Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	life_n	write_v	3,140	5	5.7901	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08129	Certaine sermons, preached by the reuerend and iudicious diuine master Thomas Nevvhovse late preacher of Gods word in the citie of Norwich. And now set foorth for the vse and benefit of Gods people, by Robert Gallard, Master of Arts and minister in the same citie	Newhouse, Thomas, d. 1611.; Gallard, Robert.	1614 (1614)	STC 18493; ESTC S102789	66,753	182

reiect it Answ It is not possible that any man should resist the powerfull operation of the spirit of God in the conscience As for that of Stephen Act. 7.51 where hee vpbraides the Iewes that they had alwaies resi●●ed the holy Ghost it is to be vnderstood of the spirit speaking in the outward ministerie of the word not inwardly and effectuallie working in the conscience Thirdly iustification standing in the remission of sinnes and acceptation of a man vnto life for the only obedience of Christ imputed cannot bee made voide or frustrate for the Lord doth most perfectly pardon sin Esay 44.22 Micha 7.19 Iere. 31.34 Psal 103.12 Fourthly and lastly Regeneration cannot be lost for why the Author of it that is the spirit of God abideth euer 1. Ioh. 2.27 who is called the anointing and the oyle of gladnesse Psalme 45.7 and the graces of it as hope for else how could it bee the anchor and hold of the soule Heb. 6.19 Loue abideth euer 1. Cor. 13.8 a seede whereof remained in Peter in his deniall and the feare of God neuer vtterly quaileth Iere. 32.40 This also is manifest in experience for when the childe of God yeeldeth to any grieuous temptation hee sinneth not as one desperate and voyde of all hope to bee recouered nor of hatred against God not in a secure contempt of God as the Epicure but still retaines in his heart some remainders of these graces which being afterward reuiued and quickned hee raiseth vp himselfe and returnes vnto God Grace in time of some grieuous temptation is driuen into some narrow corner of the heart euen as they that are in a Sconce or Castle besieged flie into some streight corner or some inward and secret place yet after they come foorth As then this point is cleere by Scriptures so likewise reason will auouch and demonstrate the same The first reason is taken from the intercession of Christ who prayed not onely for Peter Luke 22.32 but for all the elect that should either then presently or hereafter beleeue Ioh. 17.20 who was alwaies heard of his Father Ioh. 11.42 Vnlesse therefore we will say that Christ his prayer is vneffectuall wee must needes conclude that the beleeuer cannot wholly be ouercarried of sinne And vnto this prayers of the faithfull who asking in faith to bee strengthened in temptation that they might not wholly bee foiled haue a promise to be heard Vnlesse therefore wee will say that God doth falsifie his promise we must necessarily affirme that the faithfull neuer fall totally from grace The second is taken from the mysticall vnion which is so firme and indissoluble that nothing can breake the same Hos 2.19 nay euen death it selfe doth not dissolue this bond for when the body is rotten in the graue and turned into dust and ashes then notwithstanding it remaines a part of that person which is really and truly though spiritually united vnto Christ which is a matter of no small comfort to the children of God and if it could bee broken it could neuer bee restored because faith is but once giuen Iude 3. And if it could bee restored and a new insition into Christ made then Baptisme which is the signe and seale hereof must bee iterated and repeated for the confirmation thereof The third reason is this If grace may be wholly lost then no man can bee assured of his saluation neither can haue peace with God nor pray in faith without doubting but the faithfull man is certaine of his saluation otherwise hee hath not faith because certaintie is of the nature of faith Certitude est de natura fidei and hath peace with God Rom. 5.1 and prayeth in faith without wauering Iam. 1.6 Ergo. The fourth reason is this The sonne abides in the house for euer that is in the Catholike Church Ioh. 8.35 but all the faithfull are sons by adoption Ioh. 1.12 and not onely sonnes but heires and fellow-heires with Christ Rom. 8.17 and therfore are neuer wholly cast out of the fauour of God though they fall dangerously Now that we see this point to be so cleere and euident let vs answer vnto some of those obiections that are vsually alleaged to the contrarie that wee may bee more confirmed in the present truth That election may be lost Obiection it is proued out of Moses prayer Exod. 32.32 