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	love_n	love_v	4,041	5	6.5654	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17319	Certaine questions and answeres, concerning the knovvledge of God vvhereunto are adioyned some questions and answeres, concerning the right vse of the law of God : taught publikely by vvay of catechising / by William Burton ...	Burton, William, d. 1616.	1591 (1591)	STC 4167; ESTC S260	79,192	160

no A. No he preferreth mankinde before all his other creatures for which cause God is called Philanthropos that is a louer of men And this appeareth by three effects of his loue 1 He made him according to his owne image that is in righteousnes and true holines 2 Hee made him Lorde ouer all his creatures Psal. 8.5 3 Hee gaue his owne sonne to death for his ransome Q. Doeth God loue all men alike A. No for he loueth his elect better then the reprobate for the elect he calleth effectually by his spirite in their hearts when he calleth others but by the outwarde voice of the Gospell c. Againe amongst the elect themselues some are actuallie wicked and not yet reconciled nor called as was Paul before his conuersion but the rest are called and alreadie made holy by faith in Christ as Paul was after his conuersion And of these hee loueth the latter sort with a greater measure of loue then the former as the scripture testifieth in Pro. 8.17 Q. What manner of loue doeth God beare to his elect A. It hath three adiuncts or properties 1 It is free without desert 2 It is great without comparison 3 It is constant without any ende Q. How is the loue of God said to be free A. It is free two waies 1 Because nothing caused God to loue vs but his owne goodnesse and grace therefore Saint Iohn saith that his loue was before ours 2 It is free because God in louing vs regarded nothing that belonged to his owne commoditie for as Dauid saith he hath no need of our goods but onely to our owne saluation he loued vs. Q. Wherein doeth the greatnes of Gods loue appeare to his elect A. It appeareth two waies 1 By the meanes which God vsed to saue vs by that is the death of his sonne and so Saint Iohn setteth foorth his loue when he saith Outo Sic that is so as if he should say so vehemently so ardentlie so earnestly so wonderfullie did he loue vs that for our saluation he spared not his owne onlie begotten sonne but gaue him to the death of the crosse for our saluation Q. What els doeth set foorth the greatnes of Gods loue vnto vs. Answere The consideratiō of our own selues for he did not onely geue his onlie Sonne to death for vs but it was for vs being his enemies And this circumstance is vsed by the Apostle to expresse the same Q. Where finde you it written that Gods loue is constant and perpetuall A. That is manifestly shewed in these scriptures following Hose 11.9 Iohn 13.1 Rom. 11.29 For as God is vnchangeable in his essence and nature so is he vnchangeable in his loue which is his essence and nature and therefore is God called loue in the Scripture The vses of Gods loue Q. What vse must we make of Gods loue A. 1 It filleth our hearts with gladnes when we vnderstand that our God is so louing loue it selfe and what is this but the beginning of eternall life If eternall life consiste in the true knowledge of God as our Sauiour Christ saith 2 Out of the knowledge of this loue as out of a fountaine springeth the loue of God and our neighbour For S. Iohn saith he that loueth not knoweth not God for God is loue 3 When wee consider that God loueth all his creatures which he made it should teache vs not to abuse any of the creatures to serue our lustes and beastly affections For God will punish them which abuse his beloued as he punished the riche glutton which abused the creatures of God 4 We are taught to loue all the creatures euen the basest of all seeing that God loueth thē and for the loue he beareth to vs he made them and we must if we loue them for Gods sake vse them sparingly moderatelie and equally or iustlie To this ende are wee commanded to let our cattle rest vpon the Saboth day as well as our selues To this ende we are forbidden to kill the damme vpon her neste And to this ende are we forbidden to mussel the oxes mouth which treadeth out the corne 5 We are taught from hence to loue mankind better then all other creatures because God doth so and therfore we must not spare any thing that we haue that may make for the safetie of his bodie and the saluation of his soule and for this cause are we commanded to loue our enemies to doe them good be cause our good God doth so 6 From Gods loue we learne to preferre the godly brethren and those which professe sincerelie the same religion that wee professe before other men because Gods loue is greater to his elect then to the reprobate And this doeth the Apostle teach vs. 7 Whereas Gods loue is freely bestowed vpon vs it teacheth vs to be humble and to attribute no part of our saluation to our selues but only to the free loue of God 8 From hence ariseth the certaintie of our saluation for if Gods loue was so free and great when we were his enemies much more will it be so and constant also to vs being reconciled to God by Iesus Christ. Of the mercie of God Q. What do the Scriptures vnderstande by the mercie of God A. It is his minde and will alwaies most ready to succour and helpe him that is in miserie Q. Some say that mercie is a griefe and sorowe of the minde conceiued at anothers miseries and therfore that mercie cannot properly be attributed to God because in God are no passions nor griefes A. Indeed in vs it may be such a thing but not in God and mercie was first in God and from him was deriued to vs and therfore God is called the father of mercies and when it came to vs it was matched with many infirmities and passions but it is improperly attributed to God frō our selues as though it were first in vs. Q. Declare then briefly what things of perfection are signified by this word mercie in God A. By the name of mercie two things are properly signified in God 1 The minde and wil readie to help and succour 2 The helpe and succour or pitie it selfe that is shewed Q. Where in the Scriptures is mercie taken the firste way A. Those places of Scriptures are so to bee vnderstoode wherein God doeth call himselfe mercifull and saith that he is of much mercie that is he is of such a nature as is most readie to free vs from our euils Of mercie in the other sence that is being put for the effects of mercie mention is made in Rom. 9.15 where it is said that God wil haue mercie on whom he will haue mercie that is he will call whome hee will he will iustifie whom hee will hee will pardon whom hee will and he will deliuer and saue from all their miseries and euils whom hee will and these be the effectes of Gods mercie Againe in Exod. 20.6 it

