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	sin_n	wage_n	4,026	5	11.2119	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40082	Libertas evangelica, or, A discourse of Christian liberty being a farther pursuance of the argument of the design of Christianity / by Edward Fowler ...	Fowler, Edward, 1632-1714.	1680 (1680)	Wing F1709; ESTC R15452	145,080	382

contradict them Secondly As our Saviour and his Apostles do so express the Persons for whom he died as that they must necessarily be the Universality of Mankind so we learn from S. Paul that the Remedy by Christ is of equal extent with the mischief occasioned by Adam That the Sore is not so broad but the Plaister is every whit as broad Rom. 5. 18. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation even so by the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life Can anything be said plainer than this is in these words viz. That as many as fell by the Transgression of Adam were designed to be recovered by the Righteousness of Christ But it is Objected that it follows in the 19. ver that By the obedience of one shall Many he made Righteous As our Saviour himself saith This is the New Testament in my bloud which was shed for Many for the Remission of Sins But that this is a Strange objection will appear by comparing the latter part of that 19. ver with the former For as by one mans disobedience Many were made sinners So that as many were put into a possibility of being justified by the Righteousness of Christ and we do not desire that more should as were made Sinners or made liable to condemnation by the Disobedience of Adam And by this means the Reign of Grace to Eternal life was designed to be no more limited than was the Reign of Sin to death As it follows in the 21. ver That as Sin hath reigned unto death even so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal life by Iesus Christ our Lord. And it is not to be wondered at that the word Many should signifie All for it is well known that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Many or the Many is used in other Greek Authors to signifie all as well as in the New Testament So that these Texts do most necessarily and plainly speak thus much That none that hear the Gospel shall fall short of Salvation but through their Unbelief and Disobedience their wilful rejecting the Remedy offered them Nor any neither that never heard the Gospel merely for the Transgression of their first Parents but only for their own Sins I mean their wilful disobedience to that light they have And that none to whom the Gospel is preached are excluded from Salvation by Christ is manifestly implied in those words of our Saviour Iohn 3. 14. As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life As the Brazen Serpent was erected for the Cure of all that were stung by the Fiery Serpent none excepted but such as would not look up to it for that end So none shall be shut out from the benefit designed by the Son of man's being lifted up upon the Cross but such as will not believe that is apply themselves to him in that way which he hath appointed for the obtaining of it And though our Saviour saith ver 19. of that Chapter that This is the condemnation that a light is come into the World Yet he immediately explains himself in the following words and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil Or Mens being condemned by the occasion of his coming is to be imputed to their Rejecting him and so refusing to comply with the most reasonable terms of his New Gracious Covenant not to his or his Father's design in his Coming For he saith Iohn 12. 47. I came not to judge the World but to save the World Thirdly We are assured that Christ died even for those that perish The Apostle saith 1 Cor. 8. 11. If any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the Idols Temple shall not the Conscience of him that is weak be imboldened to eat those things which are offered to Idols and through thy knowledge shall the weak Brother perish for whom Christ died Here it is supposed that a man may perish for whom Christ died And consequently that he died for Reprobates themselves that is those that have made themselves so for if Christ died for all there can be no other Reprobates Again Rom. 14. 15. Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died And the Author to the Hebrews expresly preacheth this Doctrine Chap. 10. 29. Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the bloud of the Covenant wherewith he was Sanctified or Consecrated an unholy thing S. Peter likewise asserts the same 2 Epist. 2. 1. But there were false Prophets also among the People even as there will be false Teachers among you who privily will bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction So that these vile wretches were not destroyed because Christ did not redeem them for they are said to be bought or redeemed by him as well as others but they brought upon themselves swift destruction Lastly If this Doctrine be false that Christ died for all then none are or can be condemned for not Believing in him notwithstanding that the condemnation of men is so continually ascribed thereunto For 't is a plain case that those for whom Christ did not die can be no more obliged to believe in him than the Devils are And to say that any are condemned for not doing that which it was not their duty to do will I hope be acknowledged the grossest absurdity This little in comparison of what might be said to demonstrate the truth of this Great Article of our Faith is much more than barely sufficient to give us an undoubted assurance of it The truth is the Sun doth not shine more bright in the Firmament than doth this Doctrine in the New Testament And I know nothing we can be assured of upon Scripture Authority if this be False or Uncertain I verily believe that there are few of the Greatest Points of our Christian Faith but may as plausibly be objected against as this Doctrine from Scripture 'T is said indeed by our Saviour Iohn 10. 5. I lay down my life for my sheep But did he ever say I lay down my life for none but my sheep If he had we must have concluded either that the whole World are his Sheep or that which is far worse that he said and unsaid and contradicted himself and so destroyed the Foundation of our Faith and Hope But in saying He laid down his life for his sheep his meaning was that those who obeyed his voice should receive the benefit of his death and such Sheep he would have all to be For as we have seen in 1 Tim. 2. 4. He would have all men to be saved and to come to the acknowledgment of the truth Again our Saviour saith that He

