Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	apostle_n	sin_n	wage_n	4,685	5	10.8916	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65924	A vindication of the doctrine of Gods absolute decree and of Christs absolute and special redemption. In way of answer to those objections that are brought against them by Mr. Tho: Pierce, in his treatise, entituled, The divine philanthropy. By Tho: Whitfeld, minister of the gospel.	Whitfield, Thomas, Minister of the Gospel.	1657 (1657)	Wing W2011A; ESTC R222306	60,986	90

mistake Jacob for Esau and his savory meat for Esaus Venison there was no necessity in any of these things but all was done most freely yet all was guided by a secret and certain providence so as the event should not fail to come to pass as God had determined Every necessary truth is an eternal truth for it is a true rule Quod necessarium est semper verum est nec falsum esse potest A necessary proposition is that which is alway true and can never be false That Cain should kill his brother was no necessary truth before the thing was done that man should be a reasonable creature was a necessary truth before man was created It was no necessary truth that Adam should eat the forbidden fruit before he had eaten it and though then it was a truth yet no necessary truth for no circumstance can change the nature of things so as to make a necessary truth to become contingent or a contingent truth to become necessary True it is that when a thing is done it cannot be undone for a thing cannot be and not be both at one time but it was not necessary it should be done if it be a thing of a contingent nature What I now speak or write is necessary should be thus spoken or written but before it was not necessary I should speak or write any thing these being acts of liberty and freedom so it is in all actions of like nature in all contingent actions This for the second Objection Object 3. A third thing objected against the Absolute Decree is That it is against Gods Justice for if the Decree of Reprobation go before the foresight of sin then the innocent creature is designed to destruction which cannot agree with the Justice of God Answ For answer of this Two things are needful to be proved 1. That it is no injustice in God to punish the innocent creature 2. That by the Decree of Reprobation no innocent creature is designed to destruction For the first it may be proved these ways Argument 1 Mr. P. asserts Infants to be innocent creatures Cap. 4. Page 25. because they never did hurt any man in thought word or deed and these are subject to death and he cannot deny death to be a punishment for it is the wages of sin Rom. 6.23 And though death differs in degree from damnation yet it is a punishment and God cannot be unjust in any degree It may be Mr. P. may finde out some answer to this therefore we add further Christ Jesus was the most innocent person that ever was in the world Argument 2 one that knew no sin neither was any guile found in his mouth one that fulfilled all righteousness one in whom the Father was well pleased for he had done all his pleasure yet he laid on him the iniquities of us all he was wounded for our iniquities and broken for our transgressions Isa 53. The just suffered for the unjust 1 Pet. 3.18 Yea he suffered such a measure of his Fathers wrath as was answerable to that which all those who are saved by him should have suffered in hell for he being their surety it was necessary that he should fully discharge their debt by making full satisfaction in paying that which they should have paid Mr. P. knows well that many innocent creatures dayly suffer for his sake Argument 3 and are put to divers kindes of deaths some have their throats cut some are strangled some are knockt on the head according to the will and pleasure of those by whom they are killed and these are such as never offended or deserved any ill at his hands and may not God use the same liberty with creatures of his own making as man doth with those creatures which he never made He would think it ridiculous if any should clamor against him for cruelty and injustice when he treads a worm under his foot or crusheth a fly sitting on the wall yet there is not so great a disproportion betwixt him and the smallest worm as there is betwixt him or the greatest King in the world and the great Creator Man compared with God being but as a drop that hangs on a bucket or as the dust that cleaves to the ballance which swayes it neither one way nor another Argument 4 Isa 40.15 May not the Potter do what he will with the vessel which he hath made without any imputation of injustice yea though he breaks it in pieces or puts it to the basest uses the Apostle makes Gods power over his Creature to be full as large as the Potter hath over the Vessel that he hath made and gives this answer to the like Objection Rom. 9.21 God was not bound to preserve man in his being after he was made for he might have annihilated him as he made us of nothing so he might bring us to nothing and some deaths are less then annihilation Neither was he bound to preserve man from a sinful being as he did some of the Angels but he might suffer him to fall as he did some of them and then deal with him accordingly Thus we see it is no injustice in God to inflict sufferings upon innocent creatures 2. That by the Decree of Reprobation innocent creatures are not designed to destruction appears Because Reprobation is that everlasting purpose of God Argument 1 whereby he hath decreed to glorifie his justice in the just condemnation of sinful men here sin goes before condemnation though it goes not before Gods Decree for condemnation is the execution and is in time whereas the Decree is before all time It is a true rule that Deus vult hoc esse propter hoc sed non vult hoc propter hoc the one hath reference to the execution the other to the decree though there be a cause of the being of a thing yet there is none of Gods will It is the Tenet of the Schoolmen Nullamdari posse causam decreti divini ex parte volentis sed tantùm ex parte volitorum There can be no cause given of the Will and Decree of God as it is his act but onely of the things willed by him none of the Decree but onely of the Execution Mr. P. seems sometimes to grant this and if he would stand to it the controversie might soon be at an end for nothing is needful to go before the effect but the cause that which hath efficiency in some kinde or other in producing it and if there can be no kinde of cause going before Gods Decree his Decree may be without it God doth condemn no man in time but for sin Argument 2 therefore he determined to condemn no man but for sin for he doth things in time in that maner and order that he determined to do them before all time He actually condemns no man but for sin actually existing till after men have sinned but sin exists in time therefore if he should determine nothing touching mans everlasting estate

