Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	ghost_n	holy_a	spirit_n	3,926	5	5.5026	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62632	Several discourses viz. Of the great duties of natural religion. Instituted religion not intended to undermine natural. Christianity not destructive; but perfective of the law of Moses. The nature and necessity of regeneration. The danger of all known sin. Knowledge and practice necessary in religion. The sins of men not chargeable on God. By the most reverend Dr. John Tillotson, late lord arch-bishop of Canterbury. Being the fourth volume; published from the originals, by Ralph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his Grace.	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708.; White, Robert, 1600-1690, engraver.	1697 (1697)	Wing T1261A; ESTC R221745	169,748	495

and turn to God and who says we can of our selves do this besides the Pelagians We affirm the necessity of God's grace hereto and withall the necessity of our co-operating with the grace of God We say that without the powerful excitation and aid of God's grace no Man can Repent and turn to God but we say likewise that God cannot be properly said to aid and assist those who do nothing themselves But Men can do more than they do and therefore are justly Condemned Not in the work of Conversion sure if they can do nothing at all But they can do more by way of preparation towards it Suppose they do all they can towards it will this save them or will God upon this irresistibly work their Conversion No they say notwithstanding any preparatory work that we can do Conversion may not follow how then does this mend the matter But still they say the fault is in Men's want of will and not of power You will not come unto me that ye might have life But can they will to come No that they cannot neither Why then it is still want of power that hinders them The offer of Life is a very gracious offer to them that are guilty and liable to death as we all are but not if the Condition be utterly impossible to us tho' the impossibility springs from our own fault as I will plainly shew by a fair instance A Prince offers a Pardon to a Traytor fast lockt in Chains if he will come to him and submit himself but if he be still detained in Chains and the Prince do not some way or other help him to his Liberty 't is so far from being a favour to offer him a Pardon upon these terms that it is a cruel derision of his misery to say to him you will not come to me that you may be pardon'd and this notwithstanding that his being cast into Chains was the effect of his own Crime and Fault the application is obvious I should now proceed to answer an Objection or two and then to give a clear state of this Matter so as is most agreeable to Scripture and the Attributes and Perfections of God but this I shall reserve for another Discourse SERMON VII Of the Nature of Regeneration and its Necessity in order to Justification and Salvation GALAT. VI. 15. For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but a new Creature THE Point which I am upon from these words is that according to the terms of the Gospel nothing will avail to our Justification but the real renovation of our Hearts and Lives For the full explication of this I propounded to shew First What is implied in this expression of the new Creature Secondly That this is the great Condition of our justification and acceptance with God Thirdly That it is highly Reasonable that this should be the Condition of our Justification In speaking to the first of these I have shewed 1 st What this Metaphor doth certainly import and 2 dly That it doth not import what some would extend it to whereon to found such Doctrines as these First That as the Creation was an irresistible act of the Divine Power so is this new Creation or the Conversion of a Sinner Secondly As Creatures were meerly passive in their being made and contributed nothing at all to it no more do we in our Conversion and Regeneration Thirdly That as the Creation of the several Kinds and Ranks of Creatures was effected in an instant by the powerful Word of God saying let such and such things be and immediately they were so this new Creation is in an instant and admits of no degrees The first of these I have consider'd and enter'd upon the second namely that as the Creatures were meerly passive in their being made and contributed nothing at all thereto no more do we in our Conversion and Regeneration This I told you does plainly make void all the Precepts and Exhortations and all the Promises and Threatnings of Scripture to argue and perswade Men to Repentance That which remains to be done upon this Argument is First To answer an Objection or two which are commonly urged by the Assertors of this Doctrine that we are meerly passive in the work of Conversion Secondly To give a clear state of this Matter so as is most agreeable to Scripture and the Attributes and Perfections of God For the First The Objections are these three 1. That if we be not meerly passive in the work of Regeneration and Conversion we ascribe the