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	see_v	2,875	5	3.5208	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07496	The sinne vnto death. Or an ample discouery of that fearefull sinne, the sinne against the holy Ghost together with the signes, degrees and preservatiues thereof. In a sermon preached at Pauls Crosse. August 26. 1621. By Tho: Bedford ...	Bedford, Thomas, d. 1653.	1621 (1621)	STC 1788; ESTC S101417	81,812	112

of the act Thus the will of man rightly info●med is carried to will and not to nill the glorie of God and then specially to glorifie God in the obedience of this or that commandement On the contrary nilleth euill and specifieth this act of ●illing or refusing in the specialtie of Murder Adulter●e c. Involuntary actions are such which proceede from simple and faul●le●●e ignorance Faultlesse ignorance is that which goeth before the will of the doer and so is not voluntary Such is that when a ●act is done which could not be either foreseene or avoyded an example whereof God himselfe putteth in his law Exod. 21. Deut. 1● 4. The man that lopped the tree and in the lopping his Axe head fell o●● and sl●e another These two kind of actions are simply such that simple voluntary this simple involuntary There is another kind of actions which are in some respect voluntary and in some respect inv●luntary viz where the will is h●ndr●d in the performance executing and effecting of the act which is the second act of the will For as for the first act that is the vse and exercise of the act either in willing or nilling there can be no constraint or hinde rance of the will but still whatsoever it doth it doth it willingly Tye a man in an hundred chaines yet cannot you hinder him from his will to goe thorgh he cannot put this will in practise Hence it followeth that neither violence nor feare nor affected ignorance doth al●er the will in respect of the first act thereof 〈…〉 ce may force the effect of the will but not the act As the man ●ound in chaines may bee hindred from going and det●yn●d● this place but not hindred from willing to goe not constrained willingly to abide Feare likewise may draw s●●th a consent while the man apprehendeth that to be evill which is not and so desireth to shunne it and when consent is yeelded the will doth willingly will that which it willeth Some call these actions mixt partly willing partly vnwilling but indeed they are more voluntary then involuntary because the power of willing is free still to will o● to nill though the performance of the act in this particular is badly placed Because the passion of feare doth apprehend the present Obiect to bee good which indeed is evill Affected ignorance least of all ca● cause an Involuntary action seeing that his ignorance is Uoluntary Man wilfully continuing in ignorance and either neglecting or despising the meanes of knowledge that so he may continue in the course of life which hee liketh From all this I gather first That affected ignorance is so farre from excusing a fault that it doth rather aggravate the offence Secondly That neither feare nor violence can altogether excuse men from blame in willing evill because the willingnesse of the will cannot be compelled though indeed it may be much perswaded To apply this to our purpose This Apostasie is called wilfull 1. Because it proceedeth from the inward beginning of willingnesse from the immediate act of the will ab ipso velle the willing of the will it selfe 2. It is free from violence from feare from ignorance which are the causes that doe in any respect cause involuntary actions Yet this doth not hinder but that there may bee some incitation some inclination and stirring of the will by some externall Obiect As the Scribes and Phaerisees were ambitious and loved the prayse of men this inclined their will Iudas was covetous a theefe and the hope of gaine stirred his will Yea this their concupiscence and desire did make their action the more wilfull Aquinas giveth the reason because A thing is said to be voluntary in that the will is carryed to it but by the concupiscence is the will inclined to will that which it desireth And further he sayth it is necessary to denominate an actiō willing that the beginning of it be inward But it is not necessary tha● this inward beginning should be the first moover not mooved by another For not onely is the will mooved by the desire of good and the chiefe end but also it is often necessary that the first act of the will be stirred vp by some externall Obiect Neither can any man say that the Apostasie of Iudas the falling away of Demas and the like was not properly to bee termed wilfull because there was some outward respect to mooue them vnlesse also he will deny that Adam●ell ●ell voluntarily in whom there was an externall Obiect and a forcible perswader to stirre vp the act of his will Last of all in Saul Iudas Iulian and the like their action must needs be simply voluntary in that they had time of Deliberation For the Apprehension of good doth not worke so effectually vpon the will as doth the Apprehension of euill And therefore those passions which doe apprehend good doe not take away Election and Deliberation but doe allow men sufficient time to thinke of all inconveniences and giue them libertie to resolue whether they will doe so or no. Whereas those passions which doe apprehend euill doe not so easily suffer a man to consult and therfore if these cause not involuntary actions much lesse doe the former Whereby you see the difference betwixt the fact of Iudas and the fall of Peter Iudas hath time to call his witts together to consult with Reason to deliberate with himselfe what hee will doe to summe vp all inconveniences that may ensue and thereupon proceedeth vpon full purpose and resolute intention Whereas Peter hath no such respite on the sudden hee must answere and had no time to forethinke himselfe For the feare of danger had so possessed him that no place was left for Deliberation Hitherto concerning the first maine part of my Discourse shewing what this sinne against the holy Ghost is Now let mee lead you a-long to the second viz. Why it is so mortall Let not your patience fayle mee to the end The second Part. Why the sinne against the holy Ghost is so mortall FOr confirmation of this second point though much might be said yet it shall now be my care rather to select that which is most for the purpose then to collect and heape together a multitude of matter of which perhaps some might say and say truly Totum hoc est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is besides the purpose In briefe I will reduce it to this Sillogisme Prop. That sinne which is without all hope of pardon and irrem●ssible is deadly and mortall Even as that wound is said to be mortall which is incurable and past all helpe of Chirurgery Assumption Such is this our sinne irremissible and without all hope of pardon and therefore mortall Plinius Secundus in one of his Epistles affirmeth it to be the office of an Author vs titulum legat to read the ●●le of his Booke and often to aske himselfe what hee hath begun

