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	lord_n	sin_n	3,005	5	4.4939	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93437	The doome of heretiques: or, A discovery of subtle foxes, who were tyed tayle to tayle, and crept into the Church to doe mischiefe. As it was delivered in a sermon at Wickham-Market in Suffolke, upon the fast day, being the 26 of May. 1647. / By Zeph: Smyth, minister of Gods Word. Imprimatur, Ia: Cranford, August 22. 1648.	Smyth, Zeph. (Zephaniah), fl. 1646-1648.	1648 (1648)	Wing S4363; Thomason E467_7; ESTC R204204	27,627	23

a world but many thousands of worlds yet it was never intended by the Father in giving of his sonne to dye or by the Sonne in laying downe his life that the Reprobate should be saved or that Christs derth should frustrate Gods decree and therefore see how ineffectuall all the Ordinances of God are to the Reprobate the Lord hath ordained that by the foolishnesse of preaching he will save them that beleeve but the Word is a condemning letter to the Reprobate the savour of death unto death it makes their hearts far I pray see Iob. 12.37 38 39. Though he did many miracles before them yet they beleeved not that the saying of Isaias might be fulfilled Lord who hath beleeved our report they did not beleeve for Isaias saith who hath beleeved there are some are come under Gods decree and come under such scriptures so as they cannot beleeve they could not beleeve why so they were come under this saying of Isaias so that they could not there are some shall fulfill these Scriptures to their greater destruction and therefore in the 39. verse they could not beleeve for Isaias saith He hath blinded their eyes and hardeneth their hearts I pray marke they could not because Isaias saith now if you demand how God hardens their hearts and blindes their mindes I answer By punishing sinne with sinne giving them up to the hardnes of their hearts and blindnes of their mindes leaving them to themselves to go on in the way to destruction Next the causes of Reprobation are these the efficient moveing cause is Gods good will and pleasure to leave the sinner in that miserable estate into which he is fallen in Adam Mat. 11.26 Thou dost hide these things from the wise and understanding why for because it is his good will and pleasure so Rom. 9.18 He hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth and verse 21. hath not the Potter power of the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour are we not all in the hands of God as the clay is in the hands of the Potter may the Potter of the same piece of clay make one vessell for honour and another for dishonour and may not the Lord if he please therefore saith the Apostle in verse 22. What if God will shew his wrath so that the efficient cause is the good pleasure of his will Secondly The finall cause is the eternall glory of Gods Justice Prov. 16.4 He hath created all things for his glory and the wicked for the day of wrath for in inflicting eternall punishment upon the Reprobate he doth to eternity shew his severity against and hatred of sin And so I come in the next place to the proofe of the doctrine That God did of old ordaine some to condemnation it appeares a truth in the text so in Iohn 17.12 Of all that thou hast given me have I lost none but the child of perdition that the Scripture might be fulfilled I pray marke Iudases destruction was ordained God had decreed it from eternity so why did those stumble at Christ 1 Pet. 2.8 it was ordained they should doe so in Isa 30.33 Tophet is prepared of old it was ordained of old that some should perish for in Mat. 25. he shall say to them on his left hand Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for you Gods wrath is a prepared wrath it is prepared for the wicked now if wrath were prepared of old then the wicked who are the vessels of wrath were ordained to it of old therefore saith Iob The wicked are kept unto the day of destruction they shall be brought forth in the day of wrath Job 21.30 But here ariseth an Objection If God did ordaine men to condemnation he is the Author of it but God did ordaine some to condemnation ergo he is the Author of it Ans Although condemnation be of God foreseene and ordained yet none are condemned because God did foresee and appoint it but because the Reprobates themselves do such actions as procure damnation and so by their wicked actions they bring to passe the eternall counsell of God concerning their damnation Hosea 9.13 Oh Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in me is thy helpe as if the Lord should have said art thou destroyed thou mayest thanke thy selfe for it thou mayest say here is the effect of sin this misery and woe and damnation my sinne brings upon me God at the first made man righteous but he sought out many inventions Eccles 7.31 I pray observe man sought out so that it is men use such meanes as procure their condemnation they are causes of their owne ruine Ay but you will say God did did decree those actions as well as their destruction for those Actions for the Text saith God did ordaine that the wicked should stumble at Christ and he being the author not onely of the punishment but of the sinne also he is the Author of condemnation Ans We must make a distinction betweene sinne it selfe and the permission thereof it is one thing to be the author of sinne and another thing to permit sinne for as God did decree to passe by some of the lost race of Adam he did also decree to permit them to use such meanes as should bring to passe his decree so that Adams will was not forced by any violence of Gods purpose compelling him to consent but he of a voluntary free-will left God and hearkened to the devill so that it is true God did decree the permission of those actions and they in doing of those actions bring to passe Gods decree concerning their damnation and thus their destruction is of themselves Obj. But you will say God could have prevented those actions that procure our damnation if he would Ans First God was not bound to prevent it he was no more bound to keep Adam in the estate of innocency then he was bound to create him and set him in that estate Secondly After he had destroyed himselfe God was not bound to save him no more then he was bound to create him and therefore it is no lesse then blasphemy to say God is the Author of sin and condemnation because he permits sin and destroyes the creature for sinne when he is not bound to prevent it and it stands with his Justice to punish it Againe we must take notice that it is one thing to be the author of an action and another thing to be the Author of the evill of that action it is true God did decree that such actions should come to passe viz. that he would permit Adams fall and all other wicked actions but God is not the Author of the evill of those actions but the evill of these actions is from our selves and the misery that followes we bring upon our selves according to the Scripture expression Thou hast destroyed thy self Hosea 9.13 and man suffers for his sinne Lam. 3.39 Thus God did ordaine some