Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	efficient_a	end_n	final_a	2,172	5	9.9792	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62579	The remaining discourses, on the attributes of God Viz. his Goodness. His mercy. His patience. His long-suffering. His power. His spirituality. His immensity. His eternity. His incomprehensibleness. God the first cause, and last end. By the most reverend Dr. John Tillotson, late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. Being the seventh volume; published from the originals, by Ralph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his Grace.	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708, publisher.	1700 (1700)	Wing T1216; ESTC R222200	153,719	440

distance by our reverence of the Divine Majesty we should best awe our hearts in a sense of the distance which is between his infinite Nature and Perfection and our finite apprehensions Worldly greatness will cause wonder the thoughts of Earthly Majesty will compose us to Reverence how much more should those excellencies which are beyond what we can imagine Isa 6. you have there God represented sitting upon his throne and the Seraphims about him which are described to us as having each six wings and with twain they cover their faces Creatures of the brightest understanding and the most exalted purity and Holiness cover their faces in the presence of God's glory they choose rather to venerate God than look upon him II. This calls for humility and modesty The consideration of God's unsearchable Perfections should make the haughtiness of man to stoop and bring down his proud looks and God alone should be exalted The thought of God's Excellency should abase us and make us vile in our own eyes it should make all those petty Excellencies that we pride our selves in to vanish and disappear Those treasures of wisdom and knowledge which are in God should hide pride from man It should hide those little parts and gifts which we are so apt to glory in as the Sun hides the Stars When we consider God we should be so far from admiring our selves that we should with an humble thankfulness wonder that God should regard such inconsiderable nothings as we are Psal 8.1 3 4. O Lord our God how excellent is thy name in all the earth who hast set thy glory above the heavens When I consider the heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained what is man that thou art mindful of him or the Son of man that thou visitest him He that considers the Glory of God and the greatness of his Works will think so meanly of himself that he will be astonisht that God should mind him or visit him This is a noble strain of humility in David by which he acknowledgeth that the greatest King of the Earth how considerable soever he may be in respect of men is yet but a pitiful thing to God When we speak to God we should do it with great humility Eccles 5.2 3. Let thy words be few for God is in heaven and thou upon earth We should say to God Job 37.19 Teach us what we shall say unto thee for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness And when we think or speak of him we should do it with great modesty we should not rashly pronounce or determine any thing concerning God Simonides being ask'd what God was desired one days time to consider then he desired two and then four The more we think of God the less peremptory shall we be in defining him He that considers that God is Incomprehensible will not pretend to know all the ways of infinite knowledge and the utmost of infinite Power and all the Reasons of God's Ways and Providences He that rightly values his own short understanding and the unlimited Perfections of God will not be apt to say this God cannot do this he cannot know such ways are not agreeable to his wisdom He that knows God and himself will be modest in these cases he will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abstain from all peremptory pronouncing in these matters he considers that one man many times differs so much from another in knowledge and skill of working that he can do those things which another believes impossible but we have pitiful thoughts of God if we think the differerce between one man and another is any thing to the vast distance that is between the Divine Understanding and our ignorance the Divine Power and our weakness the Wisdom of God and the folly of men III. The Incomprehensibleness of God's Perfections calls for the highest degree of our affection How should we fear this great and glorious God! Psal 90.11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy wrath Fear is the most infinite of all our passions and fills us with the most endless jealousie and suspicions God's wrath is greater than our fear according to thy fear so is thy wrath How should we love him when we are astonisht with admiration of God's goodness and say how great is thy goodness and how great is thy beauty Behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us How great should our love be to him What manner of love should we return to him This calls for the highest degree of our Faith With what confidence should we rely upon him who is able to do for us exceeding abundantly above what we can ask or think To conclude This requires the highest degree of our service How should our hearts be enlarged to run the ways of his commandments who hath laid up for us such things that eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor have entred into the heart of man SERMON XV. Vol. VII God the first Cause and last End ROM XI 36 For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be Glory for ever Amen HAving consider'd the more Eminent and Absolute Perfections of the Divine Nature as also that which results from the infinite Excellency and Perfection of God compar'd with the Imperfection of our Understandings I come in the last place to treat of such as are merely and purely Relative as that He is the first Cause and the last End of all things to which purpose I have chosen these words of the Apostle for the Subject of my present Discourse For of him and through him c The dependence of these Words upon the former is briefly this The Apostle had been speaking before in this Chapter several things that might tend to raise us to an Admiration of the Wisdom and Goodness and Mercy of God in the dispensation of his Grace for the Salvation of men both Jews and Gentiles and therefore would have us ascribe this work wholly to God the contrivance of it to his Wisdom and not to our own counsel v. 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord and who hath been his counsellour and the bestowing this grace to his free Goodness and Mercy and not to any desert of ours v. 35. Or who hath first given to him and it shall be recompensed to him again Yea and not only in the dispensation of Grace but of all good things not only in this work of Redemption but also of Creation God is the Fountain and Original and first Cause from whence every thing proceeds and the last End to which every thing is to be referr'd For of him c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from him the efficient Cause producing all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by or through him as the efficient conserving Cause of all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to him as the final Cause of all

