Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	law_n	sin_n	transgression_n	1,540	5	10.6759	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09918	An euident display of Popish practises, or patched Pelagianisme Wherein is mightelie cleared the soueraigne truth of Gods eternall predestination, the stayd groundworke of oure most assured safetie by Christ. Written in Latin by that reuerend father, mayster Theodore Beza, and now lately Englished by VV.H. preacher of the Gospell.	Bèze, Théodore de, 1519-1605.; Hopkinson, William.	1578 (1578)	STC 2018.5; ESTC S113313	179,020	284

haue euer bin an infinite number of such in the world the truth it selfe whiche euerie one séeth wil sufficiently conuince thée And to what purpose is this that is that al confesse that by their own nature they are inexcusable albeit they are borne concluded vnder the necessitie of sinne For necessitie doth not take awaye will as whiche albeit necessarie yet not enforced but of it selfe and willingly shoulde not be drawne vnwilling but might be carried witting and willing vnto wickednesse But yet thou wilte saye there is no manne so wretched that he would desire euil Yes in déede there is in him the very miserable scruitude of man not fréed from the yoke of sinne so that neither his vnderstanding can do that which is of God and therfore perceiue that which is good nor his will alowe nor his sense desire but that whole man deceiued with a shew of euil runneth headlong into euill draweth destructiō to himselfe And to this cuil there cōmeth another also whiche also what it is thou knowest not For he which before the precept was inexcusable alreadie after the commandement is muche more inexcusable than before Paule is witnesse of that thing whiche witnesseth that that lighte with how little socuer men be indued is therefore left to them that they might be made without excuse For séeing that in dwelling lewdnesse doeth by and by oppresse put out this lighte who séeth not that by this means the offence is doubled But if also the cleare exposition of the lawe of God do approche then indéede concupiscence waxeth strong and the raines let at libertie is enforced vnto mischiefe But what if also the preaching of the Gospell then indéede concupiscence breaketh out into plaine madnesse as the examples of all times and ages do proue that is to say in them in whose harts the Lord doth not kindle the light of his Spirite But thou wilte say it is vniuste to commaunde that whiche thou knowest cannot be performed as if some father shoulde commannde his sonne to eate a rocke But thou speakest maruellous wisely Men were neuer created so that they coulde deuoure mountaines It shal therfore be vniust to require of them that they shoulde deuoure a mountaine But this necessitie of sinning this imperfection whiche causeth that wée are not apte so muche as to thinke that whiche is good doeth it procéede from that firste creation yea from the deprauednesse But whence came this deprauation but bycause willingly fell from his creator whence the necessitie of sinning came vpon all men If all men be worthily helde guiltie of this downfall saith Caluine let thē not thinke themselues excused by the necessitie in whych they haue a moste euident cause of their dampnation Also in another place What shoulde man do saieth he whē the mollifying of hearte is denyed him whiche was most necessarie to obedience Yea what doth he séeke outscapes when he can impute the hardenesse of hearte to none but to himselfe Finally that I maye make ende with thée in some time heare if thou canste heare anye thing howe brieflie to the purpose that Caluine decideth al this controuersie by whose side thou fightest against the truth It is not lawfull to pretend an excuse saith he bycause there wāteth power and as banckerout debtors we were neuer able to paye For it is not méete that we shoulde measure the glorie of God after our own power Of what sorte soeuer we be he remaineth for euer like himselfe a friend to righteousnes displeased with iniquitie Whatsoeuer he exacteth of vs bicause he cannot demaunde but that whiche is iuste by the bonde of nature there abideth a necessitte of Obeying And whereas we cannot obey that is our own faulte For if we are helde captiue of our own concupiscence wherein sinne raigneth least we should be loosed into the obedience of our father there is no cause why we shoulde alleage necessitie for our defence whose euill is euen amongest oure selues and to be imputed to oure selues The Sycophants third Argument to the thirtenth and fourtenth slaunder If Caluines saying bee true man is withoute excuse before the commaundement whereby it foloweth that there is no no neede of the commaundement to the causing of this inexcusablenesse For if