Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	divine_a	faith_n	formal_a	1,432	5	11.4042	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64909	A just reprehension to John Norris of Newton St. Loe, for his unjust reflection on the Quakers in his book, entituled, Reflections upon the conduct of human life, &c together with his false representation of their principle of the light, in his postscript, wherein he opposes it to his notion of the divine ... ideal world, as he terms it, his confusion and self-contradiction therein manifested, and the doctrine and principle of the Quakers thereby cleared from his abuse ... / by Richard Vickris.	Vickris, Richard, d. 1700.	1691 (1691)	Wing V339; ESTC R10757	11,419	16

Quakers represent this Light within as a sort of extraordinary Inspiration Where learnt thou this Before it was a Divine Communication and Manifestation only and now an Extraordinary Inspiration Thou wouldst have done well to have let the Quakers Principle alone till thou hadst learnt it better and more honestly to represent it Is not Extraordinary more than Common or Communication and manifestation only Have not the Quakers declared the Light to be Universal as well as Divine in its gift and manifestation to the Sons of men It is certainly true they have and yet I deny not but such who apply their minds in Obedience to the teachings of this Light and heavenly Gift may be made partakers of more viz. extraordinary Gifts and Graces by the Inspiration of the same Spirit c. If for this they have the Name of Enthusiasts given them as in the Section of thy Postscript Though it be in Derision they will rejoyce in it for it shall be as an Ornament of Grace to their Head and Chains about their Neck Again in the same Section thou sayst I suppose it viz. The Light within to be a man's natural and ordinary way of understanding And just before thou made it to be the very Essence and Substance of the Deity which are thy own express words see thy Confusion and Self-contradiction by these Words viz. a man's natural and ordinary way of understanding I take thee to intend the same thing as in page 77. where thou call'st it Reason and Conscience and yet at the same time call'st it The divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Region of Truth in which are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge the great and universal Oracle lodged in every man's Breast whereof the ancient Vrim and Thummim was an express Type or Emblem Here thou Debasest and Confoundest thy Principle making it to be a part of man's Nature whereas the Principle or divine Light as held by the Quakers is a distinct thing from man's Soul Reason or natural Conscience viz. a more excellent Spirit and Principle And herein I confess is a material Difference betwixt thy principle of Light and the Quakers as thou hast exprest it sure I am it is a great Error to render the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which all things were made and are upheld to be no higher a Principle than man's Reason and Conscience or natural and ordinary way of understanding which reason is a property Essential to him as Man I confess to know the things of a man according to that Scripture 1 Cor. 2.9 10 11. But as it is written Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard neither have entred into the Heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the Deep things of God for what man knows the things of a man save the Spirit of a man that is in him even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God Again Mat. 11.27 Neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him By which it manifestly appears that the true knowledge of God and Spiritual things are attained by the Spirit which is superior to man's rational Principle or natural Conscience which may be defiled and corrupted as 't is said expresly of the Impure that even their Mind and Conscience is defiled Tit. 1.15 In thy third Sestion thou com'st in with a Salvo Errore If I mistake not the Quakers confine their Light within to some certain Objects namely Morral and Spiritual Truths in order only to the direction of Practice How shouldst thou do otherwise but mistake the Principles of others seeing thou art so confused about thine own however I must tell thee it s no small Fault at such an uncertainty to Expose peoples Principles and 't is an abuse to say the Quakers confine the Light within It is Divine Supernatural and Uncircumscribeable in it are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge where have the Quakers taught otherwise Have they not testified and declared the Light and the Spirit of Truth are one and the same in Being which will guide into all Truth Iohn 16.13 The Quakers believe this divine Light to be the quickness of their understandings to know and of their wills to love and practical Truth and that it assists the natural Faculties of the Soul in the attainments of necessary Arts and Sciences as well as capacitate it to know and practise Morral and Spiritual Truths Thou mayst read what the Author to the Book of Wisdom says on this subject in the 9th and 10th Chapters And whereas thou sayst The Quakers make the Light within a Supplement to Scripture which they say is not sufficient without it nor indeed any more than a meer dead Letter I Answer These words Supplement to Scripture are thy own not ours and this seems to be a Composition of thy own notion of the Quakers Faith concerning the holy Scriptures without any quotation of their Words or Writings and as 't is an objection is built upon thy mistake In thy former Section viz. The Quakers represent this Light within as a sort of extraordinary Inspiration Which hath been already answered proving the Universallity of the Divine Light in man which considered there 's no just cause for this as an Objection against the Quakers assigning the Scriptures to be insufficient without the Light because the knowledge of the holy Scriptures cannot occur to the understanding without it and the formal reason thereof is its presence and manifestation The Quakers believe that Christ Jesus by his divine Light within doth in these days as in the Days of his Flesh expound fulfil and open to the true Believers the holy Scriptures which according to the Apostle's exhortation to Timothy Chap. 2.3 15. Are able to make wise unto Salvation note THROUGH FAITH which is in Christ Iesus The word Supplement in this sense I hope will be found no Error but according to thy Construction of the Quakers representing the Light within as a sort of extraordinary Inspiration Sect 2. Or special priviledge of a certain order of men their own party as in Sect. 4. And then making them to say the Scriptures with relation only to the Direction of Practice as thy Lines import Sect. 3. are not sufficient without it nor indeed any more than a meer dead Letter is to render the Quakers not only singular and Erronious in their Principle of the Light which shall be more duly observed in its place but also Contemptuous of the holy Scriptures as useless and insufficient to all but themselves which is a great and hainous abuse of a Society of People without cause and provocation and contrary to their publick and known Assertions both by Word and Writing who believe according to the same Apostle to Timothy Chap. 2.3.16 17. That all Scripture

