Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	good_a	great_a	true_a	2,848	5	3.8360	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42231	Hugo Grotius, Of the government and rites of the ancient church, conciliation of grace and free will, certainty and assurance of salvation, government of the highest powers in church affairs in a letter to the states embassador.	Grotius, Hugo, 1583-1645.; Barksdale, Clement, 1609-1687.	1675 (1675)	Wing G2118; ESTC R34449	21,440	54

HVGO GROTIVS OF THE Government and Rites of the Antient Church Conciliation of Grace and Free-will Certainty and Assurance of Salvation Government of the Highest Powers in Church-affairs In a LETTER To the States Embassador LONDON Printed for the Tr●●●lator 1675. Gerardus Vossius de Idol 1. 36. The most illustrious Hugo Grotius greater then all praise Dr. Casaubon I have always admired the wit and judgment of Grotius and have had a peculiar veneration for his writings Lege p●● ult exspired To the Right Honourable Sir ROBERT VINER Lord Maior of London My Lord In remembrance of your worthy Brother our late Dean of Gloucester I offer your Lordship these brief Discourses In his Study I first met with that useful Collection of Ecclesiastical Epistles where this is exstant At his House under his favour first came I into your knowledge Now after his decease his Name dear still to us who once enjoyed his learned generous and obliging Converse will add some Grace unto these Papers in your Eye and your Name my Lord worthily advanced to your high Office will make them acceptable to some of this great people under your Government I heartily wish we may all Translate into our minds the sedate and pacific temper of this Author A man above my Praise Whose Writings as it was said in the last Age of his Country-man the great Erasmus are the delight of our learned World If any Reader please to dissent from the Opinion of the excellent Grotius he may but then he ought not to be displeased if another dissent from him A difference in some Questions may well consist with Christian Charity The encrease of this rare virtue is the Design both of the Author and the Translator God Almighty grant your Lordship a year of peace that you may see the State and Church-affairs to flourish and Pious men who now go under several new to close in one and that the old and best Denomination Your Lordships faithful Servant Cl. Barksdale A Letter of HUGO GROTIUS To the States Embassador IN FRANCE Touching the Government and Rites of the Antient Church the Conciliation of Grace and Free-will the Government of the Highest Powers in Church-affairs SIR Consulting with my self about an Answer to the Writing of the famous Molinaeus I return unto this Epistolar office for some time intermitted If I should say nothing I should injure the truer opinions concerning the rites and government of the antient Church the Conciliation of Grace and Free-will the government of the highest Powers in affairs Ecclesiastical All which either by reason of his haste into England or because his exact care of other controversies gave him no leisure to consider of these were not handled by Molinaeus according to his usual learning Truly I am not glad he read that part of my letter wherein I did with some freedom touch the maladies of the Gallican Churches for there are few that can patiently endure the handling of their Ulcers Being offended herewith he does me great injury in answering so as if I disswaded the nearer union of the Protestant Churches when as I have many years had the same wishes with him and cease ●ot to do all the service I can to that end But from your Epistle most Noble Sir what I writ had its rise wherein you signified the English Embassador gave small hope of promoting that business Hence I took occasion to search after the causes which might hinder so good a design God grant my Conjectures be not true Whether the reformed French have so much reverence for the highest Powers as the English these very times I fear will give too great an evidence The King of Great Britain long since hath declared his judgment that the too near equality of Church-men will not consist with due obedience and he hath been often heard to say No Bishop No King That in England there is more respect given to the antient Church then in France I wonder any man will deny In the Canons of the Anglican church written in the year 1571 I find this The preachers shall have a special care that they deliver nothing in their Sermons but what is agreeable to the old and new Testament and which the Catholick Fathers and old Bishops have collected t●ence I much doubt ●hether the French ministers will receive this law Touching Rites I am sure the English Liturgy the imposition of hands at Confirmation of baptized children the authority of Bishops Convocation of Priests alone and many like things agree well with the institutes of the more antient Church from which things we must needs confess in France and Belgium they have receded That He hath a better esteem of Bishops and Confirmation I rejoyce but he is not ignorant that some of his acquaintance call the one a device of Satan the other a note of Antichrist a sort of men great enemies to the Churches peace True it is which Molinaeus affirms peace may consist with different rites and disciplin but then great care must be had that they prefer not their own too much above others especially things lately invented above those which are received from antiquity Molinaeus imagins I meant cunningly to engage him in the Belgic controversies but I can religiously protest I had no other purpose but by your mediation to get the assistance of his Councel for my self and others toward the making of peace For having formerly seen another writing of his concerning concord to be made between protestants the Lutherans also included in which he clearly professeth that many questions not necessary to salvation are to be laid aside and namely those moved by Arminius of predestination of freewill and of perseverance I verily thought he would propose such a form of doctrin therein as not to condemn the opinion which I will not say Arminius but Melanchthon liked best He does indeed propose some Theses which he saith agree with the doctrin of Austin Prosper Fulgentius and the Arausican Council But they that differ from Molinaeus will ask why the Authority of Austin must be greater then of all the Fathers who lived in the elder and the purer times i e within 400 years after the birth of Christ From whom what we have received the King of Great Britain doth profess he will never condemn and very many of us are of the same mind Now all they nearest to the Apostles Age and their successors many of them both Bishops and Martyrs held Gods purpose and predestination according to prescience that he made some vessels of honor some of dishonor because he fore-saw the end of every one and fore knew their will and deed under the aid of Grace as their Books do testify and Prosper doth in plain words confess This is the constant judgment of those Fathers that the will is free in beleiving yet not without the aid of divine Grace As to the Arausican Council there is not any thing at all touching the question of predestination

