Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	lord_n	see_v	5,118	5	3.3465	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85389	Cretensis: or A briefe answer to an ulcerous treatise, lately published by Mr Thomas Edvvards, intituled Gangræna: calculated for the meridian of such passages in the said treatise, which relate to Mr. John Goodwin; but may without any sensible error indifferently serve for the whole tract. Wherein some of the best means for the cure of the said dangerous ulcer, called gangræna, and to prevent the spreading of it to the danger of the precious soules of men, are clearly opened, and effectually applied; / by the said John Goodvvin, a well-willer to the saints, in the work and patience of Jesus Christ. Published according to order.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.	1646 (1646)	Wing G1161; Thomason E328_22; ESTC R35707	46,594	52

monster strange and uncouth to behold The truth is that the passage he speaks of and over which he mourns finding it without the taile in my citation though he calls it a Sentence yet a sentence it is none having neither form feature nor any property of a sentence in it And in this my sentence and censure of it I refer my selfe to all those that have but their senses exercised in discerning between sensible and senselesse sayings Notwithstanding the man in his Preface is tumultuously importune for an answer to his Antapologie and calls all the speeches that have been given out by the Independents cōcerning an answer to it but meer flourishes and swelling words of vanity as if to talke of answering him were a swelling word of vanity a word of too much confidence to proceed from the mouth of a mortall man Yea in the very first page of his preface he vapours at an insufferable rate powring out contempt upon the poore Independents whom hee calls Dogges making himselfe or his Antapologie the Moone as if they were not onely not able to answer it but as if they knew not so much as which way to goe about to answer it as if they who mean to answer him had need to be furnished with other manner of parts learning knowledge wisdome then were any wayes requisite to answer all the Seraphicall disputants in the world besides Paul himselfe it seems with some others had given out some speeches of his coming to Corinth some while before he came And because through occasionall diversions his journey was for some considerable time deferred some in this Church that were obnoxious were puffed up it seems as if the bitternesse of death had been past and Paul never meant to come amongst them Some saith hee are puffed up as though I would not come unto you a But he cuts the comb of this their confidence in the next words by acquainting them with his resolution in that behalfe But saith he I will come unto you shortly if the Lord will and will know not the words of them which are puffed up but their power b Because an answer to his Antapologie hath been so much spoken of and through many interruptions following like the waves of the Sea one in the neck of another hath not yet been brought forth therfore the man is so far swoln puffed up with conceit as if the world were not wide enough to containe him But the answer which he calls for with so much fiercenesse of importunity will ere long if the Lord will be with him and the world shall know not what the words are for these are big enough known unto the world already but what the power is or weaknesse rather of the Antapologie There were some sonnes of Belial and yet sonnes of Confidence too among the Jewes in the dayes of the great provocation of that nation when the day of that soare judgement of the 70. yeares captivity drew neere and was even at the doores who it seems derided the predictions of the Prophets concerning the judgement and were so confident as to desire and call for that day of the Lord under which expression the Prophets of the Lord were wont to forewarn them of it as for a treasure But what saith the Prophet Amos to these Woe be to you that desire the day of the Lord to what end is it for you The day of the Lord is darknesse and not light c I verily beleeve that the Answer to Mr. Edwards Antapologie will not be for his honour in which respect he hath no great ground to be so restlesse or importunate in calling for it or to insult over those who have told him once and again that if the Lord will an answer shall be given him Whereas hee talks of his worthy peece being published 18. months since he supposeth it seems that men have little or nothing to doe but to attend the motions of his pen and to expedite and dispatch him out of hand Indeed if Independent Ministers had either the priviledge of ease to preach to the bare walls and pews in their meeting-places or that shamelesnesse of forehead to make the subject matter of their Sermons little else but loose and lying and frivolous reports and stories or virulent invectives against the Saints and servants of God with which kind of materiall this world and the God of this world together will be glad to furnish Preachers at a very low rate either of time or study for their building they might I confesse