sore But wheÌ„ his youÌ„g childe died assoone as he had notice of it he reioiced the cause he lamented the one was because he knew hee went into everlasting torments because he dyed a wicked man and had not time to repent and yet he hung a good vvhile before he was dead and might haue cryed Lord haue mercy on me if that woulde haue served But the innoceÌ„t child he lamented not because hee had no cause to doubt of his salvation Gall. Stay pray me thinks you haue spokeÌ„ that now which overthroweth all that you haue spoken you say that David doubted not of the salvatioÌ„ of the child I pray sir what good works could the poore youÌ„g infant haue hee had none and yet saved Besides when you mention the hanging of Absolom you put me in minde of an obiectioÌ„ which you wil hardly answere namely of the theefe who was crucified wheÌ„ our Saviour was crucified he vvas saved without good works why not I Schol. WheÌ„ I say that no maÌ„ can bee saved without some measure of sanctification and good workes I vnderstand alwaies Fulke in his notes vpon lam cap. 1 25. the marginal note that ordâ—nary course which God vseth in bringing his elect to the inioying of his kingdome even as Paule speaketh of fâ—â—h that vvithout faith is impossible to please God and faith commeth by the hearing of God word Yet in young children this kind of faith is not required but in those only who at come to yeeres discretion So neither is that inhereÌ„t sanctificatioÌ„ which consisteth in good works and holines of life required in youÌ„g children but they are saved after an extraordinary maÌ„ner namely because they are coÌ„tained in the covenant of God with AbrahaÌ„ his seed So that this overthroweth nothing of that which I haue said CoÌ„cerning the other parte of your obiection of the theefe who was saved with out good works therefore there is no cause but you may be also in these words you doe as if a robber on the high way should thus reasoÌ„ though I know that to rob one on the high vvaye by the ordinary course of the lavves of this Realm is death and ordinarily such offenders are executed yet I know one that by the extraordinary favor of the Prince vvas spared therfore I vvill robbe too for I see no cause vvhy I should not be saved as vvel as he You vvould thinke such a fellovve notoriously foolish vvho should do thus But vvhereas you say the theefe had no workes it is not so For as soone as hee came to the knowledge of Christ straighte vvay he shevved his faith by good
our iustification is the materiall cause vvhich is the death and passion of our Saviour Christ Ps 49.78 by vvhose obedience fulfilling of the lawe perfect righteousnes is purchased for vs the third cause is the formall cause or instrumentall cause which is faith alone without good workes which faith only appreheÌ„deth Christ our righteousnesse These three causes the Apostle coÌ„preheÌ„deth in one verse saying So God loved the world Ioh 3.16 1. Ioh 4.9 that he seat his only begotteÌ„ son that who so beleeveth in him shold not perish but haue life everlasting VVhere you see the efficient cause to be Gods mercie the materiall cause to be the incarnation of Christ redeeming vs by his satisfaction of the law sustaining the punishment due to our sinne Rom. 2.23 24.25.26 and faith the instrumentall cause apprehending the righteousnes of Christ The finall cause the fourth and last is the glory of God as the Apostle saith Ephes 2.7 that his goodnes and kindnesse might bee shewed Heere you see the scripture teacheth that these foure aboue mentioned are the only causes of our iustification good works haue no place among them Now albeit wee thus teach beeing so taught by the vvorde of God Iuel in apo Par. 2. cap. 20. Calvin instit libr. 3. cap. 14 sect 21. Zanch. de attributis dei Reinolds Apol. p. 263 Buchan instit theo de bonis oper p. 344. Pet Mart. coÌ„mon plac classe 3 de conf christ sect 8. c. 11. Rom. 10.10 Fox de christo gratis iustifi lib. 2 pag 398. Fulk annot in 2. Iacobi 12. Remenses in annot ad Collos cap. 1 24. yet we doe not as the Papists slaunder vs vilifie good workes or make no account of them wee ascribe vnto them as much as truth will permitte vs we hold they are secundary causes of our glorification nay wee stand more for the necessity of them to salvation then doe the Papists wee hould that no man can bee saved without them according to the ordinary dispensation of the graces of God VVe hold he that delighteth and continueth in sinne shall be condemned according to that of the Prophet Ezechiel 18.20 