Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	death_n	life_n	sin_n	9,880	5	5.5192	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85547	A right use made by a stander by at the two disputations at Great All-hollowes; between Mr. Goodwin and Mr. Symson, the 14. of January and 11. of February 1649. Concerning the poynts of generall redemption, and inevitable damnation immediately from God alone.	Graunt, John, of Bucklersbury.	1649 (1649)	Wing G1593B; Thomason E594_2; ESTC R202254	7,459	8

hearts to receive and obey it by the booke of works and by his booke of words on his Elect to salvation so by both books it works an illumination of the grace and means of salvation whereby a remedy and possibility of deliverance and salvation is preached and presented to all men through the promise before which there was no way lest or made of deliverance but onely the miserable estate of destruction that followed the transgression And therefore thrice blessed is that word of God that saith God sent not his Son into the world that is unto mankinde to condemne them but that they through him might be saved Joh. 3. 17. Here is the manifest possibility without all exception yet notwithstanding this abundant goodnesse and pitty of God towards mankind to give himselfe to death that they might have life and to convey the knowledge of this his goodnesse and grace to all and every one of them the wilfull opposition that is made against it by themselves makes that accidentally their condemnation which in it selfe was the means and cause of life and salvation And now wee come to shew what presidents there are in the Scriptures of the eff●ctuall operation of grace and salvation by the works of God through his Spirit now Scripture example must be of such men as have lived when testimony is made of them amongst such as injoyed the Scrip●ure-dispensation yet themselves no Proselytes The first instance shall be in that holy Heathen the Roman Centurion that came to our Lord in the behalfe of his servant the testimony our Lord gives of him with admiration is this I have not found such faith saith he no not in Israel as if he should say not amongst my people that have the booke of my words as in this man that hath been taught by the booke of my works And I say unto you saith he Mat. 8. 1. that many shall come from the East and from the West that is from one end of the earth to the other from the Sun-rising to the Sun-setting And shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdome of heaven but the children of the kingdome shall be cast out that is such as have the booke of my Scrip●ures and Ordinances shall lose the salvation when such as have onely the booke of my creatures shall finde it And such an one was Cornelius Act. 10. which was also a Gentile and Heathen by Nation and no Proselyte for other Nations that were Proselytes were to have the same fellowship in the Word and Ordinances with the Jewes but P●ter denies it him ver 28. and yet justifies him as touching the grace of the Gospel to be a true worshipper of God a spirituall regenerate man manifested and declared to Peter by the words which he spake to him which makes Peter to open his mouth ver 34. and say I perceive of a truth that God is no respecter of persons but in every Nation be that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted with him Mark here is the righteousnese that is of grace which makes men acceptable to God vouchsafed to all nations of which C●r●nlius is a present proofe thereby being made spirituall worshippers acceptable through faith in their prayers and almes and all other spirituall sacrifices which is only s● in through the goodnesse and grace of God which is the Gospel and Covenant of promise for there is not a second or other means of grace besides this But if this be so that God by his works and Spirit teaches the Gospel and salvation to mankinde as well as by his word and Spirit then what advantage have Christians by the Scriptures or what profit is there of other Ordinances The Apostle makes the same question and answers it himselfe Rom. 3. 1 2. Much every way saith he as if he had said This is the chiefe and highest dispensation the principall and greatest means of conveying the grace of the Gospel to mankinde is by this most excellent way Now the last and most conceald booke by which God reveales the means of salvation to mankinde is that way by which he makes it knowne to Infants who want the exercise of sense and the use of reason and understanding which are the subject matter of both the two other books preachings for in them the Spirit of God works only by the dictate of Conscience not denying this most secret helpe of nature to the two former books also but the capacitie of Infants is such that they are capable onely of this way of preaching And the Spirit of the Lord by this means through secret workings inclines the hearts of the Elect-Infants to receive the mercy preached effectually to life and salvation As he did the hearts of the Prophets Jeremy and John Baptist in the wombe then and there to be called and sanctified regenerated and borne againe for there is no way to life but this although given and administred by divers dispensations And take this consideration for the further discovery of this obscure booke that if the Gospel the word of faith be nigh and in the mouth and heart of all mankinde then it is also in the mouth and in the hearts of Infants and the refusing and disposing this light as it may be said Infants may so doe is the condemnation by this booke also These truths rightly understood cleere God both in his justice and mercy that as salvation is free and onely from himselfe so the condemnation is onely and alone from wicked men themselves and so let us acknowledge God to be just truly mercifull although wee may safely say all men are lyers Thus much I thought to signifie by writing after I was publickly denied for speaking and to wave their pretended excuses I pray them to take notice from the Lord except they deny themselves they cannot be taught of God and so never able to teach others truly And for the other poynt in their Disputations of generall Redemption as they call it there is no such expression in Scripture for although it be said Christ gave himselfe a ransome for all yet it is not said all are ransomed as the terme Redemption seemes to imply and although a man have provided a price or value of a Ransome yet it cannot be said the Man is ransomed or redeemed except the price or value be received and accepted of so although God would have all men to be saved as touching the sufficient means he hath provided yet the man not receiving that means thereby occasions his condemnation which if received had been his salvation And the rejection is not through the means it selfe nor in God that provided it but altogether in and from them that make the resistance As it is written 2 Pet. ● 9. The Lord is long-suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance And this way and means of recovery which is the Gospel he hath made knowne and preached unto all mankinde as before is shewed yet notwithstanding this means of gathering and saving all by which God would Wicked men will not yeeld obedience thereunto but harden their hearts to resistance and so perish through their own impenitency By John Graunt London Printed by M. Simmons for John Hancock 1649.