be men of more expedition in writing then they are and be as like the Tree spoken of in the Revelationa as Mr Edw. himselfe It is sufficiently knowne that since the 18 moneths Mr Edwards speaks of I have given some account unto the world and that by publique writing and this more then once twice or thrice besides my constant and standing labours with those who have committed themselves unto me in the Lord that I am not so loose or idly dispos'd as Mr. Edwards would insinuatingly perswade and possesse the world concerning me p. 73. And knowne also it is though somewhat more privately that I had given some further account in the same kind of my time spent within the said compasse of 18. moneths had not the way by which light and truth should goe forth into the world been hedg'd up by Clergie-Classique Counsels as with thornes against me But however I can hardly believe that Mr Edwards himselfe notwithstanding all the advantage of libertie and freedome from other ingagements which he had above other men tooke much lesse then 18. moneths time for the building and beautifying his Antapologie And who knows not how much more easie it is to be first in writing or to object then to answer according to the common saying in the Schooles Plura porest interrogare Asinus quàm respondere Aristoteles i. An asse may soone aske more questions then Aristotle be able to answer In the latter part of his Preface he arms himselfe with constancie and heroique resolution to triumph and rejoyce in what he shall suffer in way of hatred or reproach from the Sectaries for his faithfull and noble service done both to Heaven and Earth in opposing them animating and flattering himselfe in his course with this that in case he shall suffer in this kind he shall ride parallel in the triumphant Chariot of honour with those great worthies of the world Calvin Luther and Austine yea with the Apostle Paul himselfe nay with the great Lord of all the Apostles Patriarchs the Lord Christ himselfe blessed for ever See the 4 5 and 6 pages of his Preface But poore man little doth he consider how diametrally opposite he is in his cause and course both to Christ and Paul and how unlike those other men Was either Paul or Christ of his occupation did they spend their time or ingage their friends in gathering up vagrant loose

b So may I say without offence that I am so far versed in the Controversie about the Imputation of faith Christs active obedience in Justification that I here challenge all the Presbyterians one after another assembled or not assembled in England Scotland France and Ireland to prove either by the Scriptures or by dint of argument either that faith is not imputed in a proper sense or that the active obedience of Christ is in the formalitie of it imputed in Justification P. 45. He labours to justifie the Devill only to make me appear like unto him for in saying that I deal just by him as the Devil did by Christ doth he not plainly imply that the Devill did no worse by Christ then I doe by him So then if it appeare that I dealt fairly by him and did him no wrong in my citation of his words then will the Devill be found to be Mr Edwards client and he the Devills Advocate and that by the verdict of his own pen Now then whether I have wrong'd the man the least haire of his head let the world and the great Judge himselfe of the world judge The case is this In my Innocencies Triumph p. 8. I cite these words from his Antapologia p. 169. The power of the Magistrate by which he punisheth sinne doth not subserve to the Kingdome of Christ the Mediator Now to take an occasion of resembling himselfe unto Christ which he doth more then once in his Gangrene a and me unto the Devill he chargeth me that citing the former part of the sentence I leave out the latter adding further that had I but named this latter part it would have been an evident confutation of me Let any sober and intelligent man but consider what that latter part of the sentence is how incongruous and illcoherent with the former and he will clearly see that in omitting it I rather cast a covering upon his nakednesse then any way prejudic'd him unlesse haply he counts this a prejudice to him not to have his nakednesse and weaknesse appeare to the world all over But the latter part of the sentence he speaks of the naming whereof would have been so evident a confutation of me is this that he may apply efficaciously {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of the Propheticall and Priestly office of Christ he doth not affect the inward man and conscience with spirituall punishment Where first it is observable that himself citing here so much of the latter part of the sentence as it seems he would have had me have cited in my Innocencies Triumph leaves out the latter part of this latter part it selfe viz. these words distinguished onely by a comma from the former neither is this instituted of God and sanctified as the means for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of Christ So that if I have dealt by him as the Devill did by Christ meerly by citing the former part of his sentence without the latter he deales himselfe by himselfe