Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A43581
|
A review of Mr. Horn's catechisme, and some few of his questions and answers noted by J.H. of Massingham p. Norf.
|
Hacon, Joseph, 1603-1662.
|
1660
(1660)
|
Wing H177; ESTC R16207
|
79,887
|
160
|
how much soever it be cried up that must assure our interest in Christ without good actions or good affections And whereas also he excludeth Revelation we oppose like wise the Apostles testimony Rom. 8. 16. the Spirit beareth witness that we are the children of God and 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received the Spirit which is of God that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God I know no other Revelation the pretended orthodox do pretend to and he sets himself against none else and his words are general not any other pretended revelation I think that under those words in the Qu. or the like may be meant also changes and alterations in mens hearts and lives from bad to good In a funeral sermon of his pag. 18 19. he plyeth this matter much disheartening those that think they beleeve and are of Gods Elect because they finde themselves changed and reformed he telleth them they ground their faith of Christs Mediation upon their works Answ Those who are taught that good works are the product and fruit of faith cannot ground their faith upon their works Neither can good Christians value such talk as this while they remember what S. James saith Shew me thy faith by thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my works He that is suspected to be dead may by a stander by be certainly known to be alive if he perceive him to draw his breath and if another of of the by-standers shall argue that it is a great weakness to ground any mans life upon his breath and that it can be no true life that is so grounded he would by others be thought in this not to be reasonable but ridiculous Mans Conversion is a work of that nature that it is not always easie to be discerned neither ought men to be too scrupulous or curious in finding the time means and manner of it But where these are obscure or uncertain and when doubts and difficulties arise touching these the help hath always been from consideration of the change that is wrought in us If a man may assuredly know that he hath attained his journeys end and arrived at the desired haven he ought not too much to trouble himself about the way how he came there Let not therefore Christians be beguiled of this supply and relief but pass by if need be the circumstances of time and place and way and insist upon the substance which is the alteration that is made which they may do as well and upon as certain ground as to this work upon the soul as the blinde man did concerning the work that our Saviour wrought upon his body saying Joh. 9. One thing I know that whereas I was blinde now I see So may a true convert say I was sometimes darkness but now am I light in the Lord Eph. 5. 8. And the prodigal son had as much cause of comfort and joy as the father had upon the new return and change appearing that He who was dead is alive and he that was lost is found And whereas he told his Auditory then pag. 19. that it is Pharisaical to conceit that God loveth us because of reformations and frames begotten in us by his grace and a certain secret insensible working of power in the heart it may be answered If the work of the Spirit be secret and insensible what better way can there be to take notice of it than by the change and alteration that is made in us He that would know whether the Sun moveth or not must not look upon the Sun nor can he see the shadow move upon the Dial but if he comes an hour or two hence he may easily discern that the Sun and the shadow are removed and that therefore they did move before But the truth is our Authour holds no such internal work or power needfull to conversion for of the six helps to Quakerisme afforded by such as are counted orthodox this is by him counted the second Their speaking of faith as wrought by some immediate power as besides the word preached but so much for this I think by the like in the Question last rehearsed he may mean also Consolations and sense of heavenly joy for in a discourse of his called A Caveat to true Christians pag. 84 85. he much mislikes that men should gather comfort or assurance from sensible feeling and visits and saith that such are thence called sensual as not living by Faith but upon matters of sense thus he there But where are they called sensual who ever called them so A little before pag. 82. upon those words of the Apostle Peter They that are unlearned wrest the Scriptures he noteth thus He means not unlearned in Aits and languages But I suppose there be few among us though so far illiterate as they be not able to read his book but even by custome of our English language have learned the difference betwixt Sensual and Sensible The word sensual is twice found Jam. 3. and Jude vers. 19. in both places it stands opposed to spiritual and signifies as much as Carnal such as intend onely and are led by their part sensitive or carnal appetite or nature common to us with the bruits sensual having not the Spirit and in our common speech a sensual man is one that is given to brutish pleasures Now shall such a Christian as is visited with the consolations of God and is made sensible of heavenly light and joy that can in some sort take up the Prophets words in the multitude of the sorrows that I had in my heart thy comforts have refreshed my soul be called Sensual It is true that the sense of divine comfort and the light of Gods countenance may denominate persons sensible namely thereof yet not absolutely sensible for such we call them that are apt to perceive and understand readily what is done or said But to say they are absolutely Sensual is so gross a mistake that I cannot but wonder it should fall from him who is skilfull in Arts and languages how soever undervaluing them in others Not living by Faith saith he but upon matters of sense Faith and Sense may be opposed and are sometimes very distant and contrary but not as sense is taken here For they who have as holy Scripture speaketh joy in beleeving or that as the Apostle Peter saith beleeving rejoyce with joy unspeakable and glorious do live by faith and upon sense too that is upon sensible consolations or perception of divine favour as a man may comfort and chear himself in a winters night by the heat of the fire and the light of it too But what is the reason why we may not beleeve that Christ hath dealt graciously with us in that he hath bestowed upon us the gifts of Faith and Obedience or that we may not conclude spiritual life from spiritual affections and desires It is this because a mans heart is deceitfull The Scripture saith indeed Mans heart