given by Inspiration of God is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the man of God may be Perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works And this shall suffice for an Answer to thy third Section The fourth is a down-right falsity viz. The Quakers make their Light within a special Priviledge of a certain Order of men their own party not indeed as to the possibility yet they do as to the act making none but those of their own way to be actually inlightned by it This is so abundantly Confuted by the Writings in general of those People more perticularly in the afore-recited Book of Robert Barclay's which considering thou hast read I am the more amazed at thy Assertion They say all are actually inlightned by it all are Called but all have not obeyed according to these Scriptures Micah 6.8 He hath shewed thee O man what is Good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do Iustly and to love Mercy and to walk Humbly with thy God 1 John 9.3.19 1 Cor. 13.7 Tit. 2.11 c. Thy distinction of a possibility and not actually with respect to the Divine Illumination of this Principle is trivial though not with respect to Salvation by it The Capacity or Possibility is not nor can be in man abstract from the actual Illuminating Power and Spirit no more than seeing if the light be seperate from the Eye The Quakers have and still do declare that Christ Jesus the Light of the World is the universal free Gift of God for the benefit of all men in order to their Salvation and is not this Common yet Special priviledge because dearly purchased and freely bestowed on lost man that thou mayst not want occasion to traduce the Quakers thou hast so much over-done it in this Section as to contradict thy self in the fifth as for instance Sect. 4. to be actaully inlightned according to thy Principle is no special priviledge but the common and universal benefit of all men yea of all the intelligent Creation who all see and understand in this Light of God without which there would be neither Truth nor Understanding On the contrary Postscript Sect. 5. thou sayst Thy Light does not formally enlighten or instruct thee but when thou carefully attends to and consults it and read what is written in those Divine Ideal Characters The like Doctrine thou hast pag. 71. of thy Book Sect. 5. and 6. where treating of thy double illumination of thy divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. Fundamentally and Potentially or else effectually or actually in the former sense thou sayest he inlightens every man in the latter only those who duly consult him and attend to him See what Contradiction thy strained Notions run thee into one while to be actually enlightned is the Common and Universal benefit of all men another while only of those who Consult it and attend to it and all to avoid being thought to Symbolize with the Quakers in thy notion of the Divine Light thy Distinction of Potentially and Actually can have no more in it than the Difference in the subject the one universal act of the Word or Light enlightning every man comprehends both these are but new invented terms to express the most ancient and more Divinely and better revealed Truths of the Gospel Thy fifth I take in the first part of it to be the same in substance with thy first Differing in form of expressions viz. The Quakers by their Light within understand some Determinate formed dictate or proposition expresly or possitively directing or instructing them to do so or so as in thy first thou call'st it some divine Communication or Manifestation ONLY Where didst thou learn this definition of the Quakers Faith and Doctrine of the Light within The Quakers believe the Light of Christ within to be God's divine Oracle of Wisdom in the Soul the former Dictater and determiner of heavenly Propositions their Directing and Instructing what to choose and what to refuse as the original Cause of the knowledge and love of Truth which are its proper effects Now wherein is the Quakers Light as thou term'st it Inferiour to that which thou call'st thine except in the Differing Character thou givest it they own the Real and Substantial Truth of God the Life of the Word the Light of men as Christ said of himself I am the Way the Truth and the Life That this divine Light which is the Light of men is always in some degree and measure present in the Soul by which it is upheld either in God's love or anger the Quakers believe and that in him we live move and have our being though with respect to operation after a different manner and measure and passing the understanding of man And whereas thou sayest Thy Light is only the essential Truth of God This is a high presumption about which I have already shewed thy Confusion in other places calling it Reason and Conscience and a man's natural and ordinary way of understanding consider Mat. 6.22.23 The Light of the Body is the Eye if therefore thy Eye be single thy whole Body shall be full of Light but if thine Eye be evil thy whole Body shall be full of Darkness if therefore the Light that is in thee be Darkness how great is that Darkness So may I say if that Doctrine Principle thou recommendest to the World for Truth Excellency be erronious and faulty how great is that Error and Fault Again thou sayest Thy Light is always present to thy understanding and Intimately united with it still Sect. 5. Which in thy sense of the Light is to say thy Soul is never without thy Reason and Conscience I wish they were both reformed that thou mayst be no more guilty of these and such like false Aspersions That the Light as supposing it to be what really it is viz. a Distinct Principle from the Soul is always present to the understanding which implies its operation upon the natural Capacity or Organ the ordinary means of knowing I conceive is more then can be safely or experimentally said because the Organ may be hurt and the understanding in that sense interrupted and consequently no fit Medium or Receptacle either for the Soul or its Light besides the Soul may be absent from the natural understanding by the interposition of Spiritual as well as Natural causes and yet present with the Light in its spiritual way of understanding But to say as thou dost that Thy Light is only the Essential Truth of God and that it is always present to thy understanding and intimately united with it and yet that it does not formally inlighten or instruct it but when carefully attended to and consulted seems to discover a Contradiction in it self and to the formal Reason of its Being and Presence and Sufficiency in the one act of the same Principle as well as to the state and nature of Intimate Union for how can any