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A15859 Speculum Christianum or, A Christian suruey for the conscience Containing, three tractates of that eminent, graue, and learned diuine, maister Hierome Zanchius. 1. Of the end of the world. 2. Of the perseuerance of the saints. 3. A summarie abridgement of his protections. Englished for the good of Gods church, and for a warning to wicked and impenitent men. By H.N.; Speculum Christianum. English Zanchi, Girolamo, 1516-1590.; Nelson, Henry, fl. 1614. 1614 (1614) STC 26121A.7; ESTC S111786 125,039 404

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God 14 Sinne in respect of God doth not fall out by change but by the diuine counsell because by the diuine and that voluntarie permission neither yet is Sinne the effect of diuine Praedestination or of God because the malice of Sinne or of the sinner is not of God Therefore none can be said to haue been Praedestinate of God to Sinne as it is Sinne. 15 Permission and that voluntarie whereby God permitteth sinne is a worke of God and therefore good but sinne permitted as it is sinne is not a worke of God but partly of Satan partly of Man Roge quis audial d●minum d●centem Non vos me elegistis s●d ego vos audeat dicere credere bomines vt ●ligantur cum potius eligantur vs c●●dant Aug de praed Sanctorum ● 17. 16 All men are Praedestinate some to life some to death aeternall 17 Without Christ none can either bee praedestinate to life aeternall or effectually called or truely iustified or eternally glorified 18 Whosoeuer are praedestinate to life euerlasting as to the end are also Praedestinate to the due meanes by which it is receiued Faith therfore the workes of faith and perseuerance in faith or the beginning progresse and consummation of Saluation all are effects of Praedestination 19 God whereas hee could yet would hee not vouchsafe all men confusedly the grace of Praedestination aeternall 20 God doth be-blind harden and destroy some therefore them to make blind harden destroy hee decreed eternally 21 The finall and principall end both of the reprobation of some and election of other some is Gods glorie which both in the reiection of the wicked and election of the godly doth shine plentifully 22 To bee created and suffered to fall into sinne and into death are effects of Praedestination common to the Elect and Reprobate but to be enriched with grace faith workes perseuerance of faith and finally life eternall are effects proper to the Predestination of the Elect but to bee forsaken in their sinnes perpetually to bee blinded hardned and finally damned are effects of Reprobation proper to the wicked 23 This argumentation a posteriori that is from the effect God created men then did voluntarily permit them to fall into sinne and by sinne to run headlong into death finally of them some he deliuereth and saueth from thence by Christ mercifully others in their sinnes hee forsaketh most iustly blindeth damneth but both he doth to for his glory Therefore God from aeternity hath decreed to doe all these things is not a sophistication but a demonstration And this is the praedestination of the Godly and vngodly None is praedestinate to aeternal life conditionally if he do belieue if he obserue the Law but whosoeuer are praedestinate therevnto are absolutely and simply praedestinate so that euen they therefore do beleeue and keepe the Law because as to life so also they are praedestinate to beleeue and obserue the Law 25 The Elect only attaine true iustifying faith but the Reprobate although they seeme to beleeue for a time yet their faith is not true but temporary and therefore hypocriticall 26 Whatsoeuer good the Saintes haueor do they therefore haue and do it because for the enioying and acting thereof they were from aeternity freely praedestinate Therefore the beginning of Saluation that is faith and the proceeding that is good workes and the end that is finall perseuerance and plenary possession of Life eternall are free effects of diuine praedestination or of God praedestinating Wherfore neither Faith nor good workes can be the cause of predestination seeing the Apostle saith not Hee h●th ' chosen vs because we would bee holy but that we should be holy Neither therefore did I obtaine mercy for that I would be faithfull but that I might be fathfull 27 It is no impiety to say The Reprobate therefore not to beleeue not to repent not to obserue the Law because they were praedestinate not to beleeue not to repent not to keepe the Law seeing the Lord thus speaketh Therefore ye do not beleeue because yee are not of my flock Againe Therfore ye do not heare because ye are not of God 28 Nay it is not impiety to say the Reprobate do therefore the works which are euil in the Reprobate because they were praedestinate to do them seing the holy Spirit doth teach this in the Scriptures Acts. 2. 