the Divine Attributes are very awful but goodness is amiable and without this nothing else is so Power and Wisdom may command Dread and Admiration but nothing but Goodness can challenge our Love and Affection Goodness is amiable for it self tho' no benefit and advantage should from thence redound to us but when we find the comfortable Effects of it when the riches of God's goodness and long-suffering and forbearance are laid out upon us when we live upon that goodness and are indebted to it for all that we have and hope for this is a much greater endearment to us of that excellency and perfection which was amiable for it self We cannot but love him who is good and does us good whose goodness extends to all his Creatures but is exercised in so peculiar a manner towards the Sons of Men that it is called Love and if God vouchsafe to love us well may this be the first and great Commandment Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind 2. The consideration of God's goodness is likewise an argument to us to fear him not as a Slave does his Master but as a Child does his Father who the more he loves him the more afraid is he to offend him There is forgiveness with thee saith the Psalmist that thou mayest be feared because God is ready to forgive we should be afraid to offend Men shall fear the Lord and his goodness saith the Prophet Hosea 3.5 And indeed nothing is more to be dreaded than despised Goodness and abused Patience which turns into Fury and Vengeance despisest thou the riches of his goodness and long-suffering and forbearance says the Apostle and treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God 3. The consideration of God's goodness is a powerful motive to obedience to his Laws and as the Apostle expresseth it to walk worthy of the Lord unto all well pleasing being fruitful in every good work This Argument Samuel useth to the People of Israel to perswade them to obedience 1 Sam. 12.24 Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart for consider what great things all he hath done for you And indeed the Laws which God hath given us are one of the chief Instances of his goodness to us since they all tend to our good and are proper Causes and Means of our Happiness so that in challenging our obedience to his Laws as acknowledgments of our obligation to him for his Benefits he lays a new obligation and confers a greater benefit upon us All that his Laws require of us is to do that which is best for our selves and does most directly conduce to our own welfare and happiness Considering our infinite obligations to God he might have challenged our obedience to the severest and harshest Laws he could have imposed upon us so that as the Servants said to Naaman Had the Prophet bid thee do some great thing wouldst thou not have done it how much more when he hath only said wash and be clean If God had required of us things very grievous and burthensome in love and gratitude to him we ought to have yielded a ready and chearful obedience to such Commands how much more when he hath only said do this and be happy In testimony of your love to me do these things which are the greatest kindness and benefit to your selves 4. The goodness of God should lead Men to Repentance One of the greatest aggravations of our Sins is that we offend against so much goodness and make so bad a requital for it Do ye thus requite the Lord O foolish People and unwise The proper tendency of God's goodness and patience to Sinners is to bring them to a sense of their miscarriage and to a resolution of a better course When we reflect upon the blessings and favours of God and his continual goodness to us can we chuse but be ashamed of our terrible ingratitude and disobedience Nothing is more apt to make an ingenuous Nature to relent than the sense of undeserved kindness that God should be so good to us who are evil and unthankful to him that tho' we be Enemies to him yet when we hunger he feeds us when we thirst he gives us to drink heaping as it were coals of fire on our heads on purpose to melt us into Repentance and to overcome our evil by his goodness 5. The consideration of God's goodness is a firm ground of trust and confidence What may we not hope and assuredly expect from immense and boundless goodness If we have right apprehensions of the goodness of God we cannot possibly distrust him or doubt of the performance of those gracious promises which he hath made to us the same goodness which inclined him to make such promises will effectually ingage him to make them good If God be so good as he hath declared himself why should we think that he will not help us in our need and relieve us in our distress and comfort us in our afflictions and sorrows If we may with confidence rely upon any thing to confer good upon us and to preserve and deliver us from Evil we may trust infinite goodness 6. The goodness of God is likewise an argument to us to patience and contentedness with every condition If the Hand of God be severe and heavy upon us in any Affliction we may be assured that it is not without great cause that so much goodness is so highly offended and displeased with us that he designs our good in all the Evils he sends upon us and does not chasten us for his pleasure but for our profit that we are the cause of our own Sufferings and our Sins separate between God and us and with-hold good things from us that in the final issue and result of things all things shall work together for good to us and therefore we ought not to be discontented at any thing which will certainly end in our Happiness 7. Let us imitate the goodness of God The highest Perfection of the best and most perfect Being is worthy to be our Pattern This the Scripture frequently proposeth to us Math. 5.48 Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect How is that in being good and kind and merciful as God is But I say unto you says our Lord Love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despightfully use you and persecute you that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven for he maketh his Sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust And then it follows Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is heaven is perfect The same Pattern St. Paul proposeth to us Eph. 4.32 and Ch. 5.1 Be ye kind one to

