Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	punishment_n	sin_n	sin_v	1,923	5	9.5821	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09365	The whole treatise of the cases of conscience distinguished into three bookes: the first whereof is revised and corrected in sundrie places, and the other two annexed. Taught and deliuered by M. W. Perkins in his holy-day lectures, carefully examined by his owne briefes, and now published together for the common good, by T. Pickering Bachelour of Diuinitie. Whereunto is adioyned a twofold table: one of the heads and number of the questions propounded and resolued; another of the principall texts of Scripture vvhich are either explaned, or vindicated from corrupt interpretation.; Cases of conscience	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1606 (1606)	STC 19669; ESTC S114066	314,224	686

so much for their sinne committed as for their lying therin without repentance And this is the manner of Gods dealing with those that haue liued within the precincts of the church they shall be condemned for the very want of true faith and repentance This should admonish euery one of vs to take heed least we lie in any sin and that being any way ouertaken we should speedily repent least we aggrauate our sinne by continuance therein and so bring vpon our selues swift damnation Thirdly the same sinne is made greater or lesser foure waies according to the number of degrees in the committing of a sinne noted by S. Iames Temptation Conception Birth and Perfection Actual sinne in the first degree of tentation is when the minde vpon some sudden motion is drawne away to thinke euill and withall is tickled with some delight thereof For a bad motion cast into the mind by the flesh and the deuill is like vnto the baite cast into the water that allureth and delighteth the fish and causeth it to bite Sin in conception is when with the delight of the minde there goes consent of will to doe the euill thought on Sinne in birth is when it comes forth into an action or execution Sin in perfection is when men are growne to a custome and habit in sin vpon long practise For the often committing of one and the same sinne leaues an euill impression in the heart that is a strong or violent inclination to that or any other euill as hath bin taught before And sinne thus made perfect brings forth death for custome in sinning brings hardnes of heart hardnes of heart impenitencie and impenitencie condemnation Now of these degrees the first is the least the last is the greatest One and the same sin is lesser in tentation then in conception lesse in conception then in birth and greater in perfection then in all the former Sect. 11. Now from this doctrine of the increasing and lessening of Sin in these respects we may gather that all sins are not alike or equall as the Stoicks of auncient times and their followers haue falsely imagined For it hath bin prooued at large by induction of sundrie particulars that there are degrees of sinnes some lesser som greater some more offensiue and odious to God man some lesse And ●hat the circumstances of time place person and manner of doing doe serue to enlarge or extenuate the sinne commited If it be here alleadged that Sin is nothing but the doing of that which is vnlawfull to be done and that this is equall in all men that sinne and therfore by consequent offences are equall I answer that in euery sin mē must not consider the vnlawfulnes thereof onely but the reason why it should be vnlawfull and that is properly because it is a breach of Gods law and repugnant to his will reuealed in his word Nowe there is no breach of a diuine Law but it is more or lesse repugnant vnto the will of the Lawgiuer God himselfe And many transgressions are more repugnāt thereunto then fewer for the more sin is increased the more is the wrath of God in●lamed against the sinner vpon his due desert If it be said againe that the nature of Sin stands onely in this that the sinner makes an aberration from the scope or marke that is set before him and doth no more then passe the bondes of dutie prescribed by God and that all are alike in this respect The answer is that it is a falshood to affirme that he which makes the lesse aberration from the dutie commanded is equall in offence to him that makes the greater For the same sin for substance hath sundrie steps and degrees in respect whereof one man becommeth a more heinous offender then another For example in the seauenth commandemēt when God forbiddes the committing of Adultery he forbiddeth three degrees of the same sinne to wit adulterie of the heart consisting of inordinate and vncleane affections adulterie of the tongue in corrupt dishonest and vnseemely speeches and the very act of vncleannesse and filthinesse committed by the bodie Now it cannot be said that he which breakes this commandement onely in the first degree is as great a transgressour as he that hath proceeded to the second and so to the third And therefore it remaines for an vndoubted truth that Sinnes committed against the Law of God are not equall but some lesser some greater Sundrie other Distinctions there are of sinnes as namely