4. 29 Neither Praedestination nor God can be said to be the cause of the sinnes which wicked men do commit or that God did praedestinate the wicked to sinne both for that the warfare whereby wicked men do sinne is not of God but of Satan as also for that God hath praedestinate none to sinnes as they be sinnes but onely as they be either actions in themselues and therfore not euill or punishments of sinne 30 Rather therefore the wicked in doing these things do sinne to the doing whereof they are praedestinate of God because the workes of God otherwise in themselues good they doe infect with the naughtinesse of their fleshly mind 31 Therefore the proper efficient cause of sinne is that home-bred infidelity and mallice in men 32 In euery sinne there be two thinges The worke which is done or at leastwise the action either internall or externall and the naughtinesse of the sinner by which it is effected that the work or action is made sinne The worke of God for he worketh all in all but the euil in no wise In that therfore the wicked doe that worke they haue it of God and of Gods praedestination but in that by doing they sinne through their owne naughtines neither is that of God nor haue they it of Gods praedestination 33 The effects of the grace of God in the Elect first Redemption from sinne and death by the blood of Christ the second effectuall calling by the holy spirit to the participation of this Redemption The third and therefore an actuall separation from the filthines of other men of the world The fourth a reall incision into Christ and therefore the fift iustification by faith the sixt Regeneration the seauenth true sanctification to do the acceptable will of God the eight Remission of daily sinnes the ninth the presence Sophistae dicunt Deum nòn praedestinasse in prae●erito sed semper in praes●n●i Zanchius of the holy Spirit the tenth the gift of eternall life 34 Although God praedestinating be not vnder time yet men praedestinated are vnder time Wherefore seeing the holy Spirit perpetually in the Scriptures saith that God hath praedestinated vs and that before the world was made and not to praedestinate we do duly conclude That Praedestination was determined from all aeternity 35 Praedestination is aeternal wherfore we which were elected from aeternity haue been deare and acceptable to God 36 Praedestination is vnchangeable therfore the saluation of the Elect is most certaine and they can neuer perish 37 Some certaine men are praedestinate to life and not all therefore is the number of the
belieuer that is which doth kindle in the heart of a faithful man new heauenly motions new and caelestiall cogitations new heauenly desires finally new and celestial affections conformable to the law of God often expelling terrene cogitations Which thing is signified in the Scriptures by the name of purification of the heart and of mortification of the flesh and vi●ification of the spirit and crucifing and buriall of the old man and renewing and resuscitating of the new man withall in the other parts that it be powerful and working through loue towards God and our neighbours This property in euery place the holy Spirit enforceth in the Scriptures but more specially in the epistles of Iames and Iohn it teacheth purposely this property to bee so essentiall to ●aith that vnlesse this be present it can in no case be called true and iustifying faith Of this first property there is no contention amongest The other essentiall property of true faith is That it bee pe●oetuall and that it neuer vtterly faile in the Elect. This property I am able to demonstrate by many testimonies of Scriptures and Fathers and our owne Doctors but those which I shall consquently annex let them suffice for my present confession The faith of Abraham was not onely a liuing faith but also perpetuall as Iames besides others doth manifest For although it was tossed with many tentations yet did it not at any time totally quaile This qualitie of the faith of Abraham doth demonstrate both Moses in the story of him as also the Apostle Romans 4. Now whosoeuer are iustified are iustified by no other faith then that whereby euen Abraham the Father of all faithfull was iustified as the Scriptures euery where doe teach Herevpon hee is called the Father of the faithfull because whoseuer are the sonne of the promise and doe beleeue that faith may be imputed vnto them for righteousnesse they both doe beleiue in the same Sauiour Christ and God as Abraham did and by the very same that is like faith as he did and it is requisite that they should so beleiue There-vpon the Lord Iesus denied the Iewes to be the sonnes of Abraham who boasted themselues to be Abrahams sonnes and for what cause because they did not the works of Abraham that is for that they neither