salvation is here fastened onely to believing and neither believing nor salvation to the man Object 6. Rom. 5.18 As by the offence of one man judgement came upon all to condemnation so by the righteonsness of one c. Here Christs righteousness is made of equal extent to Adams sin namely such as reacheth to all Answ 1. The Apostle doth here parallel Adams sin and Christs righteousness not in regard of their equal extent to all men in the world but to all their posterity As Adam by his sin conveyed sin and death to all his posterity so Christ by his Sufferings and Obedience conveys Righteousness and Life to all his posterity to all the faithful to all true believers who are called his seed Isa 59.21 and his children Heb 2.13 If there had been another generation of men that had not arisen out of Adams root they had not been involved in the guilt of Adams sin so there being a generation of men that never sprung out of Christs root that were never branches of that blessed Vine they shall never have part in those peculiar benefits which he hath purchased for his children for his seed and posterity for the members of his own body of whom onely he is the Savior Eph. 5.23 2. By this Argument all men should have Righteousness and Life and so all men in the end should certainly be saved for the Apostle saith expresly in this place that as by one mans sin condemnation is come upon all so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all to the justification of life Object 7. The covenant of grace is universal made with all mankinde therefore Christ died for all for he is the foundation of this covenant Answ 1. That the covenant of grace is universal can never be proved for how can Pagans and Infidels who never heard of Christ or covenant be said to be in covenant of whom the Apostle saith that they are without God in the world and are strangers from the covenant Eph. 2.12 2. In the first promise wherein the covenant of grace is held forth there is a direct distinction as hath been shewed betwixt the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent the promise being made onely to the seed of the woman namely to Christ and those that should be born of him Heb. 2.13 3. The Apostle saith that the promise wherein the covenant was comprehended was made to Abraham and his seed not to seeds as speaking of many but to thy seed as of one that is Christ Gal. 3.16 Now if the covenant be made onely with Christ mystical head and members as here it must be understood because the promise is made not onely to Christ but to Abraham it is not made with all men all men are not Abrahams seed all men are not members of Christs mystical body but onely believers both of Jews and Gentiles these onely make that one seed 4. In the covenant of grace the Lord promiseth all those with whom he makes this covenant that he will give them a new heart and a new spirit that he will put his laws into their inward parts and write them in their hearts and this promise is made absolutely and without condition and therefore shall certainly be fulfilled to all those to whom it is made but all men have not new hearts and spirits given unto them therefore all are not within covenant neither is the covenant made with all Object All that are visible members of the Church that have received the Seal of the Covenant and do still own it are in covenant but many of these are ignorant or prophane and wicked therefore all that are in covenant have not new hearts and spirits given unto them neither is the law of God written in their hearts Answ The covenant of grace may be considered two ways either in regard of the outward dispensation and outward priviledges attending it or in regard of those inward graces which are the proper effects of it In regard of the outward dispensation and outward priviledges belonging to it all visible members of the Church may be said to be in covenant but in regard of the inward graces which are the proper effects and priviledges he longing to the covenant of grace those cannot be said to be in covenant who alway remain destitute of them As Abraham had a carnal seed who received circumcision which was the Seal of the covenant and did partake of other outward priviledges belonging to the people of God and a spiritual seed namely such as were of the faith of Abraham so he hath still No man can be said to be in covenant further then he knows it and professeth conformity to the conditions of it wicked men may have the covenant made known to them and make outward profession of conformity to it and so have communion with the people of God in all outward ordinances and enjoy all outward priviledges together with them but they cannot properly be said to be in covenant not partaking of the most essential parts of it of those great graces of Justification Sanctification and of Salvation in the end Object 8. The Apostle Peter speaks of such as denied the Lord that bought them 2 Pet. 2.2 therefore Christ hath died for wicked men that perish in the end Answ The Scripture sometimes speaks of things not onely as they are but as they seem and appear to be as they are in the judgements and opinions of men Thus our Savior having said in one place that to him that hath shall be given and from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath Mat. 13.12 in another place shews his meaning saying That shall be taken away which he seemed to have Luke 8.18 and in this sense he speaks when he saith that the whole have no need of the Physitian but the sick and that he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance And thus it is said of king Ahaz that he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that smote him 2 Chr. 28.23 they did not so indeed but he thought they did so they seemed to him to do so and therefore the Scripture speaks of it accordingly and so it is spoken in this place these men had the knowledge of Christ and made outward profession of him and his Religion and therefore seemed to be such as were bought and redeemed by him but they were not so indeed FINIS

