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A22702 Two bokes of the noble doctor and B. S. Augustine thone entiteled of the predestiuacion [sic] of saintes, thother of perseueraunce vnto thende, whervnto are annexed the determinaciouns of two auncient generall councelles, confermyng the doctrine taught in these bokes by s. Aug. all faythfully translated out of Laten into Englyshe by Iohn Scory the late B. of Chichester, very necessary for al tymes ...; De praedestinatione sanctorum. English. Augustine, Saint, Bishop of Hippo.; Scory, John, d. 1585. 1556 (1556) STC 921; ESTC S100326 111,327 288

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thynges He therfore that worke all thinges do also worke our beginning to beleue For faith selfe dothe not go before that callyng wherof it is sayd Rom. 11.9 the gyftes and callyng of God are suche that it can not repent hym of them and wherof it is sayde not of workes but of the caller when he myghte haue sayd but of the beleuer Ioan. 15. Faithe is the effecte of Goddes election and callyng the election whych the Lorde signifyed sayeng you haue not chosen me but I baue chosen you For he dyd not chose vs because we beleued but that we myght beleue that we should not be counted to haue chosen him first and then this should be false whych God forbydde you haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you neither are we called because we dyd beleue but we are called that we maye beleue by thys callyng wherof God cā not repent hym thys is Certeinly wrought and performed that we maye beleue Neither is it nedeful to repete the great multitude of suche thynges as we haue before spoken in thys matter To be shorte thapostle also in the wordes that folow this testimony gyueth thākes vnto God for them that dyd beleue not because the gospel was preached vnto them but because they beleued For he sayth In whō also ye beleuyng the word of truthe the gospel of your saluacion wherin you beleuyng Ephe. 1. are sealed wyth the holy spirite of promes whych is the pledge of our inheritance to redeme the purchased possession vnto the prayse of his glory Wherfore I also after that I herd of your fayth in Christ Iesu loue vnto all saintes cease not to gyue thankes for you Their faythe was newe and freshe after the Gospell was preached vnto them For the whych fayth thapostle whē he herd therof gaue thankes to God on their behalfe Peticiōs and th●●keste of depar●ed what be thei Gal. 6. Yf he should haue gyuen thankes to a man for that thynge whych he either supposed or els knewe that he had not done it myght be counted rather flatery or mockery then thankes gyuyng Let vs not be deceyued god wil not be mocked For the beginning faith is also his gyft otherwyse the thankes gyuyng of thapostle myghte worthely be coūted false or of false glorye What meaneth thys is it not euident of whome the Thessaloniās had the beginning of faith for the which neuertheles the same apostle geueth thankes vnto God 1. Thes 2. sayng For this cause we also giue thankes vnto God wythout ceasyng forbecause when ye had receiued of vs the worde wherwith god was preached ye receiued it not as the worde of men but euen as it was in dede the word of God whiche worke in you that haue beleued it What meaneth this that he geueth thankes vnto God for this matter For it is a vaine and foolyshe thynge yf he geue thankes to any for that he hath not done But bycause thys is neither vaine nor folyshe certeinlye God hymselfe wrought this worke for the which he geueth thankes vnto him That when they had receiued of thapostle the worde wherwith God was preached they might receiue it not as the worde of men but as it is in dede the very worde of God The maner of Goddes working in his chosen God therfore do so worke in the hertes of men by that callyng that is accordyng to hys owne purpose wherof we haue spoken aboūdantly that they should not heare the gospel in vayne but that they maye after they haue herde it be conuerted and beleue receiuyng it not as the worde of man but as it is in dede the veray worde of God The .xx. Chapter THys also do teache vs that the begynnynge of mens fayth is the gyfte of God when the Apostle wryteth thus in his epistle to the Collocenses Collo 4. Continue in prayer and watche in the same with thankes geuyng prayeng also for vs that God maye open vnto vs the dore of his worde to speake the mysterye of Christe for the which I am also in bandes that I maye