as the Devill did by Christ which is more unnaturall of the two yea he deales by himselfe with a far more exact conformitie to the patterne he speaks of the Devils dealing by Christ then I though his charge against me could be justified For the Devill did not leave out the latter part of the sentence which he cited but onely the last words or latter part of the latter part of this sentence For Mr Edw. in affirming that the Devill left out these words To keep thee in all thy wayes deales farre worse then the Devill did by Christ for the Devill did not lie unto Christ though he tempted him but whether Mr Edw. doth not dash his foot against this stone in saying the Devill left out the words mentioned let the Evangelist speak And he brought him to Jerusalem saith Luke and set him on a pinacle of the Temple and said unto him If thou be the Son of God cast thy selfe down from hence For it is written he shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee a So that the Devill left out but part of those words which Mr Edw. chargeth upon him viz. these In all thy wayes which being the very last words of the sentence it is Mr Edw. that hath copied out the Devils delinquency to an haire dealt just by himselfe as the Devill did by Christ not I. But whereas other Authors frequently make use of the figure Synecdoche in putting down a part for the whole Mr Edw. makes much use in his writings of a new figure which we may call an Anti-Synecdoche by putting the whole yea and sometimes more then the whole for a part But however I must give him the testimony of a man impartiall between the Devill and the Saints for though he speakes falsly of these yet he will not flatter the other with the truth 2o I would faine know in case the former part of his sentence cited by me be false whether the addition of the latter would have made it true If the power of the Magistrate by which he punisheth sin doth not subserve to the Kingdome of Christ the Mediator which are the words I cite would the naming of the following words that he may apply efficaciously {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. render or make it subservient thereunto Therefore I know not how or wherein I have trespassed either upon the man or his words in the least If his meaning be the whole period former and latter part being taken together that the power of the Magistrate by which he punisheth sin doth not subserve to the Kingdome of Christ the Mediator by an efficacious applying of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of the Propheticall and Priestly Office of Christ c. First the Grammar of the sentence will not beare it And secondly if it would yet such a sense is little better then no sense the sentence thus taken being of the same forme and character of speaking with this The bread by which Mr. Edwards lives doth not subserve to the maintenance of his life by making his drinke effectuall to quench his thirst Or this The learning by which Mr. Edwards confuteth the Sectaries is not subservient to their preferment by giving them houses or lands or great rewards c. If there be sap savour or sense in either of these then may hee have some cause to complain of wrong done unto him in that the body of that sentence he speaks of was not produced by me whole and intire lower parts and upper parts together But if the period taken together was of the very selfe-same shape and forme with those then was it Centaure-like and then I did him more right then came to his share in shewing onely the upper parts of it wherein it was rationall and like to a man and concealing the nether parts of it the discovery whereof makes it appeare like a

malefactor and an evill doer But I marvaile with what profound Oracle of policie the man consulted with about the title of his book calling it A Catalogue and discovery of many Errors of the Sectaries Was it not that tyrannicall and bloudy principle Pereant amici dummodo inimici una pereant i. Let friends goe to wreck too so that enemies may but wreck with them For certainly by this title he makes Presbyterians Sectaries as well as any others Wherein I should not have faulted him but onely to shew how that the zeale of High Presbytery hath eaten him up and not left him so much of himself as wherewith to know his friends from his enemies For if men be therefore Sectaries because they hold such opinions as he rallieth in his Catalogue under the Name of Errors I know many Presbyterian Sectaries First for that which he makes the 104 error in his Catalogue viz. that Paedobaptisme is unlawfull it is sufficienrly known that the strongest shield and buckler wherewith that cause was ever protected was the workmanship of a Presbyterian hand So for that opinion that there is no Scripture against a mans being often baptized mentioned in the 110th place it calls a Presbyterian Master That the calling and making of Ministers of the Word and Sacraments are not jure divino c. which is the 116th That there is no distinction concerning Government of Ecclesiastical Civil c. the 141. are the opinions of one who professeth himself to be no Separatist a and then I know not by Mr. Edwards principles