Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	father_n	ghost_n	son_n	4,633	5	6.0871	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17144	An apologie for religion, or an answere to an vnlearned and slanderous pamphlet intituled: Certaine articles, or forcible reasons discouering the palpable absurdities, and most notorious errors of the Protestants religion, pretended to be printed at Antwerpe 1600. By Edvvard Bulkley Doctor of Diuinitie	Bulkley, Edward, d. 1621?; Wright, Thomas, d. 1624. Certaine articles or forcible reasons.	1602 (1602)	STC 4025; ESTC S106873	145,731	186

penance consisting in shriuing to a Priest receiuing absolution frō him doing some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wil worshippings appointed by him we allow not but true repentance which consisteth in vnfained sorrow for sinne earnest confession with remorse of conscience both to God and man offended and a true reformation and amendment of life we allow and commend and doe iudge that we can do nothing acceptable to God which proceedeth not from this true repentance The third thing whereby you would proue that we denie this article of remission of sinnes which you say exceedeth all in absurditie is that we denie that our sins are perfectly forgiuen but only not imputed as it were veiled or couered with the passion of Christ c. Wherunto I answer that you here bring an absurd distinction For what difference is there betweene forgiuing not imputing and couering and hiding of sinne Surely it seemeth that Dauid could find no such ods betwixt them as you dreame of whose words be these Blessed is he whose wickednesse is forgiuen and whose sinne is couered Blessed is the man vnto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquitie and in whose spirit there is no guile Doth not Dauid here take these all for one attribute blessednes alike to euery one of thē Whē S. Paul saith God was in Christ and recōciled the world to himself not imputing their sins vnto them what doth he meane by not imputing of sin but forgiuing of sin Primasius expoundeth it thus Non reputans illis delicta ipsorum hoc est indulgens per solam fidem quae gratis donata est i. Not imputing to them their sinnes that is to say pardoning them by only faith which is freely giuen And whereas you so much extenuate Not imputing and make it not so much as Forgiuing Chrysostome a man of greater iudgement then you affirmeth the contrarie and maketh not imputing greater then forgiuing in these words Attamen cùm tanta sint nostra peccata non solum non exposcit poenam sed conciliatus est non solùm dimisit sed neque imputauit c. that is But whereas our sinnes be so great he doth not only not require punishment but also is reconciled with vs and not onely hath forgiuen but hath not so much as imputed our sins to vs. Bernard thinketh not basely of not imputing as you do his sweete words be these Sufficit mihi ad omnem iustitiam solum habere propitium cui soli peccaui Omne quod mihi ipse non imputare decreuerit sic est quasinon fuerit Non peccare Dei iustitia est hominis iustitia indulgentia Dei that is It is sufficient for me vnto all righteousnesse to haue him mercifull against whom onely I haue sinned whatsoeuer he hath determined not to impute vnto me is so as though it had neuer beene Not to sinne is the iustice of God mans iustice is Gods mercie Bernard here saith that the not imputing of our sins vnto vs is as much as though they had neuer beene committed And will you say that notwithstanding the not imputing of them yet their botches biles filth and abomination remaine still exhaling a most pestiferous sent in the sight of God Is not the sweet smelling sacrifice of Iesus Christ able so to perfume them and vs that we and all our actions may be sweet and acceptable in the sight of God And if the robe which the Father put vpon his prodigall sonne could so hide all his ragges that he was deare in his fathers eyes cannot the robe of Christs righteousnesse so couer and hide all our ragges yea our botches and biles that we may bee deare and precious in the sight of God our heauenly and most mercifull father And if those that had the mariage garment vpon them were admitted to the mariage without regard what the said garment couered shall not we hauing the mariage garment of Christs righteousnes be acpted to the mariage of the Lambe notwithstanding all the botches and biles which it couereth Yet we doe not say that we can couer or hide all our sinnes from the piereing eyes of God but this we say that euen God himselfe doth hide them with this robe of Christs righteousnesse and looking on vs in the face of Iesus Christ his Sonne doth accept vs his members for such as Iesus Christ himselfe is And do you not think that that which God hideth is well hid and shall neuer come to light Dauid saith of God Thou hast forgiuen the iniquitie of thy people and couered all their sinnes Doth not Dauid here take forgiuenesse and hiding both for one And therefore this your distinction betwixt perfect forgiuing and not imputing couering is as substantiall a one as that is of your blind and barbarous Schooleman Richardus de Sancto Victore Christus potuit dimittere peccata nos verò non possumus dimittere peccata sed tantum remittere As great difference as there is betwixt dimittere and remittere so much there is betwixt forgiuing not imputing and couering of sin This is as Erasmus saith Frigidissimis distinctionibus omnia confundere that is with friuolous distinctions to confound all things And this much for this Article of the Creede which you do as foolishly proue as you falsly affirm that wee denie it Now I come to the fourth Article that you say the Puritanes in effect denie which is no lesse then Christ to bee the Sonne of God But who bee these Puritanes that bee thus grieuously charged what are their names why be not their bookes named and sayings produced These things ought to haue beene done if you had beene disposed rather ratiocinari quā calumniari that is to reason then to raile and slaunder But to this your malicious and false accusation I wil first oppose the true confession of faith concerning this article whereunto all the reformed Churches whereof I haue either heard or read do assent and agree We beleeue and acknowledge one onely God who is one onely and simple essence spirituall eternall inuisible immutable infinite incomprehensible almightie most wise good iust and mercifull and that in that one and simple diuine essence there be three persons subsisting the Father the Son and the holy Ghost The Father the first cause in order and the beginning of all things the Sonne his wisedome and euerlasting word the holy Ghost his true power and efficacie The Sonne begotten of the Father from euerlasting the holy Ghost from euerlasting proceeding from the Father and the Sonne which three persons are not confounded but distinct and yet not deuided but coëssentiall coëternall and coëquall If you mislike any thing in this confession confute it if you know any of vs that maintaine any diuers doctrine dissenting from this name them produce their sayings and quote the places But you say that these whom you terme puritanes peremptorily affirme that Christ is God of