declare it so as it behoueth me to speake Howe is the dore of the worde opened but when the vnderstandynge of the hearer is opened that he maye beleue and that after he haue receyued the begynning of fayth he may allowe whatsoeuer is preached and disputed to the edificatiō of holsome doctrine lest that his herte beynge shute vp thorough vnbeleue he should improue reiecte those thynges that are spoken Wherfore he sayeth to the Corintheans also 1. Cor. 16. I wyll tarye at Ephesus vntil whitsontyde For a great dore manyfest is opened vnto me and ther are many aduersaries What other thynge cā here be vnderstande but onlye that the gospel beyng ther by him first preached that many beleued and also that ther were many aduersaries of the same beleue accordynge to thys sayeng of the Lorde no man cōmeth to me except it were geuen hym of my father Ioan. 6. and vnto you Luc 8. it is geuen to knowe the secretes of the kyngdome of heauen but to them it is not geuē The dore therfore was opened in thē vnto whōe it was geuen but the multitude of aduersaries were of them vnto whome it was not geuen In lyke maner the same Apostle in hys seconde Epistle vnto the same people sayeth 2. Cor. 2. whē I was come into Troa●a for the Gospel of Christ and a dore was opened to me in the Lorde my spirite had no reste forbecause I dyd not fynd Titus my brother but dydding them farewel I went out in to Macedonia Whome bad he farewel but onely them that beleued in whose hertes de dore was opened thorough his preachyng But marke what he addeth but praysed be God sayeth he whyche dothe gyue vs the victory alwayes thorough Christe and doth declare the sauoure of his knowlege in all places by vs For we are the swete smelle of Christ vnto God bothe in them that are saued and in them also that do peryshe to some verely the sauour of death vnto death but to some the sauour of life vnto lyfe Paule ys an inuincible defendor of grace this cause wil then preuaile agenst the tyrāny ād subtelty both of deuel and worlde Lo for what cause the valeant sougeor and inuincible defendour of grace gyueth thankes Lo for what cause he geueth thankes because thapostles are the swete smelle of Christ vnto God both in them that are saued thorough his grace and in them also that peryshe thorough his iudgemēt But that they might be the lesse angry which vnderstād not these thynges he warned whē he addeth and sayeth And who is mete vnto these thinges Not withstandyng let vs returne to the openyng of the dore Wherby thapostle dyd signifye the begynnynge of the fayth of the hearers For what is this prayeng also for vs that God maye open vnto vs the dore of the worde but a moste
neither beleue his doctrine nor miracles For it is not incredible that all men then were so affected as we maruell that a great multitude syns hys cōmynge haue ben and yet do continue vntyl thys daye and yet neuertheles from the creation of mankynde he neither ceased to preache vnto them sometyme more secretlye and somtyme more openly accordynge as it semeth vnto God mete for the tymes neither wanted there that beleued in hym and that from Adam vntyl Moses and amonge the selfe people of Israel whiche by a speciall mystery was a propheticall nacion amōg other nacions also before he came in the fleshe For seyng ther is mencion made in the holy bokes of the Hebrues of diuerse euen from the tyme of Abraham which were neither of hys kynred nor of the people if Israel neither of other nacions made of the common wealthe of Israel whych neuertheles wer partakers of thys mysterye why maye we not thynke that ther wer dyuers here and there also among other nacions altho we do not reade any mēcion to be made of them in the sayd authorities So that saluacion that commeth thorow thys religion Christes religion is thonly true religion by the whych beyng only the true religion true saluacion is truly promysed dyd neuer wante vnto any that was worthy and to whome so euer it was wanting he was vnworthy to haue it And this is preached syns the begynning of mans generaciō vnto the worldes ende to some men to saluacion but to some to damnacion And by this it appeareth that to whome soeuer it was not preached at al that they were knowen aforehāde to be such as would not beleue and an example of these are al they to whome thys saluaciō was opened and yet they beleued not But whē it was preached vnto them that wolde beleue they were therby prepared vnto the felowshyp in the kyngdōe of heauen