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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	according_a	true_a	truth_n	2,749	5	5.2105	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01032	A sermon discursing the true meaning of these vvords: The I. epistle of Timothy, the 2. chapt. vers. the 4. VVho will haue all men to be saued, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, &c. Preached by the reuerend Mr. Iohn Forbes, pastour to the company of marchant adventurers residing in Delph. Anno 1632	Forbes, John, 1568?-1634.	1632 (1632)	STC 11135; ESTC S118029	16,202	56

A SERMON DISCVRSING THE true meaning of these vvords The 1. Epistle of Timothy the 2. chapt vers the 4. VVho will haue all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the truth c. Preached by the reuerend Mr. Iohn Forbes Pastour to the Company of Marchant Adventurers residing in Delph Anno 1632. Imprinted at Delph Anno 1632. A SERMON DISCVRSING THE true meaning of these vvords The 1. Epistle of Timothy the 2. chapt vers the 4. VVho vvill haue all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the truth c. THe reasons beloued in the Lord vvhy the Apostle in the former verses vvill haue vs to pray vnto God for al men and in perticular for all that are in authoritie are carefully to be considered of vs. The first wherof vve haue already heard is taken from the great benefit vvhich by our prayers to God for kings such as are in authority it pleaseth the Lord to grant to his Church For our praiers are an effectual meanes to procure from God that by his blessing vpon the GOvernours and their Gouernment his church may liue a quiet and a peaceable life in all Godlinesse and honestie The second reason vvhere of also vvee haue heard is from the nature of the thing in Gods sight before vvhom it is a good and acceptable thing to pray for all men and especiallie for Kings and those that are in authoritie And this vvee haue shevved you to be a speciall motiue to moue vs to doe any dutie but especially to pray for others to vvit vvhen vve knovv that it is a good thing not so much in mans sight as in Gods sight and a thing acceptable in Gods sight and that euen according as he is our Sauiour vvhich is a matter as vvee haue shevved you of singular moment to be considered of vs for vvee are carefullie to looke to this vvhat is acceptable in Gods sight not simply as vve consider God in himselfe in his nature povver goodnes c. but as vvee consider him in reference to our selues as he is our God our Sauiour and Redeemer It follovveth novv that vve speake of the third reason vvher vpon the exhortation of the Apostle to this dutie is grounded and by vvhich all to this last reason is made good vnto vs and clearely confirmed And it is taken from this vvill of God touching the saluation of men vvhose vvill as saith the Apostle is to haue all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the truth Generallie hence vvee gather that the vvil of God touching men should be the rule of our praying for them and hovv largelie soeuer Gods vvill is extended to saue men so largely should our prayers be extended to God for their saluation It vvere a vvretched thing if vve should not vvill the saluation of such as God vvill haue saued or that vve should desire them to dye in ignorance vvhom God vvould haue to come to the knovvledge of his truth as all our other actions so especiallie our praiers should haue this vvil of God for their foundation for the knovvledge of it is that vvhich must rule vs in our life and order vs in all our actions perticularlie in this in our mutuall praying one for another For he that is ignorant of Gods vvil can make no acceptable prayer to God seeing nothing can be acceptable to him that is not done according to his vvill VVee knovv that the promise of Christ in the Gospel is this that vvhat soeuer vvee shall aske the Father according to his vvil it shall be granted vnto vs. Thus vve see God hath gratiouslie bound himselfe to heare vs and grant our petitions if they be according to his vvil This Argument of the Apostle is enlarged by three other grounds all manifesting the truth of this point to vvit that God will haue all men to be saued and opening the true meaning of the same The first ground is taken from the vnitie of God himselfe the vnitie of the mediatour betvveene God and man The second ground vvhere by this is confirmed is taken from the ransome made by Christ vvhich vvas for all men therefore prayer is to be made for all men The last ground is set dovvne in the 7. vers and that is