account of such Disgrace Contempt and ill usage from Rude People as is not to be compared with that which He underwent When we consider how our Blessed Saviour Forgave those who Thirsted after his Bloud and were never satisfied till they had put him to the most shameful and most cruel Death and not only Forgave them himself but Entreated his Father and that even in the midst of his Torments when his Spirit one would think should be most highly exasperated to forgive them too I say when we consider this how can it be difficult to disswade our selves from Meditating Revenge upon any Provocations whatsoever Surely we must needs be very powerfully inclined to forgive our Enemies When we call to mind how He exprest his love to his very Murderers even so as to design the greatest good to them by the means of that whereby they designed the greatest evil to him can we be averse to the bearing Good will to those who are ill affected towards us to the Blessing of those that Curse us and Praying for those that despightfully use us When we consider how this Mighty Person humbled himself even to the washing his Disciples Feet and declared that He came not to be ministred unto but to minister can We contemptible Wretches cherish the least spark of Pride in our Souls Can We despise the meanest of our Fellow-creatures or think our selves too Great or too Good to condescend to the lowest Offices of Love whereby we may serve our Brethren When we consider with what submission to the Divine Will our Blessed Lord indured the most exquisite Pains both of Soul and Body though He never deserved them by the least offence but was always most perfectly obedient to his Father can this be other than a most forcible motive to us who have Merited so ill at the Hands of God quietly to submit to his good Pleasure in Afflicting us whenas in so doing he doth always punish us far less than our iniquities deserve When we consider how well satisfied our Saviour was to be in poor low Circumstances and not to have so much as a Cottage of his own to put his Head in though he was Lord of all Is it imaginable that We should aspire at High and Great things and having Food and Raiment not be Content who are less than the least of all God's mercies And lastly Will not the Consideration of our Saviour's being such a Man of sorrows and so acquainted with griefs exceedingly deaden our desires after Sensual Pleasures Surely it must necessarily so do Thus we see how greatly exciting the Example of our Saviour is to the perfect Mortifying of those Lusts which are most strong and vigorous to the loathing and abominating those which are naturally very dear to us and to the most restless endeavours to get our Souls possessed of those Virtues and Graces which are most supernatural Thirdly Another very prevalent Motive is the Assurance our Lord hath given us that He will not take such Advantage of our Frailties and Weaknesses or Sins we fall into by mere surprize and want of due Watchfulness as to cast us off for them so long as we allow not our selves in any evil way and it is the principal design of our lives to be conformed in all things to the Laws of Righteousness There is a Prophecy concerning the Messiah Isaiah 42. 3. which our Saviour applieth to himself Matth. 12. 20. A bruised reed shall he not break and smoaking flax shall he not quench c. He will not crush under foot those who fall through weakness but whatsoever good he seeth in them he will still cherish My little children saith S. Iohn these things I write unto you that ye sin not But what if through the weakness of their Flesh they should at any time be overtaken is their state then desperate No by no means for it follows And if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the Righteous c. 1 Epist. 2. 1. As there are Sins unto Death so there are Sins not unto Death according to that of the same Apostle 1 Epist. 5. 17. All unrighteousness is sin and there is a sin not unto death Though all Unrighteousness be sin and the deserved wages of sin be Death yet such is the Goodness of God through Christ that all Sins shall not be unto Death but only Wilful and Presumptuous Sins And I add not these neither if not persevered in but throughly forsaken If we were liable to Eternal Ruine for such Faults as considering all our Circumstances in this state it is scarcely to be hoped we shall constantly avoid we should necessarily live in great Bondage through continual fear anxiety and disquieting thoughtfulness But on the other hand it conduceth exceedingly to the chearful pursuing our Great Work to be satisfied that it is not every Failure that shall endanger our final miscarrying And it is no small inducement to ingenuous Tempers to be so much the more solicitous to avoid Deliberate and Wilful sins because God through Christ is so ready to forgive and graciously pass by those that are not such Because he is pleased in his infinite Goodness to grant a pardon of course for these upon condition of their being in the general and habituals repented of And it is a great Motive also to such Tempers to be the more vigilant and watchful against all sins whatsoever against sins of daily incursion and infirmity as well as those which waste the Conscience And those are very ill natured and obdurate Sinners who can find in their hearts to Encourage themselves by this indulgence to sin the more freely Fourthly Another wonderful Encouragement to the careful use of the Means we are directed to for the subduing of our Lusts is our Saviours Mediation and Intercession There is one God and one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Iesus His oblation was begun on Earth but perfected in Heaven where He appears in the presence of God for us Heb. 9. 24. Those Prayers we put up in His name for things Agreeable to the Divine Will with honest and sincere hearts our Saviour inforceth with his own Intercession He ever lives to make intercession for us Heb. 7. 25. And for this reason as the Apostle saith in the former part of that Verse He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him That is to give them a full and complete Deliverance from the Slavery of sin and all the evil Consequents thereof Now we know that we ask what is according to the Will of God when we pray for his Grace to Mortifie our Corruptions and to set us more and more Free from their Dominion This is the Will of God even our Sanctification c. 1 Thess. 4. 3. There are many Temporal good things which God in his infinite Wisdom may see not to be good for us but He knows that whatsoever hath a necessary influence into