and the holy angels Perceyue you not that I would haue spoken thus muche of the foreknowledge of Christ without anye preiudice of the secrete counsell of God of other causes as I thought sufficient to conuince the infidelitie of the Paganes which had obiected this question For what is more true then this that Christe knewe aforehande what men would beleue in hym at what tyme in what place But I dyd not then thynke it necessarye either to enquyre or dispute whether Christ beynge preached vnto them they should haue had fayth of them selues or haue receyued it by the gyft of God that is whether God had only foreknowen them or had also predestinate them Therfore when I sayd that Christ would then appeare vnto men haue his doctrine to be preached among thē when he knewe and where he knewe were such as wold beleue in hym Thys myght also haue ben spoken thus that Christ would the appere vnto mē and haue hys doctrine to be preached then and where he knewe to be suche as were chosen in him before the foūdacion of the worlde was layd But and if I shoulde then haue made thys answere I should haue caused the reader to haue endeuoured hymselfe to haue searched out those thinges S. Aug. had neuer so clearly disputed of grace predestinacion yf he had not ben forced therunto by the heresie of the Pelagians which nowe I muste nedes by reason of the Pelagians error dispute more diligently and more largely I thought it therfore good to speake briefly that that was sufficient at that tyme to be spoken omitting as I haue sayd the depenes of the wysedome and knowledge of God and without ani preiudice of other causes of the which I thought not good then but at some other tyme to dispute more conueniently The .x. Chapter IN lyke maner where as I sayd that the saluacion which cōmeth thorow thys religion did neuer want vnto any that was worthy and that to whō so euer it was wātyng he was onworthy to haue it if it should be discussed searched wherby any man is made worthy ther be that wolde saye that they are made worthy by the wyl of man Worthynes but we saye that they are made worthye by goddes grace or by goddes predestinaciō Furthermore thys only difference is betwene grace and predestinacion The difference betwene predestinacion and grace Ephe. 2. predestinacion is a preparaciō to grace but grace is the very gyft it selfe Therfore this that the Apostle sayeth not of workes leste any man should boast hymselfe for we are his worckmanship created in Christ Iesu vnto good workes is grace but that that foloweth whiche God prepared aforehande that we should walke in them is predestinacion which can not be wythout a foreknowledge al thoo the afore knowlege maye be without predestinacion For by predestinacion God knewe aforehande the thinges that he hymselfe would do Whervpon it is sayd he ordeyned those thynges that were to come But he is able to knowe aforehāde tho thynges also that he dothe not as al maner of synnes For altho ther be cerceyne synnes which are also punyshmentes for synnes for the whiche cause it is wryttē God delyuered them vp vnto a leude mynde Rom. 1. that they shoulde do those thynges that were not comly yet ther is no synne cōmytted on God des behalfe but ther is only his iugement Wherfore the predestinacion of God which is to our benefyt and comforte is as I sayd the preparacion aforehande to grace but grace is the effecte of the same predestinacion When God therfore dyd promyse vnto Abraham the fayth of the gentyls in his sede Ben. 17. Rom. 4. sayeng I haue made thee a father of many nacions whervpon the Apostle sayeth therfore by fayth is the inheritaunce geuen that it myght come of fauoure Goddes promyse is grounded vpon his predestinacion and not vpō mās wyll and the promyse myght be sure to al the sede This promyse was not grounded vpō the power of mans wyll but vpon the predestinacion of God For he promysed not that what men but that what he hymselfe should bryng to passe For altho men do worke such good thynges as apperteyne to the worshippinge of God yet it is he that is the cause Men are not the cause that god performeth his promyse that they do those thynges that he cōmaundeth but they are not that cause that he should performe that whiche he hath promysed For otherwyse to performe goddes promyses should stande in the power of man and not in the power of God so that which was promised of God to Abrahā should be performed by mā But Abrahā beleued not so but he beleued geuyng glory to God Rom. 4. because he was able to performe those thynges that he had promysed he sayth not that he was able to tel aforehande he sayeth not that he was able to knowe aforehāde For he can bothe tel aforehande and also knowe aforehande dedes that are none of hys but he sayeth he is able also
