Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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B02147
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Christendom; or, The nature of Christ's kingdom opened, and the chiefest difficulties in divinity cleared in order to ending the controversies among Christian philosophers, scool-men [sic], and divines of all parties.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing C3933; ESTC R171319
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44,677
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48
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first forsake God. There can be no divine Hope of that which is not infallibly future and God foresees will never be But where is divine Hope that is divine evidence that the thing hoped for is infallibly future Now in all regenerate Souls there is planted by God divine Hope of their Perseverance and Salvation therefore it will most surely be otherwise God is made the Author of false and deceivable Hope 3. God keeps his Saints in this World from final Apostacy by the holy fear of it this is at once a sure pledg and principal engine of Perseverance Jer. 32.40 Ezek. 36.27 Rom. 11.20 As it is holy Fear so it differs in kind from the fear of Devils and Men ungodly in whom is fear but no holy Fear As it is fear of Apostacy so it differs in kind from the State of blessed Saints and Angels in Heaven in whom is perfect Fear as Fear is the same with reverence and transcendent esteem of God but no fear of Apostacy no possibility of Sin. 4. David in the instant of his Murder and Adultery was ungodly and in a state of Damuation The reason is because God's Judgment over all is by Conscience as his Agent in the Breast of Angels and Men universally and for ever And God's Judgment must be so plain that every Mouth may be stopped and all may clearly perceive the Righteousness of God. But if Persons may be in the same instant both Murderers and Adulterers and yet Godly and in a state of Salvation then cannot every Mouth be stopped nor can the Conscience of Angels and Men universally acquit God. There is in the Soul of David invisibly some spiritual Lust against the Flesh such for kind as is in no unregenerate Man 1 Joh. 3.9 Gal. 5.17 Considered as spiritual so it is invisibly active for God and not idle in the Soul Considered as Lust so it is not active but lusteth to act and for the present cannot act by reason of an excess of contrary Lust which doth overwhelm it and extinguish all godly Act. God's gracious purpose in Christ from everlasting concerning David cannot fail and therefore in time he gives him Repentance and Pardon of those enormous Crimes and so makes advantage thereof to his own Glory the disgrace of Sin the esteem of Holiness the comfort of the Penitent and the silencing of the Impenitent Thus where Sin abounded God's Grace much more abounded and from everlasting to everlasting God's Mercy is on David and all other regenerate Souls Rom. 5.20 Psal 103.17 5. Infallible Certainty as it is in God is the Divine Effence and admits of no degrees as it is in us it is the Image of God a divine effect and admitteth of degrees but so that every degree thereof is truly infallible and Certainty not infallible is a Contradiction as being the same with uncertain certainty So much holy Faith in Christ so much holy Self-knowledg Self-perception Self-feeling and Self-intuition here the same thing is both Act and Object As by living we know we live and by seeing we know we see so we believe and know we believe Joh. 6.69 Faith and Assurance as also Faith and Confidence are distinct yet not asunder they differ as Cause and Effect Now Cause and Effect are mutually related things related are simul naturâ intrinsecally together and do mutually prove and infer each other the effect is eminently in the Cause and the Cause as such is the measure of the Effect Isa 32.17 Eph. 3.12 Heb. 10.22 Regeneration is the Seal of the Spirit by which he doth prove evidence and demonstrate to the Heart and Conscience of the Man regenerate through Faith that he is God's Child by Adoption elect in Christ and an Heir of Heaven This is divine Evidence and therefore he is bound to believe it with divine belief The Holy Ghost and renewed Conscience through Faith do undividedly witness the same thing yet not in the same respects the Holy Ghost doth witness the whole as principal and supream and renewed Conscience doth witness the whole as by his Grace instrumental and subordinate Rom. 8.16 17. 