The soule that sinneth that soule shall die But the Papists hould not this necessitie of good works but if a maÌ„ want good workes he may be saved notwithstanding provided alwaies that hee giue sufficient money to the Pope for his generall * The more mony you giue the more sins shal be paâ—doned GraftoÌ„ it the 6. yea of Richarâ— the 2. Anâ— Do. 1382 Froistart Fabian Gall. 6.5 Ps 49.7 pardon for they teach that al the works of supererogation are in the custodie of the Pope at whose sole pleasure they may be disposed of vvhich works of supererogation such foolish virgins that want oyle in their lamps may buy of the Pope Thus teach the divines of Rhems contrary to the word of God vvhich saith every one shall beare his owne burthen and in another place the redemption of a mans soule is so precious a thing that no man can redeeme it by any meanes or giue a ransome to god for it This doctrin of the scripture which overthroweth the Popes pardons indulgeÌ„ces they cannot beare with it brought Luther much trouble yea daunger of his life because he vvas so bolde to discover this conicatching tricke of pardoning malefactors with Popes Buls and such trash nay to increase the Popes gaines they faine that he hath authoritie to free meÌ„ from tormentes after they are departed this life flat against the vvorde of God and what els is the cause why they so impudentlye affirme that manye of their Saintes haue done many vvorkes of supererogation yea haue sustained greater affliction then their sinnes dâ—served but onely to make the simple beleeue that these works and these afflictions are laide vp in store vvith the Pope for those that haue no works and that hee may make them rich in good works yea though they be dead already Whereas if in deede they stood so much for good works for zeale to good works not for filthy luker they would not secretly vndermine the doctrine of the necessity of good vvorks to salvation as they do seeking secretly to root out this necessary point of doctrin to salvation cleane out of the mindes of men That they would not haue this doctrine taught it is manifest though they woulde not haue their practise known in their Index expurg in which they discover their minde where shewing amongst other thinges vvhat they wold haue blotted out in Froben Index to S. Austines workes they commande that these words must be blotted out opera et siâ—con iustificent sunt tamen ad salutem necessaria to 4. Col. 599. b. c. These wordes must be blotted out for say they Augustinus hoc non dicit sed tantum excludit merita iustificationis Where first you see they like not this doctrin of the necessity of good works to salvation Secondly you may see that heere secretly they acknoweledge that S. Augustine is against them in the matter of iustificatioÌ„ excluding works to haue any strok in it which publikely they wil not confesse Pap. What tell you me of a blinde book I never heard of any such booke before neither can I beleeue that there is anye such book Sc. If you doubt of it if please you I wil let you see it You might easily disprooue me if it vvere not true but the book is common now in every stationers-shop Pap. S'r pray sir holde the Scholler vvith some talke whilest I slip behinde for I am weary of him Gall. I will I pray sir what pretence make they thus to deale with ancient writers For I doubt not but they will pretende some reason of their doing Scholl So they doe they pretende that heretikes corrupted the ancient writers and that they do now but rectifie them againe but vnder the name of rectifying them they make them speak as pleaseth theÌ„ Out of some writers they take out whole tracts sometimes they alter their words sometimes they leaue out words sometimes they blot out words and sentences lest forsooth they might be a scandâ—ll to the weake But where is the other gentlemaÌ„ Gall. He is behinde Scholl What 's the matter Is he not well pray let vs stay for him Stay pray it may bee he may neede our helpe Gall. Come come he would not haue vs stay Scholl Why why Gall. Since you will needes know you haue put him out of his humour He stayes of purpose Scholl If that be the matter I am not sory for that I haue done if he never come againe to his humor he will never be the worse man for albeit he said he woulde but repeate that which hee had heard amongst the Catholikes as hee tearmed them yet me thought he spake not without some passions as if he had spoken froÌ„ his hart Gall. Well sir since vvee are novve come to Oxford I thanke you for your coÌ„pany when