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
A51261	An addition to the Clavis aurea with an enquiry upon what terms the salvation of man doth depend; whether entirely on faith or entirely on works, or whether entirely on grace or free-gift. By Thomas Moor, author of the Clavis aurea, living in St. Thomas's in Southwark.; Clavis aurea. Addition.	Moor, Thomas, fl. 1695-1697.	1696 (1696)	Wing M2608AA; ESTC R216354	26,490	32

9. as 't is there writ Go and tell this People hear ye indeed but understand not c. Shut their eyes lest they see c. And be converted and heal'd And this very Text by Paul in Acts 28. 25 26. is apply'd to the Jews that discours'd him at Rome and could not believe him Besides Paul testified that those which had not Knowledg had a Zeal to God Rom. 10. 2. What greater repeated Acts of Sin would such People commit that would endeavour from that Zeal to do any thing for the best Which blindness is to continue till the Fulness of the Gentiles be come in whereby Millions are born to dye in Unbelief So that this Unbelief was not upon Israel for any Sins they had committed but that the Gentiles might be grafted in In that it s said their Eyes have they closed it 's also said Pharoah hardned his Heart Exd. 9. 34. But can it be proved that Pharaoh could avoid at that time hardning his Heart and let Israel go see 30. 1. or that the Jews could open their Eyes and believe But this being a Knot that was not yet untied I will say thus far to it When God moves in Man to do Evil he moves it in him by a second cause as by the Devil and Lust and so he saith he doth not tempt any Man to Evil as the second Cause but every Man is drawn away by his own Lust But who created Lust in Man But throughout the Scripture as Mr. Everard notes in his Divine Exorcisms what the Devil doth God owns to do himself Did the Devil saith he harden Pharaoh's Heart God saith I have hardned Pharaoh's Heart and so he proceeds So that God as the first Cause hardned Pharaoh's Heart and he owns it and the Devil as the second Cause yet Pharaoh hardned his own Heart as 't is said because his reason was excercised with unavoidable false Reasonings mov'd in him by other Causes which was an Act of the Mind as the unavoidable Crucifixion of Christ was an Act of the Hand as thus Why should I let Israel go Who is the Lord Do not the Magicians do Miracles as well as Moses even so did Israel unavoidably close their Eyes and unavoidably crucify Christ which was an act of the Hand and yet for it are term'd Murderers Acts 7. 52. yet 't was determined they could not help it for doth not Christ say I lay down my own Life no Man taketh it from me I lay it down my self John 10. 17 18. By this its clear that the first Cause moves the second Cause and the second the third c. as mechanically the Spring moves the Wheels the Wheels the Pin And so Scripture Reason and Experience concur But how then Man can be said to be either Good or Evil and be the Subject of Punishment and Reward see my Addition Page 21. Bishop Stillingfleet hath writ no Treatise concerning Predestination which if he had I would have examin'd his Works but he is but a moral Writer as the rest are Morality is not Divinity or Predestination Mr. Vincent in his Conversion of the Soul P. 111. saith One Sin loved and liv'd in is enough to prove one unconverted and will be sufficient to destroy And Mr. Mead in his Early Obedience P. 282. saith from the 1 Cor. 6. and Rev. 21. that no Adulterers Thieves Coveteous Drunkards Fearful Vnbelievers Murderers Lyars And he beseeches us to consider if any of these Sins be chargeable upon us we are actually shut out from any Claim in Christ had either of these Moralists as for predostination they understand not in either of these Books said that God accepts the will for the deed I should not have taken their Words in such a despairing and strickt Sense they would do well to examin their own Charity by my definition of a Saving Faith whether they are not Unbelievers and Coveteous Proud and Passionate or at least guilty of some one Sin or another which if they be they condemn themselves as far as I perceive by their own Arguments or or at least there 's little Satisfaction in such obscure writing nor incouragment to do Good For where is difficulty in Work and hard to please whereby we are uncertain of any desert or wages I say there 's little incouragment to serve In all Divinity Books but what I have writ I find no Standard to try their Arguments by nor any true if any definition of Faith whereby there 's no Satisfaction in them But to those that esteem their Moralists which they call Divines Infallible let them consider that they disown Infallibility themselves and they were Princes great and learned Men that made great Figures in the World crucified Christ and persecuted the Apostles And to those that say the Scriptures are easy to be understood in matters of Salvation I deny it because there 's scarce a Command but is ordained to be broken See my Addition And pag. 20. as there are contrary Religions one to another yet every Religion brings Scripture to prove his own And to those who say I wrest the Scriptures I cannot do it but the Moralists wrests them taking only what is Commanded whereby they get Riches but do not meddle with much less unite the moral and predestinated part together But I refuse none but unite both parts But what Satisfaction is there in the Moral part of Scripture if according to some we say we must be as good as we can then we are apt to condemn our selves and say we might have done better or if according to Mr. Vincent and Mr. Mead who are now both Living we take the Scriptures in its strickt Literal Sense who can be Sav'd But they mistake for our Salvation depends on Works as they make up one part of Faith which Faith is a Freegift but this they could never reach See my definition of a Saving Faith in my Addition before And let Men take notice there hath been a famine of the word prophefied of before by Amos 8. 11. for want of a Spiritual Man to expound the Scriptures And I think Men have the greater Reason to esteem my Books in that they prove Unanswerable I have done with these Authors and from what hath been said you may if you are not blinded see the insufficiency of all Men upon Earth to dispute me Which I boast not of as attain'd from any endeavour of mine but as a gift of God And I am not insensible of the Conceitedness of many in Oral Disputes but dare they write I may say to such as Paul said to the Jews ye despisers wonder I work a work in your Days which you shall in no wise believe Acts 13. 41. And are you so conceited that the Jews did not think themselves at that time as wise as now you think your selves I am Satisfyed the Scripture is a Book Sea●'d up from all but those divinely inspired or Spiritual Men and at this time many of you as