what we ought to beleue that his mercye is shewed in them that are delyuered and hys truthe in them that are punyshed neither let vs go aboute to serche out suche thynges as are vnsercheable nor to fynde out suche thynges as are paste fynding out For out of the mouthe of infantes and suckelynges he hath made perfyte hys prayse Psal 8. that that which we perceyue in them whose delyueraunce no good merites of theirs wente before and in them whose damnacion only original synne cōmon to them bothe wente before the same we should not doubt to be done to them also that be of age discrecion that is to saye that we should not thynke Grace is not geuē to ani mā for hys merites either that grace is geuen to any man for his merites or that any man is punyshed but for his merites whether that they whych are delyuered and punyshed haue theyr euel causes lyke or vnlyke that he that semeth to stande should take hede that he fall not and that he that doth glorye 1. Cor. 10. Iere. 9. should not glorye in hymselfe but in the Lord. But why can not these men abyde as ye wryte that the cause of infātes should be brought forth for an ensample of suche The Pelagians and Maniches deny original syn as are of age and discrecion whyche doubte not to confesse agaynst the Pelagians original sinne that thoroughe one man entered into the worlde and that by one man damnacion is come vpon all men The which also the Manicheis do not allowe which haue in no reuerence not only the scriptures of thold testament but also they do receiue the scriptures that belonge to the newe testament after suche a maner that by a certaine priuilege of their owne yea rather sacrilege they allowe what they wyl what they wyll not allowe they reiecte Agaynste whome I wrote in my boke of fre choise out of the whych these brethren thynke to prescribe against vs. Prescripcion Therfore would I not clearly dissolue the moste besy and harde questions that ther happened lest my worke should haue bē to longe wheras the authorite of Goddes worde dyd not helpe me agaynst these that are so peruerse and wycked And I could haue concluded as I dyd wyth an vndoubted reason whyche soeuer of these should be true whyche I dyd not then determinatlye auonche that God ought to be praysed in al thinges The wicked heresie of the Maniches wythout any necessitie to beleue that there should be two coeternall substances of good euell myngled together Furthermore in the fyrst boke of retractacions whych worke of myne you haue not yet redde whē I was come to the retracting of the same bokes of free choise thus I spake In these bokes I saye many thynges are disputed after suche a maner that certein questions happenyng whiche I was not either able to dissolne or els required at that present a longe declaraciō myght be to that ende deferred that vpon both partes or vpon euery of the partes of the same questions it dyd not appeare what was moste consonant vnto the trueth oure disputacion myght be yet concluded vpon thys point that whyche soeuer parte should be true men myght beleue and also perceiue that God oughte to be praysed The fountaine of euell That disputacion was takē in hande for theyr sakes whych denye that euel do originally sprynge of the free choise of wyl and do contende that God yf thys be so the creator of all natures oughte to be blamed willynge by thys meane accordyng to their vngodlye error for they are Manitheis to bring in a certeine nature of euel vnchaungeable and coeternal to God In lyke maner a lytle after in an other place After these it was declared sayde I oute of what mysery moste iustly throwē vpon synners the grace of God dyd delyuer because mā was able willyngly that is by free choise to fall but not in lyke maner to ryse agayne vnto whych mysery of iust damnacion ignorance and difficultie do apperteine Difficulte troble painfulnes daūger trauel whych euery mā do suffer from the beginnynge of his natiuite neither is any man delyuered from thys euell but by the grace of God The whych myserye the Pelagians would not haue to sprynge of iuste damnacion denyeng originall synne Altho ignoraunce and difficultie dyd apperteine vnto man in