whole glory of this work to our selves and not to God Or 2 dly We do however extenuate or lessen the grace of God if there be any active Concurrence and Endeavours of our own towards this Change 3 dly They ask St. Paul's question Who maketh thee to differ and think it impossible to be answer'd if the efficacy of God's grace to depend upon our concurrence and compliance with it These are all the Material Objections I know to every one of which I hope to give a very clear and sufficient Answer 1. Objection If we be not meerly passive in the Work of Regeneration and Conversion we ascribe the whole glory of this work to our selves and not to God But that I certainly know this Objection is commonly made and have seen it in very Considerable Authors I could not believe that Men of so good sense could make it For this is to say that if we do any thing in this work tho' we acknowledge that what we do in it we do by the assistance of God's grace we ascribe it wholly to our selves and rob God altogether of the glory of his grace or in plainer terms it is to say that tho' we say God does never so much and we but very little in this work yet if we do not say that God does all and we nothing at all we take the whole work to our selves and say God does nothing at all which let any one that considers what we ●ay judge whether we say so or no. The Scripture which never robs God of the glory of his grace does I'm sure ascribe our Conversion and Repentance our Regeneration and Sanctification to several Causes To the Holy Spirit of God to his Ministers to his Word and to our selves To the Holy Spirit of God as the principal Author and Efficient Hence we are said to be born of the Spirit to be sanctified by the renewing of the Holy Ghost To the Ministers of God as the Instruments of our Conversion Hence they are said to turn Men to Righteousness to Convert a Sinner from the evil of his ways to save Souls from death to save themselves and them that hear them to be our Spiritual Fathers and to beget us in Christ To the word of God as the subordinate Means and Instruments of our Conversion Hence we are said to be begotten by the word of truth to be sanctified by the truth And lastly

Metaphor this third Doctrine follows well enough from them for it is agreeable enough that that which is effected by an irresistible act of Omnipotence without any concurrence or operation on our part should be done in an instant and all at once Not that this is necessary but that it is reasonable for why should Omnipotence use delays and take time and proceed by degrees in the doing of that which with the same ease it can do at once and in an instant especially considering how well this suits with the other Metaphors of Scripture as well as with this of a new Creation viz. the Metaphor of Regeneration and Resurrection A Child is born at once and the Dead shall be raised in a moment in the twinkling of an eye But notwithstanding all this plausible appearance and Conspiracy of Metaphors I shall shew that this Doctrine of the Conversion and Regeneration of a Sinner being effected in an instant and all at once is not well grounded either upon Scripture or Experience Not but that God can do so if he pleaseth and works this Change in some much sooner and quicker than in others but there is nothing either in Scripture or Experience to perswade us that this is the usual much less the constant and unalterable Method of God's grace in the Conversion of a Sinner to bring it about in an instant without any sensible steps and degrees But for the full clearing of this Matter I shall proceed by these steps First I shall shew upon what mistaken Grounds and Principles this Doctrine relies besides the Metaphors already mention'd which I have shewn to be of no force to prove the thing Secondly I shall plainly shew what Regeneration is by which it will appear that it is not necessarily effected in an instant and at once but admits of degrees Thirdly That it is evidently so in experience of the ordinary Methods of God's grace both in those who are Regenerated by a Pious and Religious Education and in those who are reclaimed from a vitious Course of Life Fourthly That all this is very consonant and agreeable to what the Scripture plainly and constantly declares concerning it First I shall discover several Mistakes upon which this Doctrine is grounded besides the Metaphors already mention'd and which I have shewn to be of no force to prove the thing viz. That Regeneration is in an instant and admits of no degrees As 1. That Regeneration and Sanctification are not only different Expressions but do signifie two things really different But this is a gross mistake for Regeneration and Sanctification are but different expressions of the self self same thing for Regeneration is a Metaphor which the Scrip●ure useth to express our translation and change from one state to another from a state of Sin and Wickedness to a state of Grace and Holiness as if we were born over again and were the Children of another Father and from being the Children of the Devil did become the Children of God