any one living in the most remote parts of the World do make good use of the first Grace whether God will send a Preacher to him or an Angel Suppose the Answer be affirmative I know not how it can be refuted For the hand of the Lord is not shortned But he saith it never comes to pass How knows he that Because we read it not As if we had the Histories of those Nations or if we had the things befalling every particular person as the sending of an Angel were wont to be related in Histories when they use not often to come to the knowledge no not of the next neighbours And I see not how this can be deny'd to happen Did not God appear to Abraham living amongst the Chaldeans Did he not appear to Abimelech If you say these did not make a right use of common gifts I ask a reason why we should believe God would shew his power less to such as do make that use than to such as do not Have not the Prophets have not the Apostles preached the Word to many Nations wherein were some persons if not well using certainly less contumaciously abusing common gifts To Cornelius the Centurion praying and giving Alms which by Grace one may do who does not yet believe in Christ as Austin expresly saith of Cornelius there is sent both an Angel and an Apostle Who can assure us God is less willing now to do so or less able Indeed Cornelius was already endued with the spirit of the Law delivered by Moses But 't is confest the Law written in the hearts of men and the Law of Moses differ only in the manner of delivery and the degree of clearness not in substance wherefore also this Law the spirit is ready to assist calling to repentance and I see not how he may be refelled who believes God will cumulate the use of this gift with greater according to that general sentence Whosoever hath i. makes use of former gifts to him shall be given i greater gifts shall be granted Neither is he guilty of a new opinion who thinks so of the Divine Goodness For 't is the saying of Prosper There have been and are gifts of this sort so general that by their evidence men might be further'd in seeking the true God unto which gifts in all Ages witnessing the Author the bounty of special Grace hath been superadded And Austin saith 'T is not reckon'd to thee as a fault that thou art ignorant against thy will but that thou dost neglect to seek after that whereof thou art ignorant nor that thou dost not close up thy wounds but that thou contemnest him who is willing to heal them Bullinger saith No Nation wanted true Religion if they would have used it Musculus They have knowledge fit to lead them to the true worship of God and would lead them did they not binder it by their Idolatry Mattyr The Heathens were inexcusable because they performed not what was within their power And after all if one had a mind to maintain that the Apostolical Preaching came unto all the Nations of the World and the footsteps thereof are not wholly worn out no not among the Indians and Tartarians arguments would not be wanting and such as are of moment But this would be a Question rather Historical then Theological Merit of Congruity as the Papists call it is very justly condemned by Molinaeus but I suppose he includes not in that name this opinion That it is congruous or agreeable unto the Divine will without merit to confer upon a man greater gifts who uses former gifis even before faith as well as he can For this opinion wholly excludeth merit I. Because that very use is not from the strength of nature but from the strength given by prevenient Grace to one not only meriting no good but all evil 2. Because not the worthiness of mans act obtains the greater benefit but the undeserved bounty of God affords it Grace for Grace 3. Because this is the nature of merit that whatsoever is given in the way of merit merit is the cause thereof and for that reason it is given otherwise not given But now the Preaching of the Gospel and the gifts attending on it happen to very many who have foully abused former gifts so that an adequat rule of this concession cannot be taken from the use of former Grace And this is mainly urged by the Fathers to shew that the Grace of the Gospel is not given because of merit For that which without any precedent obligation without any discriminating sign is common to him who rightly useth former gifts and to him that does not that must needs be a pure and mere gift as well in the one sort as in the other That Free will hath no strength from nature unto spiritual good that Grace is efficacious i. actu secundo to give not to resist and to will it self that our salvation is wholly of Divine gift that when we follow God calling we owe it to the Grace of God and in other things which are well said by Molinaeus to the honor of Grace I am of his mind They are all without controversy amongst the Protestants But though a man not yet regenerate be able to do no spiritual work i. truly and properly such though no man without faith can please God i. to Justification yet does it not follow hence that a man excited by prevenient Grace not at present regenerate cannot by the power of that Grace do something which the Divine Goodness may accept of so far as to carry on the doer to that Grace without which he cannot be justified Wherefore whereas Molinaeus saith It is impious to hold any degree of sufficient Grace without faith in Christ 't is very true if you understand Grace immediately sufficient unto salvation or remission of sins And yet Prosper is not to be accus'd nor they that with Prosper affirm The more general Grace preceding faith is sufficient to a remedy understanding a remote sufficiency because that Grace is apt to lead one by the hand as 't were to further Graces and by Gods order is sufficient to that purpose So likewise I conceive it is not to be denied that before faith it self there do in some precede certain Dispositions effected doubtless by virtu of Grace prevenient which are not found in other men For when Christ saith Job 7.17 If any one will do the will of my Father be shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God He plainly setteth an obedient temper of mind precedent to faith it self So are some persons said to be not far from the Kingdom of heaven Marc. 12.37 to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well disposed to the Kingdom of God Lu. 9.62 to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a more generous nature Act. 17.11 And this affection being the effect of Grace some do apply here that text Act. 13.48 where 't is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the well