That the main sinnes of the first Table are greater then the maine sins of the second Table And yet the maine sinnes of the second are greater then the breach of ceremoniall duties against the first table But this which hath beene said shall suffice The vse of this doctrine is manifold First by it we learne what the heart of man is by nature namely a corrupt and vncleane fountaine out of which issueth in the course of this life the streames of corruptions infinite in number noysome in qualities hainous in degrees dāgerous in effects For from thence doe flow all the differences of sinnes before named with their seuerall branches and infinite many more that cannot be rehearsed This must mooue vs humbly to sue vnto God earnestly to entreat him to wash vs throughly from our wickednes clense vs from our sinnes yea to purge and to rinse the fountaine thereof our vncleane and polluted hearts And when by Gods mercie in Christ apprehended by faith our hearts shall be purified thē to set watch ward ouer them and to keep them with all diligence Secondly it teacheth vs that miserable mortal man is not guiltie of one or more sinnes but of many sundrie corruptions both of heart and life Who can vnderstand his faults saith Dauid Now the alowance of sinne beeing death by gods ordināce God being iustice it selfe answerably to the number of our offences must we needes be lyable to many punishments yea to death it selfe both of the bodie and of the soule This beeing our wofull estate little cause is there that any man should thinke himselfe to be in good case or presume of Gods mercie in regard of the small number of his sinnes And much lesse cause hath he falsly to imagine with the Popish sort that he can merit the fauour of God by any worke done by him aboue that which the Law requireth considering that it is impossible for him to know either the number or the nature or the measure of his sinnes Lastly the consideration of this point must be a barre to keepe vs in that we be not too secure or presumptuous of our owne estate for as much as we learne out of the word of god that in respect of the multitude of our corruptions this our life is full of much euill and many difficulties that wee haue whole armies of enemies to encounter with all not onely out of vs in the world abroad but within vs

of man is too good for them For if those be holden as Traytors to an earthly Prince and are most deseruedly adiudged to death that reuile his person and denie his lawfull authoritie then they that call into question the Godhead are much more worthie to be esteemed traytors to God and consequently to beare the iust punishment of their rebellion death it selfe For this cause I doe not meane to dispute the question whether there be a God or no and thereby minister occasion of doubting and deliberation in that which is the onely maine Ground and pillar of Christian religion But rather my purpose is in shewing that there is a God to remooue or at least to help an inward corruption of the soule that is great and dangerous whereby the heart and conscience by nature denieth God and his prouidence The wound in the bodie that plucks out the heart is the most dangerous wound that can be and that opinion that takes away the Godhead doth in effect rend and plucke out the very heart of the soule This Caueat premised I come now to the point in hand to shew that there is a God And for our better knowledge and assurance of this truth we are to remember thus much that God hath giuen vnto man a threefold light the one of nature the other of grace and the third of glorie And by these as by so many degrees of knowledge the minde beeing inlightened by God receiueth direction in the truth of the Godhead both for this present life and for that which is to come 〈◊〉 If it be demaunded in what order God hath reveiled this light vnto man I answer that the light of nature serues to giue a beginning and preparation to this knowledge the light of grace ministers the ground and giues further proofe and euidence and the light of glory yeelds perfectiō of assurance making that perfectly and fully knowne which by the former degrees was but weakly and imperfectly comprehended Of these three in order Sect. 1. The light of nature is that light which the view and consideration of the creatures both in generall and particular affordeth vnto man From the light of nature there are fiue distinct arguments to prooue that there is a God the consideration whereof will not be vnprofitable even to him that is best setled in this point I. The first is taken from the creation and frame of the great body of the world and the things therein contained Rom. 1. 