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 |
|
A75470
|
An Antidote against some principal errors of the predestinarians a work designed for the information of the common people.
|
|
1696
(1696)
|
Wing A3494A; ESTC R42462
|
23,735
|
50
|
Grace shall be given to them that make a good Use of the Grace they have Vnto every one that hath shall be given saith he and he shall have abundance but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath See Mat. 25.29 If the general Current of the Scriptures be considered it will appear evident that if Men make that use they ought of the Talent of Common Grace or those general Indowments of Reason and Humanity which all but Idiots do receive in some Measure from the Bounty and Goodness of God to them he will be merciful in a greater Measure by giving them such other Graces as shall fully enable them to work out their own Salvation but from them that will not make that use they ought of Common Grace he will withhold his Special Grace or that Grace that is saving And in so doing God is not to be blamed For why should the true Riches be committed to his Trust that already has made a wrong Vse of the unrighteous Mammon Hence then 't is evident that by nature which is from God Men are able to do that which God has promised to bless with saving or supernatural Grace or Power There is I know a great Out-cry made against the Doctrine of Free-will as if the Doctrine which asserts that Men have a Power from God either to do or disobey his Will were dishonourable to God and did make Man's Strength greater than that of his Maker But why should it be dishonourable to God to make Man a free Agent All confess he made Adam so and why should it be a Dishonour to him to say he has made us so too As he certainly has for we have as full a Power now to obey or not obey the Law of the second Covenant which requires only Sincerity as Adam had to obey or disobey the first Covenant which did require sinless Obedience and as for the Dishonour which some think is reflected on God by saying that his Creatures have an Ability to disobey his Will it will all vanish if we consider that he may suffer this if he pleases since he has a Right to do what he will with his own and besides the Superiority of his Power above Man's Power will sufficiently appear at length in that everlasting Punishment which he will eternally inflict on them that disobey He may suffer Men to walk in their own Ways Acts 14.16 that he may prove them as he did Israel to know what is in their Heart that he may do them good at their latter End see Deut. 8.2 16. But they will have but little Cause to brag of their being able to resist him in this the time of their Probation when for their so doing they shall be condemned to dwell in everlasting Burnings From what has been said hitherto I think it is evident that 't is in every Man's Power to be as good as the Use of those Natural Endowments which God has bestowed on every reasonable Man will admit of for by the Use of the natural Endowment of five Talents he may attain to eminent Degrees of Vertue and Perfection and by the Use of the natural Endowment of two Talents he may so far express Eaithfulness in the Trust committed to him as to obtain the Favour of a saving Reward from his Lord tho in an inferiour Degreee for as the common Gifts of Men differ so will the Rewards promised be Proportional only to the Improvement which the Gift they have does enable them to make He that well improved his five Talents was made Ruler over five Cities and he that improved the two that were given him was made Ruler over two Cities and he that had one Talent given him would have been made Ruler over one City had he improved it as the others did Hence the Reason of the different Degrees of Vertue among very good Men is evident Who maketh thee to differ is a Scripture-question I answer 't is God that makes Men to differ since that by Nature he endows one Man with better Abilities than another but no Man has reason to complain of this so long as he gives to every Man as much as will intitle him to an Interest in his saving Grace if he improve it as the Gift it self does enable him to do It is likewise evident from what has been said that 't is in every Man's Power to be wicked so far as to be worthy of Damnation tho some have not abilities sufficient to be as wicked as others are for as the Degrees of Vertue in Men are limited by the preventing Grace of God so also the Degrees of Vice in Men are limited by his restraining Grace and as a Man can't be better than the utmost Improvement of that Talent will admit of which is given him so neither can he be more wicked than the restraining Grace of God will permit or suffer But yet after all there is no necessity laid upon Man by God to be as bad as he can be neither has he laid upon Man a Necessity of being as good as he may be these are referr'd to his own Choice and that Freedom of Will with which his most wise Creator has endowed him And of the Truth of this almost every one's Experience and Conscience may fully convince him for I believe there are very few who will be so disingenuous as to affirm that it was not any-ways possible for them to have lived better and more holily than they have done nor that it was impossible for them to have forborn any of those evil things which they know they have committed I will conclude this Head by only asking the Predestinarians this Question Suppose all Men should believe as they may do if they will that God has given them a Power to work out their own Salvation provided they do work while an Opportunity to work is given them that is to say in the present time or to Day for to Morrow their Lives may be taken away and then all Opportunity is for ever at an end should all I say believe this and should all according to the Importance of this their Belief repent truly of their Sins and by God's Grace become holy just and sober Men what hurt would accrue hereby either to the Glory of God the Interest of Religion or the Good of Souls yea they themselves cannot press Men to the Duties of Repentance and Holiness without teaching the very Principles of them that do believe that the Will is free Of Falling from Grace The Predestinarian Doctrine in this Point is that a Man who is once in a State of saving Grace can never fall from it or can never be in danger of Damnation by any Act of Sin which he shall afterwards commit but this is an Error because 't is contrary to Scripture which not only forewarns Men of the Danger but declares expresly that righteous Men may become wicked and die in Sin and 't is also