and Sanctification is our being made Holy our being purified and cleansed from Sin and impurity And hence it is that Regeneration and Sanctification are attributed to the same Causes Principal and Instrumental to the Spirit of God and to the word of God we are said to be born again of the Spirit and to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost to be begotten of the word of truth and to be sanctified by the truth which is the word of God So that the Scripture speaks of them as the same thing and they must needs be so for if Sanctification be the making of us Holy and Regeneration make us Holy then Regeneration is Sanctification 2. It is said that Regeneration only signifies our first entrance into this state and Sanctification our progress and continuance in it But this likewise is a great Mistake For tho' it be true that Regeneration doth signifie our first entrance into this state yet it is not true that it only signifies that for it is used likewise in Scripture to signifie our continuance in that state for Christians are said to be the Children of God and consequently in a regenerate state not only in the instant of this Change but during their continuance in it Besides that our first Change is as well call'd our Sanctification as our Progress and Continuance in a state of Holiness So that neither in this is there any difference between Regeneration and Sanctification They do both of them signifie both our first entrance into an Holy state and our continuance and progress in it ' tho' Regeneration do more frequently denote the making of this Change and our first entrance into it 3. It is said that one of the main Differences between Regeneration and Sanctification is this that Regeneration is incapable of degrees and all that are Regenerate are equally so and one Regenerate Person is not more or less Regenerate than another whereas Sanctification is a gradual progress from one degree of Holiness to another and of ●hem that are truly Sanctified and Holy one may be more Sanctified and more Holy than another But this likewise is a meer fancy and imagination without any real ground For as an unregenerate state does plainly admit of degrees so likewise doth the regenerate and for the same Reason That an unregenerate state admits of degrees is evident in that some unregenerate Persons are more wicked than others and thereby more the Children of wrath and the Devil than others which are the Scripture expressions concerning the degrees of Mens Wickedness and Impi●ty In like manner they that are more Holy and more like God are more the Children of God and to be more a Child of God is surely to be more regenerate that is more renewed after the Image of God which consists in Righteousness and true Holiness So that it is a meer precarious assertion and evidently false to affirm that Regeneration doth not admit of degrees and that one is not more Regenerate than another 4 thly and lastly They ground this Conceit upon the Doctrine of the Schools which teach that in Regeneration and Conversion all the habits of grace are infused simul semel together and at once I confess I have no regard much less a veneration for the Doctrine of the Schools where it differs from that of the Holy Scriptures which says not one word of infused habits which yet are much talk'd of in Divinity and to speak the truth these words serve only to obscure the thing For to say that in Conversion the habits of all graces and virtues are infused together and at once is to say that in an instant Men that were vicious before in several kinds are by an Omnipotent act of God's grace and by a new Principle infused into them endued with the habits of the contra●y Graces and Virtues and are as Chast and Temperate and Just and Meek and Humble as if by the frequent practice of these Virtues they had become so That

to our selves as concurring some way or other to this work Hence we are said to believe and repent to turn from our evil ways and to turn to the Lord to cleanse and purifie our selves Hence likewise are those frequent Commands in Scripture to amend our ways and doings to wash our hearts from wickedness to repent and turn our selves and to make our selves new Hearts and new Spirits So that all these Causes the Spirit of God his Ministers his Word and we our selves do all some way or other concur and contribute to this Effect God indeed is the Principal and hath so great an hand in this Work from beginning to end that all the rest are nothing in Comparison and we do well to ascribe to him the whole glory of it that no Flesh may glory in his sight But nevertheless in strictness of speech sufficiently warranted by Scripture the Ministers of God and the Word of God and we our selves do all co-operate some way or other to our Conversion and Regeneration and by ascribing to any of these such parts as they truly have in this work God is not robbed of any part of the glory of his grace much less of the whole Much less is it the ascribing it all to our selves whom we affirm to have the least part in it not worthy to be mention'd in Comparison of the