20. The inuisible things of him that is his eternall power and Godhead are knowne by the Creation of the world beeing considered in his workes And out of this excellent frame of the world the truth of the Godhead may be sundry waies prooued and maintained First I would aske this question This goodly frame of the world had it a beginning or no beginning Let either part or both be taken Let it first be said it had no beginning but is eternall as the Atheist holdeth Then I reason thus If it had no beginning the world it selfe is God and all the creatures that are therein from the greatest and highest to the least and basest yea euery droppe of water in the sea and euery corne of sand by the sea shore are Gods The reason is because according to this opinion they haue their being of themselues without beginning and that which is a substance of it selfe hath no beginning is very God Againe if the world had no beginning then it hath also no ending For that which is without beginning is without ending Now all things in the world are lyable to corruption and consequently are subiect to an ende For whatsoeuer is corruptible the same is finite therfore the world had a beginning Now if it had a beginning then I demand how it was made did it make it selfe or was it made of nothing If it be affirmed that it made it selfe then the world was before it was If it be said it came from nothing that also cannot be For nothing brings forth nothing and that which is nothing in it selfe cannot bring forth something therefore it is absurd in reason to say that nothing brought forth this world And hereupon it must needes remaine for a truth that there was some substance eternall and Almightie that framed this goodly Creature the World besides it selfe If a man comes into a large forrest and beholds therein goodly faire buildings and sundrie kinds of hearbs and trees and birds and beasts and no man he will presently reason thus with himselfe these buildings are the workemanship of some man they were not from all eternity they did not reare themselues neither did the hearbs the trees the birds or the beasts build them but of necessitie they must haue some first ●ounder which is man In like manner when we consider this world so goodly a creature to behold though we see not the maker thereof yet we cannot say that either it made it selfe or that the things therein contained made it but that the Creator of it was some vncreated substance most wise most cunning and euerlasting and that is God Secondly from this frame of the world and the consideration therof I reason thus In the world there are foure sorts and kindes of creatures The first bare and naked substances that haue neither life sense nor reason in them as the sunne the moone the starres The second that haue substance and life but no sense nor reason as plants trees and hearbs The third that haue no reason but both substance life sense and power to mooue themselues as the beasts of the land and fishes of the sea The fourth are such as haue all namely substance life sense and reason as men Now these foure sorts of creatures excell one another in properties and degrees For the first of them which are meere substances doe serue those that haue life as the trees and the plants The trees the plantes serue the creatures that haue sense life as the beastes and the fishes The beastes and the fishes serue man that hath substance life sense and reason And amongst them all we see that those which haue more gifts are serued of those which haue lesse as the sunne and moone serue the plantes the plantes and hearbes serue the beasts and the beasts serue man and that creature that hath most giftes is serued of all Man therefore excelling all these must haue something to honour and serue which must be more excellent then the other creatures yea then himselfe and that is a substance vncreate most holy most wise eternall infinite and this is God Thirdly all particular creatures whether in heauen or in earth are referred to their certaine particular and peculiar endes wherein euery one of them euen the basest and meanest is imployed and which they doe all accomplish in their kind And this is a plaine proofe that there is one that excelleth in wisedome prouidence and power that created all these to such

afraid least when he came to the Corinths God would humble him for their sinnes 2. Cor. 12. 21. Againe he teacheth that those which are fallen into any fault must be restored by the spirit of meekenes because we our selues are subiect to the same tentations Gal. 6. 1. And in this regard he would haue men to mourne with them that haue in them the cause of mourning Rom. 12. 15. Thirdly iust anger must be contained within the bounds of our particular calling and civill decencie that is so moderated as it makes vs not to forsake our duties which we owe to God and man nor breake the rules of comlines Thus Iacob was angrie with Laban and yet he speakes and behaues himselfe as a sonne to his father euen in his anger Gen. 31. 36. Ionathan was angrie with Saul his father and yet he withdrawes not any reuerent or dutifull respect from him 1. Sam. 20. Sect. 2. The second part of the Question is When Anger is a vice and vnlawfull Ans. It is a sinne in fiue regards contrary to the former First when we conceiue it without counsell and deliberation This rash hastie sudden and violent anger is condemned by our Sauiour Christ Mat. 5. 22. Whosoeuer is angry with his brother vnaduisedly shal be culpable of iudgment Secondly when it is conceiued for no cause or for a light or trifling cause Prou. 10. 12. Loue couers a multitude of sinnes Therefore euery light offence must not be the cause of open anger Prov. 19. 