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	salvation_n	work_n	5,482	5	6.3075	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07639	[A brief censure upon] an appeale to Cæsar; Appello Cæsarem. English	Montagu, Richard, 1577-1641.	1625 (1625)	STC 18032; ESTC S114236	8,391	27

CHAP. 5. A censure vpon his fift sixt and seuenth chapters concerning Election Praedestination and Reprobation IN the argument of his fift Chapter his words stand so as if he meant to ouerthrow the Apostles doctrine concerning predestination But his text sheweth that he meaneth to dispute against Gods purpose in choosing some and reiecting others and to declare that God saw some cause in man why he did both holding part with Arminius part with the Iesuites who make either faith or works foreseene or mans freewill to be cause of mans election and saluation and say that man is not rejected or not chosen but for the defect of his will and workes Which is misliked by all sound Diuines not because such enter into Gods secrets but because this is diuine doctrine reuealed in the Apostles writings He praetendeth to consent with the Lutherans But Zanchius declareth that they are a bastard brood of Lutherans that oppugne that doctrine which is the Apostles and was lately taught by Luther Bucer and other German Diuines As the Pagans did attribute the causes of their calamities to Christian Religion so saith the Mountebanke some haue attributed the troubles of the Low Countries falsly to the dissention wrought by the Arminians But this he speaketh out of his ignorance not knowing the danger wherein the Low Countries stood by the practises of Barneuelt and other of that sect And absurdly compareth the false doctrine of Arminius with the Catholicke doctrine of the Apostles and Christians that mislike the haeresies of Arminius with Pagans blaspheming our Christian faith Blessed be the peace-maker among men saith the Mountebanke But he is not the peace-maker that troubleth the peaceable state of the Church with his intempestiue doctrines of Popery nor is it a fit meanes to make peace to betray the truth of Religion to the publike enemies thereof Many fall away to the Pope but their apostacy maketh the diuision the greater and maketh vp no rents but renteth the vnity of the faith There is neuer a Bible-bearing hypocriticall Puritan in the packe saith he a better Patriot then himselfe As if Bible-bearing were a brand of an hypocrite By which argument either you or your man will proue hypocrites or Puritans when you appeare in the pulpit which is very seldome What doe or can professed Papists say more Such particoloured iacket-wearers albeit they seeme to make a faire lustre in the packe of cards yet are they nothing but Canarian pedants praising and pleasing themselues and no man else As for Bertius and Barneuelts followers they are Apostates and haue forsaken the faith and so would he haue once if mariage and hope of preferment had not staid him His heart is with the enemy and if any occasion be offred it is iustly to be suspected his body will not bee long from them John Caluin saith he came after in time So worthy Master John Caluin that famous Diuine with this biting Canarian is but plaine Iohn Caluin and he in his lofty conceit will be called Master Mountebanke and Rabbi and that is forsooth because he teacheth Pharisaicall iustice and such like haeresies But why noteth he as a defect in Caluin that he came after Luther Doth not he come after Arminius and betrayeth truth as Iudas betrayed Christ He professeth he will not be more tied to Caluin then to Luther or to either of them more then to Bellarmine As if Bellarmine were aequally to bee prized with these two Doctors that were great discouerers of the Popes Antichristian haeresie and policy We see indeed he standeth rather with Bellarmine then with Caluin and Luther or Causabon if any way they follow his squint-eyed positions But in wars and state if any false traitour be found flying to the enemy the Marshall where lawes are executed ties him vp as a fugitiue stops his flight Pag. 40. he telleth vs he was brought vp a member of the Church of England But why then did he once determine to aband 〈…〉 urch of England And why doth he now in so many points follow rather Bellarmine and Arminius then the Doctors of our Church Explaining his aduersaries doctrine he saith they hold that God primarily absolutely and irrespectiuely did from all aeternity decree to make some vessels of honour and some of dishonour to bring them vnto life or to cast them off vnto death to crowne them with glory or to plunge them into destruction and hell fire But if he were not ashamed of his owne absurd opinion he would first declare what himselfe holdeth and then more truly report his aduersaries doctrine That God did not respect somewhat in himselfe somewhat in his ends we deny not neither can any doubt that all the elect were praedestinated in Christ only we say he respected not mans freewill or faith or workes in chusing some and reiecting others Secondly we distinguish the decree of reprobation from the execution and deny that God did condemne and destroy any but for their euill deeds and deseruings Albeit he loued Iacob and hated 〈…〉 they had done either good or euill as the Apostle declareth Rom. 9. Chap. 9. He insinuateth that Caluin taught that God is Author of sinne that God made the most part of the world to perish euerlastingly that the reprobate are incited and prouoked to sinne by God that God was the Author of Iuda's treason Damnable calumniations against that faithfull seruant of God and borrowed from Papists in whose steps this man doth commonly and willingly tread I need not refute them for that the Mountebanke durst not affirme them But he that will be resolued of Caluins sincere dealing let him read the words as he setteth them downe in his owne bookes and consider the malice of his aduersaries distorting his words contrary to all sense and true meaning That Peter being elected could not perish or that Iudas being a reprobate could not but perish is a Catholike doctrine vnlesse it be an errour to hold God to be vnchangeable in his decrees and haeresie to hold Gods decrees to bee mutable If the Mountebanke doth maintaine the contrary he will discouer himselfe to be who he is and what the world supposeth him to be Gods absolute decree in election and reprobation without respect to workes in man the Lutherans saith the Mountebanke doe abhorre But Zanchius de Na●en Dei lib. 5. cap. 2. and in his Tract de Praedest Sanct. in Miscellan doth shew such to be Pseudolutherans prouing that Luther and Bucer taught as he did And that no such inference can be drawne out of it as they calumniously and blasphemously doe make That the Church of England teacheth that election or reprobation was decreed without respect of mens works or freewill well vsed this gaggler denieth But the declaration 〈…〉 de at Lambeth doth manifestly 〈…〉 shamelesse deniall The A 〈…〉 e also which this Church defendeth refelleth his boldnesse For Rom. 9. he sheweth that God loued Iacob and hated Esau before they had done good