9.1 2 Cor. 1.12 22. Eph. 1.13 14. Doubting of Salvation may be in a godly Man in such sort as Unbelief may but no otherwise The least degree of holy Faith doth sincerely yet not perfectly mortify expel and war against Unbelief and carnal Doubting and Uncertainty CHAP. III. Of the Lord Jesus Christ the Mediator between God and Men. 1. THE Mediatorship of Christ began immediately after Adam's Fall For then God the Son as purposed in time to be Man and as Man to die for Sin gave Repentance and Pardon to Adam through Faith and so founded the New Covenant of which himself is the Mediator principally as he is God the Son subserviently as he is Man according to his own eternal purpose The godly before his Incarnation were saved by Faith in Jesus Christ as purposed to be Incarnate and the Godly since are saved by Faith in the same Jesus Christ as already Incarnate according to that Purpose Thus Jesus Christ is the same Yesterday and to Day and for ever without Parts and Composition Heb. 13.8 For if he consist of Parts then he is not simply impartial and then he cannot judg the World in Righteousness he must needs approve Murder in David and condemn it in Cain Which is Blasphemy If he be at all compounded then he is not simply Christ For simple and compounded are Contraries as Light and Darkness Sincerity and Deceit 2 Cor. 1.12 and 11.3 If he be not simply Christ he is a Deceiver 2. Christ considered as Man died for all Men as Men fallen in Adam equally and alike and shed as much Blood and as fincerely and effectually for Cain and Judas as for Abel and Peter and did all that lay in him as Man to save all Mankind without exception and continueth so to do For he could not be a perfectly holy Man without bearing equal and impartial love to all Men as Men fallen in Adam and to all godly Men as Godly As Man he makes no difference between one Man and another farther then they by Holiness or Sin shall difference themselves Christ considered as God could not die but he who is God manifest in the Flesh God the Son incarnate died in respect of his Body and purchased the Church with his own Blood and obtained Faith Repentance Pardon of Sin Perseverance and eternal Salvation for Abel David and the rest of the Elect in all Ages And temporal Grace Mercy Priviledg and Salvation for Cain Judas and the rest of that sort not with design that they should abuse his Grace that so he might have colour against them and damn them But as unsearchably foreseeing that he not preventing them with his heavenly Grace they would through themselves be graceless impenitent and perish And he whose Thoughts and Ways be far above ours purposed not to prevent them Thus he is the Saviour of all
is that holy thing which was born of the Blessed Virgin and is truly called the Son of God and this Son of God is very God the Son incarnate Luke 1.35 Joh. 1.1 14 18. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to day and for ever after Incarnation as before and before as after Heb. 13.8 with this cautious meaning Before Incarnation he was Jesus Christ as from Eternity purposed in time to be incarnate After Incarnation he is the same Jesus Christ as incarnate according to that Purpose If he be at all compounded then he is not simply Christ and then he is a Deceiver For Simple and Compounded are contraries as Light and Darkness Truth and Falshood If Christ consist of Parts then he is not simply impartial and then he cannot judge the World in Righteousness but must needs approve Murder in David and condemn it in Cain which is Blasphemy The Manhood of Christ is not one part or one half of Christ but it is Christ himself considered as Man And the Godhead of Christ is Christ himself considered as God and yet he is but one Person but one Christ and the Nature of Christ as he is God manifest in the Flesh and the Word made Flesh is but one admitting of just Conception but no Parts and Composition Error 2. All things in Nature are reducible to ten Predicaments of which Relation is one Confut. All things in Nature are reducible to one which one is God of whom and through whom and to whom are all things and this God is our God for ever and ever Rom. 11.36 Psal 48.14 Thus Relation is all in all as being the Nature of God the Father not incarnate the Son incarnate the Holy Ghost not incarnate essentially and yet freely related to all Elect Angels and Men as their God and Portion for ever Error 3. There are four distinct Causes of Justification of Satisfaction for Sin of the Sacraments c. the efficient the material the formal and the final Cause Confut. All Cause touching Religion and Life eternal is either principal or supream or instrumental