Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	adam_n	grace_n	sin_n	4,888	5	5.2180	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76313	A door of salvation opened unto all men: or a short treatise, discovering that all man-kinde as they are considered under the fall of Adam, have an equal and a like respect with almighty God, and that by Jesus Christ he hath prepared eternal salvation for all, and afforded unto all, means sufficient to bring them thereunto. In which also, sundry objections, grounds of reason, and texts of scripture, for the contrary opinion are alleadged and answered. / By R.B.	R. B.	1648 (1648)	Wing B166; Thomason E1166_1; ESTC R208726	64,273	125

that the second death Rev. 2.11 or condemnation inflicted by Christ at the last day is none other then the penalty of the breach of the second Covenant This is the condemnation of the world saith S. John Chap. 3.19 That light is come into the world and men love darknesse rather then light because their deeds are evil Which later reason receiveth confirmation from hence That Christ by a most lively embleme in the Parable of the Talents hath declared unto us That God at that day will require no more of any man but according to the Talents of Grace delivered unto them by himself the Mediatour of the new Covenant and will then condemn none but for not well using what they had so received of him whereupon it doth necessarily follow That all men being under the new Covenant whatsoever Grace necessary to Salvation is therein by God promised unto any he being faithfull that hath promised and the Covenant confirmed unto all mankinde by the bloud of Jesus Christ the same must needs be acknowledged to be granted unto all And then forasmuch as we see that all men have not the Law and Fear of God written in them otherwise then was shewed before concerning the Gentiles Rom. 2.14 15. nor their stony hearts taken out of their flesh c. we must not therefore imagine that God hath covenanted absolutely to do these things for any men But there are two things in this Text which thorow want of due consideration mis-lead many men from the right understanding thereof First Because it is said That this Covenant which God promiseth to make with the Iews in the last daies should not be like unto the Covenant that he made with their fathers when he brought them out of the Land of Aegypt the which Covenant they brake c. From whence it is conceived That as the first Covenant could not by any be kept so the later cannot by any that are comprehended therein be broken For the clearing of this mistake I desire that it may be observed That if by these two Covenants here spoken of we must understand the Law and the Gospel Works and Grace which is much questioned by some who conceive them to be particular Covenants proper and peculiar to the Iews only and so nothing at all to the point in hand that they were neither of them unmade untill the time that God brought the Israelites out of the Land of Aegypt And therefore much lesse until the daies of the Prophet Jeremy as this Text seemeth to import That the first Covenant was given unto our first parents in Paradise appeareth from hence That the curse thereof entered into the world by Adam and raigned over all men before the Law was given at mount Sinai Rom. 5.14 For where the curse of the Law is inflicted there the breach of the Law must needs be imputed And seeing as the Apostle teacheth Rom. 5.13 that sin is not imputed where there is no Law given therefore the Law must needs be acknowledged to be given unto Adam and in him to all man-kinde before the punishment thereof death thorow his disobedience did enter into the world and raign therein And like as the Law was given unto Adam before he incurred the punishment thereof So the Gospel or second Covenant must needs be granted immediately to succeed upon his transgression of the first because that otherwise the curse of the Law should forthwith according as it was threatned Gen. 2.17 have seized upon him to have destroied him and in him all man-kinde then in his loins sinning in him the truth whereof is confirmed unto us from hence 1. That the end of Gods patience and forbearance towards sinners is none other then their Repentance and Salvation Rom. 2.4 Despisest thou saith the Apostle speaking to the Gentiles the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to Repentance Again 2 Pet. 3.9 Peter telleth those that scoffed at Gods forbearance towards them in their wickednesse contrary as they supposed to his threats denounced against them That God was not slack concerning his Promise as they counted slacknesse but long-suffering not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance And Paul in Act. 17.26 27. plainly informeth us That the end why God made of one bloud that is to say of Adam all Nations of men to dwell upon the face of the earth was That they should seek the Lord Now forasmuch as seeking of the Lord Repentance and the obtaining of Salvation doth necessarily presuppose the granting and exhibiting of the new Covenant these ends being otherwise impossible to be attained it must needs follow That as God is declared to spare and forbear Adam and all men to the end they might repent c. that in reference to these ends he vouchsafed unto them the Covenant of his Grace whereby they might be enabled to attain thereunto 2. Besides If that God should have spared our first parents and granted unto them