Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	effect_n	necessary_a	produce_v	6,956	5	9.5140	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57067	Some stop to the gangrene of Arminianism lately promoted by M. John Goodwin in his book entituled, Redemption redeemed, or, The doctrine of election & reprobation : in six sermons, opened and cleared from the old Pelagian and late Arminian errors / by Richard Resburie ...	Resbury, Richard, 1607-1674.	1651 (1651)	Wing R1136; ESTC R16922	72,771	138

work freely to will and not to act with liberty of will is a contradiction not only all things and operations but their different kinds and manner also fall under the decree of God who as he hath fitted necessary causes to work necessarily as the fire burns necessarily so hath he likewise fitted voluntary and contigent causes to work voluntarily that is freely and contingently Object But what God hath decreed unist necessarily come to passe other wise his decree might be frustrate Answ It must necessarily come to pass that is it must of necessity come to pass yet not necessarily that is by necessary operation but on the contrary if it depend upon a free and contingent cause it must of necessity come to pass freely and contingently here is onely a necessity of the event not of the manner of production and therefore a necessity of consequence not of the cause a necessity neither naturall nor violent and the necessity of consequence we have formerly seen must be granted or we must both deny Gods foreknowledge and make him stand under that kind of necessity which we think it an unworthy thing that man should stand under Object But may one and the same effect both necessarily and contingently come to passe Answ It may the necessity being rightly understood viz. not simple or absolute but respective or conditionall Instance 1. In the actions of God he creates the world freely it was in his liberty whether he would create a world or no whether this world or no yet upon supposition that he hath decreed it it is now necessary that it be in time created neither can it otherwise come to passe but this world must be created 2. In the actions of man when Christ was crucified his legs were not broken that the Scripture might be fulfilled which had formerly affirmed that not a bone of him should be broken God having so determined as by his Word was declared it could not be that they should be broken yet did the soldiers forbear to break them voluntarily and contingently they were neither naturally nor violently necessitated to forbear Another instance whether in the actions of God or the creature what is done must of necessity be done it is impossible that a thing should be done and not done at once yet if there be any free or contingent act in the world which is granted on all hands liberty and contingency must be granted to stand with that necessity This Objection is yet further cleared by these two following Rules 1. All effects produced by the creature are necessary or contingent according as the creature it self the next cause is in its manner of operation Natural agents are necessary causes as fire the Sun they worke necessarily the fire in burning the Sun in shining producing alwayes the same action for kind heating inlightning working to the utmost of their power therefore their effects are necessary Voluntary agents are free and contingent causes they work freely and contingently they so act one way as that they have an intrinsical power to act another way so wil as that they have a power to nil so nil as that they have a power to wil the same thing as they shal like or dislike and therefore their effects are free and contingent 2. In regard of God the first cause all effects in the world are both necessary and contingent or free in regard of his intrinsicall liberty whereby he may chuse whether he wil produce them or not they are free or contingent so for the shining of the Sun and the burning of the fire though they be necessary effects in regard of the Sun and fire their next causes yet are they contingent in regard of God in whose liberty it is to afford or with-hold his influx for their production So the Creation of the world all effects depending immediately upon the Wil of God Angels or Men are in regard of their immediate causes free and contingent all the most casuallevents as the lot in the lap in the same regard contingent yet all these upon supposition of Gods decree are necessary Thus much for the decree and the necessity thence arising 2. That the wil of man is moved by God and by that motion of his determined in its operation doth not take away the liberty of mans will For clearing this we must take notice of a twofold liberty there is the liberty of 1. Independence 2. Choice 1. The liberty of Independence where the will so acts as it is not acted by any higher cause this is peculiar to the will of God he onely is independent upon any other in the motion of his wil the wills of all men and Angels are so under his dominion as that they are moved by him this hath formerly been proved as to men that God as the great Creator and universall Ruler moves the wills of men which way soever he pleaseth many more arguments might be brought to demonstrate that the liberty of mans will must admit the effectuall motion of God upon it so acting it as acted may act especially is this cleared in the Doctrine of Conversion and Perseverance but to insist upon these would be an unseasonable digression especially the thing in hand having been already proved 2. The liberty of choice where the wil in its operation doth what it likes in the light and upon the sentence of the practical understanding there are two acts of the will to will and to nill to chuse to refuse Now herein is the liberty of the will exprest 1. That in these operations it doth what it likes it wills with liking it nills with liking yea with liking doth it nill even the object which it dislikes and therefore it so wills or nills the present object as that it hath power at the present to will what it nills or to nill what it wills was there an impression of liking upon it contrary to what is yet though it have this opposite power at the same time it hath not a power to produce opposite acts at the same time it being impossible that a prevailing liking and disliking of the same thing should stand together at once 2. That it act in the light and upon the sentence of the practicall understanding that is the understanding as it shewes and determines wherein is our happinesse or good for the present most desirable and what makes necessarily or mainly for it this must needs be required to the liberty of the will because the will is a rationall appetite and therefore cannot otherwise will or nill then as the understanding represents the object good or evill and therefore whatsoever it wills it wills as good cannot will any thing as evill for then it should act not as a rational appetite that is not as the wil it is true that the understanding mistakes many times good for evill and evill for good whence good is either true or apparent but whatsoever it is that the will chooseth it