is so taken Q. From whence springeth this mercie of God A. The essence and being of God is most simple without any mixture or composition therfore in him there are not diuers qualities and vertues as there be in vs wherof one dependeth vpon another or one differ from another but for our capacitie and vnderstanding the scripture speaketh of God as though it were so that so wee may the better perceiue what maner of God how good our God is What is the cause of mercie in God Q. Wel then seeing the scriptures do speake so for our vnderstanding let vs heare whereof this mercie commeth A. The cause is not in vs but onely in God him selfe and mercie in God doth spring out of his free loue towardes vs. Q. Why do you saie out of the free loue of God are there more loues in God then one A. There are two kindes of loue in God one is where with the father loueth the son and the son the father which the holie Ghost beareth towards both the father and the son and this loue I call the natural loue of God so that the one cannot but loue the other but the loue wherwith he loueth vs is voluntarie not being constrained thereunto and therefore is called the free loue of God And heereof it commeth also that mercie is wholy free that is without reward or hope of recompence and excludeth all merit Q. How proue you that the mercie of God ariseth out of his loue A. That the loue of God is the cause of his mercie it is manifest in the scriptures 1. Tim. 1.2 Paul saluteth Timothie in this order Grace mercie and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ to shew that that peace which the world cannot giue the mercy of God is the cause of it the cause of his mercy is his grace and his grace is nothing els but his free fauour loue towards vs. The same order doth Paul obserue in Tit. 3.4 5. where he saith When the goodnesse and loue of God our Sauiour towards man appeared not by the workes of righteousnesse which wee had done but according to his mercy he saued vs c. First hee sets downe the goodnes of God as the cause of his loue 2. His loue as the cause of his mercy And 3. his mercy as the cause of our saluation our saluation as the effect of all And therfore there is nothing in vs which may moue the Lord to shew mercy vpon vs but only because he is goodnes it selfe by nature And to this doth the Psalmist beare witnesse saying That the Lord is good his mercy is euerlasting and his truth is from generation to generation Q. Towardes whom is the mercie of God extended or shewed A. For the opening of this point we are to consider that the mercie of God is two folde First generall 2. speciall God as a God doth shewe mercie generallie vpon all his creatures being in miserie and chiefly to men whether they be iust or vniust and so doth succour them either immediatly by himselfe or els mediatly by creatures as by Angels or men by the heauens by the elements and by other liuing creatures And this generall mercie of God is not extended to the eternall saluation of all although it be but temporarie and for a while Of this reade in Luke 6.36 Q. What saie you of the speciall mercie of God A. That I call the speciall mercy of God which God as a most free God hath shewed to whome he would and denied to whome hee would And this perteineth onelie to the elect and those which feare him for hee sheweth mercie vpon them to their eternall saluation and that most constantlie while he doth effectuallie call them vnto himselfe while hee doth trulie and freelie pardon their sinnes iustifie them in the blood of the Lambe Iesus Christ while hee doth sanctifie them to his owne glorie and doth glorifie them onelie in eternall life and of this speciall mercie we may reade in Eph. 2.4.5.6 Q. How great is the mercie of God A. It is so great that it cannot be expressed nor conceiued of vs that is proued by these scriptures following Psal. 145.9 Iam. 2.13 1. Cor. 11.32 Psal. 57.10 Q. How long doeth the mercie of God continue towardes vs A. Although the mercie of God bee great and infinite in Christ yet for that mercie which pardoneth our sinnes and calleth vs to faith and repentance by the Gospell c. there is no place after death but onlie while we liue in this world which is warranted by these places ensuing Gal. 6.10 Let vs doe good whiles wee haue time to shew that a time will come when wee shall not be able to do good Apo. 7.17 Bee faithfull vnto death and I wil giue thee a crowne of life to shew that the time which is giuen vnto death is a time of repentance and of exercising of faith and of workes but after death there is no time but to receiue either an immortall crowne if we haue bin faithfull or euerlasting shame if we haue beene vnfaithfull Besides these see Apoca. 14.13 Marke 9.45 Esaie vlt. 24. Luke 16.24.25.26 Matth. 25.11.12 Ioh. 9.4 The vses of Gods mercie Q. What vses may we make of Gods mercie A. First it serueth to humble vs for the greater mercie is in God the greater miserie is in vs. 2 We must attribute our whole saluation to his mercie 3 Wee must flie to God in all our troubles with most sure confidence 4 Wee must not abuse it to the libertie of the flesh in sinne for although wee might finde mercie with God after death for the mercie of God perteineth especiallie to those that feare him 5 The meditation of Gods mercie towardes vs should make vs to loue God Psal. 116.1 Luke 7.47 2 To feare God Psal. 130.4 3 To praise God for his mercies Psal. 103.2.3.4 6 It must make vs mercifull one to another Luke 6.36 Matth. 18.32.33 Of the iustice or righteousnes of God Q. What is meant in the scripture by the righteousnesse or iustice of God A. There bee foure principall significations of the word Iustice. Sometime it is taken for absolute goodnesse or for a vertue which conteineth al other vertues in it in full perfection wanting nothing that they should haue in euerie part and dutie And so it is taken in 1. Tim. 1.9 where Paul saith The law is not giuen to a righteous man For what law shalbe made for him that is without sinne and is filled with all vertues both in himselfe towardes all men Such a one is God who is most perfectlie good and goodnesse it selfe both in himselfe and of himselfe and towards others also therefore iustice is rightly attributed vnto God in the scriptures Q. What els is meant by iustice A. Secondlie it is put onelie for that honestie sinceritie and vprightnesse which is requried of