A right Use made by a Stander by at the two DISPUTATIONS at Great All-hollowes between Mr. Goodwin and Mr. Symson the 14. of January and 11. of February 1649. Concerning the poynts of Generall Redemption and inevitable damnation immediately from God alone FOr any man to affirme as then and there with great boldnesse it was avowed that God from all Eternity hath damn'd Men personally without having any eye to their own wicked and ungodly resistance and opposition of his grace mercy and goodnesse preached unto them as the means of their salvation I say whosoever it is that doth thus assert and maintaine doth herein blaspheme God and make him the Author of sinne which is impudent impiety for if God originally primarily and meerly of himselfe doth destinate a man to damnation then he doth destinate that man to the cause as well as to the effect which is to destinate a man to sinne the wages or reward of which is damnation the effect which that cause produceth the means that brings about that end And this grosse error was afterwards againe in the same place preached with no lesse confidence then before and undertaken to be proved by Pro. 16. 4. and Jude ver 4. Which Scriptures rightly understood disprove what he affirmed for God made man perfect but man hath made himselfe wicked And notwithstanding the means and remedy provided and preached to him on Gods part yet this wicked and ungodly man turnes this remedy this grace and mercy of God into lasciviousnesse opposing the light and life offered to him in Gods great pitty compassion whic● contempt and refusall of it proves his condemnation An● this is the condemnation to all that perish Joh. 3. 19. Now the Lord to whom all things are present in regard he is omniscient omnipresent and infinite in these as also in all other his attributes so that with him one thing is not so before nor after one another as it is with us So I say God of old or before he made man saw that although he made him good as there is nothing but good that he makes yet notwithstanding God saw he would corrupt himselfe although by his Creation the most excellentest of all other creatures which God pittying in his misery above all the rest of his creatures provides a remedy for the cure of his maladie which means of recovery should not onely enlighten Adam but all others that should come of him which were then in his loynes when the promise was made And as the receiving thereof should be salvation so the refusing deniall and contempt should be damnation to each one respectively And Gods foresight of mans wicked opposition resistance of the means of his recovery preached unto him being so dearely purchased and marvellously brought about by the death of his Sonne Mans contempt thereof I say moves and constraines God in his justice to ordaine or appoint him to destruction as a due reward of his owne deserving As it is written Thy destruction is of thy selfe Hos 13. 9. Now this being the estate and condition of all mankinde one or other and God foreseeing the spoyle of his holy creation of mankinde and the generall opposition of the remedy provided even his grace light life and salvation doth also of old of his owne good will and pleasure ordaine elect and choose a cert●in number from amongst the rest of mankinde who in their severall life-times he doth call effectually to repentance and remission of sinnes that they may be justified and made his children the heires of glory and salvation according to the Scriptures And so in his Elect prevents by his abundant goodnesse that opposition and resistance of his illuminating grace which as before is said to be the condemnation of all that perish Now as there was much ignorance manifested both in the election and reprobation of God in his decrees and purposes touching all mankinde so there was also declared exceeding great weakness and ignorance of the way and manner how almighty God preacheth communicateth and conveyeth this means of mercy and recovery to all mankinde which rightly discovered might have cleered God both in his justice and mercy both which then and there was exceedingly obscured which thankes be to God the Scriptures have manifestly published wherefore be it knowne to the Disputants and to all the world that the Lord hath ordained three books or wayes of discovery of the means of Mans salvation The first and principall is the Word of God through the Ministry of Gods faithfull servants and Messengers and this way and means of discovery is beyond all question or objection the second booke or means is by the preaching of the creatures of which many make question the third is by secret dictate of conscience of which speaking or preaching most are doubtfull in all these three dispensations observe two differing Administrations the one sensible naturall or literall the other divine heavenly and spirituall hereby extending and reaching to all sorts and degrees of mankinde whatsoever that part of mankinde that enjoyeth the incomparable happinesse of the light of the Scriptures and that part of mankinde that hath not the Scriptures yet hath the blessed and happy sound the voyce and the use of the creatures And lastly that part of mankinde that are neither capable to be taught by the Scriptures nor by the creatures they wanting the principles of reason and understanding and yet in some degree have sense which are all sorts of Infants And first I will prove by the Scriptures that all mankinde in generall are taught and instructed in the means of salvation And secondly I will shew the various manner of the preaching thereof First John the Apostle is cleare in his witnesse Joh. 1. 9. declaring that Christ is the true light that inlightens every man that comes into the world if every one then all that have the booke of the Scriptures and all other that have but the booke of the Creatures and the Children or infants of both these parts of the world or mankinde because it is said All that cometh c. That is every one whether by creation or birth that cometh into the world Also observe the terme given to this grace truth that cometh by Jesus Christ it is called light and expounded in the fourth verse to be the life and light of men it is also in other Scriptures called the promise the new Covenant the glad tidings of salvation the Gospel St. Peter cals it the Word speaking peace by Jesus Christ Act. 10. and St. Paul The word of faith Rom. 10. Which is so home-taught to all and every one And it is so nigh to each man without exception that it is said to be even in the mouth and in the heart of all for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greeke that is in this respect of shewing mercy or providing a way of recovery for all mankind for the same Lord over all is rich