the procreation of seed and not in order to the Grace of the new Covenant Redemption from death the curse of the Law and Salvation in the world to come thorow Repentance then there should have been no proportion betwixt the sinne of man-kinde in Adam and the punishment thereof because sinning but in potentia they should be punished in actu which inequality of proceeding is by God in Ezek. 18. disclaimed so that if he had not prepared for man-kinde another life after death and vouchsafed means to make them happy therein they should never personally have suffered death but such as was their sin such should have been their punishment 3. Moreover If that the Covenant of Grace had not been from the beginning then Salvation should not have been from the beginning seeing that it is of Grace only and not of works Ephes 2.8 Whereas therefore the Scriptures enformeth us That remission of sins acceptation with God and consequently Salvation was preached unto Cain Gen. 4.6 7. And that Abel the third man on earth obtained the same Heb. 11.4 it must needs be granted That the Covenant of Grace was vouchsafed unto men from the beginning even from the very time that they stood in any need thereof These two Covenants of Works and Grace then being made and given so long before the time implied by the Prophet Jeremy his words cannot possibly be understood to import the time wherein either the first was or the later should be made with man-kinde but the time wherein the first was and the later should be more clearly made known and demonstrated both unto the Iews and unto others then at any time from the beginning of the world they had been In which respect it is that Christ speaking unto his Disciples saith Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear for verily I say unto you That many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see these things which

according to the prince of the power of the air c. fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath It s conceived that a man deprived of his natural life is not more incapable of performing the actions of living men then a man in his natural condition is of performing any thing required of him to his Salvation Which will appear very incredible if that we doe but consider that the Scriptures doe evidently declare that God requireth not of any men but according to the talents delivered unto them he requireth not five where he giveth but two nor two where he giveth but one nor yet one where he hath not vouchsafed any If ye were blinde saith Christ ye had not sin Iohn 9.41 2. Therefore secondly I answer That although that this text doth declare that the Ephesians were dead in trespasses and sins yet it doth not argue that they were necessarily dead therein or that they might not have avoided the same for mens being bad is no good ground to prove that they could not be good If that they were necessarily such it must be either by reason that they were such by birth or else through want of instruction but that they were such by birth cannot be gathered from this text 1. Because that those sins and trespasses wherein they are said to be dead are declared to be such as relate to their conversation and time of ripe age they walked according to the course of this world the prince that ruleth in the air fulfilled the desires of the minde c. which is not incident to the estate of infancy 2. It was observed before That all sins have their original in the wils of men and then forasmuch as children cannot distinguish betwixt good and evil Deut. 1.39 they cannot possibly choose the thing that is evil and therefore cannot be guilty thereof much lesse dead therein If it be objected That they are said to be the children of wrath by nature It s answered That by nature in this place probably may be understood that fleshly sensuall or devilish course of life wherein they had their conversation for so the word naturall in the 3. Chapter of Iames the 15. verse compared with the margent appeareth to be rendered in reference unto which they may here be said to be children of wrath But if that thereby we must understand their estate by birth then in that respect are they to be esteemed none otherwise the children of wrath then as they were subject to the wrath or curse of mortality inherent to their natures by their descent from Adam * By wrath in this place cannot possibly be understood the condemnation of hell because that punishment relates to the resurrection which could not have been had not Christ died and rose again and therefore the curse of the fall of which only we are chargeable by nature must of necessity end in the grave and the being of fallen Adam there ceasing no punishment beyond the same can be inflicted And therefore the wrath or condemnation of hell must of necessity be proper to the being that is to come and the reward of disobedience in the second Adam and not of our fall in the first Adam From whence being ransomed by the death and resurrection of Iesus Christ the more to endear them unto him for his goodnesse towards them therein the Apostle in this place may put them in minde thereof And as they were not dead in trespasses and sins by birth So neither were they dead therein through want of divine illumination or demonstration though that neither the Mosaical Law Doctrine of the Prophets or of Christ were delivered unto them as appeareth by Act. 14.17 where we reade that Paul and Barnabas having before