Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	evil_a	good_a	tree_n	6,434	5	10.3457	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07825	A treatise of the nature of God	Morton, Thomas, of Berwick.	1599 (1599)	STC 18198; ESTC S101314	111,319	258

it self towards y ● wich it iudgeth good pleasant And as euery nature is diuers from all other so euery one hath a particular good to the attaining wherof itmoueth it self and also the subiect which it hath in subiection and in the fruition whereof it resteth and pleaseth it selfe as in happinesse the chiefe good Thus the nature of God hath a proper kinde of good belonging to it the which is simply and chiefly good to wit his owne glorie wherevnto the will of God in all the actions of God doth ayme and incline for in it rising out of it selfe before the creation since gotten or rather continued by meanes of the creatures it doth rest and please it selfe for euer Sect. 5. THus farre the will of God agreeth with the will of the creature now followeth the difference the which cannot but be great First they differ in that respect which hath alreadie beene named to wit that the will of God is alwaies effectuall and actuall alwaies bringing it selfe into act without faile or any difficultie and therefore is neuer in vaine whereas the creature doth often incline and mooue it selfe inwardly towarde some obiect but cannot goe forward in accomplishing and bringing foorth into act that inward motion being hindred either by the impotencie of the subiect wherein it is or by some greater power but nothing can resist the will of God or make his purpose frustate This is the first difference and yet to speake properly and to say the truth this is not a difference of the wils but of the persons and their power For the wil being hindered from putting it self into executiō may be as strong yea vsually is more strong then when it hath outward power ioyned vnto it Secondly the will of God is immutable and the same for euer that which he willeth once hee willeth alwaies but the will of the creature is more variable then is the winde neuer constant but continually altering it self from one obiect to another yea often to that which is cleane contrary to the other that not onely in particular obiects but euen in regard of the general kinds of good ●eiecting the true good for a false appearance with all true happinesse for a vaine and transitorie shadow of pleasure Neyther is it any maruell that the will of the creature is so variable when as it is so easily deceiued and ledde out of the way by error and ignorance or else ouerruled by headstrong affections frō both which the nature of God being free admitteth no manner of alteration in will The reasons which may seeme to inferre alteration of will in God are drawne out of those places of scripture in the which it is said that God hath not performed that which hee hath spoken and purposed as when he being mooued either with the sinnes and vnthankfulnesse of the wicked or by the prayers and repentance of the godly doth confesse himselfe to repent of that good which hee hath done to the one or of those afflictions which he had threatned to the other But the trueth is that God neuer repenteth himselfe eyther of the one or of the other but taketh to himselfe the person and manner of men who not foreseeing what will follow do often repent themselues and are sorrie both for benefites bestowed on vnthankfull vnworthie persons and also for too great seueritie and rash anger vpon those whom they loue Gent. You haue made one obiection against the immutabilitie of the will of God haue also fully satisfied it I pray you do as much to one that I will make Sch. I know not whither I can or no but I will do my indeuour Gent. You need not feare it for I knowe you haue often both mooued and aunswered it ere now it is this If the will of god cannot be altered in any thing that he hath determined and that he hath determined all things whatsoeuer what need wee vse any meanes for the attaining of any good or what will it auaile to labor to eschew euill when the determinate will and purpose of God cannot be by prayer or by any other meanes auoyded but must of necessitie stand and take place Sch. The answere is as you say easie ordinarie for God willeth and worketh ordinarily nothing but by the ordinarie means effectuall for that purpose the which he hath commanded vs to vse and therefore we are to thinke hope that our endeuours are the meanes which hee hath appoynted for our good If our endeuors take not effect we are to acknowledge those wants harmes to be sent from God the which otherwise we could not haue denied to haue happened through our owne default and therefore we are to be carefull in vsing all good means effectuall for any good purpose and especially of prayer which you bring for an instaunce for to imagine that God hath so tied himselfe to a stoicall fate and necessarie course of things that hee can not though hee would grant our desires is most fond foolish cōtrary to the whole course of scripture and in truth the vtter subuersion of all godlinesse You might in like maner obiect that it must needs be graunted that God doth sometimes change his wil seeing that he willeth contrary things wich cānot come to passe for exāple God would haue all men to be saued and come to the knowledge of his trueth This is true for it is the word yea the very words of god 1. Tim. 3. 4. Againe it is his wil that som should perish for it is certaine that some do perish and that neyther without nor against the will of God but by his will purpose as the scripture doth plainly teach vs euery where Likewise it was the will of God that Adam should not eyther taste or touch the forbidden fruite for hee forebad him and yet wee cannot doubt but that God had foreappoynted that Adam should fall by eating the forbidden fruit and so in infinit other instances for answere of all which wee are to distinguish the commaundements of God giuen to vs from his will which hee keepeth to himselfe he commaunds things impossible to shew vs what we ought to doo and to endeuor as is the fulfilling of the lawe and the conuerting of all men as farre as we can to the obedience of the Gospell both which are good and to be endeuored by vs and therefore commanded by him but both of them impossible and therefore not to be thought to be willed by him Againe God cōmandeth sometimes to this end to giue occasion of sin for the which end he forebad Adam to eate of the fruite of the tree of good and euill and so the Apostle saith that the law was giuen to make sin abound yea God sometimes commādeth that he wold not haue done to make triall of our faith as he commanded Abraham to sacrifice his sonne Isaac But these commandements are not to be accounted the wil of God yea if hee