where Moses prayeth to be blotted out of the booke of life To omit all other answers first Solution that prayer is not absolute but conditionall and therefore affirmeth nothing certainly Secondly it is not simple but comparatiue rather then the whole bodie of the people should perish and the glorie of God bee impeached he prayeth in an earnest affection to his brethren and in a feruent zeale to Gods glorie that hee might if it were possible bee raced out of the booke of life As for the place in Psalme 69.28 where Dauid prayeth that his enemies might be dashed out of the booke of life hee meaneth reprobate hypocrites who though in their iudgement and in the iudgement of the Church were falsely reputed to bee in the number of the Elect yet their names were neuer written in heauen and therefore Dauid prayeth that the Lord would detect and make manifest their hypocrisie But it will be replied that the Churches of Ephesus Ephes 1.4 1 Thess 1.4 1. Pet. 1.1 Thessalonica and the lewes are called Elect by the Apostles who afterward notwithstanding made totall defection and apostacie from God Answ There be two kindes of iudgements to be giuen of men the iudgement of certaintie whereby an infallible determination is giuen of any mans particular estate and this belongs to God properly and principally and to man so farre foorth only as the Lord shall reueale the estate of one man to another there is also the iudgement of charitie wherby those that liue in the Church haue giuen vp their names vnto God in Baptisme and professe the religion of Christ are commonly reputed to bee in the number of the Elect and according to this latter iudgement did the Apostles speake of the Churches Againe whole Churches are called Elect by a Synechdoche by reason of the better and more excellent part which are in thē Elect as the heape of corne wherein there is a greater quantitie of chaffe is so called by reason of the more principall part As for the conditionall decree it is a meere forgerie of mans braine hauing no footing in the word of God for to decree a thing conditionally is to decree nothing at all Conditionalis propositio nihil ponit in esse because the conditionall proposition affirmes nothing and besides that it doth most indignely suspend the will of God the supreme and soueraigne cause of all things ordering and ruling all secondary oauses and ouer-ruled by none vpon the will of the creature it doth most impiously ascribe vnto God either imprudence or impotencie for therefore doe men purpose and decree things conditionally either because they know not

two nations and not two persons were vnderstood yet all comes to one head for the receiuing of the nation of the Israelites into the couenant and the excluding of the Edomites both descending of Iacob and Esau seeme as well to proue Gods eternall Election and Reprobation as the receiuing and reiecting of particular men Secondly others alleage and say that by loue and hatred we are not to vnderstand the eternal decree of God in Election and Reprobation but temporall blessings wherein Iacob was preferred before Esau especially that to him and his posteritie was vouchsafed the right and possession of the land of Canaan which was denied to his elder brother Answ If this were the meaning of the text then the Apostle should bee accused of vnskilfulnes in alleaging these examples to proue the reiection of the Iewes from the Couenant and indeed they should bee altogether impertinent for though it were granted there were a difference betweene man and man in respect of earthlie blessings yet hereof it followeth not that there should bee the same difference in things concerning the kingdome of heauen Againe the land of Canaan was not onely an earthly inheritance we are not so carnally to conceiue of it but a pledge and figure to our forefathers of a farre better inheritance in heauen and therefore the excluding of Esau from the land of Canaan was a signe that hee was excluded from the couenant of grace and the right of eternall life Lastly it is obiected that to admit this exposition makes Ismael and Esau damned persons which is a hard censure Answ It is the safest to leane secret iudgements touching particucular persons vnto God but whatsoeuer their state is before God the Apostle hath fitly in their two persons both descending from Abraham and both circumcised set forth examples of such as for all their outward prerogatiues are indeed barred from the couenant of life euerlasting before God Againe the opposition made by Paul requires that the contrarie to that which is spoken of Is●●● and Iacob should bee affirmed of Ismael and Esau Neither is there a word in Scriptures