Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	faith_n	grace_n	justification_n	5,753	5	9.4155	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08219	An epistle sent vnto tuuo daughters of VVarwick from H.N., the oldest father of the Familie of Love ; with a refutation of the errors that are therein, by H.A.	Ainsworth, Henry, 1571-1622?; Niclaes, Hendrik, 1502?-1580? Epistle sent unto two daughters of Warwick.	1608 (1608)	STC 18553; ESTC S1318	62,756	66

that they might avoid persecution that in Christ Iesus neyther circumcision avayleth any thing nor vncircumcision but a new creature meaning that such as were graffed into Christ by faith vnto salvation from their syns they need not care in this estate for having or wanting the outward Jewish signe of circumcision but labour for that which it signified namely to become new creatures dying dayly vnto syn and living vnto righteousnes which fruits ar vndoubted testimonies that they ar in Christ. But H. N. corrupteth the words first saying Ther avayleth before God and then adding in Christ Iesus wrought in the Love meaning that a new creature in Christ which Christ is wrought in the Love for so he thinketh Christ to be the Lovely Being in vs as before is shewed this new creature avayleth before God for righteousnes and safe-making from our syns as his words elswhere are Thus careth he not how he wrest or what he add vnto the scriptures so as they may seem to serve his turn That the reader may see his deceit I wil shew what is his veyn and manner of reasoning Two things are given vs of God through Christ. 1. justification and 2. sanctification Justification is by the forgivnes of our syns for Christs sake and for the death that he once suffred for vs himself alone on the crosse whervpon followeth our blessednes and salvation and this justification we apprehend by faith alone After which foloweth the work of Christ in vs by sanctifying our bodies sowles and spirits and making vs conformable to his death burial and resurrection and furnishing vs with fruits and graces of the Spirit which being fruits of faith in Christ following the same are no cause of our justification or blessednes for that we have freely before given vs of grace Now cōmeth H. N. and he taketh this latter point of Sanctification and al such scriptures as speak therof and putteth it in place of the former to weet our justification making this our new birth and these fruits of faith to be the very cause of our happines righteousnes it self yea and Christ himself Which deceitful reasoning of his may further be manifested by a type and shadow of our redemtion shewed to our fathers traveling towards their outward rest in Canaan as we do now travel towards our eternal rest in heaven They in their journey were stung by fyrie serpents and many of them died To save them from this death a serpent of brasse was set vp on which who so looked was without any other salves or medicines healed of his deadly wound Then being thus healed they went forward on their way fought against the Amorites and other enimies and won the promised land and this they were to doe before they could have possession of the same If H. N. had then lived and should have perswaded the people that not the looking vp to the brazen serpent but their after journeyes and battel 's against the Amorites did heal them of their stings should he not haue belyed the work of Gods grace who without any work or war of theirs did heal them freely even so doth he in this The venim of Synn by the fyrie serpents the Devils tormenteth men and bringeth them to death Jesus Christ is lifted vp vnto vs as was the Serpent in the wildernes vnto whom we looking vp by faith are throughly healed After this God unployeth vs in a holy life and Christian warfare to subdue our lusts and affections and bring forth fruites of the spirit in sanctification Now cōmeth H. N. and telleth vs this holy life this Christian warfare is our righteousnes our safemaking from our syns and is Christ himself Thus is he an enimie vnto the grace of God and hinderer o●●mans salvation seeking to procure it by the works of the law by which no flesh shal be saved and in stead of Christ would give vs an idol of his own fiction After this as vnsavourly and to as little purpose he alledgeth an other scripture wher Christ as he sayth in the day of judgemēts shal find faulty al flesh in their righteousnes as he saith I shal rebuke the world of their righteousnes Ioh. 16. First it is to be observed that Christ spake these words of the Comforter the Holy Ghost which he being gone away would send to his Apostles Ioh 16. 7. as after came to passe Act. 2. 33. and sayth when he is come he will reprove the world c. but H. N. allegeth this that Christ himself should do it and falsifyeth our Lords words putting I for He the reason wherof seemeth to be for that H. N. holdeth not a distinctiō of the three persons in the Godhed as we professe according to the scriptures but ignorantly shuffleth and confoundeth al. Secondlly he addeth to the scripture saying their righteousnes wheras Christ sayth onely that the Holy Ghost should convince the world of righteousnes which may as wel if not better be vnderstood of Christs righteousnes then of the worlds especially seing the reason therof is rendred thus Of righteousnes because I goe to my Father Now though one may vnderstand it otherweise of the worlds feighned righteousnes yet is it overmuch boldnes in H. N. to put his own vnderstanding in sted of the text it self for this is the meanes to corrupt Gods pure word even as the mans hart is most corrupt Thirdly he referreth this to the day of judgements which is far from Christs meaning for he promiseth the efficacy and power of the Holy Ghost in his servants whiles he is absent from them before the day of judgemēt as the text sheweth to any wise hart But wherfore doth H. N. put in this may we think Doubtlesse to draw men vnto himself for he is the Comforter promised yea he is Christ himself and this day and time of his preaching is the day of judgements This is evident by his own words otherwhere For in his First Exhortation he thus writeth According to al the testimonies of the holy spirit of Love this gracious word and his service of Love is the Light and the day of the true judgement wherwith God with his holy ones accomplisheth and wherwith also he wil accomplish his judgement vpon the earth according to the truth In the Gospel of H. N. it is also thus written For behold in this present day the glorious coming of our Lord Iesu Christ with the many thowsāds of his Saincts becommeth manifested which hath set himself now vpon the seat of his majesty for to judge in this same day which the Lord hath ordeyned or appointed the whol world with equity and with faithfulnes and truth according to his righteousnes And agayn in the same book Behold and consider my beloved how wonderfully God worketh in his holy ones and how that now in this day or light of the Love the judgement seat of Christ