to make him any thing but a Presbyterian I know divers of the Presbyterian judgement as well Regular as Secular that own the 70th error so called or miscalled rather viz. That faith in a proper sense is imputed in justification and that Christs righteousnesse i● his active obedience is not imputed in the formality of it in justification though for his {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} credere it is a patch of his own peecing to the opinion and is no expression of theirs who otherwise are not ashamed of the opinion To passe by many others of like patronage and relation that which hee cataloguizeth for the 64. viz. this That naturall men may doe such things as whereunto God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation and that if men improve their naturall abilities to the utmost in seeking grace they shall find it I desire to be informed by any understanding man whether there be not every inch yea every jot and tittle of the substance of it asserted by a great Doctor while he lived of the Presbyterian Schoole and who being dead yet speaketh much for that way I mean Mr. John Ball in his Treatise of the Covenant of Grace not long since published by M. Simeon Ash The said Treatise being further subscribed and recommended unto the world by five great Masters of the Assembly it selfe all of them of intemerated fidelity to the Presbyterian Cause viz. Mr. Edward Reynolds Mr. Daniel Cawdrey Mr. Edmond Calamy Mr. Thomas Hill Mr. Anthony Burges In this passage p. 44. of the said Treatise No man is hindered from beleeving through the difficulty or unreasonablenesse of the command or through his owne simple infirmity as being willing and desirous to beleeve but not able which inability deserves pitie but his inabilitie is of corruption and wilfulnesse hee doth not beleeve because hee will not he is unable because he doth not covet or desire which is inexcuseable Doubtlesse if no man be hindered from beleeving either through the difficulty of the command or through his own infirmity and all the reason why a man doth not beleeve is because hee will not naturall men by improving their abilities to the uttermost may beleeve and consequently doe that whereunto God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation For hath he not promised that he that beleeves shall be saved or doth not salvation amount to as much or more then grace and acceptation And if men should improve their naturall abilities to the uttermost and yet not to be able to beleeve the reason why they doe not beleeve cannot be said to be this Because they will not for their will in this case puts forth it selfe to the uttermost in ingaging men to such an improvement of their abilities So doubtlesse the same errror if an error it be is asserted by Paulus Testardus Pastor to the reformed Church of Bloys in France in a Tract called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} seu Synopsis Doctrine de Natura Gratia published not simply by the permission or licence but ex mandato by the command of a whole Synod of the Reformed Churches in the Province of Orleance p. 91. Thesi 121. where hee saith that God in all the three wayes or methods of calling sinners unto salvation which he had opened before doth not onely shew unto the sinner what hee should or ought to doe but gives power to all that are invited or called to performe and doe it and so to be saved if they will So that if even he that is called onely in the most generall manner of all be not saved he is inexcuseable before God This Paul expresly teacheth That saith hee which may bee known of God is made manifest in them namely the Gentiles for God hath made it manifest unto them that they might bee without excuse before him But certainly he inferres excusable they had been if they had been fully willing to doe it and only wanted power a with more of like importance in the seqeul of the same Thesis So that if M. Edw. wil make this an error and a brand of a Sectary to hold That a man by the uttermost improvement of his natural abilities may doe that whereunto God by promise hath annexed Grace and Acceptation though all this while I doe not say that I own the opinion he will involve one whole Synod not onely with the guilt of the error which is lesse but of an authoritative command to have the error both printed and published which is enough to separate between all Synods and their authority and esteem for ever yea and make the crown of Orthodoxisme to fade and languish upon the head of our present Assembly by arraigning five of the principall members of it at once as men tainted with the errors of the Sectaries of the time Therefore let him either strike these opinions mentioned with many others out of his Catalogue of errors or else let him number his own party amongst the Sectaries To draw towards a conclusion I shall put a measuring Reed into the hand of the Reader wherewith to measure the truth and honesty of the Gangrene and her Author from the one end of both unto the other made of a straight observation of some crooked passages and relations in the Gangrene ready to stink for want of the salt of truth I shall begin