beleiued in him nor with the same faith that hee did Iames also doth conuince such as haue a dead fayth without workes not to be iustified as Abraham was iustified and why so for that they were n●● endued with the same that is like faith as Abraham faith I say ●●●king by loue As Iames therefore doth euict that not to bee true and iustifiing faith which is dead for that it is not like to Abrahams faith in this quality which is that it haue life it is likewife euicted that such a faith as is not perpetuall but temporary is not a true and iustifying faith and why because it is not like to the faith of Abraham in that other essentiall property which is that it bee perpetuall And that perpetuity is as an essentiall property to iustifying faith and faith leading to life ●ternall as life is from hence is made manifest for that as they cannot bee saued not hauing faith so neither can they who haue not the same perpetuall For temporizers are neither gratefull to God nor in state of saluation and whosoeuer shall perseuer vnto the end he onely shall attaine saluation Therefore it cannot be a true iustifying and sauing faith except it bee both liuing and permanent And I pray you how can it be or be called a liuing faith and which bringeth eternall life vnlesse the same bee alwaies liuing but at last dead or vtterly vanishing In the Parable of the seed is explaned the nature of true and false faith To faith not true are ascribed two properties one that it is not liuely that is that although it receiue the seed of the word with ioy and doe produce an apparant flourish euen of an honest life yet doth it bring forth no true fruit and that for this reason because the seede falleth into the ground which is either rocky and therefore therein it cannot take roote or thorny and therefore the seed cast thereinto and now conuerted into the bud is suffocated before it can bring forth any fruit● at all Another property which is there ascribed to faith not true nor iustifying is this That it is not perpetuall but temporary Therefore the qualities of true faith must needs be contrary that is that it be liuing and perpetuall And these like-wise are in the same place explaned viz. in that part of the ground which retained the seed sowne and therevpon brought forth much fruit perpetuity therein is intimated for 〈◊〉 that ground retayned the seede sowne therein neither was it suffocated of thornes nor with●red with the heat of the Sunne and life in that it brought forth much fruit Whereas consequently in the interpretation of this Parable the Lord spake of the true beleeuers some to bring forth 30 ●ould some 60. some an hundreth he signified in all the Elect true beleeuers faith to be both liuing perpetuall but yet in some more strong liuely in others more infirm languid For althogh true faith be not in all the Elect of equal strength and life yet is it necesssarie that in all the Elect it be liuing and perpetuall else it cannot be called true and iustifying faith And in good sooth I do not see how it can be no consequent if faith not true be temporarie then true faith is not temporarie And if it be not temporarie then is it perpetual for so much as that which is perpetuall is contrarie to temporarie Now will I insert testimonies out of the Fathers Aug. ad Iul. Com. as as he is quoted in Decret saith Charitie which can faile was neuer true so Am● in 2. Corintbians 6. therefore neither is ●aith true if it can faile The same Aug To ● in I●● Enang Tract 106. C● 513. To beleeue truely is vnmoueably 〈◊〉 stably strongly that nowthou canst not returne to thine owne and relinquish Christ Thus he Therefore it is not true faith vnlesse it be vnshakeable firme stable strong so that it neuer fall away from Christ And what is this but faith to be perpetuall Luther in Post●ll maior●b in Sexagesimam in Euang. Luc. 8 de semin● The fourth sort of hearers who permanently doe retaine the word of God and bring forth fruit he calleth true Christians and all the rest that are temporarie he termeth not sincere and not true Therefore temporarie faith is neither true not sincere faith Br●n in like manner vpon the same Gospel speaking of tēpori●ers saith That such doe not truely beleeue Therfore temporary faith is not true Bucer in Luc. 1. pag. 141. Piety which knoweth an end is not true Pietie Therefore neither faith which hath an end is true faith Id●● in Mat. sect 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Law as the Gospell Twelfthly as the word of God For although it be preached of men yet faith entertaineth it not as of men but as it is the very word of God as the Apostle saith Thirteenthly with an vndoubted and constant assent For it is the property of true faith to exclude doubtfulnes wherevpon i● is also called a ful perswasion for it is the euidence of thinges not seene Heb. 11. ● with