their natural beginninges yet ought not God to be blamed but praysed as in the same thyrde boke we haue disputed The whiche disputacion ought to be had agaynst the Manicheis whych do not allowe the holy scriptures of the olde testament wherin original synne is declared And what soeuer is redde in thapostles wrytynges that is taken out of tholde testament they contende with detestable vnshamefastnes that it was thruste in of them that corrupted the scriptures as tho it had not be spoken of thapostles But agaynst the Pelagians that ought to be defended that both the newe testament and tholde do approue whyche they professe that they do allowe These wordes dyd I speake in the fyrst boke of my retractacions when I retracted my bokes of fre choyse Neither are these thynges only there spoken of me cōcerning these bokes but many other also whych I thought to longe and not necessarye to be put into thys worke written to you whych I thinke you wyl also iuge after ye haue redde altogether All tho we dyd then so dispute of infantes in the thirde boke of fre choise that notwithstandynge that were true whych the Pelagians do afferme that ignoraunce and difficultie without whych no man is borne be the begynnynges not the punishmentes of nature yet shoulde the Manicheis be ouercome whiche wyl haue two natures of good and euell to be coeternall shoulde therfore the faythe be called into doubt or els forsaken whyche the catholyke church do defēde against the selfe Pelagians which do confesse original synne the gylt wherof is drawen by the fyrst byrth and losed by the seconde byrth But yf they also together wyth vs do acknowlege thys that we may bothe together in thys matter destroye the Pelagians error Why thynke they that it should be doubted that God doth also delyuer from the power of darkenes Collo i. and dothe transtate into the kyngdōe of the bryghtenes of hys sonne those infantes vnto whome thorow the sacramēt of baptisme he hath geuen his grace Grace is not geuē to all In that then that he geueth this grace to some but to some he dothe not gyue it why wil they not syng vnto the Lorde mercye and iudgement But why thys grace is rather gyuen to some then to other who hathe knowen the Lorde hys mynde Roma 11 Who is able to serche out suche thynges as ar vnsercheable Who is able to finde out suche thinges as are paste fyndyng out The .xii. Chapter YT is therfore broughte to passe that the grace of Gōd is gyuen not accordynge to the
merites of thē that receiue the grace but accordyng to the good pleasure of hys wyll vnto the prayse glory of the selfe grace of hys that he that dothe glorye should in no wyse glory in hymselfe but should glory in the Lorde whyche gyueth to suche men as he wyll The wyll of god because he is mercyful and yf he gaue not yet he is ryghtfull and to whome he wyll not gyue he dothe not gyue that he maye cause the ryches of hys glory to be knowen Roma 9 amōge the vessels of mercy For in giuing to certeine that whyche they do not deserue he would vndoubtedly haue hys grace to be fre and so to be his grace in dede Grace but in not gynyng to all he dothe declare what all dyd deserue He is good in shewyng mercy to some he is iust in punyshyng the reste Yea he is good to all For it is a good thyng to render that whych is dewtye and he is iuste to all for it is a iuste thynge when that whych is dewe is geuē wythout fraude of any man But the grace of God is defended to be without merites that is to be true grace altho the baptised infantes be not as the Pelagians iudge delyuered from the power of darkenes because they are not as they thynke holden vnder any synne but are only trāslate into the kingdome of the Lorde For so also the kyngdome of heauen is gyuen Heauen geuen to infantes wyth out merites to whome it is gyuen wythout any good merites and to whome it is not geuen wythout any euel merites it is not geuen The whych we are wont to obiecte agaynst the same Pelagians when they laye to our charge that we ascribe the grace of God to desteny in affermyng that it is not geuē for our merites sake Satum But they do rather in infantes ascribe the grace of God to destenye whych saye that there is desteny where as is no merite For no merites by the selfe Pelagians iudgement also can be founde in yonge children why some of them should be sent into the kyngdome and some of them should be banyshed out of the kingdome But like wyse as that I might declare that the grace of God is not