things and the End for which they were made The Proposition I shall speak to is that God is the first Cause and last End First I shall a little Explain the Terms Secondly Confirm the Proposition Thirdly Apply it First For the Explication of the Terms I. That God is the first Cause signifies 1. Negatively that he had no Cause did not derive his Being from any other or does depend upon any other Being but that he was always and eternally of himself 2. Positively that he is the Cause of all things besides himself the Fountain and Original of all Created Beings from whom all things proceed and upon whom all things depend or that I may use the expression of Saint John Joh. 1.3 which I know is appropriated to the Second Person in the Trinity By him all things were made and without him was nothing made that was made So that when we attribute to God that he is the first we mean that there was nothing before him and that he was before all things and that all things are by him II. The last End that is that all things refer to him that is the design and aim of all things that are made is the Illustration of God's Glory some way or other and the manifestation of his Perfections Secondly For the Confirmation I shall briefly according to my usual Method attempt it these two ways I. By Natural light The Notion of a God contains in it all possible Perfection Now the utmost Perfection we can imagine is for a Being to be always of it self before all other Beings and not only so but to be the Cause of all other Beings that is that there should be nothing but what derives its Being from him and continually depends upon him from whence follows that all things must refer to him as their last End For every wise Agent acts with design and in order to an End Now the End is that which is best which is most worthy the attaining and that is God himself Now his Being and Perfections are already and the best next to the existence of his Being and Perfections is the manifestation of them which is called God's Glory and this is the highest End that we can imagine to which all the Effects of the Divine Power and Goodness and Wisdom do refer And that these Titles are to be attributed to God is not only reasonable when it is revealed and discovered but was discovered by the Natural light of the heathens Hence it was that Aristotle gives to God those Titles of the first Being the first Cause and the first Mover and his Master Plato calls God the Author and Parent of all things the Maker and Architect of the World and of all Creatures the Fountain and Original of all things Porphyry calls him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first from whence he Reasons to this sense that he is the ultimate end and that all things move towards God that all motions center in him because saith he it is most proper and natural for things to refer to their Original and to refer all to him from whom they receive all Antoninus the Emperour and Philosopher speaking of Nature which with the Stoicks signified God hath these words which are so very like these of the Apostle that they may seem to be taken from him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of thee are all things in thee are all things to thee are all things II. From Scripture Hither belong all those places where he declares himself to be the first and the last Isa 41.4 Who hath wrought and done it calling the generations from the beginning I the Lord the first and with the last I am he Isa 43.10 Before me there was no God formed or as it is in the margin there was nothing formed of God neither shall there be after me Isa 44.6 I am the first and I am the last and besides me there is no God Isa 48.12 13. I am the first I also am the last my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth my right hand hath spread the heavens which is as much as to say he made the World and was the first Cause of all things Rev. 1.8 I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come But more expresly 1 Cor. 8.6 But to us there is but one God the father of whom are all things and we by him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we to him and for him Acts 17.24 God that made the world and all things therein v. 25. He giveth to all life and breath and all things v. 28. In him we live and move and have our Being v. 29. For as much then as we are the off-spring of God Hither we may refer those Texts which attribute the same to the Second Person in the Trinity as the Eternal Wisdom and Word of God whereby all things were made Joh. 1.3 All things were made by him and without him was nothing made that was made v. 10. And the World was made by him 1 Cor. 8.6 And one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him Eph. 3.9 God who Created all things by Jesus Christ Col. 1.16 By him were all things Created that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were Created by him and for him and he is before all things and by him all things consist Heb. 1.2 By whom also he made the Worlds And v. 3. Vpholding all things by the word of his power Thirdly and lastly to apply this Doctrine Vse First If God be the first Cause of all things who did at first produce all Creatures and does since Preserve them and Govern them and disposeth of all their concernments and orders all things that befal them from hence let us learn 1. With Humility and Thankfullness to own and acknowledge and admire and bless God as the Author and Original of our Being as the Spring and Fountain of all the Blessings and good things that we enjoy If we do but consider what these words signifie that God is the first Cause of all things we shall see great Reason to own and acknowledge to adore and praise him and that with the greatest humility because we have not given him any thing but have received all from him he is the Cause of all things who did freely and of his own good will and pleasure communicate Beings to us without any constraint or necessity but what his own goodness laid upon him Rev. 4.11 Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast Created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were Created We could not before we were deserve any thing from him or move him by any Arguments or importune him by intreaties to make us but he freely gave us Being and ever since we depend upon him