constant assent is added fo● that true faith doth not now assent and then dissent but at all times and constantly giueth her assent sometime indeed more stedfastly sometime more weakely yet it beleeueth constantly F●r it neuer reiectet● the word of God as false Fourteenthly And so wee receiue as by the Law Heere are expressed the speciall effects of faith and first such effects as it begetteth in v● by the view and assent to the Law of God for these effects are 4. well knowne to all Whereof the first is the knowledge of sinne the next a sense of Gods anger against sinne the third despaire of our owne strength from hence that wee perceiue the Law to be spirituall and to exact most perfect obedience and our selues to be carnall and fold vnder sinne the fourth is the desire of the mediator For it is our Schoolmaister leading to Christ Fifteenthly And by the Gospell For these are principall effectes of faith which it produceth in the Elect euen from hence for that it looketh with a single eye into the Gospel of Christ The first is the true knowledge of him who is immediately published in the Gospel that is Iesus that hee is very Christ God and man in respect of his person the Redeemer in regard of his office alone for that hee only paid the price together with the Father and the holy Spirit c●mmon ●o both our Sauiour For although he alone paid the price and in that respect properly is the sole Mediator yet hee alone doth not saue that is iustifie regenerate blesse but iointly with the Father and the Holy Spirit perpetuall because he continueth the worke of our saluation already begunne So that Faith effecteth that wee doe acknowledge by Christ euen the Father to be our Father and the Holy Spirit as him by whom dwelling within vs we are regenerate and sanctified The second effect is That by this faith we doe not only acknowledge this our only Sauiour to be our God but withal so acknowledged we embrace him euen with true loue and reuerence euen as our God our Father and Sauiour Herewith is ioyned our confidence touching remission of sinnes and hope of plenarie atta●nement of life eternall by the mercy and goodnes of God and for the merits of Iesus Christ The third is inuocation which ariseth out of knowledge confidence and hope The fourth the study of obseruing the Law and will of God this floweth immediately from the loue and our reuerence towards God Sixteenthly And that for his name sake Here bee three endes of ou● obedience studie of good works The first is Gods glorie the next is the testification of our fillall adoption and faith the third the saluation of the Elect but of them who as yet are without that they may come vnto Christ of them which are within that they may be preserued in Christ This is a briefe portraiture of faith But yet if neede require I will more fully explaine it and confirme it by sinne testimonies of scripture I doe speake of this faith when I doe speake of faith specially in this question of the perseuerance of the Saints in faith from which I contend that the Saints can neuer totally fall away for that they do not vtterly loose that root that is the vertue or force infused which some call Habit others the seed for the word of God which it retaineth neither doe they vtterly shake off all the fruits thereof for that God doth both the one and the other perpetually preserue in them for his promise sake and the merit and intercession of Christ I doe not follow the definition of some most learned men who doe so define faith as that they say it is a confidence in the mercie of God promised for the son of Gods sake For although I do● not dislalow this definition yet is it not plenarie And although this fiducie be inseparable from true faith yet fiducie to bee one thing and ●aith another the Apostle plainely teacheth 3. ad Ephes saying In whom or by whom Iesus Christ wee haue boldnes and entrance adding withal with confidence by faith in him The Apostle calleth fiducie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and maketh that the effect of this Likewise the definition of faith Hebr. 11. doth more largely extend it self then the name of fiducie And Bucer in lib● d● Reconcil Eccles in articul de Iustif doth plentifully declare that faith doth differ from fiducie although both of them be inseparably ●o●o●ned together For this cause therefore I rather make choice to follow B●●●●r by so defining of faith that I should call it an efficacie or vertue freely infused into the hearts of th● Elect c then to call it a fiducie o● confidence Of Grace GRACE ●ol●arr● as concerneth 〈◊〉 is present controuersie first is taken for that aeternall fauour of God wherewith he did dignifie vs from all aeternitie before all other Nations that verily he should Elect vs in Christ vnto life eternall after calling in due time iustifying and