riches of God's grace towards us And yet unless we do something what can be the meaning of making our selves new hearts and new spirits Is it only that we should be passive to the irresistible operation's of God's grace that is that we should not hinder what we can neither hinder nor promote that we should so demean our selves as of necessity we must whether we will or no. So then to make our selves new hearts and new spirits is to do nothing at all towards the hinderance or furtherance of this work and if this be th● meaning of it it is a Precept and E●hortation just as fit for Stones as for Men that is very improper for either 2. Objection But however we do extenuate and lessen the grace of God if there be any active concurrence and endeavours on our part towards this Change For answer to this three things deserve to be consider'd First It is very well worthy our Consideration that they who make this Objection have the confidence to pretend that they do not d●minish the grace of God by confining it to a very small part of Mankind in Comparison nay they will needs face us down that by this very thing they do very much exalt and magnifie it and that the grace of God is so much the greater by how much the fewer they are that are partakers of it But I hope they only mean that the grace is greater to themselves in which conceit there is commonly as much of envy as gratitude but surely they cannot mean that the grace which is limited to a few is greater in it self and upon the whole matter than that which is extended to a great many it being a down-right Contradiction to say that the grace of God is magnified by being confined For at this rate of Reasoning the lesser it is the greater it must be and by undeniable consequence would be greatest of all if it were none at all So that it seems the grace of God may be extenuated in favour of our selves but when we do so we must say we magnifie it Secondly But to come close to the Objection tho' it be true that if God's grace in our Conversion do not do all it does not do so much as if it did all yet this is really no injury or dishonour to the grace of God and tho' in some sense it doth extenuate it it doth not in truth and reality take off from the glory of it In my Opinion the grace and favour of a Prince is not the less in offering a Pardon to a Traytor who puts forth his hand and gladly receives it than if he forc'd it upon him whether he would or no. I am sure it is in the first Case much fitter to give it and he on whom it is conferr'd much better qualified to receive it 'T is no disparagement to a Prince's Favour that it is bestow'd on one who is in some measure qualified to receive it But be it more or less in one Case than the other this is certain that in both Cases the Man ows his Life to the great grace and goodness of his Prince and I cannot see how it lessens the grace that the miserable Object of it the guilty and condemned Person was either by his humble submission or thankful acceptance of it in some degree better qualified to receive such a Favour than an obstinate Refuser of it Thirdly Which is the Principal Consideration of all we must take great heed that while we endeavour to make God to do all in the Conversion of Sinners we do not by this means charge upon him the ruine and destruction of impenitent Sinners which I doubt we should do if we make the Reason of their impenitency and ruine their utter impotency and disability to Repent and we certainly make this the Reason of their impenitency and ruine if there be no other difference but this between penitent and impenitent Sinners namely that in the one God works Repentance by an irresistible act of his Power so that he cannot but Repent and denys this grace to the other without which he cannot possibly Repent But the Scripture chargeth the destruction of Men upon themselves and lays their impenitency at their own door Oh Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help Hosea 13. 9. But where is the help when the grace absolutely necessary to Repentance is denied And how is their destruction of themselves if it is unavoidable let them do what they can Isa 5. 3 4. God appeals to his People Israel that nothing was wanting on his part that was fit and necessary to be done that they might bring forth the fruits of Repentance and better Obedience And now O Inhabitants of Jerusalem and Men of Judah judge I pray you between me and my Vineyard what could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wild grapes Is it true that God hath done all that was necessary to have brought them to Repentance Then if irresistible grace be necessary he afforded them that but that was not afforded them because then they must unavoidably have Repented and there had been no cause for this Complaint If he did not afford it but only the outward means of Repentance without the inward grace as some say then it is easie to judge why they did not Repent Because they could not and there seems to be no Cause either of Wonder or Complaint Besides that it will be hard to justifie that Saying What could I have done more