and subservient And the principal and supream Cause is superlatively and transcendently material and of greatest importance to our Faith and eternal Welfare the Cause of Causes even all in all As to Worldly Science common to us and Heathens there is matter and form distinct But as to Heavenly Science by Faith which Heathens have not there is no such distinction For Heavenly Science by Faith consisteth not in Form but in Power 2 Tim. 3.5 not in Shew and Appearance but in Truth and Reality Rom. 2.20 It is one and the same thing which is the beginning and the end the first and the last the efficient and the final Cause yet not in the same respects Rom. 11.36 Rev. 22.13 Error 4. The Will of Man is effentially free and essentially a Rational Appetite Confut. The Will of Man is essentially rational and intellectual◠but neither essentially free nor essentially an Appetite For if it be essentially free then there can be no Hell And if it be essentially an Appetite then there can be no Heaven Damned Men are Men and in them is perfect intellectual human Will as to natural Substance but no free Will. They cannot be holy and happy if they would Luke 16.26 All Freedom and Liberty is either temporal or eternal in the Damned is neither they cannot but implacably hate God and will Annihilation rather than eternal Damnation In the state of perfect Felicity there shall be in all blessed Men perfect rational and intellectual Will but no Appetite no Desire no Wish no want of any good thing but perfect Satisfaction Rest and Pleasure for ever Psal 17.15 Error 5. The Divine Law is twofold of Works and of Faith or the old and the new Law. Confut. The Divine Law is but one as God the Author of it is one admitting of just Conception but no Division The Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ Joh. 1.17 Here the Law and Grace as also Moses and Christ are opposed yet not as contraries but as divers not as Satan and Christ but as subservient and supream Moses as God's Minister delivers the Law by which is the knowledg of Sin and Condemnation due for the same to all the natural Off-spring of fallen Adam And thus the Ministry of Moses and the Law as distinct from and relatively opposed to the Grace of the Gospel in Christ is a killing Letter and the Ministration of Death and Condemnation by reason of Sin in us 2 Cor. 3.6 7 8 9 10. The Law and Moses is not Jesus Christ they cannot purchase for us and bestow on us Gospel-repentance Pardon of Sin Peace of Conscience and eternal Redemption This is utterly above Moses and the Law as distinct from Christ by themselves to effect But now Jesus Christ as distinct from and relatively opposed to Moses and the Law is very God the Son incarnate the Word made Flesh Joh. 1.14 and as such is Mediator and as Mediator he doth purchase the Church with his own Blood and doth obtain for and freely bestow on Abel Peter and the rest of the Elect heavenly Righteousness Faith Repentance Pardon of Sin Perseverance and eternal Redemption These are the highest Blessings and Priviledges in respect whereof Christ as Mediator is to be worshipped with supream Worship otherwise he is a meer Man nothing differing from Moses and our whole Faith is a Lie. Thus the Law and the Gospel are distinct and Faith in Christ doth not abolish but doth establish God's Law Rom. 3.31 Psal 19. and Psal 119. CHAP. XVII Of the Ministry and Church-Discipline 1. THere may be a Church where is no Minister or Pastor but there cannot be a Church without a just esteem of Pastors and Ministers and care to have one where one is wanting Where two or three are gathered together in Christ's Name there is he in the midst of them And where is Christ the Head 〈◊〉 Saints his Members by Faith and Invocation there is a Church both Name and Thing tho there be no Pastor or Minister But those may not be said to be gathered together in Christ's Name who disesteem and contemn Pastors and Ministers 2. Where Ordination may be had consistent with Faith and Piety there it is to be had and they who invade the Ministerial Office without it have no due Call from God he never sent them such Persons do greatly offend against the Order and Unity of God's Church and chosen People and are not to be owned and countenanced in their evil way Where Ordination cannot be had consistent with Faith and Piety there it is not to be had There if a Door be opened for preaching the Gospel one not ordained being able for the Work and faithful may preach baptize give the Lord's Supper and do the whole Ministerial Office with purpose to have Ordination so soon as with Faith and Piety it can