reproved the men of Lystra for walking after strange gods and sacrificing unto them to convince them and discover to us that it was not through want of divine evidence that they so walked They declare that God did not leave himself without witnesse that he only ought to have been worshipped by them in that he did them good and gave them rain from heaven filling their hearts with food and gladnesse and the same Apostle further declareth in Rom. 1.19 That that which may be known of God was manifest unto them to wit the Gentiles for God shewed it unto them For the invisible things of him saith he from the Creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead And yet the more fully to evidence this truth in vers 21 it 's plainly declared that by the aforesaid means they did attain to the knowledge of God and of that worship that he required of them when they knew God saith the text they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull c. But knowing the judgement of God that they which did commit such things were worthy of death did not only doe the same but took pleasure in those that did them vers 32. And thereupon in Chap. 2.1 3. are declared to be without excuse both in their disobedience and condemnation 2. This is yet more clearly demonstrated by the words of the Apostle in Chap. 2.14 15. When the Gentiles saith he which have not the Law doe by nature the things contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law unto themselves which sheweth the work of the Law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing them witnesse and their thoughts in the mean while accusing and excusing one another in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ In which words these two things are plainly declared First That whatsoever was necessarily required of them to their salvation was fully known unto them Secondly That the things so known by them was within their power to perform and practise That their duty was fully knowne unto them he demonstrateth from these two grounds 1. That some of them did performe the same which according as he argueth they could not have done had they been ignorant thereof when the Gentiles saith he doe by nature the things contained in the Law they shew thereby that they have the worke of the written in their hearts 2. From hence viz. that those of them which did not performe the things required of them to their Salvation had therein consciences accusing them at present and should accuse them by reason thereof in the day when God shal judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ the which should be impossible were not the same things known and understood by them as we may perceive by a very plain instance in Gen. 20. where we read That Abimelech having taken unto him Abrahams Wife upon his denying her to be his Wife and of Gods threatning him with death in case that he did not restore her again unto him he not being privy to himself of any evil committed therein

otherwise been according to the saying of Christ though here they had gained the Dominion of the whole World good for them that they had never been born Mat. 16.26 In which regard there cannot possibly be any thing of greater concernment unto men than to be informed what it is that God requireth of them in this World to the aforesaid end and how they may be inabled to the doing thereof because that what a man knoweth not or knoweth not how to performe he can in no wise dispose or apply himselfe to the performance thereof And yet there is not any thing wherein most men are more wanting than in this so necessary knowledge to the great disquietnesse and perplexity of their mindes all their dayes apprehending themselves in the greatest danger and not understanding how or by what meanes they may avoid the same which misery as may justly be supposed happeneth unto them chiefly by reason of their dependance for information in the things of this nature upon those persons only who unduely arrogate unto themselves to be the infallible teachers of the ignorant and dispensers of the Oracles of God appointed and sent into the World for all men to aske counsel of in their Spirituall affaires Whose principals are such as these First That by Adams transgression all men were brought under the guilt of Temporall Spirituall and Eternall death The first consisting in the miseries of this life and the dissolution of mans nature in the end thereof The second in the depravation of the inward man whereby al men are disabled from descerning spirituall things or choosing the things that are good or doing any thing pleasing or acceptable unto God The third in the destruction and perdition of the whole man body and Soul in hell fire for ever and ever Secondly That of man-kinde thus considered God in his eternall counsell was pleased to choose and elect for his sons and daughters onely some few persons in comparison of the whole whom also he decreed to deliver from the fore-said guilt to call them to the knowledge of himselfe to worke in them faith by the effectuall operation of his Spirit and in the end to give them salvation But decreed to leave all the rest of man-kinde in that estate wherein they were fallen and that although by the doctrine of the Gospel he decreed outwardly to cal them to repent believe c. yet to the intent that they might not escape the damnnation of hel whereunto they were design'd by reason of Adams transgression by answering his