11. It is the glory of a man to passe by some infirmities Eccles. 7. 23. Take not notice of all the words that men speake no not of all those which seruants speake vnto their masters Besides that causelesse anger is many times forbidden in the Scripture And Paul saies that loue is hardly provoked because it will not be mooued to conceiue hatred but vpon weightie and important causes 1. Cor. 13. Thirdly when the occasion is iust yet the measure of anger is immoderate Eph. 4. 26. Be angry sinne not and if by infirmitie thou fall into it let not the Sunne goe downe vpon thy wrath The reason is added in the next words Giue not place to the Deuill because he is alwaies at hand to inflame the affection as he did Sauls who therefore in his rage would haue killed him that was next him Fourthly when it makes vs to forget our dutie to God or man and to fal to brawling cursing and banning Thus was Shemei angry when he railed vpon the King and flung stones at him and his seruants giuing him bad and vnreuerent tearmes and calling him a man of blood and a man of Belial 2. Sam. 16. 5. 6. 7. Thus did the Disciples forget their dutie of loue vnto their brethren and in anger desired that fire might come down from heauen and destroy the Samaritanes Luk. 9. 59. Thus the Iewes in vndecent and vncharitable manner gnashed with their teeth at Steven Act. 7. 54. And Saint Paul saies that the fruites of wicked anger are clamors and crying speeches between person and person in their fury Eph. 4. 31. And thence it is that we find Balaam in his anger to haue beene more void of reason then his asse Numb 22. 27. Fistly when we are angrie for priuate respects concerning our persons and not concerning the cause of God Thus Cain is said to be exceeding wrothe and to haue his countenance cast downe onely vpon a priuate respect because he thought his brother Abel should be preferred before him Gen. 4. 5. Thus Saul was wrath with Dauid taking himselfe to be disgraced because the people after the slaughter of the Philistimes ascribed to Dauid ten thousand and to him but a thousand 1. Sam. 18. 7. In like manner he was angrie with Ionathan for his loue that he bare to Dauid and for giuing him leaue to goe to Bethleem 1. Sam. 20. 30. Thus Nebuchadnezars wrath was kindled against the three children because he tooke himselfe to be contemned of them Dan. 3. 19. Thus Haman meerely in regarde of priuate disgrace growes to great indignation against Mordecai Esther 3. v. 5. Thus Asa was angry with the Prophet Hanani because he thought it a discredit to him to be reprooued at his hand 2. Chron. 16. 10. And in this sort were the Iewes filled with wrath at Christs reproofe Luk. 4. 28. shewing thereby as it is truly expounded by the Commenter that they were very hotte in their own cause and not in the cause of God III. Question What is the Remedie of vniust Anger Ans. The Remedies thereof are twofold Some consist in meditation and some in practise Sect. 1. The Remedies that stand in Meditation are of three sorts some doe concerne God some our neighbour and some our selues The Meditations cōcerning God are specially sixe I. Meditation That God by expresse cōmandement forbiddes rash and vniust anger and commandeth the contrarie namely the duties of loue Read for this purpose Mat. 5. 21. 22. where we may obserue three degrees of vniust anger The first whereof is that which is inwardly conceiued and not outwardly shewed The second when vniust anger shewes it selfe by signes of contempt as by snuffing rushing changing and casting downe of the countenance The third is railing thou foole which is culpable of Gehenna fire the highest degree of punishment Now all these three degrees are murther and the punishment of a murtherer is to be cast into the lake of fire Rev. 21. 8. Againe Christ commandeth vs to reward good for euill to blesse them that curse vs and to doe good to thē that hate vs if we will be the children of our Father which is in heauen Mat. 5. 45. And S. Paul wisheth vs to ouercome evill with goodnes Rom. 12. 21. II. Meditation That all iniuries which befall vs doe come by Gods providence whereby they are turned to a good ende namely our good Thus David saith that God had bidden Shemei to curse him 2. Sam. 16. 10. And this was the ground of Christs reproofe of Peter Shall I not saith he drinke of the euppe which my Father hath giuen me to drinke of Ioh. 28. 11. III. Meditation God is long-suffering even towards wicked men we in this point must be followers of him In regard of this God is said to be mercifull gracious slow to anger abundāt in goodnes truth Exod. 34. 6. Hence it was that he spared the old world 120 yeres ● Pet. 3. 19. He spared the Israelits after their Idolatrie 390 yeres Ezek. 4. 5. Besides this we haue example of the lowlines long suffering of Christ who saith Matth. 11. 29. Learne of me for I am humble and meeke and of whome it is said 1. Pet. 2. 22. When he was reuiled he reuiled not againe when he suffered he threatned not but committed his cause to him that iudgeth righteously Nowe because some may haply say that these examples of God and Christ are too perfect for man to followe who cannot