Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	love_n	love_v	4,041	5	6.5654	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96425	The doctrines of the Arminians & Pelagians truly stated and clearly answered: or, An examination and confutation of their ancient errors, which by the Church of Christ in former ages were justly abhorred, but of late under the names of Comfortable truths to be embraced are newly published. Concerning I. The universality of Gods free-grace in Christ to mankind. II. Concerning election. III. Redemption. IV. Conversion. V. Perserverance. Wherein the principal arguments brought to maintaine the orthodox faith are propounded, and the principal objections against them answered. / By Thomas Whitfield, minister of the gospel at Bugbrook in Northampton-shire. The Tares of Arminian heresie showed in former times (and by the help of prelatical influence then given to them increasing) and now growing up so much in these; I conceive this book wherein the author doth learnedly state and confute those opinions, is very worthy the publike light. Joseph Caryll.	Whitfield, Thomas, Minister of the Gospel.; Carly, Joseph, 1602-1673.	1651 (1651)	Wing W2006; Thomason E646_7; ESTC R208798	87,011	101

dyed for all Christ is so skilfull and carefull a Phisitian as he hath not onely provided a soveraigne medicine for us but also applies it unto us if we be his else he should provide it to no purpose we being not only extreame sicke and weak but also dead in sinnes and trespasses Eph. 2.5 and therefore as unable to apply it to our selves as a dead man to take a potion that is ready tempered for him untill Christ quickens us by putting his spirit into us the Apostle saith that we are quickned in and by Christ and that we are saved by grace Eph. 2.5.8 this must needs be such a grace as Christ hath purchased for us but the purchase of this grace onely will neither quicken nor save us unlesse it be applyed and given to us therefore for whom he hath purchased grace to them he applyes it Argument 2 For whom Christ hath dyed he hath shewed greatest love to them for greater love then this hath no man Joh. 15.13 But he hath not shewed greatest love to all Ergo he hath not dyed for all If Christ hath dyed for all then hath he shewed as great love to Pilate and Judas as to Peter and John to Kain and Pharoah as to Abraham and David to the reprobates in hell as to the Saints in heaven which is fearfull to thinke The Apostle makes Christs speciall and peculiar love belonging to his Church onely for he bids husbands love their wives as Christ loved his Church Ephes 5.25 but husbands are to love their wives with a peculiar love above others for a man must leave father and mother and cleave to his wife If here shall be said that the greatest love of al is not only to merit salvation but to bestow it for answer of this it is plain by Christs words that the greatest act of love is to merit salvation by laying downe his life and where he hath performed this act of love he will performe the other in giving salvation However if they never be saved it stands firme that he hath performed an act of greatest love for them Una est dilectio quae nostram fidem praecedit altera quae fidem nostram et dilectionem erga Deum subsequitu● Coll. Hagiens p. 194. Or if it shall be answered by distiguishing betwixt the antecedent and consequent love of Christ and saying that the purchase of salvation is an act of antecedent love and the giving of salvation an act of consequent love which is the greatest neither will this stand with Christs speech for what ever kinde of love it is that caused Christ to give himselfe to death it is the greatest because greater love then this hath no man to lay downe his life for his friend besides the Apostle comparing these two loves together the love which goes before justification and that which follows makes that which goes before to be the greater Rom. 5.8 10. God setteth out his love towards us that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us much more then being justified by his bloud shall we be saved from wrath for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne much more being reconciled wee shall be saved by his life That love whereby Christ loves men before they were beleevers and whereby he loves them after are not two kindes of loves but one and the same love of which the first is the greater both by the comparison of the Apostle as also because in manifestation it is the cause of the Second Argument 3 Christ doth not pray for all therfore he hath not died for all Iohn 17.9 I pray not for the world but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world The World here is opposed to those who are given to Christ of the Father and for this World he prayes not now for whom he wil make no intercession for those he hath made no satisfaction for both of these are parts of the same perfect Sacrifice of Christ and therfore unseparably joyned together Iohn 17.19.20 and how do we think that Christ should refuse to poure out a prayer for them for whom he hath powred forth his bloud it being an act of greatest love to lay down his life as hath been shewed and where he hath done the greater he will do the lesser Object To this the Arminians answer by distinguishing of Christs intercession for they make a double intercession one common to all Collat. Hagiens pag. 198. Corvin contra Molin cap. 27. part 7. whereby Christ prayes that they may believe repent c. Luk. 23.34 the other proper to the faithfull whereby he prayes that they may be saved that they may be one c. Ioh. 17.20 Answ 1. To this it may be answered that this is a newly coyned distinction which hath neither ground in Scripture nor any sound writer but framed purposely for evading the strength of the former Argument 2. For that place Luk. 23.34 where Christ prayed for his persecutors it may be answered 1. That he made that prayer as a man subject to the Law as he yeelded subjection and perfect obedience to the Law in all other things so in this that he would pray for his enemies and in the act of suffering seek mercy for those who were instruments of his suffering Mark 5.44 teaching us both by precept and example what we ought to do 2. If he made this prayer as a Mediator yet it will not follow that Christ made this prayer for all and every one of those that crucified him but only for those who did it of ignorance and whose sins afterward were remitted Acts 3.17.2.37 because Christ is alway heard in what he prayes for Ioh. 11.42 and he knowing what is in man Iohn 2.25 and that some of these had sinned that sinne for which prayer is not to be made 1 Iohn 5.16 It is not likely hee would pray for these 3. If Christ desires and prayes that all may repent and believe then he desires and prayes also that all may be saved for Salvation is the end whereto faith tends Ephes 2.8 we are saved by faith 1 Peter 1.19 receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls and to what end should Christ pray that men might have faith to believe if he did not desire the salvation of their souls 4. If Christ make intercession for all that they may repent and believe then all should repent and believe for he is heard in what he prayes for Ioh. 11.42 Object To this they answer that this is with condition if they do not reject the first grace when it is offered Answ But if he prayes that all may believe then he prayes that they may not resist for when God by the Gospell calls men to believe not to resist this call is to obey and to obey the call or command of believing what is it else but to believe 5. If Christ prayes for all that