call giving obedience thereunto he further decreed not onely to deny them the benefit of such meanes which he knew to be necessary to enable them to repent believe c. but he also decreed to blinde their eyes harden their hearts and to make their ears dul of hearing least at any time they should see with their eyes hear with their eares and understand with their hearts come unto him and be healed or be converted and have their sins forgiven them By which opinions pressed received as fundamental points in Divinity men are generally brought to believe that as the damnation of some persons is altogether impossible God having decreed so as of necessity to worke in them faith c. and to bring them to eternall life so on the contray That the salvation of the greatest part of men is as impossible to be obtained God having denyed unto them all necessary meanes for that purpose The evill of which belief so necessarily diverting and disabling all men from the prosecution and obtaining of these ends that God proposeth unto them to wit an exemption from everlasting death and from the enjoyment of eternall life discovereth unto us the errour and false-hood of these doctrines before recited whereby these opinions are begotten and fostred in them in regard that it may not be conceived that God who is truth it self should require all men to believe his love and favour towards them manifestly implyed in his frequent fervent and pathetical exhortations unto them in the Scriptures to hearken unto wisedome to choose his feare to choose life to worke out their own salvation with feare and trembling c. When as in his eternall counsell for Adams offence he hath utterly excluded them from his love and irrecoverably sealed them to everlasting destruction And also although it be a most certaine truth that God before the World did elect and choose some men unto salvation appoint others to be punished yet this may justly leade us to conceive that neither the one sort were elected nor the other rejected upon the grounds that these men pretend or upon any other than those grounds whereupon God in the Scriptures promiseth unto men adoption and salvation and denounceth unto them death and reprobation or those where-upon Christ at the last day will graciously reward some men with eternall happinesse and punish others with everlasting paines except we will set the secret and revealed minde of God at an irreconcilable variance or fancy two mindes in God opposite each unto the other one whereby he hateth and abhorreth in time those persons whom he loved and elected before time and the other whereby he loveth in time those persons whom he hated and abhorred before time which may not be imagined And therefore originally or as men were considered under the fall of Adam we are to conceive that God maketh no difference or distinction betwixt them but of his great and abundant grace in Christ Jesus maketh and openeth unto them all a doore of salvation excluding none who through their own wilfull and voluntary disobedience and contempt of his goodnes exclude not themselves nor saving any but those who from a thankfull apprehension of his rich mercy revealed unto them in his Word and workes or both doe chearfully and willingly submit themselves to the obedience of his will known and understood by them For the Probation of which two general heads joyntly discoursed the detection of the contrary opinions exhibited in sundry objections reasons and texts of Scripture the summe of that which followeth is applyed beginning with the first CHAP I. That God being no respecter of persons cannot choose one man in his disobedience and reject another or enforce one man to believe and not another IF that God should necessitate the salvation of some men and not others then he should be a respecter of persons contrary to the Scriptures As will appeare by severall texts thereof As first by Acts 10.34 Where Peter when he perceived that God had received unto adoption Cornelius a Gentile as well as himselfe and others that were Jewes he thus expresseth himselfe Now I perceive of a truth that there is no respect of persons with God but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is eccepted of him Arguing plainly that if God should accept of one person working righteousnesse and not of another as righteous and just as he that

if that some men should by God be necessitated to repentance c. they could be no more justified according to the sentence of Christ in relation thereunto then any other men could be condemned with reference to such evill actions whereunto they were enforced by a power which they could no waies possibly resist To make this evident by the Scriptures in Mat. 16.27 it 's declared by Christ himself That when he commeth in the Glory of his Father with his Angels he will reward every man according to his workes In like manner Revel 22.12 he saith Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his worke shall be agreeable unto which is the Testimony of the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.10 We must all appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his boby according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad According to which rule the Scriptures aforehand describing unto us the manner of the last Judgement as if it were already past we finde the sentence of Christ denounced towards all persons Mat. 25.34 with Rev. 20.12 13. Secondly That all such