of the others condition hitherto that it is not of works that it is of God that it is so of God as of his purpose of Election and Reprobation Now follows 4. It is so of the purpose of Election on Jacobs part as that it may * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abide And therefore 5ly So of God according to the purpose of Election as of him that calleth in our Call we receive faith and that renewing worke of the spirit whereby we are brought into the state of life it is then so of God according to the purpose of Election as of him that by vertue of that purpose gives faith and brings into the state of life by the renewing of the holy Ghost and thus his Election remaines firme for the issue of it eternall life to the Elect as borrowing nothing depending on nothing in man but undertaking and giving all hence it is manifest when the Apostle shuts out works he shuts out as wel works foreseen as done because expresly for Election so denyes it to be of works as that it shall be of God but if of works foreseen it was of our selves so of God as of his purpose which we shall see by and by cannot be built upon any thing but himself so of his purpose as that it may abide without change and therefore must have a surer foundation then works fore-seen or indeed any thing foreseen in man and therefore so of God according to his purpose as of him that calls therefore shuts out not works onely but faith too faith not onely acted but fore-seen 1. It is not thus not of works but of him that believeeth but not of works but of God 2. Nor thus not of works but of him that justifieth but thus not of works but of him that calleth justification supposeth faith in our call we receive faith it is then of God according to the purpose of Election not as of him that fore-sees either works or faith but as of him that gives faith and therefore cannot fore-see it antecedently to his purpose but in his purpose of giving it And now that the fore-light of evill works or of any thing in man is not the first ground of his perishing condition but in Esau's case evill works fore-seen have no more to do then wrought as to the point in hand we shall make it appear in these two Conclusions 1. That the different purpose of God electing some refusing others in the first ground of their different state who embracing the truth are saved and who rejecting the truth are damned 2. That this purpose is not built doth not stand nor depend upon any thing in man but is wholly of it self These two Conclusions as they are clearly to be made good from the Apostles discourse hitherto so will the confirmation of them make good the thing in hand For the first we have seen it in Jacob and Esau and they are speciall instances to conclude the generall question about the Jews the Nation generally refusing the Gospell and so perishing the remnant imbracing it and so obtaining life as is clear by the Apostles discourse which afterward he enlargeth to all mankind For the second setting aside that the Apostle hath carryed the purpose of Election and Reprobation in a parrallel strain let these arguments conclude it 1. Whatsoever is done God either doth it as the first worker or permits it to be done as the supream Ruler 'T is clear if God will neither have an hand in doing it nor suffer it to be done it cannot be done * Enchrid ad laurent c. 95. Nothing is done without the will of the Almighty that it should be done he either suffering it to be done or himself doing it Augustine further whatsoever is permitted to be done as the evill of sinne requires some concourse of God In whom we live and move and have our being for production of that act to which as by man done sinne cleaves inseparably otherwise second causes in producing their acts should move independently upon the first cause and the Creature should Create Therefore onely so far doth God fore-see before all time what shall be in time as he sees his owne will either for the doing it or permitting it to be done for affoording that concourse without which it cannot be done The will of God then before all time that is his decree or purpose for the being of such or such a thing in time must be the ground of his fore-sight that it shall be and therefore in order of nature before it and so his purpose meerly of himselfe For still whatsoever can be imagined fore-seen as that which shall be to move his will that it may be fore-seen as that which shall be must of necessity suppose his will that it shall be For further clearing this truth though indeed it is a truth that shines so clearly in its own light as well might forbid all further clearing consider of things that are not Some are only possible and may be God can raise up children to Abraham of the stones Some are future and shall be both knowne to God But how is this knowledge differenced All things possible he knowes in his owne power all things future in his decree Secondly if God fore-see what shall be in order of nature before his decree that it shall be otherwise then in his decree then is he dispoiled of all liberty both in his decree and for his decree 1. In his decree if he will decree he hath his rule before-hand from the creature what he fore-sees antecedently to his decree shall bee therefore because it shall be doth he fore-see that it shall be then hath he no liberty left to decree otherwise but either his decree must be frustrate or contradictions must be true Such a thing shall be and therefore God hath fore-seen that it shall be the same thing shall not be God hath decreed that it shall not be But for as much as both these cannot be true God must be content to stand under the most fatall necessity that is imaginable The sum of the Stoick fate was * Once hee commanded he obeyes alwayes Semel jussit semper paret here it is Nunquam jussit semper paret he must obey what is prescribed by the creature even there where subjection is fatall bondage in the determination of his will how unseasonably are the adversaries of the truth wont to raise clamours against that necessity which man stands under upon supposall of Gods decree That second causes should by the first cause be determined so as upon supposition of the first causes predetermination to work only to that issue which is predetermined the same conditionall necessity being undeniable upon their own supposition of fore-sight In the mean time for the manner of their workings rational free agents left free in their working the same decree that determines them to one issue determining them likewise to work freely to