the Elect standing in opposition to the wicked World from which therfore none of the Elect are to be excluded for he prayes for all those whom the Father had given him both called and uncalled I pray not onely for these but for those who shall believe in me Iohn 17.28 4. Those uncalled ones whom our Saviour prayes for ver 20. he distinguisheth from the World ver 21. 23. and therefore it is not likely he would expresse them by the name of the world in ver 9. And this which hath been said may likewise answer the two last objections for if the World here cannot signifie the Elect uncalled but only the wicked World then Christ doth not pray for them at another time or in another manner then for his own for he doth not pray for them at all So that the Argument still holds good if Christ would not pray for wicked men such as shall perish in the end hee would not die for them for to lay downe his life was an action of the greatest love and for whom he hath done the greater he will also do the lesse His love in dying and thereby making satisfaction being the foundation of his intercession and all other benefits belonging to our Redemption Object 5 Against the Argument drawne from Election namely that the Sonne died for no more then the Father had elected to son-ship and to the eternall inheritance there being a connexion betwixt Election calling Justification and Glorification Rom. 8.30 Ephes 1.13 but all are not Elected therefore Christ died not for all Tho. More replies very little to the purpose 1. He saith that the proposition is directly contrary to the Scripture Heb. 2.9 1 Tim. 2.6 but he should have sayd to those Scriptures taken in his sense but not taken in the true sense for is it not agreeable to the Scripture to say that those whom God elected or predestinated those he appointed to obtaine salvation by Jesus Christ for those Christ dyed those hath he called justified and to which he adds that it is so grosly false as it deserves rather abhorring then answering pag. 114. But it may be better sayd this kinde of language deserves rather to be abhorred then answered which makes the language of Scripture a thing to be abhorred 2. He saith that it overthrows the distinction which the Gospell makes betwixt common and speciall salvation Answ It may well overthrow that which hath no foundation in the Gospell which his common salvation hath not as before hath been shewed 3. He denyes that there is any such connexion betwixt these priviledges that he who partakes of one must needs partake of all pag. 117. All that is in the common salvation pertains to the speciall but not on the contrary Answ 1. It hath been already shewed that there is no such common salvation if salvation be taken properly and in a spirituall sense namely for eternall life or any thing which necessarily belongs to it 2. That there is such a necessary connexion betwixt election and redemption may thus be proved All those and onely those who are elected are likewise redeemed called justified glorified But all are not elected nor shall be called justified glorified therefore all are not redeemed The proposition is proved by those Scriptures which make the love of election to be the ground and cause of redemption and all the rest God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten son which cannot be meant of a common love because it tends to everlasting life Joh. 3.16 to salvation 1 Tim. 1.16 we love him because he loved us first and gave himselfe to be a propitiation for our sins 1 Joh. 4.10 God setteth out his love in that while we were sinners he gave Christ to dye for us Rom. 5.8 so that Gods love is the cause of giving his son where that goes before this must needs follow neither is this ever to be found where that hath not gone before To this purpose also the Apostle sayth we are chosen in him Eph. 1.4 not as the foundation of our election which is onely from the good pleasure of his will ver 5. but of our redemption and salvation in that he hath appointed us to obtayne salvation by Jesus Christ 1 Thess 5.9 In both which places Christ is made the fruit and effect of election therefore of equall extent with it reaching neither shorter nor farther then that doth so that he is given for all and onely those that are appointed to salvation For if God therefore gives Christ for men because he hath appointed them to salvation it follows on the other side that if he hath not appointed all men to salvation he hath not given Christ for all and how can we in reason thinke that God should give his sonne to purchase salvation for those whom he never intended to save yea more for such whom he intended to destroy For it cannot be denyed that God will bring destruction upon a great part of men and what he doth in time he intended to do before all time 2. The Apostle sayth we are chosen to salvation through the beleese of the truth 2 Thess 2.13 Now saith is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 and such a gift as he doth not give to all Now if it should be asked why God doth give this gift to some men rather then to other it must be answered because he hath chosen them to salvation so many as were ordained to eternall life believed Act. 13.48 If it should on the other side be asked why doth he not give faith as well to others since he is able to do it the answer must needs be because he hath not appointed them to salvation Now if God will not give faith to those whom he hath not appointed to salvation shall we thinke that he hath given Christ for them which is farre the greatest gift of all For the rest which follows it is but a venting of his owne private notions about election wherein either he affirms that which is not denyed or proves not that which is denyed Object Against that place Act. 13.48 that so many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved Tho. More objects that the word ordaining is to be understood of an actuall ordaining constituting preparing furnishing making meet and not of Gods eternall purpose pag. 150.151 Answ 1. This he sayes but this he proves not but the contrary may be proved from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as it is most usually taken in Scripture is not put for preparing furnishing or fitting but for ordaining or appointing so it is sayd the powers which be are ordained of God Rom. 13.1 and it was told Paul all things which were appointed for him to do Act. 22.10 In both which places the same word is used 2. This ordaining to life is made the cause of beleeving which ariseth not from any furnishing or fitnesse in our selves but is the free gift of God Eph. 2.8 3. How