Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	election_n	good_a	work_n	4,641	5	6.8470	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01753	A briefe treatice of election and reprobation with certen ansvvers to the obiections of the aduersaries of thys doctrine: vvritten by Anthonie Gylbie.	Gilby, Anthony, ca. 1510-1585.	1575 (1575)	STC 11885; ESTC S103156	25,258	74

Peter sayth To the Elect by the foreknowledge of God the father 1. Pet. 1. Then to know what this Election of God is and what in the Scriptures it dothe signifye Wée describe and defyne Election to bée the frée choyce of the good wyll of the Almyghtie GOD appoynting and prescrybyng in the Booke of lyfe before the beginning of the world whom he will haue to be saued and compted amongest the iust Whom he will haue holy and without faulte before hym to bée his children by adoption to set foorth his glory This choyse this choosing this aforeappoynted purpose and ordinaunce of God is aboundauntlye set foorthe in the firste chapter to the Ephesians That this commeth of the frée wyll of God and hys onely grace freely without our deseruing contrary to the vayne opinion of the Papists and Anabaptists the same chapter and the nexte chapter folowing dothe plainely testifie Epe 1. 2. And most euidently the Lord in his maiestie speaking to his seruant Moyses Exod. 33. declared all this to stande of his mercy saying I will haue mercie vpon whom it liketh me and I will shew mercie where it shall be my pleasure for so is the meaning of those wordes I will haue mercy vpon whom I will haue mercy Paul also declaring in this place the woorke of God béetwixte these two children Iacob and Esau Romaynes 9. saythe thus of this frée Election whē Rebecca was with child with one and the same father Isaac before the children were borne when they had neyther done good nor bad that the purpose of God whiche is by Election mighte stande it was sayde to her not for the cause of workes but by the grace of the caller the elder shall serue the younger As it is written saythe hée Iacob I loued but Esau I hated Of the booke of life Moyses speaketh Exod. 32. And Christ himselfe Luk. 10. Saying to his Apostles Ioy you and be glad for your names are written in the boke of life in the heauens And in the 69. Psalme it is spoken against the wicked Let them not be written amongst the Iust and put them foorth of the booke of life And agaynst the false Prophet Ezechiel 13. He shall not be in the counsaile of my people nor written in the booke of the house of Israell There be two finall causes also of this eternal purpose of the election the which Paule rehearseth in the first chapter to the Ephesians the one toucheth God the other perteineth to man He hath Elected vs béefore the foundations of the worlde sayth the Apostle that wée mighte be holy and without blame And thys answereth the wicked which would abuse the mercies of God to their lust Againe it followeth He hath Predestinate vs that he might choose vs to be hys chyldren that hys name may bée praysed And this stoppeth the mouthes of al our Aduersaries that say that thys doctrine is not to the prayse of God so that they must cease to slaunder this doctrine vnlesse they wil hinder the glory of God and denie the open Scriptures Nowe it is to be noted and marked dyligently that thys woorde Election is taken after two sortes in the Scripture some tymes as it signifieth absolutely the frée choyse will and appointment of God without the respecte of the reuelation of the woorde and message of saluatyon And thus speaketh the holy Apostle Saincte Paule of Election saying of the carnal Iacob They were enimies concernyng the Gospel for your cause but concernyng the Election they are beloued for their parents For the gyftes of God and hys callyng are suche that hée can not repente Euen as you once were mysbeléeuers from God but nowe haue attayned mercie by theyr mysbeléefe that they should attayne mercie also Thys Election expresseth absolutely the secret purpose of God without the respect o●●●uelation of the woorde or any of our workes followyng Vnder thys first kynde of Election were those hundreth and twenty thousande whiche God dyd choose and kéepe vnto hymselfe in Niniue amongst the Idolaters and the seuen thousande which God dyd leaue for hymselfe in Israel in the thirde booke of kings the. 19. chap. Yea those that yet are not are thus elect chosen and amongst al nations both Iewes in thys long blindnes banishment from their countrey amongst the Turkes in theyr Idolatrous wickednesse yea amongst the Edomites the Sabees the Indians and Ethiopians And in the late blyndnesse of the Popishe church wherein we togither wyth our fathers were altogether Idolatrous all Hypocrites and counterfaite Christians thys absolute Election whereby the mercyfull Lorde God did reserue and kéepe hys chosen vnto him in all places all ages all countreys without respect of persons dyd most euidently appeare Howbeit this secresie of election muste onely bée lefte to the Maiestie of God where when how and whom he thereby saueth and sheweth his mercy For to the blynde iudgemente of man all these people rehearsed and suche like séemeth reiect reprobate and caste away as appeareth by Ionas condemning the Niniuites by Elias cōdemning the Israelites and a long while vntil God had by miracle from Heauen deliuered hym from that errour vnto the chiefe Apostle Peter iudgeing all the Gentiles to bée a polluted people farre from the fauour of God. The seconde kynde of Election is set forth and knowen euident and open by the spirit of God working in the harts of the elect and chosen by fayth and trust in God his promises through Christ teaching vs that we are the children of God chosen to him selfe by Iesus Christe from the beginning and therfore preparing vs to an holy and blamelesse lyfe to the laude prayse of the grace of god The which Election besides the dayly experience of our consciences may bée approued by the testimonies of these Scriptures compared togither Esay 59. Rom. 8. Ephe. 1. Coloss 3. and a very briefe and perfecte description of thys Election 2. thess. 2. in these wordes We ought to thanke God that he hath chosen you from the beginning by the sanctifying of the spirite and the beléefe of the truth to the which he hath called you by our Gospell to attayne the glory of our Lorde Iesus Christe By this gratious election was Iacob dearely beloued in his mothers wombe and Ieremy knowne vnto God before he was fashioned in his mothers wombe Ieremie 1. And to be short all other the eleect of God are thus chosen sanctified and beloued from the beginning from before the foundations of the world frō euerlasting to euerlasting For there is no change of tyme with God séeyng that all thinges are present in his sighte For vnto him a thousande yeares are but one day but the course change of times are in vs our déedes our knowledge in mans chaungeable wisedome This Election must of necesitie driue downe the pryde we haue of our owne strength our owne power our owne nature our owne frée wil our owne merits our owne iustification of our owne workes and bryng vs