this that God hath ordained Pastours to preach this redemption to al men Al these grounds make this point good that God vvill haue all men to be saued and this vvill of God beeing laid dovvne for the ground vvhy vvee should pray for al men vve are carefully to examine the true meaning thereof This point is that vvhich most disturbs the peace of Gods Church this day for the greatest controuersie is concerning the true meaning of this place For certainlie it is an vndoubted truth That according to the extent of Gods vvill touching the saluation of men so is the extent of his Decree of his Election and of Christs redemption for the lymits and extents of Gods vvill are the limits and extents of Gods Decree vnto saluation and the lymi●ts of his Decree are the lymits of his Election and the lymits of his Election are the lymits of the redemption made by Christ Iesus for all these must of necessitie bee of like extent none of them can be made either of straiter or larger extent then other vvhere by it is manifest that the saluation of mankinde must bee as large as Gods vvill is to saue mankinde Therefore by consequence it must follovve that if these vvordes God vvill haue all men to be saued be so to be vnderstood that euery perticular man should be saued then also Gods Decree must bee that euerie perticular man should bee saued and if the Decree of God bee such then certainlie Christ must haue dyed for euerie perticular man asvvell for Cain as for Abell for Esau as for Iacob for Iudas as for Peter c. And the Couenant of grace made by God in Christ vvith mankinde must include all and euerie perticular man but if so be that neither Gods Decree nor Christs redemption nor the Couenant of grace be made vvith all and euery one nor for all and euery one Then certainlie these vvords God vvill haue all men to be saued cannot be meant of euery perticular man let vs come therefore to search by the light of Gods truth the true meaning of Gods minde in these vvords For your clearer vnderstanding vvee vvill first consider the diuers sorts of meanings that are giuen of this sentence and aftervvards try vvhich is the trust Some doe interpret these vvords after this manner they restraine the vvord all to such only as are really saued as if the meaning vvere this that as many of mankind as are saued it is Gods vvill to saue them and certainly it is true that whosoeuer is saued it must be Gods vvill that he is saued but allthough this meaning be tollerable yet it is needeles in deciding this controversie

11. 14. chap. 14. ver 11. and 12. chap. 15. ver 1. in the Prophet Ezekiell chap. 14. ver 20. vvhere God expreslie forbids the Prophet Ieremiah to pray for that people any more and shevves that though Moses and Samuell did stand before him for them yet his affection could not be tovvards them yea that though Noah Daniell and Iob vvere amongst them that they should deliuer neither sonnes nor daughters but only their own soules by their righteousnes VVe can not thinke that God could intend the saluation of those men for vvhom he vvould not suffer his Prophets to pray hovv can it possible bee that hee should vvill the greater that is their saluation vvhen hee prohibits the lesser that is the Prophets praying for them Secondlie to end this argument let vs lay before vs the Historie and complaint of Elijah the Prophet and Gods ansvvere vnto him in the 1. kings 19. Rom. 11. vvhere the Prophet complaineth that Ahab and Gods enemies 〈◊〉 left none aliue that serued God but himselfe alone and God ansvveres him that hee had reserued seauen thousand that had not bovved their knee to Baal VVhich Historie according to the Apostle ovvne interpretation shevves vs that a remnant according to the election of grace vvere saued and the rest in Gods Iustice vvere hardned and proues this by the Scriptures to haue beene done by God himselfe by the vvords of the Prophet Esaie cha 29. God hath giuen them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and eares that they should not heart unto this day and from the 69. Psal Let their table be made a snare and a net and a stumbling blocke euen for a recompence vnto them let their eyes be darkned that they sce not and bow dovvn their backe alvvay Thus vve trust it is plaine that hovvsoeuer God had tyed saluation to the levvs before the coming of Christ yet it vvas not his vvill among them to saue euery perticular man as for that vvhich may bee obiected touching their vnvvillingnes in resisting Gods vvil we shal ansvvere it heerafter only novv let vs conclude this vvay seeing God doth vvhatsoeuer hee vvill and seeing that his purpose must stand then either God neuer vvilleth these mens saluation or else hee must haue saued them vvhich the scripture denyes certaine it is according to the former grounds that God doth vvhatsoeuer hee vvill and therfore that God neuer vvilled such a thing seeing it is manifest hee neuer did it VVhich is manifestly confirmed by the Apostle Paul Rom. the 11. VVhere hee shevves vs that there vvas a remnant according to the election of grace and that among the Ievves the elect had obtayned mercy unto saluation but that the rest of Israell had not obtained vers 5. 