actions c. whereunto persons are enforced against the choice and assent of their own wils are not imputed unto them as their own actions will plainly appear first by Deut. 22.25 26. If a man saith the Text finde a betrothed Damsell in the field and force her then the man only that forced her shall die But unto the Damsell thou shalt doe nothing there is in the Damsell no sin worthy of death for as when a man riseth against his neighbour and slayeth him even so is this matter Likewise by the words of the Apostle in Rom. 7.2 If I doe that I would not it is no more I that doe it but sinne that dwelleth in me from which in the 24 and 25. verses he concludeth That God would acquit him And thereupon in the 1. verse of the 8. chapter declareth unto all That there is no condemnation belonging unto men for such actions The reason hereof is Because that God looketh only at the heart of a man 1 Sam. 16.7 and alwaies judgeth of him according to what he observeth therein whether it be good or bad what is willed and determined therein he reckoneth it as if it were done though through want of opportunity or ability it never be effected from whence it is that the Apostle declareth unto us for a generall rule in the 2 Cor. 8.12 That if there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not which we finde verified unto us by a clear instance in the 1 King 8.18.19 of Gods kinde acceptation of Davids affection to build him an House though that it was never built by him Whereas it was in thy heart saith the Lord to build me an house thou didst well that it was in thine heart nevertheles thou shalt not build me the House c. And we may also observe that Solomon who by Gods appointment did build it received not a greater reward for his action therein then David did for his affection thereunto And so on the other side Christ informeth us That the things that defile a man are only those that proceed from his heart Out of the heart saith he Mat. 15.19 20. proceedeth evil thoughts he speaketh not of those that are suggested or that at unawares arise therein and are forthwith quenched and suppressed for these defile no man but of those that are conceived and harboured therein which when opportunity serveth break forth into murthers adulteries fornications thefts false witnes blasphemies these defile the man upon which ground it is That the Scriptures declareth David to be a man according to Gods own heart save only in the matter of Vriah 1 Kings 15.5 Wherein deliberately and with purpose of heart as must needs be conceived he chose the thing which he knew to be evill which in other cases wherein his actions much swerved from the rules of perfect justice he did not and therefore is neither blamed nor accused for them Object God doth not justifie men for Faith but by Faith nor reward them for their workes but according to their workes the reward of good workes being Grace belonging to Adopted Children not to servants for the worke done Answ The distinction betwixt Justification by Faith and for Faith is altogether vaine seeing that he that is justified by Faith or by reason thereof which is all one is so justified for Faith Because that without Faith he cannot please God Hebr. 11.5 6. nor obtain acceptation with him Thy Faith saith Christ to the woman hath saved thee Luke 7.5 The like may be said concerning the distinction betwixt reward for workes and according to workes in regard that he that is rewarded according to his workes is so rewarded for his workes as he that is rewarded according as he hath fed relieved and feasted the poor that were not able to feast him again as Christ hath promised in Luke 14.13 14. or as he that is rewarded according as he hath given a cup of cold water in the name of Christ having no better in his power to give he is so rewarded for that he hath so done by reason that otherwise he should have received no such reward And yet it is not to be denied but that Justification through Faith and reward of good workes originally proceedeth from the meer Grace and speciall favour of God in Jesus Christ considering that by the Law we can lay claim unto no such thing but must acknowledge our selves according to that Covenant guilty of everlasting death or the dissolution of our natures for ever in the Grave and therefore whatsoever we either doe or shall receive from God more or lesse than this as our present being in this life the enjoyment of the Creatures a time of repentance with the means thereof as redemption from the curse of the Law Resurrection to another life Adoption and Salvation through Faith or conformity to the will of God known and understood by us must be attributed to the alone Grace of God in Jesus Christ through whom he hath obtained these things for us and Covenanted and granted to bestow there upon us According to which distinction betwixt the Covenants is that distinction which runneth through the Rodie of the New-Testament betwixt righteousnes and righteousnes workes and workes reward and reward to be understood according to the first covenant There is none that doth good none righteous but all have sinned and are fallen short of the Glory of God accursed dead and excluded from all happinesse for ever But in relation to the second Covenant made with us in Christ as we were considered in this estate we are through his death and resurrection redeemed from death made alive from the dead under a Law of liberty sutable to our frailty and