glorifying vs. This Grace is called by another name that euerlasting loue wherwith God hath embraced vs in his Sonne Christ Of this Grace elsewhere most frequently but especiall 2. Tim. 1. Hee hath called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his purpose and grace which is giuen vs in Christ before all times and n●w manifested by the appearing of our S●●i●r He saith it was giuen vs yea before we were borne but as then not manifested Of this grace I speake in the Question of perseuerance and contend that all to whom before all times as the Apostle speaketh this Grace was giuen shall neuer fall away for that as that grace was giuen before they were borne neither the sinnes where in●● God did fore-see they should fall could let him but he would bestow this grace vpon them Now therefore there is nothing now that can effect that they should fall away from this Grace For it is nothing else but the free loue of God eternall and vnchangeable towards his Elect. And this Grace is in God himselfe and therefore is it immuble in vs is onely the knowledge sense and effects thereof therfore saith the Apostle which was giuen to vs. before all worlds but now manifested by the comming of our Sauiour Grace therefore is taken secondarily for the effects of that Grace or fauour and loue whereby God hath embraced vs before al worlds which effects beeing different the graces also are called diuerse for they are
Elect certaine which can neither be increased or diminished 38. The praedestination of Saints is totally free and the Saints are praedestinate to life to faith to all the giftes of God without any their merits either past or to come and without any a Ioh. 6. Que verbo p●rp●ndens Aug. contra 2. ●p Pelrg lib. 1 c. 19. Christum dicere traxerit no duxerit●cur n● vllam nostram praecedere crea ansus voluntatem aut meri●um Quis ènim ●rabi● siv● lebat et ●amèn nemo venit nist velit trahitur mi●is modis vt v●lit ab illo qui nouit intùs in hominum co●dibus operari ●òn vt homines v●lentes credant sed v● volent●s ex nolen●ibus siant Zanch ex Augustino good vse of free will finally without any cause in them besides the wil of God 39. Our saluation is more safe and certaine in the hand of God then in our handes 40 Such as are praedestinate vnto life aeternall to them also are praedestinate good works wherein they may walke therefore none of the Elect being of yeares from hence go to heauen without the study of good workes 41 Wherefore they do admit a fallacy of diuision who thus reason If I bee praedestinate to Saluation I shall also bee saued without good workes 42 But on the contrary the Sonnes of God do thus conclude I am praedestinate to life aeternall therefore I must walke in good workes for that to them who are praedestinate to life good workes are praedestinate wherein they must walke 43 Whosoeuer doth discerne in himselfe the effects of Predestination that is that he feeleth himself effectually called iustified endued with faith and care of good workes hee ought most certainely to perswade himselfe that hee is of the number of the Praedestinate 44 For there be two waies wherby the Elect are made certaine that they are predestinate to life eternall The first is a priori of from the cause this is the goodnesse grace and loue of God shed a ●ro●d in our hearts or the Spirit of God which beareth testimony to our spirits That wee are the sonnes of GOD of which way Rom. 8. The other is a posteriori or from the effects of Predestination and grace which are vocation iustification and study of good workes of which way 2 Pet. 1. 45 By this note are truely distinguished the Elect from the Reprobate for that the Elect being now regenerate continually haters of sinne do walke in the study of good works and so walk as though somtime in walking they doe fall into sinne yet are they cautelous before hand lest they should fall and afterward lest they persist in their fal and so with whole heart and whole will they neuer sinne But the Reprobate are so captiues to Sinne and Satan and to his concupiscences as to royall commandements from the hart and alwaies and in euery place to their power they are obsequious as that allthough for a fit they appeare to beleiue in Christ to study for good workes and so to bee of the number of the Elect they doe neuer in sincerity loue the Law of GOD they neuor truely doe hate sinne The Discourse touching the blinding of the Wicked consisteth of these Propositions THat God doth indurate Exod 4. v. 8. Iob 12. ex Esa 6. Ro. 1. 9. 2. Thes 1. make blind giue ouer into a Reprobate sense that they doe such things as are not conuenient the Holy Scriptures doe apparantly deliuer 2 But he doth onely harden the Reprobate not the Elect. 