God tempteth no man to euill and sinne but euery man is tempted when he is drawne away by his owne concupiscence and is intised and that euery good gift and euery perfect gift is from aboue and commeth downe from the Father of lightes with whom is no variablenes neither shadow of turning Whereby Saint Iames meaneth that God is in such sort good and so the giuer and author of good things that there is no change or alteration with him and therefore is the giuer of all good gifts and graces and neuer of any euill And we say with the Prophet Dauid Thou art not a God that loueth or willeth wickednes neither shall euill dwell with thee And with Saint Iohn God is light and in him is no darkenes And as there is no darkenes that is to say ignorance and wickednes in God so is he not the author thereof neither doth he commaund perswade vrge or impell vnto it Fulgentius saith Iniquit as igitur quia in Deo non est vtique ex Deo non est that is Because iniquitie is not in God therefore it is not of God These blasphemies we deny and desie neither doe Caluine or Beza in the places by him quoted or any where else affirme them What is it then that they say They say that there is nothing done by any neither vniuersally nor particularly but by the ordinance of God no not those things excepted which be euill and to be detested not in as much as they be ordained of God who is alwaies good and iust but in as much as they be done by the diuell and other wicked instruments So that we say that the power and prouidence of God who maketh the light to shine out of darkenesse doth so cooperate and worke with the euill actions of wicked men and doth so direct them to the execution of his holy ordinance and iust iudgements that the same as they be done and directed by God be pure and holy and as they be committed of man be wicked and abominable Iosephs brethren did wickedly and of malice sell him into Aegypt for a slaue yet Ioseph saith God sent me before you to preserue your posteritie in this land and to saue you by a great deliuerance Now then you sent not me hither but God who hath made me a father vnto Pharaoh And againe When ye thought euill against me God disposed it to good Here God did neither commaund perswade nor impell Iosephs brethren to sell and send him into Aegypt yet his omnipotent hand was in that action to turne it vnto good So when the Chaldeans and Sabeans tooke away Iobs Oxen and Camels and slew his Seruants they were vrged and impelled thereunto by the diuell yet Iob saith God hath giuen and God hath taken blessed be the name of God To this spoiling of Iobs goods God did not commaund perswade vrge or impell the Chaldeans and Sabeans yet the same was not done without his prouidence and ordinance who turned the same to his glorie in prouing and purging Iob in the furnace of affliction in making him a paterne of patience to all posteritie and in teaching men thereby not to iudge of men by outward afflictions and aduersities whereunto both the faithfull and wicked he subiect So in the examples here set downe the diuell put into the heart of Iudas to betray Christ and impelled the Iewes to crucifie him yet he was deliuered to them by the determinate counsell and foreknowledge of God to doe whatsoeuer the hand and counsell of God had determined before to heldone Thus these things which were done against the will of God were not done as Saint Augustine saith beside or without the will of God that is they were done against the commaundement and will of God reuealed in his word yet not without the eternall purpose counsell and decree of God And the same being most wickedlie committed by man God turned and directed them to the endlesse praise of his mercie and the eternall saluation of his elect So Saint Augustine saith Cum ergo pater tradiderit filium suum ipse Christus Corpus suum Iudas Dominum suum cur in hac traditione Deus est pius homo reus nisi in re vna quam fecerunt causa non vna est ob quam fecerunt that is Whereas both the Father gaue his sonne and Christ gaue his owne bodie and Iudas gaue or betrayed Christ why in this giuing is God holy and man guiltie but that in one thing which they did there was not one and the same cause wherefore they did it This is not to doe euill that good may come of it for all actions as they are of God are good and righteous For if a good tree cannot bring forth euill fruite as our Sauiour Christ saith how much lesse can God who is the author of all goodnes and euen goodnes it selfe bring forth euill actions Neither doth God directly or effectually intend the sins of men nor their danation but his own glorie which shineth not onely in the manifestation of his mercie towards the faithfull and godly but also in the declaration of his iustice against the wicked and reprobate The similitude of intending the burning of a shippe and consequently the death of them that be in it will not here hold For God as I haue said before doth intend neither the sinne nor perdition of man but his owne glorie and the execution of his iust iudgements Your owne Angelicall Doctor Thomas Aquinas to the like similitude of drowning a ship answereth thus Ad tertium dicendum quod subuer sio nauis attributur nautae vt causae ex eo quod non agit quod requiritur ad salutem nauis sed Deus non deficit ab agendo quodest necessarium ad salutem inde non est simile i. To the third wee say that the drowning of a ship is attributed to the Marriner as the cause there of because he doth not that which is requisite for the safetie of the ship but God faileth not from doing that which is necessarie vnto saluation whereupon this is not like So in burning a ship malice in man is the cause thereof but there is no malice in God neither doth he desire the death of him that dieth but the execution of his iustice Yet it is true which Augustine saith Deus operatur in cord bus hominum ad inclinandas voluntates eorum quocunque vult siue ad bona pro sua misericordia siue ad mala pro ipsorum meritis iudicio vtique aliquando aperto aliquando occulto semper autem iusto i. God worketh in the hearts of men to incline their wils to whatsoeuer he will either to good things by his mercie or to euill for their deserts by his iudgment which sometime is open and sometime secret but alwaies iust And which Fulgentius saith Deus licet auctor non sit