or euill and that he hath mercy me for works foreseene but because God hath mercy on whom he will haue mercy and hardeneth whom hee will He addeth that God did not call saue and glorifie Peter without consideration of his faith obedience and repentance nor condemne Judas without respect to his sinne but this is the gaggling of a Goose to no purpose For the quaestio●●s of election and reprobation and not of saluation and damnation of which damnation is for euill workes and saluation followeth worckes although not the merit of works That our will and works goe not before election the Apostle declareth Rom. 9. Jt is not in him that willeth saith the Apostle nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Ephes 1. He saith we are praedestinated in good workes which is a plaine 〈…〉 that good works are the eff 〈…〉 e causes of election Boldly also the Mountebanke auoucheth that our Church teacheth that a man truly iustified praedestinated may fal from grace proue not to be the child of God A most shamelesse slander against the whole Church of England that in the sixteenth Article by him pointed at doth neither speak of the falling away of the truly iustified or of such as are praedestinated Nay contrary in the seuenteenth Article our Church determineth first that the decree of praedestination was before the foundation of the world was laid and secondly that the same was constantly decreed We enter not into search of Gods secrets as he doth charge vs but only learne what God hath reuealed vnto vs in his word what the Apostle teacheth all of vs. And this we may doe without danger but to contest with God and to deny what the Apostle teacheth as the Mountebanke doth is not only dangerous but also impious That the doctrine of Gods absolute decree concerning praedestination to life without respect to mens works is desperate no man that is pious and learned will affirme for it is the doctrine of the Apostle of the Church and most learned Diuines only such desperate Papists and Arminians as this desperate Mountebanke declareth himselfe to be desperatly auouch vntruth But shall we heare the profundity of this Mountebankes learning concerning praedestination Listen then first he saith whatsoeuer God willeth commeth to passe A profound piece of worke which euery naturall man vnderstandeth and yet this naturall by consequence denieth that they are all saued whom God willeth and decreeth shall be saued He doth also contradict himselfe promising before that he would not meddle with the execution of Gods purpose 2. He pitcheth vpon creation and saith it goeth necessarily before praedestination a doctrine most false impious The Apostle Eph. 1. saith God hath chosen vs in Christ ante mundi constitutionem that is before the creation The Church of England likevvise Art 17. speaking of praedestination saith it is Gods euerlasting purpose before the foundations of the world were laid He should therefore if he cast off all piety yet remember his subscription to the Articles of our Religion of which he so oft talketh Thirdly he saith that all being in the masse of perdition God stretched out deliuerance in a Mediatour the man Iesus Christ and drew ehem out that tooke hold of mercy leauing them that would none of him But first the Mountebanke forgetteth what he hath in hand that is Gods aeternall decree before the world of sauing the elect and speaketh of the execution of the decree of which formerly he made promise to say nothing Next he maketh mans will to goe before election and to be the cause of our saluation and not Gods election which is the prime cause of it The foundation of God remaineth firme and hath this seale saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 2. God knoweth who are his Thirdly he contradicteth the Apostle Romans 9. who maketh Gods will to be the cause of our election and not our will apprehending Gods mercy 4. He saith nothing of faith obedience and works foreseene which notwithstanding his consorts make to be causes of election This is enough saith the Appellant to free God from being the Author of sinne As if God by the Apostle were not freed frō this wicked imputation albeit he did chuse men before the foūdation of the world did elect or reiect according to the purpose of his wil or men did not sinne willingly albeit he did elect some and reiect others Further if God did draw out such as would lay hold of his mercy and damned the rest yet seeing he knew all things before and decreed hovv all things should be God by the inference of this Mountebanke should be the Authour of sin and damnation for it And if this be fate then is the Mountebanke a teacher not only of fate but also of much fatuity making man to be the cause of his ovvne saluation and God the Author of mans damnation vvhich he vvould impute to others Justine Martyr in his Apology speaketh against fate as he saith and so doe vve But if election and reprobation inferre fate as he praetendeth then is this fatall Mountebanke a teacher of fate not daring to deny Gods aeternal decree of election and reprobation according to his owne purpose and wil. Fulgentius ad Monimū saith iustice cannot be iustice if God be said not to find men vniust but to make them vniust As if any of vs held that God made man vniust or as if this did follow of Gods decree of reprobation He addeth that God doth praedestinate none to sin But the man hath lost both shame wit if he say that Caluin taught that man is praedestinated to sinne Going about to define fate the Mountebanke saith it is this that they that chuse the better part should receiue worthy rewards and that they that doe euill should receiue contrary rewards But fate is not only in receiuing rewards but in the disposition of things by a concatenation of ineuitable causes But if it be fate that men should receiue rewardes according to workes then is this talker of fate chained with the bonds of fate teaching as others doe rewards to be giuen according to works Tortullian de spectac cap. 2 denieth that God created his works to their destruction and saith that the cause of damnation is mens peruerse administration which we also confesse And yet election and reprobation is not for workes foreseene as the Popish Mountebanke would haue it With Clement also of Alexandria we deny that God is cause of euill and reason taught heathen men so to say And yet if this Mountebanke should praesume to say that God set him on to make this blind Appeale he should vndoubtedly hold that God is cause of euill Ecclesiastes chap. 7. saith God made man right but he busied himselfe with many quastions as this Mountebanke doth Nazianzen orat 42. saith we were made to be well and happy and Basil in a certaine Homily proueth that God is not the Author of euill As if it