3 And although hee doth at last forsake all the Reprobate and depriue them of his light and so after a sort make blind and indurate al yet is God said in the Holy writ to beblind and indurate with this kind of excaecation of which Esai and Moses in Exodus and the Apostle Rom. 1. 9. not all but onely some notorious wicked and obstinate ones 4 The finall cause why God doth beblind such Reprobates as he doth make blind is three-fold The first is for that they for their praecedent wickednesse as iustice requireth should be punished with other sins The next that the Elect by their example might learne to feare God and not rebelliously to lift vp the heele against the Lord. The third that the irefull displeasure and power of God against sinne might be manifested to the whole world and so hisname celebrated throughout the Earth 5 But the cause by which God is after a sort compelled and excited to strike with blindensse the wicked is double One is the very impiety of the wicked and specially their p●euishnesse against the Lord the other is the eternall purpose and will of God 6 In the Question How GOD Augus Col. 1069. contra Iulianū Quasi non simul posu●rit haec duo Apostolus et potentiam et patientiam c. Rom 9 doth beblind and indurate to say that God doth it by sole permission as though God did nothing in them that are made blind is Pelagianisime and confuted and condemned by Augustine 7 Neither is it true to say That God beblindeth by the sole subtraction of his grace or of his light 8 Neither also doth it suffice to say That God maketh blind by a certaine externall action of his but indirectly to wit by obiecting some things to the eyes and eares of the Reprobate by which whereas they should be illuminated and mollified it commeth to passe by their owne corruption that they are more blinded 9 But besides those externall actions whereby hee obiecteth offences to the wicked hee also working by an internall action and that admirable and most iust in the harts of the wicked for the executing of his iust iudgement GOD doth be blinde and harden them 10 Moreouer GOD doth that sometime indeed by him-selfe and Exo. 14. Deut. 28. Ier. 13. 12. Aug. de gratia et libero arbi●rio c●● 20. et 21. Ide de predestinatione sanctorum lib. 1 c. 10. immediatly but sometime mediatly by the ministery of Satan the executioner of the diuine iustice by working in the hearts of the wicked yet in no case enforcing them 11 Neither yet for that can God be called by any meanes the Author of euill because hee is alwaies iust and doth nothing vniustly neither infuse iniustice into any 12 For although GOD on the one side doe command the Reprobate whome hee will make blinde that they be conuerted and repent and on the other side he blindeth indureth them so that they doe not that which he commandeth by the outward word that is that they conuert and repent as appeareth in Pharao yet from hence it followeth not that God doth delude the Reprobate for he is alwaies iust he doth none euill neither doth hee any absurd thing 13 Mans wisedome indeed inferreth this of the praemises but it is not to be heard in gods iudgments which are euen deepnes it selfe But we follow simply the word of God 14 Now the word of God plainly
deliuereth First that God doth Omnes quos docet sua misericordia docet quos vero non docet cos n●n docet secundum suum iudiciū Aug. de prae sanctorum command all men to repent and flie sinne this is Gods Law therefore must man settle throughly for the obedience thereof the next that God doth make some blind least they should bee conuerted and healed this is Gods iudgement And the iudgements of GOD are to be admired not searched into for that they are vnseperable as saith the Apostle and a great depth as saith the Prophet The third that there is no iniquitie with God and that God Ille dicitur illudere qui aliquem inuita● postea siveniat repellit Non sic facit D●us Zanch. doth all things well and iustly and doth no absurd thing finally that he is perpetually like himself Wherfore in veritie neither doth God delude any man neither do his iudgements disagree with the Law 15 Wherefore although GOD giue some into a reprobate sense to doe those things which are not comely yet can hee not nor ought not to bee termed the Author of sinne properly because the cause of sinne doth reside perpetually in men to wit the corruption of nature or concupiscence of the flesh which Iohn denieth to be of God 16 Blindnes obduration a Copelli non est ●ogi sed induci vt Christus tradi vt Apostolus l●qui●ur Augasus est verbo per Dei potentia pellendi cötrà Iulianum Pelag. l. 5. c. 3. Et id●o in Oratione dominica dicimus nè inferas nos in ●●tationem quod idem est quod imp●lli Zanch. impulsion into euill desires which in the Scriptures are attributed to God as to the efficient cause may be considered First in what respect they are sinnes next as they are punishments of sins past Thirdly as they are causes of