the resected bee wicked before hee bee wicked that is before he bee that is to witte from euerlasting and therefore sinneth necessarily nowe he is inexcusable and damned before the precept and that against all lawes both of God and man For al lawes con demne a man after the offence and for the offence at this Caluins God hath candemned and reiected the wicked before they were muche more before they were wicked or had sinned and bycause hee hath damned them before sinne hee causeth them to sinne that is that hee maye seeme to haue condemned them iustly THE REFVTATION God suppresse thée Sathan who heapest togither so manye lies without all shame We haue plentifully proued that men are inexcusable before the precept that is before the knowledge of the precept as those whiche are borne the childrē of wrath Where thou gatherest hence that there is no néede of the precept to make this inexcusablenesse it is foolish and ridiculous Why maye not an euill estate be made worse And thou arte wonderfullye deceiued if thou thinkest that we iudge al men to be alike inexcusable when the Lorde testifyeth that there be manye which shall be punished with a greater iudgement and beaten with moe stripes Whereas thou sayste that the reiected are wicked before they be that is from euerlasting it is not our doctrine but the Apostles who witnesseth that Esau was hated that is was ordained to batred as we haue shewed in his place before be was born and hadde done anye euill and that God as a Potter maketh vessells of dishonoure Therefore this doctrine is true if in déed thou considerest reprobation in the purpose of God but if thou considerest it in that it commeth forth alreadie into acte as they speake or in that the Lord beginneth nowe to execute his determination in effecte or foreknoweth the execution thereof it is false that thou saiste For God in effecte reiecteth none but those that are corrupted in Adam and with whome therefore hée is worthily displeased Whereas thou saiste that the reprobates sinne of necessitie it is not truly said of thée For the purpose of necessitie is not the cause of that necessitie but Adams sinne which issued forth vppon all men Whereas thou saiste that the reprobates are damned before the precepte it is false in euerie respecte for there is no man damned excepte for sinne And where there is no lawe there is no transgression But the lawe giuen to Adam and transgressed of him made all men inthralled to the wrath of God and therefore to iust damnation Whereas thou sayst that God damneth men before offence out of our doctrine it is altogither forged and dothe bewray thy grose ignorance The Lorde

chieflye in this argument that we handle For séeing it is an assured truth that God hardeneth whome he will and that this will cannot be withstoode if thou askest howe therefore God is not in the faulte thou shalt shew which in déede is the truth that men be sufficiently conuinced with the testimonie of their owne conscience but bycause that reason cannot satisfie mans iudgement it is of necessitie that thou say with Paule O man who arte thou that contēdest against God And whē thou haste reasoned many things of these misteries of God if will be of necessitie that thou crye out with Paule O the déepenesse of the riches bothe of the wisedome and knowledge of God and with Dauid Thy iudgementes O Lord are as the great déepes and with Isai Thou shalt secreatly reuerence his infinite omnipotencie All youre subtilties therefore do faile or rather youre brabb●ing trifles as thoughe we shoulde assigne that God were contrary to himselfe For albeit that mans minde cannot comprehend by what reason that shoulde not be done besides his will whiche is againste hys will as Augustine sayeth yet it followeth not that this is not true séeing there be extant so many and manifeste testimonies of the worde whereby it maye be confirmed to be so as we haue shewed For that idle sufferaunce in the action of euill instruments and that onely moderation of the successe and alone conuersion of good into euill besides that it is reselled with moste manifest places of holy Scripture it is also contrarye to the nature of God who shoulde haue no action in reuenging euills Yet Augustine alleageth that reason whiche maye alwayes satisfie all reasonable dispositions as we haue shewed before in the confuting of the thirde slaunder For howe often worketh the Lord by euill and therefore sinning instruments albeit the actiōs themselues of their owne nature be sinnes yet in respecte of God working they are no sinnes but the punishments of sinnes wherewith either the Lorde reuengeth sinnes paste or prepareth his to patience or doth both togither Therefore God euen then when he séemeth to will sinne which yet he hathe forbidden in