7. VVhere also he plainly vvitnesseth that God had cast avvay the Ievves and had broken of many branches from the roote through vnbeleife so that euen in that onely people vvhich belong to God it is euident that it vvas not Gods vvill to saue euery perticular man amongst them Novv let vs come to trye the truth of this matter since the coming of Christ in the flesh at vvhich time the difference betvveene Ievv and Gentile vvas taken avvay and the grace of Saluation by Christs ovvne command vvas to be prached by the Apostle to all nations math 28. 19. according to that vvhich Christ himselfe fore told math 24. 14. saying and this Gospell of the kingdome shal be preached in the vvhole world for a testimony unto al nations If euer in any time of the vvorld it vvas Gods vvill that euery perticular man should be saued it must needes be in this time vvherein the Couenant of grace is extēded to al nations and all exception of persons taken avvay before God for certaine it is vvhich the Scripture tells vs that in Christ Iesus there is neither levv nor Gretian there is neither bond nor free neither male nor female for wee are all one in him gal ● 28. and as the same Apostle saith to the Coll. There is neither Gretian nor Iew Circumcision nor vncircumcision bond nor free but Christ is all and in all things By vvhich vvords it is most plaine that no kind of nation or people or person is excluded from the grace of saluation and so these vvords that God vvill haue al men to be saued are taken trulie vvhen they are taken in that sence euen according to the testimony of the church it selfe and all the redeemed ones of God Reu. the 5. 9. vvhere they sing this nevv song saying Thou art worthie to take the booke and to open the seales therof because thou vvast killed and hath redeemed us to God by thy blood out of euery kindred tounge people and nation and hath made vs to our God Kings and Priests and vvce shall raigne on the earth Out of these vvords vvee haue a most strōg argument to proue that saluation is vniuersall in regard of nations kindreds or tongues kindes of men but no vvay vniuersall in respect of euery perticular person built vpon the testimonie of them themselues vvho are saued and this argument is such as it leaues noe exception against it to the maintayners of that opinion that Gods vvill is that euery perticular man should be saued for it is manifest that they make the redemption vvrought by Christ to haue bene for euery perticular man and so as vniuersall as they make Gods vvill to haue measured which is true indeed though not in their sence as this place plainlie proueth seeing they vvho are redeemed by Christ doe cōfesse that he had redeemed them out of euery kindred tongue people and nation Novv if Christ haue redeemed some out of euery people and nation c. then certainlie hee hath not redeemed all of euery people nor euery perticular man of euery nation if this redemption of Christ be not of euery perticular man as this place doth plainly shew then vndoubtedlie it cannot be Gods vvill that euery perticular man should be saued for no Christian man vvas euer yet so blasphemous as to make Gods vvill to saue men to be of larger extent then Christs redemption of men neither certainlie can it be both in respect that Christ came in the vvorld to doe the vvill of the Father that sent him and this is the fathers vvill vvhich sent him that of all vvhich hee hath giuen him hee should lose nothing Iohn 6. 38. 39. also because it is God himselfe vvho hath reconciled vs to himselfe by lesus Christ for God vvas in Christ reconciling the vvorld vnto himselfe as the Apostle sayth 2. Cor. 5. 18. 19. Seeing them both that Christ the redeemer came to vvorke redemption according to vvill of his father that sent him and seeing it vvas God himfelfe vvho in Christ reconciled the vvorld vnto himselfe it must necessarilie follovve that seeing Christ redeemed not euery one of euery nation that it vvas neuer Gods vvill to