is the Savior of all men there is no necessity that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Savior should be understood of eternal salvation but rather of temporal preservation and the foregoing words shew that it should be so which speak not of Christ as Mediat●r but of God in general therefore we labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God who is the Savior or Preserver of all especially of those that believe 1 Tim. 4.10 and this well agrees with that the Lord preserveth both man and beast Psal 36.6 2. When it is said that Christ gave himself a ransom for all the former words shew of whom this is to be understood namely of all sorts of all ranks degrees and orders of men high and low rich and poor 1 Tim. 2.6 compared with verse 2. Kings and princes were then the greatest persecutors and therefore Christians might doubt whether they should be prayed for or not this gave occasion to the Apostle to bid them to pray for kings and princes and all that are in Authority because c. 3. When it is said that Christ tasted death for every man the following words shew of whom this every man is to be understood namely of every one of the sons of God Heb. 2.9 compared with verse 10. 4. When it is said that he is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world it hath been shewed before of what world this is meant namely the world both of Jews and Gentiles the whole saved world that consisted of both these In what sense all men are commanded to believe shall be shewed by and by 5. When it is said that God would have none to perish 2 Pet. 3.9 the former words shew hovv it is to be understood vvhere the Apostle saith that the Lord is long-suffering towards us speaking of himself and those elect ones to vvhom he vvrites that had obtained like precious faith vvith himself cap. 1. verse 1. vvhom he opposeth to those scoffers mentioned verse 3. and says that though there shall be a day of destruction of ungodly men ver 7. yet the Lord is long-suffering toward us for it is so long before some of Gods ovvn elect come to repentance that they have need he should exercise much patience and long-suffering over them and of these he speaks vvhen he vvould have them account the long-suffering of the Lord to be salvation verse 15. a means to bring them to salvation Here now if we were furnished with Mr. P. his faculty in rhetoricating we might retort his reason upon himself and by the same maner of Argumentation we might tell him that if every particular man and woman in the world be not saved if every man and woman in Judea and the coasts round about were not baptized of John Baptist if every man in the world be not drawn to Christ if every man in the world hath not praise from God if every man in the world be not deceived by the devil if every man in the world lyes not in wickedness Cap. 3. Pag. 86. 87 88. then we shall make the plainest Scriptures most obscure and teach that God doth not speak in his word as he means and so teach the people to misbelieve him because these things are set forth by all expressions of universality as all men every man world yea whole world and the like so that we see this swelling Argument is but a bladder full of winde which being a little pricked it presently puffs out and vanisheth to nothing Object 2. All men are commanded to believe in Christ but they are not commanded to believe a lye therefore it is true that Christ died for all Answ 1. All men are not commanded to believe but those onely to whom the Gospel is preached which is the least part of the world 2. The work of believing is opus complexum such a work as to the right performance whereof many acts are required as 1 to believe that we are lost sinners and must perish for ever without we have a Savior 2. That there is no savlation to be had but onely in Jesus Christ the Son of God that became man 3. That it is our duty to deny our selves and to rest on Jesus Christ as our onely Savior and resign up our selves to him as our onely Lord. 4. To believe that he died for our sins and shall be our Savior Now though the Gospel requires the doing of all these things it requires they should be done certo ordine in a certain order It doth not require we should do the last without the first yea if we do the last before we have done all the former our believing would be a false believing for if we will truly believe in Christ we must so believe in him as the Gospel holds him forth to us otherwise we have no sure ground for our faith the Gospel no where bids us believe that Christ died for all men But Christ is held forth in the Gospel onely to repenting sinners to l●st sinners to sick sinners to humbled sinners when Christ calls those onely to come to him who labor and are heavy laden who are wearied with the burthen of their sins and are willing to take his yoke on them and to them onely he promiseth rest if an hard-hearted rebellious sinner such an one as is resolved to walk after his lusts and go on in his wicked ways should strongly perswade himself that Christ died for him his strong perswasion were no better then a strong presumption the Gospel yielding no ground at all for such perswasion but rather the contrary telling us that Christ is the Anthor of eternal Salvation onely to those that obey him Heb. 5.9 and that he will render vengeance to all those that obey not the Gospel 2 Thess 1.8 Hence John the Baptist Christs Fore-runner and Christ himself when they began to preach call upon men to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand Mat. 3.2.4.17 to repent and believe the Gospel Mark 1.16 so that some acts of repentance are to go before believing that Christ died for us which is the last and highest act of faith Besides our Savior tells us that this is the condemnation of the world that men hate the light that is come into the world because their deeds are evil John 3.19 there is no unrepenting sinner but in some degree hates the light so far as he loves his evil deeds so far he hates the light which is contrary to them and this is the ground of his condemnation Object 3. But Mr. P. objects with much confidence that of the Apostle Cap. 4. page 28. 2 Cor. 5.14 15. where as he saith the Apostle thus argues If one died for all then were all dead but one died for all therefore all were dead Here the Apostle doth not onely plainly assert that Christ died for all but brings this as a medium to prove that all were dead Answ 1. The scope of

