Reformed Covenanter
Cancelled Commissioner
... The Necessity of the concurrence of the first cause with the second in the operations thereof, appears thus. All creatures depend upon God in respect of their Being, Conservation, and Operation: For in him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17.28. We have our being, there is our dependence in respect of our Creation; we live, there is our dependence in respect of our Conservation; we move, there is our dependence in respect of our Operation. Creatures depend no less upon God in respect of operations, then in respect of their beings; because the operations of things in both instants, viz. both of being and of operation, are equally beings of participation.
2. From the perfection of the first Cause; such is the nature of the first Cause being God, and the nature of the second cause being a creature, as that thence necessarily followeth the amplitude of Perfection in the first Cause, and a universal and subordinate dependence in the second cause in respect of its efficiency. In this regard Plato called the second causes the instruments of the first Cause; which though in some respect it holdeth not, because instruments (properly so called) have no proper efficiency; yet so far it is a truth, as that every creature universally dependeth more upon God, then any creature upon its fellow-creature. ...
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2. From the perfection of the first Cause; such is the nature of the first Cause being God, and the nature of the second cause being a creature, as that thence necessarily followeth the amplitude of Perfection in the first Cause, and a universal and subordinate dependence in the second cause in respect of its efficiency. In this regard Plato called the second causes the instruments of the first Cause; which though in some respect it holdeth not, because instruments (properly so called) have no proper efficiency; yet so far it is a truth, as that every creature universally dependeth more upon God, then any creature upon its fellow-creature. ...
For more, see:
John Norton on the concurrence of the First Cause with secondary causes
The Effectual Concurse of the first Cause with the second, is an external transient influence of God, upon the creature in time, exactly answering to the Decree of God before time: moving upon, co-…
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