the Lawe cannot séeme vnlike himselfe yea rather he sheweth himselfe such a one as the lawe doth set him forth to vs that is a seuere punisher and reuenger of wickednesse But no manne in my iudgement hathe more plainelye she wed this thing than Caluin and verily in that very place which thou though-test best to reprehend There is not saith he anye cause why anye manne shoulde drawe God into the societie of the faulte so often as betwirte his secrete counsell and the manifest wicked desires of men there appeareth any likelihoode And by by of a trueth saieth he when Paule cryeth out O the Profunditie he plainely teacheth that there was some other iudgement of God concerning the Iewes than is expressed in Christes words Ierusalem how often would I haue gathered thy children togither And whereas hée woulde not the sonnes of Hely shoulde obey their father that will differed from the precept of the Lawe wherein he commaundeth children to obey their parents But this is the place of whiche thou haste patched thy slaunder and indéede with apparant lewdenesse For for to differ from the precept of the lawe thou haste placed to fighte againste the precept of the Lawe But those things whiche do differ in themselues doe not yet of necessitie rebell one againste an other as in this kinde Frowardnesse doeth not fight againste obedience insomuche indéede as God willeth it For God willeth not that the sonnes of Hely shoulde be rebells against their father as beholding and allowing this rebellion in it selfe but rather by this meanes making waye to his iuste iudgement But do these fyghte betwéene themselues and not rather especiallye accorde in themselues to commaunde that obedience be shewed to parentes and to punishe those that rebell againste that precepte wyth another rebellion that they may reape their iuste punishement at the laste Further leaste I séeme to thée to flie to subtilties lette vs heare what exposition Caluine giueth of thys saying leaste thou mayste complaine of darkenesse or of doubtfulnesse For what is more indifferent than that he himselfe be the interpreter of his owne minde Manye saith he be deceiued in that bycause they conceiue not that God iustely willeth those thinges whyche menne sinne in dooing Thou wilte saye Howe He abhorreth adulteries and incestuous coniunctions Whereas Absolom defileth hys fathers Concubine be sore the people is it done with the will of God But hée hadde foretolde by his seruaunt Nathan that he woulde doe thys I will take saith he thy wiues before thine eyes and will giue them to thy neighboure who shall lye with them in the sighte of this sunne Thou diddest it secreatlye but I wyll doe it before all the people and before the sunne The Scripture is full of suche examples Shall wée therefore either impute to GOD the guiltinesse of sinne or shall wée coine a dubble will in him that hée maye bée at oddes wyth himselfe God forbidde But as I haue shewed alreadye that hée willeth the same thing with the wicked and vngodlye but in a diuers sorte so nowe is to be obserued what thinges be diuers in sorte that he willeth in like manner that in this varietie whiche séemeth to oure mindes the Harmonye maye be well ordered Forasmuche as the grieuous offence of Absolom is sauage impietie against hys father the treacherous violation of Wedlocke yea the filthy Prophanation of the order of Nature doe vndoubtedlye displease GOD who is pleased with Honestie Chastitie Faith and Modestie who wyll haue the lawfull order whiche he hathe prescribed to bée amongest menne reuerenced and kepte inuiolate Yet bycause it pleased hym this waye to punishe the adulterye of Dauid he willeth in the same sorte those thinges whyche to vs séeme diuers It is therefore one and a simple will whereby he commaundeth what ought to be done and by whyche be punisheth the breach of hys lawes It is saide elsewhere that sinnes be punishments which he requiteth for sinnes paste In suche documents we are to con●●der two things the iust indgement of God where by he declareth that he hateth sin to whiche he inflicteth punishment and the wickednesse of man whiche is apparantly contrarye to the will of god But what maruell is it if suche immesurable brightnesse ●oe darken the light of oure minde The bodily cies are not sufficient to beholde the brightnesse of the Sunne is there either more clearenesse to oure witte or is the Maiestie of God inferiour to the brightnesse of the Sunne It is not therefore méete that we be too wise leaste in the meane time we either deny that which the Scripture doeth plainely teach and experience confirme or dare be bolde to chalenge as vnsitting for god Hitherto Caluine And thou shamest not Sycophant the moste shamelesse of all others that euer liued to affirme this that Caluine