Selected quad for the lemma: opinion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
opinion_n	mortal_a	sin_n	venial_a	597	5	12.4318	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54928	The spiritual sacrifice, or, A treatise wherein several weighty questions and cases concerning the saints communion with God in prayer are propounded and practically improved by Mr. Alexander Pitcarne.	Pitcarne, Alexander, 1622?-1695.	1664 (1664)	Wing P2295; ESTC R30533	821,533	890

to open the gates of heaven Hence the exhortation to pray alwaies Luk. 18.1 2 Thes 5.17 c. importing at least that there should be no such intermission of prayer as may occasion deadness and indispose us for that duty 13. A giving way to a slight lazy dead and superficial performance of this solemn duty if we accustome our selves to do the work of the Lord negligently we will find no small difficulty to scrue up the pins and to bring the heart in tune again weak acts (h) Aliqui actus ab habitu procedentes diminumt ipsum ut pote cum neglig enter fiunt apud Thom. 1 2. quast 52. apt 3. in 〈◊〉 weaken the habit and principle and beget an inclination to do remisly and negligently or rather an impotency and inability to act (i) Ahorse that is used as mili orio carri burdens is not fi● for a journey be is so used to a slow pace that he will not leave it vigoriously and to purpose the sluggard will not purchase a meal by his work our lazy spiritual performances as they cannot procure So neither do they bring with them meat in their mouth whereon the soul should live they bring with them no heavenly in fluence and thus the new man for want of daily refreshment must become (k) We wil not now at any length debate the question concerning the growth and decay of grace with learned Mr. Ford affirming that no gracious babit can properly be said to grow or decay but only in respect of the acts that flow from it in that it may be clog●ed and obstructed as to its operations But remove these obstructions and grace will act as vigorously as ever it did Spir. of Adopt cha 43 pag. 499. We having here supposed as we thought with all Divines and asserted the contrary we shall only ad some few particulars in a word for preventing such a mistake And 1. that the great School-man Suarez professeth that he never read any Divine who affirmed that the habits of grace were so indivisible that they could admit no growth or decay yea or who durst deny that actually and de facto they did not grow and encrease Suar. de grat lib. 9. cap. 2. sect 3. Hence he doth not dispute but supposeth that in every grace there is a sufficient latitude of degrees within which as it may grow So it may decay ibid. lib 11. cap. 8. sect 1. It s true the popish Schoolmen albeit they plead for the growth of grace yet deny that actually there is any partial decay of it but upon such grounds as all orthodox Divines will abominate viz. Because all and every mortal sin doth not diminish but totally destroy and remove grace and venial sins as they do not abolish and take away So neither can they weaken and diminish the habits of grace Thom. 2 2. quoest 24. art to in corp Bannez in loc Suar loc cit Dur. alii in 1. sent dist 17. Lugo de fid disp 16. sect 4. Becan de chari cap. 22. quaest 6. But laying aside that vain distinction of mortal and venial sins and that opinion concerning the Saints apostacy none of them wi●l deny that grace may as truly be said to decay as to grow vid. Suar. loc cit lib. 9. cap. 2. sect 24. In gratia ipsa non deest latitudo graduum ratione cujus possit successive amitei ac prius minui quam omnino pereat nibil ominus tamen ex defectu causarum corrumpentium c But 2. to speak to these severally and first as to the growth of grace the Scripture is most express in several places this the Father of the possessed prayed for Mark 9.24 this we are exhorted unto 2 Pet. 3.18 Secondly if we come to particulars may not ●●ith hope love c be encrealed and why do we use the means if our state be not be tered thereby and why do we trade any more if our talents do not multiply and encrease by a right and diligent imp ovement of them Thirdly shall not grace at length be perfected aed is it not now on the way to perfection and shall we imagine that there is no progress made in that way c. 2. As to the decay of grace through the withdrawing of the Spirit because of our negligence and folly 1. if Adam lost a greater stock as all grant albeit the learned Dr Twisse doubts whether or not he lost all grace vind grat pag. 751. why may not we who are weaker loss a part and some measure of ours Hence our Divines while they are pleading against the total and final apostacy of the Saints affirm that the perseverance of the Saints doth not flow from their own strength or from the nature and measure of grace they have received but from the f●●e promise dec●ee and appointment of God and the custody of the Spirit si fidem spectemus quo●d naturam suam amitti potest perire sed si c. Perkin de praedest lib●● err 8. ●ect 5 vid. et●am Twis in sect 4. It s true that according to the tenor of the covenant of grace the Jewel cannot totally be lost the seed of God must remain 1 Joh. 3.9 gracious habits cannot be lost saith Perkins secundum esse yet they may be diminished secundum gradam aliquem yea if we look upon them in their own nature or in relation to us they may altogether perish or decay ipse habitus inquit Perk loc cit sect 10. sive potentia fidei per se amitti potest sed propter gratiam confirmantem non perit fides secundum esse sed minuitur secundum gradum aliquem hinc sequitur posse minui communionem cum Christo sed non posse solvi unionem 2. If in different beleevers there be a different measure and degree of grace some being weaker some stronger why not also in one and the same subiect and why may not a strong Saint by his fall lose some of his strength and become weaker and why did David complain that his bones were not only weakned but as it were broken Ps 51.9.3 Why was the Church of Sardis exhorted to strengthen that which was ready to die Rev. 3.2 if their graces were not on the decaying hand I willingly grant that as the habits of grace are not produced by our acts So neither are they physically and efficiently encreased thereby or thus diminished by the contrary acts of sin yea the very Jesuits do affirm the same which also is a● some length confirmed by Jo. de Lugo de fid disp 16. sect 4. where also he sheweth the difference as to this point that is between natural and gracious habits sect 77. vid etiam Suar. de grat lib. 8. cap 4. but the Spirit being provokt to depart and withdraw his influence proportionably to his departure ob defectum causae conservantis and this decay of grace usually is accompanied with an obstruction of that little