which argues in them any disposition of men ordained to eternall life Ismael is noted with the brand of a mocker and Esau of a prophane person And lest any man should think that this doctrine is destitute of the testimony of the Church and of men I referre them to Augustine in his booke de ciuit Dei lib. 15. cap. 1. and to his Enchirid. ad Lauren. cap. 100. and to Thom. part 1. qu. 23. art 1. I may not waste the time in reciting the testimonies at large And thus much of the generall doctrine the vse followeth which is two-fold partly in confutation of error partly in instruction vnto godlinesse Touching confutation it serueth first of all to ouerthrow the error of some Diuines that terme themselues Lutherans and Imitators of Castellio who hold and teach and in their writings publish and maintaine that God for his part hath cast lots of no man but hath willed and decreed to saue all and euery particular man without exception of any so be it they wil beleeue But this confused and vniuersall decree falleth to the ground if God hath sorted and distinguished men in his eternall counsell as wee haue before demonstratiuely proued out of Scriptures But that the truth in this point may bee more euident and error more manifestly detected against this indistinct and generall decree many reasons may bee alleaged First sauing grace is not giuen to all as faith hope loue repentance perseuerance which are the meanes of saluation therefore all are not elected to eternall life the ground of this reason is infallible to wit whosoeuer are ordained to the end are ordained to the meanes which properly and directly serue to the accomplishing of the same end so much the word predestination in Latin signifieth viz. the appointing of such an end which is not but by set and appointed meanes thereunto subordinate as by certaine steps and degrees atchieued And Paul Rom. 8.30 hath so linked and knit these things together that it is impossible to seuer thē but it must needs be that whosoeuer are predestinate they are also called iustified and shall be glorified But it will be replied that sufficiencie of sauing grace is giuen to all though it be not effectual in all that through the default of the receiuers Answ This distinctiō in the matter of grace is frinolous and absurd whatsoeuer Bellarmine or any other can say to the contrary The reason hereof is plaine for that grace be sufficient vnto saluatiō fiue things are required First the collating or donation of grace Secondly power and abilitie to receiue the grace giuen which is done by another grace Thirdly the retaining or keeping of the grace receiued Fourthly the vsing of the grace receiued and kept Fifthly the perseuerance in it or the constant keeping and vsing of the grace giuen and receiued whereof if any bee wanting it is not sufficient if all be there it must needs be effectuall vnlesse we will say that he that continueth to the end in faith and obedience shall not bee saued contrary to the expresse text of scripture Againe these are so coupled and combined together that whosoeuer hath the first grace truly and indeed hee must needes haue the second to wit perseuerance otherwise hee hath not true sauing grace but a shadow of it the perseuerance being a part of the truth of grace 1. Ioh. 2.19 so as men liuing in the Church are then knowne to be counterfeits and hypocrites when they doe not perseuere And if perseuerance doth not alwaies accompanie true sauing grace what will be the difference and preferment of the state of Redemption before the state of Creation Adam before the fall in his innocencie had indeede to can that he would but hee had not to will that he could but whosoeuer are in Christ as all are that haue receiued sauing grace they haue in some measure both posse velle so as it is impossible they should either totally fall or finally perish Mans saluation being put into his owne hands was lost because hee was not confirmed with new grace in the act of temptation but being now committed to the custodie of Christ it is safe sure he hauing ouercome Satan and al the powers of hell by subtiltie and violence whereof it might haue bin endangered To make this plaine by a familiar comparison vsed by * Loc. com pag. 464. Peter Martyr Suppose there were a great weight of timber or stone to be moued if a man shall put to so much force as is sufficient that is so much as may preuaile against the greatnes of the mole motion must necessarily follow in like manner God being to moue the stonie and wicked hearts of men if hee shall of his mercie infuse but so much grace as is sufficient that is so much as will counteruaile the hardnes and prauitie of them it