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B02798
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The fulness and freeness of Gods grace in Christ declared. Namely, how God orders and appoints men to their final ends; some to honor, some to dishonor to eternity. The second part.; Fulnesse and freenesse of Gods grace in Christ declared. Part 2
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Duke, Francis.
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1655
(1655)
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Wing D2502A; ESTC R176022
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62,389
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122
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in the loss of his glory and to his dishonour for ever by nulling his truth in that all mankind together with themselves might fall into eternal misery and so not one ever should aspire to eternal happiness that glory over theirs For in Adam all die that is eternally vessels of dishonour But for the further enlargement of the fall of man I refer the Reader to the third Chapter of my former Treatise but now in this particle of time when man fell and the world with him then God gave being to the seventh means to cary on his final End by the assent of humane nature to eternal glory in his manifold wisdom to the rebounding of his glory to all eternity notwithstanding what was done by the Apostate Angels as will appear in the next Chapter and Chapters following CHAP. IV. In this Chapter is proved that God gave being to the seventh means to accomplish his final end IN this case as is said God passed by Men and Angels because this means is not man only nor God only but personally God Man that is the second in the one God assumed not the person of any man but the nature of every man as it was said the seed of the woman And this person by this personal union was made the the seventh means in the beginning of time namely in that instant of time in which the whole frame of Nature fell by its principal part as is described Gen. 3.15 for then saith God I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed affirmatively concluding he shall break thy head Luk. 1.70 so that this seventh means was then known by name that is the seed of the woman And thus God spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets since the world began and accordingly when the fulness of time was come Gal. 4.4 God sent forth his son made of a woman and so forth And because the Text saith God sent forth his Son made of a woman he tels us that himself was the sole efficient of this means for womans seed was but the subject matter and no formal cause nor man any efficiency in it but God only and alone according to his word to the Serpent I will and so forth Wherefore when an Angel said unto Mary Luk. 1.31 32 33 34 35. Loe thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bear a son Then said Mary unto the Angel How can this be seeing I know not man The Angel then tels her how saying The holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the most high shall overshadow thee therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee Heb. 1.4 5 6. shall be called the Son of God From this ground the Text saith Who shall declare his generation implying none but God himself he being so much better then the Angels as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name then they For unto which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my son this day have I begotten thee Again when he bringeth in his first begotten into the world he saith And let all the Angels of God worship him Quest In regard he was not born nor begotten until the fulness of time how can he be Gods first begotten Answ I answer He was begotten so as never none was nor ever shall be by the power of the most High and so the first begotten in this sense that ever was Secondly The first begotten in priority of time for he was the first born of man from the dead fall of Adam in that word of God when he threatned destruction to the designe of apostate Angels by womans seed and so the first begotten from the dead fall of the whole frame of Nature this was intimated by God when he instituted the earths first fruits to be his and of the beasts which first opened the womb to be his and the first-born of man to be his implying that Christ was the only first-born from the dead of every creature in an universal relation and that he was the seventh means to destroy all the apostate Angels foresaid means and so to carry on Gods final end is clear For this purpose saith the Text was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil and our Lord himself saith For this end was I born 1 Epist Ioh. 3.8 and for this cause came I into the world that I should bear witness to the truth The which truth may be considered negatively or affirmatively Negatively thus That God never did Ioh 18.37 nor now doth intend glory to himself by mans operations good or bad everlastingly but according to his rules made suitable to man Or affirmatively thus That God really intended and still doth to return glory to himself for ever by mans operations good or bad according to his rule suitable to man that is some to honour and some to dishonour according to their works to all eternity and not as the apostate Angels lyingly affirmed that God really intended neither for we see they denyed man should die at all and for life God intended no such thing to us in our first parents as precedently is proved Consequently it must follow from their lies as our Familistical Ranters affirm that all shall be alike that is none saved nor damned Iohn 8.44 As the Scriptures affirm But these filthy dreamers are the children of their Father the Devil whose works they will doe But for the further inlargement how our Lord did witness the truth and what that righteousness of his is which is imputed to the world in general and to man believing the truth more special I refer the Reader to the eighth Chapter of my former Treatise to the which the fourth Chapter in the same Book will give much light Because the Text saith Observ God sent his Son in the fulness of time Hence observe what is implyed in those words namely That it was ful time then for God to send him and for him to com because by that time the apostate Angels had not only seduc d Noa's posterity by apostacy from that posture God put them in by Christ to Heathenish Idolatry universally as in due place wil appear and also what that posture was which they left Rom. 10 11 12 but also seduced Abrahams seed in the like apostacy excepting some very few of both sorts by which Gods final end became almost as it was in the fall of Adam Psal 2.3 Therefore when the Lord lookt down from heaven upon the children of men as saith the Text to see if there were any that would understand and seek God he concludes all are gone out of the way and so forth but when the time was come that by the just judgement of God he shut up all men in unbelief it was to this end that he might have mercy upon all to be put into the said posture and