AN EPISTLE SENT VNTO TVVO daughters of VVarwick from H. N. THE OLDEST Father of the Familie of Love VVith a refutation of the errors that are therin by H. A. Rescue me Lord and deliver me from the hand of strangers whose mouth talketh vanity and their right-hand is a right-hand of falshood Psal. 144. 11. Imprinted at Amsterdam by Giles Thorp 1608. To the Christian reader wisdome grace AS ther are many enimies of the truth of the gospel and many that write to broach and spread their errors so is it needful that some write against them least troden truth be quite forsaken and silly sowles be wrapped in error vnto perdition It is not easy for al men to espie Satans subtilties nor the deceitful sophismes of his ministers both he they can trāsforme themselves like Angels of light Such therfore as discern them through the grace of God should give warning vnto others that as the foolish womā is troublesome babling lowd inviting her ghests to the depth of hel so the maidens of wisdom may lift vp also their voice and make their crie be heard on the highest places of the citie What wormwood and bitternes even deadly poison is sparsed abroad in Henry Nicholas his writings who caleth himself the Father of the Family of Love the children of wisdome that do read the same may by the light of Gods law soon perceive yet with faire and flattering speeches he hath beguiled many vnstable sowles such as have had no love to the truth have been givē over vnto his lies And never had Satan a fitter time to work his malicious wil on the sons of Adam then in these last evil dayes when Atheisme and iniquity doe so much abound Never had he a fitter religion for Atheists and carnal hypocrites then that which H. N. out of his corrupt and fleshly hart hath set abroach It taketh away the crosse of Christ persecution for righteousnes sake and teacheth men to cōmunicate with al religions services and ceremonies so as they cleave in hart to his feighned service of the Love It maketh them pure and without al syn in their own foolish imaginations yea more then which the Serpent himself did never teach it deifieth them with God In a word it bringeth a fretting leprosie vpon al religion overthroweth the grounds of faith layd in holy scriptures which H. N. by foolish allegories perverteth to the destruction of himself and his Family And for the principles of theologie he hath written more blasphemously and absurdly then ever did Mahomet in his Alcoran For this cause in answering this his letter as I was requested by some that heard how much it was boasted of among the Nicholaitans I have touched by the way some of the impious heresies that are in his other writings without knowledge wherof his frawd in this Epistle cannot easily be perceived For as a child of darknes he laboureth to be obscure in his words y t men may admire the deepnes of Satan by which he speaketh and himself when he is folowed can no other way escape may have this for his last refuge that men vnderstand him not But al things when they are reproved of the light are manifest for the light is that which maketh al things manifest Now the word of the Lord is a lantern his Law a light by it therfore have I assayed to discover the snares of this seducer not doubting but God who causeth the Morning to know his place that it may take hold of the corners of the earth that the wicked may be shaken out of it wil notwithstanding al the dark delphick speeches and glozing allegories of these falsers declare their works and manifest their impieties and wil turn the night in the darknes wherof they think to be shrowded and they shal be destroyed Let therfore the prudent reader make trial of that which on both sides is said by the word of truth least as the serpent beguiled Evah through his subtilty so their harts be withdrawn from the sincerity of Christ. And the Lord give them vnderstanding in al things and preserve them from this generation for ever for the wicked walk on every side whiles vilenes is extolled among the sons of Adam Henry Ainsworth The preface made by some of H. N. his disciples THis Epistle was written by the author vnto two maydens that were before purposed out of zele to have suffred death for the confession sake of the Christiā ceremonies which as he saith in divers places of his works are no more but outward meanes set forth by God his ministers to direct people to the inward righteous life of Christ in the spirit supposing therin that they should rightly have obeyed fulfilled the cōmandemēt of Christ who willeth vs to forsake our own lives for his sake But vpon better consideration therof through the grace of God and these distinct godly testimonies and reasons both touching that point and divers others herein conteyned their mindes as it hath bene reported by some of that followship wer altered herin to an other vnderstanding of the matter and they did willingly indevour themselves afterwards to follow his good counsel Answer THe drift of this Epistle being at the best to disswade from the pacient and cōstant witnessing of the truth of Christ especially in the outward ordinances of the gospel and open profession of the same Under a colour of inward and spiritual confession and service of God in the holy Ghost it shal not be amisse to look a little into the sleights of Satan wherby as it seemeth he hath deceived and would stil deceive the simple and to shew the weaknes and insufficiencie of the reasons alleged in this Letter as also to manifest how the outward obedience of the body must be conjoyned with the inward of the mind and spirit and the external ordinances of Christs testament professed and practised if we would have the spirit and life which is of God And howsoever H. N. accounteth the ordinances of the gospel but ceremonies yet in that he confesseth them to be outward meanes set forth by God to direct people to the inward righteous life of Christ in the spirit he manifesteth himself to be but a seducer in perswading the two maydens not to suffer death for the confession sake of them seing the outward meanes of mans salvation and of the righteous Christian life is to be stood for vnto the death as in handling the particulars shal by Gods grace appear And if by the authors counsel those daughters were drawn as here is insinuated from their outward confession suffring affliction for the ordinances of Christ against the Romish Antichristian doctrines ceremonies their faith was but weak they forsook the inward righteous life of Christ in the spirit and their mindes were perverted to a very evil vnderstanding If also they assented to other points of H. Ns. heresies