Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	good_a	reason_n	2,746	5	5.3703	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08188	A day-starre for darke-wandring soules shewing the light, by a Christian controuersie: or briefely and plainely setting forth the mysterie of our saluation. Diuided into principles, obiections, and answeres. By Richard Niccolls, th'elder, of the Inner Temple London, Gent. deceased. Published for the generall benefit of all those who heartily, and with a true path desire their owne saluation: by I.C.	Niccols, Richard, of the Inner Temple.; I. C., fl. 1613.	1613 (1613)	STC 18526.5; ESTC S119830	27,183	96

A DAY-STARRE FOR Darke-wandring Soules Shewing the Light by a Christian Controuersie OR Briefely and plainely setting forth the Mysterie of our SALVATION DIVIDED INTO Principles Obiections and Answeres BY RICHARD NICCOLLS th' elder of the Inner Temple London Gent. deceased PVBLISHED For the generall benefit of all those who heartily and with a true path desire their owne Saluation by I.C. LONDON Printed for Iohn Budge and are to be solde at the great South-doore of Paules 1613. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE and truely religious Lady the Lady ANNE GLEMHAM I. C. wisheth encrease of all godlinesse and vertue with the fruition of eternall HAPPINESSE Right Honourable AS euery good Artist laboureth with much paines to rectifie and bring into due forme and order the Art which hee himselfe professeth and seeketh all possible wayes and meanes to attaine to the perfection thereof adding thereto his owne practice and experience thereby to make it more facile and easie to be attained vnto by future Posterities and vnto them conueying it as it were a matter hereditarie and which by succession they ought to enioy Euen so ought euery true Christian with his best endeauours industrie and trauaile labour to finde out the true Principles and Grounds of Christian Religion and therein through his owne industry directed by the Spirit of the Highest daily seeke to attaine to the perfection of that blessed Truth which is the sole Directresse to eternall Happinesse and the profits of his Christian Labours to participate to all succeeding Ages And as none can profit in any Science without first knowing the Fundamentall Reasons and Grounds thereof so it is impossible for any man to attaine to the perfection of Christian Religion vnlesse hee be first instructed in the certaine and infallible Grounds and Principles of the same with which this worthy and religious Author was well furnished as by this ensuing discourse or Treatise made for the priuate vse of himselfe and his Wife who being a godly and religious Gentlewoman imparted the same to some few of her friends amongst whom my selfe as vnworthiest of those few had a written Copie which most Vertuous Lady remayning in my custody and the Author being a Gentleman vnder whom I had part of my Education and fearing lest this Orphant turned naked into the World without a Protector and Patron might by sinister and fatall occasion happen into the hands of some professed though priuate enemies and there be smothered by those irremarkable persons mentioned in the Reuelation to haue receiued the marke of the Beast depriuing the Author of his due and well deserued commendations and the World of so honest and religious a worke I could doe no lesse then cause it to be published as well for the generall good of the well-affected and religious as also for an Example and President vnto all men to imploy their labours in godly exercise for the benefit of their Christian Brethren And considering with my selfe where to bestow it I was embold●…ed by the inducement of diuers reasons to select your Ladiship as one most worthy to be the sole Patronesse and Protector of this godly Treatise knowing your Honourable Virtues and sinceritie of Religion to be such as are of force enough to make that commendable which onely by your Honours name is graced in respect of which and diuers other Honourable Curtesies for which I am oblieged to your Ladiship I most humbly present vnto your fauourable view and Honourable protection the zealous and truely religious labours of this godly Gentleman challenging nothing to my selfe but the imperfections in the harsh composure of the stile which if your Honour vouchsafe to receiue it may be that although in the perusing thereof your Ladiship shall not finde any matter which you are ignorant of yet may it confirme that which otherwise your Honour may doubt in or at least make it more euident by deliuering the Circumstances in more particular termes And as in the Author it deserueth a generall and perpetuall remembrance so doth it argue in him a most godly and good minde in labouring to finde out that which gaue