as they may not pray for such so also do they pray agaiust them Thus haue holy men of God heretofore being stirred with zeale for Gods glory deuowed and accursed the wicked and malicious enemies of the Church Thus Dauid many times Let vs obserue his vehemency Let their Table bee a snare c. id est All their delights whatsoeuer was ordayned to make their liues comfortable Let their eyes be blinded and bow downe their backs id est Take away both iudgement blinde their vnderstandings take away their power and strength Poure out thine anger vpon them c. Not a small sprinkling but the full viols of thy wrath make them to drinke the dregs thereof neyther let it end in them but redound to their posterity to blot out the memoriall of them Let their habitation be voide c. Yea he proceedeth Adde iniquitie to their iniquitie id est cast them into a Reprobate sence that they neuer may come to Repentance as p Caluin expoundeth it Let their iniquity bee increased more and more that so it may plainely be perceiued that they are of the reprobate Geneuenses Or else as Tremellius reads Adde punishment to their punishment id est Hauing pursued them with temporall punishments in this life prosecute them also with eternall in the life to come Blot them out of the booke of Life and let them not be numbred with the Righteous id est Howsoeuer by their profession hitherto they haue seemed to be written in the booke of Life and haue beene counted among the Righteous as members of the Church Yet since their wickednesse is growne to that height that they persecute him whom thou hast smitten let them now be knowne as Reprobates and exterminated and banish'd out of thy Church That it may plainely be perceiued that they haue neyther part nor porcion nor inheritance among the Saints Thus you see how he doth Anathematize and curse the obstinate impaenitent and malicious persecutors of the Church Anathematize I say not pray for them as Origen would haue it nor meerely prophecy of what should befall as Augustine but smite them with a curse and well he might it being Gods cause himselfe being directed to it by an extraordinary and propheticall Spirit and they being the professed enemies of God Thus Paul If any man loue not the Lord Iesus id est hateth execrateth blasphemeth which is the sinne against the holy Ghost Let him be Anathema Maranatha accursed for euer euen till the Lord Iesus come from heauen with flaming fire to render vengeanec to deuoure the aduersaries These are generall for particular impraecations besides the example of Elisha u cursing the children and Paul doing the like to Elymas the sorcerer there is Psal. 109. where Dauid doth most bitterly devowe and curse his enemie whether it were Doeg or Saul or some other once-familiar friend And Paul speaking of Alexander the copper-smith who was one of our Apostata's addeth The Lord rewarde him according to his workes Yea and for the safety of the Church he proceedeth to excommunication of him Whom I haue deliuered to Sathan The Ecclesiasticall Histories doe record that diuers in the primitiue Church did pray against Iulian the Apostata applying the Psalmes of Dauid against him and his Idolatry and after his fall the Church of Antioch made feasts of ioy reioycing greatly ouer him and mocking and deluding his followers and adhaerents Where are thine auguries o foolish Maximus God and his Christ at length hath ouercome Neyther are we to suppose that these are left to vs only as matterr of History monuments of Antiquity But certainely for matter of imitation alwaies prouided that we warily and carefully haue respect vnto those things which are to be obserued in Imprecation Now that we may be true imitators of Dauid and so lawfully apply the Psalmes of Imprecation we must saith Caluin induere personam Christi Put on the person of Christ id est deale in his cause For so shall we finde that still when Dauid commeth to Imprecation he was First not carried away with an immoderate carnall affection Secondly nor handled his owne cause Thirdly nor was inflamed with inconsiderate and rash zeale So iust we doe In the practise of Anathematizing and Imprecation there must be obserued First The person accursing that he be a man of knowledge wisedome and discretion that so he may wisely vnderstand the condition of the person to be accursed the spirit that moueth him the end which he propoundeth to himselfe and the time when he is to doe or not to doe it Secondly The person accursed that he be such an one of whom besids that he is a publique and no priuate enemy there is no hope of amendment intractable incorrigible yea a professed enemy to God all goodnes Thirdly The spirit by which he is led Not of a priuate passion not led away with carnall affection but with a single eye not hating the person but iudging and misliking the wicked practises of such by whom God is dishonored In a word it must be the spirit of Prudence to distinguish betwixt the curable and the incurable Of Uprightnesse to sequester and separate his affections from his owne priuate cause Of Moderation to compose the minde to patience meekenesse and toleration Fourthly The end which one propoundeth to himselfe which must not bee the desire of reuenge but the zeale for Gods glory which hee seeth to bee trodden downe vnder foote Fiftly the time viz. After that all meanes of recouery and amendment being vsed yet none amendment followeth but rather euill men wax worse and worse so that there is good cause to beleeue that the party is incorrigible yea and giuen vp to a Reprobate sence Adde to this that the houre of death is no fit nor seasonable houre to vse Impraecation though the cause be iust Christ vpon the Crosse prayed for his enemies and Stephen for his persecutors neyther of them at that time vsed Imprecation To shut vp this point since now the gift of discerning spirits which was in the Apostolicall Church is gone and men haue their zeale mingled with much choller stomacke anger and hatred therefore it is good First to vse only a generall forme of Imprecation contayned in the Scripture against all incurable enemies and so leaue the application of it to God whose hand will find out all those who hate him and not as the custome of the e Franciscan Friers who for a peece of money doe in the behalfe of the Doner apply the 109. Psalme against any one whatsoeuer yea for the Mother against the Sonne Secondly In our mentall application still to pray with a condition if they be incurable and these are the Lawes of Imprecation As God depriueth them of the Churches prayers and stirreth vp the zeale of his seruants to pray against them So doth he also giue them