Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	heart_n	incline_v	lord_n	17,764	5	7.2659	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52615	The system of grace, and free-will as 'tis held in the Catholick Church, and the Church of England; proposed, and vindicated. In a visitation sermon. By Stephen Nye.	Nye, Stephen, 1648?-1719.	1700 (1700)	Wing N1509; ESTC R217852	12,408	33

other side The Church doth not think the ordinary the civil Choices or Actions are in any degree necessitated but that there is a liberty of Action and Choice A liberty that is grounded on the Prudence and Reasonableness of our Natures and the consequent Power of deliberating And yet neither doth she believe that the Human Reason Understanding or Will is sincere and sound the Depravation by original Sin is such that we cannot choose Spiritual Good or affect Divine Truths by the natural strength of our corrupted Wills and Understandings but by the Power and Assistance of Grace only The Dispute concerning Grace and the Powers of the Human Will began shortly after the year 400. and was first managed by St. Jerom and St. Austin on the one side and on the other by Pelagius Caelestius and Julianus In the same Age tho much later in the Century it was argued on the one hand by Joannes Cassianus Vincentius Lirinensis and Faustus of Rhiez on the other by Prosper and Fulgentius besides others of less note In the next and the following Ages there were on the Pelagian side softned by J. Cassianus into Semi-pelagianism Hilary and Leontius Archbishops of Arles Rabanus Hincmarus J. Scotus and divers Councils On the contrary side were Remigius Lupus Ratramnus Godeschalcus besides not a few Councils Of the Divines of the Schools St. Thomas of the Orders of the Church the Dominicans were great Asserters of Grace allowing scarce any thing if any thing to Free-will and our natural Powers But the Franciscans and it may be the greater number of the School-Divines tho they believed the Grace of God is necessary yet they could not agree to it that nothing is to be done or can be done by the Human Will and Endeavour Shortly after the Reformation this Question was disputed afresh by the Jesuits Socinians and Remonstrants against the Dominicans Calvinists and Jansenists I am not aware that there is any enquiry that more deserves a careful and heedful Discussion than this concerning Grace and Free-will If either we our selves do not rightly understand it or our People do not apprehend what is our meaning 't is impossible they should make sense of what they hear in this place They can neither understand the Publick Prayers especially the Collects nor our Sermons and Exhortations to them For sometimes they are told they must forsake Sin and must follow after Righteousness or 't is not possible they should be saved 'T is well but they are told also they themselves can do nothing of all this it must be Grace if perhaps God will grant it to them whereby only they can leave Sin or can follow Righteousness But what sense do we suppose can they make of these two Sayings and what Troubles must these Doctrines raise in the Mind when we consider them with any heed I must forgo every Sin I must always do the thing that is right and good and yet I cannot do it but only by God's Grace given to me nor is that Grace in my Power to procure it 'T is the free Gift of God to whomsoever he giveth it and alas how many have it not or rather how very few have it And what follows from this Why that all our Exhortations and Reproofs are to no purpose unless we could also at the same time give to the Persons reproved and exhorted Grace to comply It seems also to follow that it became not the Wisdom of God to give any Laws or Rule of holy Living to Persons who are utterly uncapable of obeying without that Grace which is bestowed but on some and but sometimes It should seem we can as little defend the Sincerity of God in professing that He willeth not that any should perish and that he willeth that all may be saved For the condition of Salvation being Obedience and that Condition not practicable but by Grace it must needs be understood that God willeth those Persons should perish to whom he doth not give his Grace There is no saying in the case let 'em pray for God's Grace For all that assert the necessity of Grace to every good Action and Disposition are obliged to maintain and do maintain that the Affectus Orandi the hearty Disposition to pray for Grace or other spiritual Good can arise only from Grace aforehand given to the Person so praying Or will you send them for Grace to the holy Sacrament But our Books seem all to agree in it that I know not how many Graces are pre-required that one may so receive the Sacrament of the Altar as not to be damned thereby It might have been said however an honest Intention and reverent Performance are sufficient Preparation and Qualification for that Sacrament or other Gospel-Ordinance The Subject we are upon will not admit of further prefacing As I said therefore I shall now propound a Middle between the two Extremes of Pelagianism and Jansenism The Doctrine I take it of the Catholick Church a System concerning Grace and the Human Will which is clear of all the Difficulties whether Theological or Philosophical hitherto mentioned It may be coucht in these few Articles and Texts and Arguments that support them 1. Whatsoever Good we will or do is neither done nor willed without God's Grace his Grace moving us thereto and assisting us therein This Article is directly against the Pelagians that hold the absolute Freedom and arbitrary Power of Man's Will And it seemeth very plainly expressed or clearly implied in these following Texts Out of the Old Testament Psal 119.35 36. Incline my Heart O Lord to thy Testimonies Make me to go in the way of thy Commandments Jer. 31.33 saith GOD there I will put my Law into their inward Parts I will write it on their Hearts Ezek. 36.26 A new Heart will I give them a new Spirit will I put into them Lam. 5.21 Turn thou us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned Out of the New Testament John 6.44 No Man can come unto me saith our Saviour there except the Father who sent me draw him Acts 16.14 The Lord opened the Heart of Lydia that she attended to the things which were spoken by Paul 2 Tim. 2 25. If peradventure God will give to them Repentance 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient as of our selves to think any thing our sufficiency is of God Phil. 3.13 It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good Pleasure Heb. 13.21 The Lord make you perfect in every good Work working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight 1 Cor. 15.10 being the words of our present Text Not I but the Grace of God which was with me These Texts as I said either express or imply these two things That we are under a Disability however it hath happened to do or so much as to will that which is good by our own Strength or Endeavour of any sort And that 't is by the Grace of God given to us that