a comfortable end to all his Labours for the which doubtlesse he now possesseth an vncorruptible and immortall Crowne of Glory in the World which shall neuer end To the which after many long and happy yeeres with much honor in this life liued to the glory of God and to the comfort and reliefe of his poore and afflicted Members the Lord bring your Honour with peace and quiet Conscience Your Honours solely deuoted in all seruiceable duty and dutifull Affection I. C. To the READER CHristian Reader how intricate and difficult a matter it is to content the various conceits of the generall multitude I doubt not but is well enough knowne to thee and how curious seeming Schollers are in perusing the labours of euery one daily experience makes it manifest who notwithstanding the benefit which they might reape vnto themselues by obseruation if without affectation of their owne inuention they would with mature Iudgement and aduised patience diligently read the good and godly Workes of Religious Persons doe studie with all diligence to lay some scandalous imputation not onely on the Author but the poore innocent Booke who would if it were possible laugh at their ignorance How then shall this poore Booke dare to aduenture it selfe among so many enemies but in hope of the kinde censure of the Learned godly and zealous Christians In expectation of which with their louing acceptance of the Fruits of the Authors Labours it dares oppose it selfe to the generall view of the world without fearing any the Calumnies of carping Zoilists or those which beare the irremarkable marke of the Beast mentioned in the Reuelation of S. Iohn And so rests thine to vse and peruse CERTAINE Grounds or Principles of Christian Religion briefely and plainely setting forth the Mysterie of our SALVATION The first PRINCIPLE EVery one of vs who by generation descend of Adam of our selues by Nature cannot so much as thinke any good thoughts much lesse doe any good deede but all our thoughts words and workes are onely euill continually Gen. 6. 5. Rom. 3. 9. Iohn 15. 5. Notes vpon the first Principle THE first cause of this our corruption is because that euery one of vs who come of Adam sinned in the same sinne that Adam sinned viz. In eating the forbidden fruis and are guiltie thereof before God Rom. 5. 12. Heb. 7. 9. 10. The reason hereof is because that Adam as our common Procurator or Factor Tam ad perdendum quam ad lucrandum did beare the person of vs all being then in his loynes Therefore looke what hee gained hee gained for himselfe and vs and looke what hee lost hee lost for himselfe and vs then being in his loynes 1 Cor. 15. ●…2 The second cause of this our continually sinning is because that euery one of vs who come of Adam are by Gods decree manifested and pronounced to Adam fallen

now liue in the flesh I liue by Faith in the Sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for mee This mysticall vnion is in both the Sacraments acknowledged for in the Sacrament of Baptisme all true beleeuers who are partakers of the outward Sacrament of Baptisme and thereby made and acknowledged to be members of Christs visible Body to wit his visible Church are by one spirit to wit by the only spirit of Christ working faith in them made members of his mysticall body the inuisible Church and in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as in token or remembrance that wee are made members of his visible Bodie the visible Church whose Body was broken and his Blood shed for vs wee communicate and participate our Bread and our Wine So also by this outward action wee acknowledge the mysticall vnion vvhich wee haue vvith Christ and one with another by the participation and communion of his spirit of which wee spiritually liue But the question may be yet further asked how a man may discerne and know when himselfe or any other is spiritually dead and when spiritually liuing and indued with the spirituall life here spoken of To vvhich it may be answered that as vvee be naturall men although wee eate and drinke and performe all other actions and vvorkes of men vvho are naturally liuing in bodily health yet vntill by our vnion with Christ vntill by our effectuall calling vntill by our Iustification and vntill by our Sanctification wee be made new Creatures in Christ wee are dead in our sinnes because vvee be no more able to doe any the workes of new creatures liuing vnto God in Christ that is to say we are no more able to doe any works acceptable vnto GOD then the man naturally dead is able to eate or drinke or to doe any other worke or action of the man who is naturally liuing because the vvhole naturall man and euery part of him is wholy corrupted with sinne and therefore dead in sinne for First in his minde there is nothing but blindnesse and