because it may be abused to evil The Doctrine of Merit is a great encouragement to good works yet as he will not be held a skilfull Architect that shall dig up the foundation of a Town that he may have wherewithall to finish or repair the top of it So let our builder take good heed how he doth weaken and how he doth tamper with the ground-work of free Grace pretending great need and much benefit that may come thereon If men will not otherwise bless God and have good thoughts of him unless they be taught that he loveth one man as much as another we must not any whit the more be found false witnesses of God 1 Cor. 15. 15. false witnesses I mean as the Apostle meaneth not against him but for him alledging more in his behalf than will hold true because we think it makes for him and his glory Will ye accept his Person saith Job chap. 13. that is do you think that he will take it well or be beholden to you if you go about to shew him more favour than his cause will well bear in the truth of it Plainly this will fall out to be an accusation not defence Thirdly his Adversaries who hold universal Redemption though not every way as he doth do repent and bless God and think well of him and hope in him not running into despair and do love others and pray for them and help them all this they do and are called upon to do by vertue of that Doctrine which they have learned touching Gods love and Christs Death And lastly it would be weighed whether the people being taught to reason after this manner be not endangered so far to forget the charge of Moses Deut. 29. abovementioned as quite contrary to it to be careless in doing duties commanded and conforming to Gods revealed will because they are made no further acquainted with his secret intention and purpose and whether they be not hereby instructed to stand and capitulate and be upon points of certainty with God the Judge in whose debt and danger nevertheless so much they are And for his reasons this may suffice Next after these reasons shewing the necessitie of beleeving the extent of Christs righteousness to all he proceedeth thus Qu. 202. May not a man as well and surely know the remedy to be for him by his beleeving wel-walking or the like A. No surely For 1. The acts of a mans own deceitfull heart are nothing so evident and sure a foundation of beleeving a thing no nor any other pretended Revelation as the word of God is By his beleeving in the Question Beleeving is opposed to and set against the word not so well by beleeving as by the word of God whereas we cannot know any thing by the word otherwise than by beleeving the word By beleeving therefore as I suppose he meaneth the inherent grace or gift of Faith and by beleeving and wel-walking I take him to understand Faith and Obedience and when he saith in the Question or the like I think he meaneth good affections and desires and dispositions The greatest ambiguity and confusion lieth in those words the remedy to be FOR HIM for they may bear a double sense 1. He knoweth the remedy to be for him that is undoubtedly informed that God hath done graciously for all and so for him as our Authour speaketh in his Answer to Quest 200. or that knoweth that Christ died for all the world that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish Thus the remedie is for him provided that he seeketh to enjoy it and attain it 2. He knoweth the remedy to be for him to whom it is so applyed that he is assured it hath taken place on him that he hath found relief and is cured and hath obtained Peace and Pardon and Justification He that knoweth the remedie to be for him in the first sense may possibly not know it to be for him in the second So plainly they be two several matters and yet here they are made all one The Orthodox do say That a Christian by faith obedience and the testimonie of the Spirit may assuredly know that the remedie of Christs Death and the benefits of his Passion are his own and efficaciously applyed for the raising him to spiritual life and hope of inheritance incorruptible But can any man know the remedie to be for him thus by the word of God alone setting aside the consideration of faith and obedience he cannot Well may he question the truth of his faith that hath no better ground to beleeve that Christ hath done away his sins than this That he hath done away the sins of all the persons in the world How he demeaned himself in delivering the Doctrine of the Moral law we saw before here we have another smack of his Antinomian leaven whiles he denieth works or graces or faith either unless it be of his own mark and allowance to confer any thing to the consolation of a Christian He telleth his opinion with some passion in the Preface to his other work Onely whereas Their daubings that tell souls they may know that Christ loves them by their good desires and endeavours strifes and labours my soul abhorreth We have little reason to think that he remembreth the profession that he made at the beginning To follow the rule of Gods word howsoever he might leave the common-road for most certainly he hath here left both the one and the other Holy Scripture teacheth us to argue from our Sanctification to our Justification as being two things never severed in the person or their subject though they be distinguished in their nature If any man be in Christ he is a new creature and he that is renewed may be assured that he is in Christ and that Christ loves him They are the Characters which he gave Blessed are the mercifull the meek the pure in heart and they who have good desires hungring and thirsting after righteousness and he hath told us that they who do the will of God shall enter into the kingdome of heaven and that they are in the mean time to him as his brother and sister and mother I trust his sheep will never hearken to the voice of any stranger to the contrary nor much regard great words They hear the Apostle Paul say 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world And they hear the Apostle Peter say 2 Epist. 1. chap. if vertue and temperance and patience and godliness be in you you make your calling and election sure and you shall never fall and they hear the Apostle John say 1. Epist. 3. chap. in this the children of God are manifest even in doing righteousness vers. 10. and vers. 14. We know we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren There is great cause that that kinde of faith should be suspected