geuen for our merites sake I had nowe rather defende thys accordynge to bothe our iudgementes that is as well accordyng to our owne iudge met whych do afferme that yonge chyldren are bonde vnder original synne as also the iudgement of the Pelagians whiche deny originall synne And notwithstanding this I ought not therfore to doubt but that the infantes haue somwhat whych he maye forgeue them that do saue hys people from theyr synnes Euen so also in my thyrde boke of fre choyse Math. 1. I dyd resyste the Manicheis accordynge to both vnderstādinges whether ignorance and difficultie wythout the which no mā is borne be the punyshmentes or the begynninges of nature yet neuertheles I do defende but one parte of those I haue there also euidently enough declared that thys is not the nature of the created man S. Aug. bokes were obiected agaynst himselfe but the payne of the condempned man The aūcienty therfore of that my boke is vaynely obiected agaynst me as a prescripciō that I should not intreat the cause of infantes as I ought to do vpon their cause cōuince by the lyght of the manyfest truthe that the grace of God is not geuen for mans merites sake For yf I when I beganne my bokes of fre choise at Rome beyng a laye man and dyd fynyshe the same in Aphrica beyng priest dyd yet doubt bothe of the dānacion of infantes that were not regenerate and also of the delyueraunce of them that were renued No man as I suppose is so vniust and so enuious Who be vniuste enuious whyche would forbyd me to profyte and go forwardes and would iudge it mete that I should continue and abyde styll in thys doubt But seyng this may be vnderstande more truely they ought not to thynke that I therfor doubted of thys matter because I thought it good thus to conuince them against whome I thē wrote that whether these were the payne of original synne in yonge chyldrē accordyng as the truthe teacheth or were not as some errynge suppose Neuertheles the mynglyng together of two natures that is of good and euell whyche the Manitheis error dothe bryng in oughte not to be beleued in no wyse God forbyd that we should leaue the cause of yonge chyldren after suche a maner that we shoulde saye that we were vncerteine whether the infātes that dye beyng regenerate in Christe do passe into eternall lyse but those that are not regenerate do passe into the seconde deathe because it is wrytten By one man synne entered into the worlde and death by the meanes of synne and so death went ouer all men Roma 5. Otherwyse thys can not be truely vnder stande neither do any delyuer frō eternall death wherwith synne is moste iustely recompensed either great or smale but he only whiche beynge wythout any synne of hys owne either originall or actuall dyed for the remission of oure synnes Let vs not be ashamed to repere one aunswer to the same obieccion both original and actual But why do he delyuer rather these thē them We say againe againe neither ar we wery or ashamed of this aunswere O man what arte thou that disputest wyth God hys iudgementes are vnsearcheable and hys wayes past finding out whervnto we adde thys Ro. 9.11 Eccle. 3. Seke not oute the thynges that are aboue thy capacitie and searche not out the thynges that are to myghty for thee Do you not perceiue dearely beloued howe folyshe an opinion it is and howe contrary to the holsome fayth and syncere truthe that we should affirme that yonge chyldren that be deade shal be iudged according to suche workes as they were afor sene to haue done yf they had lyued In to thys opinion are they cōpelled to falle whych certeinly all men that haue vnderstandynge thoo they haue neuer so lytle wyt and namely christians do abhorre whych would none otherwyse varey from the Pelagians error but that they myght yet stille thynke it lawful for them to beleue and also to defende by disputacion that the grace of God thorow Iesu Christe our Lorde wherby alone We are holpē by grace alone after the fall of the fyrst man in whome we all fell we are holpen is gyuen accordyng to our merites Whiche Pelagius hymselfe for feare that he should be condemned dyd condemne in the presence of the byshoppes of the East churche beyng hys iudges But yf thys can not be affirmed I meane of the workes of the deade good or euell whiche they should haue done yf they had lyued and therfore none at al and suche as neuer shal be in Goddes forknowlege but yf thys I saye can not be affermed whyche you perceyue howe falslye it should