ignorance concerning heauenly matters Secondly his conscience is defiled being alwayes either benummed with sinne or else turmoyled with inward accusations and terrours Thirdly his will willeth and lusteth after that onely which is euill Fourthly the affections of his heart as Loue Ioy Hope Desire c. are stirred and moued to that onely vvhich is euill and neuer to that which is good Lastly the members of his body are Tooles and Instruments of his minde for the execution of sinne All which corruptions and deadnesse in sinne are then onely cured and wee made spiritually liuing vnto God When in Christ we be made new creatures by our effectual vnion with Christ by our effectuall calling by our Iustification and Sanctification which foure degrees of our regeneration howsoeuer they in nature goe one before the other yet too make vs new creatures in Christ doe so concurre that the true beleeuer or regenerate person finding himselfe to haue the one of them may assure himselfe hee hath them all for First the true beleeuer may assure himselfe of this vnion vvith CHRIST when hee findeth that Christ of his loue preuenting him doth begin the vnion by communicating vnto him his holy Spirit dwelling in his man hood through the ministerie of his holy Word and by the cooperation of the same Spirit vvith his word doth beget in him a liuely faith by which the true beleeuer on his part as by his onely instru ment is actually vnited vnto Christ but this vnion is not perceiued by the regenerate person before he be called Secondly therefore the true beleeuer may assure himselfe that he hauing a liuely faith is effectually called to the knowledge of the things he beleeueth for no man can effectually consent vnto the thing conteined in the Word much lesse by a liuely faith beleeue the things herein conteined vnlesse hee be first by the ministery of the Word instructed and called to the knowledge thereof to wit by hauing his vnderstanding inlightned with the knowledge of the truth and his vvill thereunto perswaded Thirdly the true beleeuer being by faith as aforesaid vnited vnto Christ and called by the ministery of the Word to the knowledge of that which by a liuely faith hee beleeueth hee may assure himselfe of his Iustification because that the faithfull are iustified before GOD by the onely imputation of Christs righteousnesse for in what manner Christ was made a sinner for vs in the same manner are wee made righteous by him but Christ was made a sinner for vs by imputation of our sinnes vnto him and therefore wee are made righteous before God by imputation of his righteousnesse vnto vs. Againe as vvee are made sinners that is guiltie of the first Adams transgression so are wee made not guiltie and iustified by the obedience of the second Adam but wee are made guiltie of the first Adams transgression by imputation and therefore wee are iustified by the imputation of the obedience of the second Adam Now the imputation of Christs righteousnesse vnto vs doth as vpon the onely cause and reason therof depend vpon our vnion with Christ made on our parts by faith onely Fourthly the true beleeuer finding himselfe vnited vnto Christ and Called and liuely Iustified hee may assure himselfe of his Sanctification for a liuely faith is not of our selues but it is of GOD. By it wee are in diuers respects both iustified and sanctified by it wee are iustified not formally as by a meritorious vertue or part of righteousnesse inherent in vs but relatiuely in respect of the Object it apprehendeth to wit as by it wee apply to our selues the righteousnesse inherent in Christ Iesus man-hood which of his owne meere mercie is imputed vnto all who lay holde therevpon by faith but by it wee are sanctified as by a grace inherent in vs as are also the graces of hope and charitie and other sanctifying graces which being in the man-hood of CHRIST without measure are by his spirit from thence infused vnto vs in measure to sanctifie vs and make vs fit for the Kingdome of Heauen and to speake both briefely and plainely of this matter Faith is a chiefe part of our Sanctification being as it vvere the roote both of other inward graces and outward obedience which concurre to our Sanctification The fift PRINCIPLE BY the outward Ministery of the Word is conuayd vnto vs Christs diuine spirit which also by the same Ministerie of the Word begetteth in vs Faith whereby wee are actually vnited vnto Christ and made one with him Notes vpon the fift Principle THE Doctrine of the fift Principle is taught and confirmed vnto vs by the whole Booke of the Ac●… of the Apostles for through out that whole Booke examples are expresly and plainely shewed vnto vs how the Holy Ghost and Faith are giuen to the hearers by attentiue and reuerent hearing of the Word of GOD preached by his