consequent sinnes But to punish sinne with sin is the worke of a iust Iudge not of an Author of sinne Therefore God cannot when hee blindeth and hardeneth either be accused of iniustice or be called the Author of sinne 17 God is alwaies iust therefore hee cannot be the Author of an vniust thing Now euery punishment Non pecca●um Dei est sed iudici●● Gl●ssa ex A●gust i● Ephes ● of sinne whatsoeuer it bee is both iust and therefore of God and some sinnes are punishments also of sinnes Therefore such as are punishments of sinnes are iust and God is the Author thereof 18 Some medicines cannot so cure diseases but withall in some sort they doe hurt the bodies of the sick yet not therefore is the Physition at any hand accused as Author of this hurt of such as are wise but rather contrariwise commended as cause of the cure And the reason is for that he did praescribe the remedie for this end not to harme but to heale Therefore although excaecation induration cannot so bee punishments of sinnes but withall they must bee sinnes and causes of sinnes yet cannot God therefore who beblindeth and hardeneth bee accused as the Author of sinne but commended rather as a reuenger of sinnes for that in making blind the wicked properly he doth not propose properly this end to himselfe that they should commit sinne but rather this end that hee might inflict punishment vpon their iniquities 19 By the Law sinne is augmented Rom. 7. And God gaue this Law yet cannot God therefore in any sort bee accounted the Author of the sinne increased for that to that end hee gaue not his Law properly That by it Sinne might abound but rather on the contrarie That by it it should not onely bee acknowledged but also restrained Therefore neither in that hee beblindeth and hardeneth from whence are sinnes augmented in the wicked is he or can hee bee called the Author of sinnes because not properly that they may bee increased but rather that sinnes may bee punished God doth make blind and indurate 20 Concupiscence is not onely sinne but cause of sinne and this God left in nature and would haue it traduced vpon all men Neither therefore is hee called the Author of sinne and that for this reason for that hee would haue it deriued vpon all posteritie not properly as it is sinne and cause of all sinnes but onely as it is a punishment of the sinne of Adam in whom all haue sinned Therefore neither in that he maketh blind or hardeneth can hee or ought hee to bee called the Author of sinne for that hee doth not beblind or indurate properly that sinne might be committed but onely that sinne with sinnes might be punished 21 God doth make blind and indurate in that respect excaecation and induration are the punishments of sinne For whatsoeuer God doth that also he would from eternitie and decreed to doe and this is to praedestinate It is therefore no impietie to say That God did praedestinate some from euerlasting to excaecation and obduration not as they be sinnes and causes of sinnes but as they bee punishments of sinne 22 There is a double Euill of fault and of penaltie and there is an Euill of fault which is not of punishment and there is another which is also of punishment and contrariwise there is an euill of punishment which is not of sinne and another so of punishment as it is also of sinne 23 To the Euill of sinne simply as it is euill of fault God hath praedestinate none yet did he foresee it as future and praeordaine it to his glorie for there is nothing contingent in respect of God 24 God hath praedestinate some from aeternitie to the euill of punishment which in no wise is Euill of fault or which is not sinne but onely punishment of sinne whether this bee temporall punishment or eternall 25 But some hee predestinated to such punishments of sinnes which likewise are both sinnes and causes of sinne but not as they are sinnes or causes of sin but onely as they are punishments thereof 26 A double end why GOD should beblind some and praedestinate them to excaecation the first and furthest The first or nearest is the perdition of them who are made blind the last is the glorie of God himselfe destroying the wicked 27 When God is said to make blind and indurate wee may not at all imagine that any is made of God of seeing blind or of soft hard for none is made euill God beeing the Author but these Phrases are thus to be vnderstood That God of them whom hee findeth blind and hardned whereas hee illuminateth and mollifieth some of them by his grace some others through his iust iudgement not only he forsaketh in their darknes and hardnes but also doth more beblind harden them that he may punish sinne in such sort as before is spoken 28 Now it is most iust that God whom he findeth blind and hardened by their owne default that such hee should more and more beblind and harden therefore can no man iustly