that man shall sin without the decree of God God himselfe stands under the like necessity a necessity upon supposall or of consecution for as much as man shall sinne and is so fore-knowne of God or whether so fore-knowne or not there is now no liberty left to God for preventing mans sinne so that whilest we feare to lessen mans liberty by allowing him to stand under a conditionall necessity arising from God we feare not to lessen Gods liberty subjecting him to the like necessity arising from man 2. For Gods acting in the sins of men Answ 1. That the great Creator as the first cause produceth all motion in all creatures seems not obscurely to be taught by the Apostle Acts 17.28 as he is set forth the Author of life in him we live of being in him we have our being so of motion in him we move and as the Apostle quotes there Aratus one of the Heathen Poets so sutably another of the Poets sings Est Deus in nobis agitante calescimus illo God is in us he moving we wax warm To me it seems one of the foure letters of his Name Jehovah to be the Author of all being and therefore of all operations in all creatures their operations not being nothing and to ascribe to any creature onely upheld not moved by God to produce its own motion seems to transfer Divinity to the creature and derogate from it in God I should thinke the motion of the creature in dependance upon the Creators moving to be like that Engine Ezek. 1. 16. a wheel in the middest of a wheel the motion of God incompassing the creatures motion and moving it within it selfe And I would further make this Quaere Doth God uphold all and every being I do not know that this is by any denied divine conservation and sustentation of whatsoever is but if motion be upheld by him it is produced by him for it being a successive entity or being how is it otherwise upheld then by Production and if life be upheld motion is this terme life including this terme motion life being in the living creature the supreme and universall principle and power of operation actually in operation But to insist no longer upon this we affirme clearely as that which comes closer to the present question and concludes it whatsoever becomes of this discourse for all creatures in all their motions depending upon God 2. That God as the supreme and universall Governor acts the wills of men turning them which way he pleaseth in their motions is clearly expressed in Scripture and there is not a little depending upon this truth both for our duty and comfort 1. For Scripture-testimony Prov. 16.1 What are the preparations of the heart there but the thoughts desires and inward workings of it These are from the Lord Prov. 21.1 What is there said of the Kings heart is as clearely to be affirmed of the hearts of other men What more expresse It is in the Lords hand like the rivers of water he turneth it which way soever he will Is any thing more easily turned this way or that way then a water-course So easily doth the Lord turne the hearts of men how are they turned but by their owne motions They so move then by their own principles as the Lord is the first and supreme mover Psal 106.46 He turned the Enemies hearts to pitty his people and he gave them favour in the sight of the Egyptians Exod. 11.3 So he likewise had before turned their hearts to hate his people and to deale subtilly with his servants Psal 105.25 further testimonies though these might well suffice will come in as we shall shew the duties hereon depending which we now come to in some few instances 2. Hereupon therefore it is our duty 1. To seek after the Lord that we may know him and give up our selves to him it is further manifest by these testimonies how we are to understand that of the Apostle In him we move the Apostle thence requires this as the duty of all men living having these experimental witnesses within them of their great Creator in their life being motion they are not they stir not without him 2. To glorifie God with all humble adoration as the great Lord in whose hands is our breath and whose are all our wayes Dan. 5.23 all our wayes even to the preparations of the heart and all the motions and issues thereof as we have seen 3. To take heed with sear and trembling to the motions of Gods spirit in us in the things that concern salvation that we neglect them not Phil. 2.12.13 for as much as we cannot act but as acted by God and he acts us by our own wills first principled by his grace then moved by his grace then moved by his spirit take heed we be not wanting to second these motions of his in us 4. To pray unto God that he would incline our hearts to himself and to his waies Cant. 1.4 Psal 119.35.36 Jer. 31.18 5. To praise God for whatsoever good inclinations and operations we have found in our hearts 1 Chron 29.14 for two things doth David there bless God 1. That they had what to offer 2. They had hearts wherewith to offer the willingnesse of their hearts was from the Lord as well as all that store they had to offer and this he further acknowledgeth in prayer vers 18.19 Other duties we might instance in as humility as in the last example vers 14. What am I and what is my people In giving the most to God they received the most in that they received hearts to give c. But I forbear instances onely one speciall case making for our no little comfort in times of greatest temptation by the prevailing of wicked men against us The Lord hath as well their hearts as hands in his power to make them pitty us favour us as we have seen he hath made promises to this purpose Prov. 3.4 So when any mans wayes please the Lord he will make even his enemies to be at peace with him and it must not now remain in the hand of man whether the Lord shall be true in his promises or no which it must do if he doe not act and turn the hearts of men as he pleaseth Jacob trusted to this when he made that prayer Gen. 43.14 supposing Joseph to be some godless-Egyptian Now let any man judge whether these testimonies and duties thereupon depending import no more but this that God conserves man and upholds his faculties propounds objects and perswades then stands a looker on leaves it meerly in mans power to act or not to act this way or that way so as for the event it may or may not not be this or that nothing certain or determin'd Hence then we affirm that God as the great Creator and universall Ruler produceth all operations and motions in the heart of man even those to which in man sinne cleaveth unavoidably * Much more to this