of God manifested it first in Cain and Abel to Cain although his operations were not well according to this rule yet the mercy of it appeared to him after he had not done well in this That God interrogatively promised him acceptance saying If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted implying most certainly Thou shalt as is Abel thy brother And in the next words appears the justice of this rule If thou dost not well sin lies at the dore And as concerning Abel because his operations were according to his posture the justice of this rule appeared to him in that God approved thereof and the mercy of this rule because it admitted acceptance of him although unperfect in the perfect operations of another man as appears by his sacrifices which implyed the imputative righteousness of Christ for saith the Text Gen. 4.4 Abel offered unto God a more acceptable sacrifice then Cain by which he obtained witness that he was righteous Heb. 11.4 God testifying of his gift and so the same tenor of mercy and justice all along down the old world to the Flood the mercy of it when the wickedness of man is great on the earth by Apostacy from the said posture and all ungodlyness yet the mercy of this rule gave them time to repent and turn to the said posture to receive the said gift of life namely one hundred and twenty years in which time the long-sufferings of God waited in the daies of Noah so also the justice of this rule of mercy brought in the flood upon the world of ungodly and to Noah its justice and mercy were also both extended as unto Abel because he kept to the said posture in a constant reception of the said gift of life for by faith he being warned of God of things which were not yet seen moved with reverence prepared the Ark to the saving of his houshold through which Ark he condemned the world and so was made heir of the righteousness which is by faith and the same tenor was also extended to Noahs posterity after the flood and none other for as this justice scattered them from the Land of Shinor for their Apostacy from the said posture upon the face of all the earth as is proved so the mercy of this rule followed them eighteen hundred years under that wrath of God and none other as in the tenth Chapter following will appear and as in the seventh Chapter of my former Treatise is proved and this same Tenor and none other was extended to the said Nation elect in the loynes or seed of Abraham the mercy of it was figured in the Pot of Manna and the Rod that budded and the two Tables of the Moral Law as joyntly inclosed in the Ark and so a figure of the perfection of the satisfactory righteousness of Christ imputed to the world and therefore God named it his Mercies Seat and so he spake from thence to that Nation as a part of all mankind and the justice of this Tenor was figured to that Nation In my former Treatise p. 70. in the manner of the delivery of the Gospel into the vail of Moses as in fire in smoke in earthquake yet it was the justice of this mercifull Tenor because it was delivered on that Mount from God by an Angel into the hand of a Mediator namely Moses in the type which was Christ in the truth and therefore it is said the Law came by Moses but grace and truth by Iesus Christ That is the grace and truth of all contained in those Laws came by Iesus Christ and so made up a Gospel of glad tidings to that people and all Nations From this ground they had a daily sacrifice for sin in their generations and this Tenor more clearly appears to that Nation for God having stiled them the house of Israel he thus faith unto them If the wicked will turn from his sins that he hath committed Ezek. 18.20 24.29.30 he shall surely live there is the mercy of this Tenor If the wicked turn not the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself there is the justice of this Tenor. Again This same Tenor and none other now is when the Gospel is unvailed nor never shall to the worlds end for all men stand bound to their believing operations in their said posture to receive the said gift of life or to perish as witnesseth our Lord in the fore-cited Text to the Apostles Go ye into all the world and Preach the Gospel to every creature he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved There is the mercy of the Gospels Tenor He that will not believe shall be damned There is the justice of its Tenor. CHAP. X. In which is proved that the Spirit of Christ strived with the spirits of Noahs posterity which were confounded and scattered at Babel in their succeeding Generations to preserve them in a narrow way to eternal life THis Point devides it self into three parts First that they had the truth of God to direct them to that way Secondly That that truth was the truth of God to them in the seed of the woman Christ the Lord. Thirdly 1 Rom. 18.25 26 28. That by this truth some of the best of them did attain eternal life although the generality refused it and so perished Of these in their order First That the truth of God they had is clear in Rom. 1. and the 18. because the Spirit of Christ by Paul chargeth them with with holding the truth in unrighteousness and with turning that truth into a lie and so forsaking the Creator which is blessed for ever Amen as verse the 25. And for this cause God delivered them up from Christs Spirit striving with their spirits to vile affections verse 26. And the reason thereof is further amplified in the 28 verse namely as they regarded not to acknowledg God in that truth they had even so God delivered them up to a reprobate mind therefore this truth of God the Heathens or Gentiles had although confounded and scattered at Babel from the residence of the Gospel and its Tenor with them Secondly That this truth was the truth of God to them by the seed of the woman Christ the Lord is clear also and it was twofold the one external and the other internal The external truth was manifested and shewed to them by Christ the Lord by the whole creation he being the only first-born of every creature as the second Adam from the dead fall of Adam for so he opened the womb of the whole creation in its tendency and travel from the bondage of corruption it then fell in to be partakers of the glorious liberties of the Sons of God and that this travel of the Creation is a continued act by the force of Christ as aforesaid is clear for the Text saith It travelleth untill now yet here note by the way That the continuation of the good things in Nature in the Creation is not simply