the Apostle here is not to shew for how many Christ died but what is the duty of those for whom he died namely to live to him because they were in the state of death when he died for them 2. We willingly grant that Christ died for all if this word all be taken in the same sense the Apostle takes it as he takes it in the former verse namely those whom Christs love constrained to duty The love of Christ saith he constraineth us and therefore we thus judge that if Christ died for all of us then all of us were in the state of death as well as others and he died for us that we which live should no longer live to our selves but to him But it follows not hence that Christ died for all men for all men are not so affected with the sense of Christs love as thereby to be constrained and carried on with a holy violence as it were to the performance of duty 3. The Apostle here speaks of such for whom Christ not onely died but also rose again now it is no where said in Scripture that Christ rose again for all besides if he died and rose again for all then all shall certainly be justified It is God that justifieth who shall condemn it is Christ that died or rather that is risen again Romans 8.33 34. Object 4. It is further objected That all men in the world receive benefit by Christ therefore he died for all Answ 1. It doth not follow that Christ died for wicked men who perish in the end because they receive many benefits by his death for all creatures in the world are some way or other the better for Christs death We may well think that the whole Creation had long since been turned into a Chaos and confusion if Christ by his death had not made an atonement for some of mankinde The Apostle saith that the whole Creation grones under the burthen of mans sin and that there is an earnest expectation in the creature waiting when it shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption to the glorious liberty of the sons of God Rom. 8.21 22. This glorious liberty of the sons of God is a benefit which Christ hath purchased and this all the creatures shall fare the better for which makes them to have such an earnest expectation after it yet none can hence infer that Christ died for all the creatures 2. The devils themselves have some benefit by Christs death for if he had never come into the world it is likely that they had been confined to the great deep and not been suffered to range up and down in the world as now they do And when he was in the world he was pleased at their entreaty to suffer them to enter into the herd of swine and not to send them into the great deep which was some benefit to them yet who will say that Christ died for devils 3. It was the act of greatest love for Christ to lay down his life Greater love then this hath no man to lay down his life John 15.13 and can we think that Christ will shew as great love to those that are damned as to those that are saved to the reprobate as to the elect to strangers and such as he never knew yea to his enemies and such as will not suffer him to reign over them as to his friends and faithful subjects yea to his fellow brethren and the members of his own body for there can be no greater love then the greatest and the greatest is the laying down his life which he hath done for all alike according to this Doctrine 4. What ever comes from Love works for good but all things in the end work together for hurt unto wicked men that have no part in Christ Their table shall be a snare and that which should have been for their prosperity shall be a trap Psal 69.22 Their riches are reserved for their hurt Eccles 5.9 The goodness of God hardens their hearts and so fits them for wrath Rom. 2.4 5. 5. For whom Christ hath purchased a right to the things they enjoy he hath also purchased a Grace that fits them for the right use of them for in and through him all things are given to us that pertain to Life and Godliness 2 Pet. 1.3 Object 5. But we may say to any man even the worst that lives if thou wilt believe thou shalt be saved which we could not say truly if Christ did not die for all Answ 1. The scope of such conditional promises and propositions is to shew the inseparable joyning together of the means and the end of Faith and Salvation of Repentance and Pardon of Sin and the truth of them lies not in the truth of the parts but in the necessary and strong connexion and joyning of them together As when I say if a man be a lion then he hath four feet if he be a bird then he can flie in the air here though the parts be false yet the propositions are true because of the necessity of the consequence so when I say to any man believe and thou shalt be saved here this proposition is true though the man never believes nor never be saved for let this Hypothetical be turned into a Categorical and it is no more but this Every Believer shall be saved which is true though Christ never died for all and though all men never be saved for it shews onely the absolute and necessary connexion betwixt Faith and Salvation as that all Believers and they onely shall be saved and not that all men shall be Believers or that all men shall be saved or that Christ died for all and it doth no more imply that there is a will in God of saving all then when on the other side it is said that he who believeth not shall be damned it doth imply that there is a will in him of damning all 2. The weakness of this way of arguing may appear from instances of other like propositions in Scripture when the yong man came to our Savior Christ and asked him what he should do that he might have eternal life he answers him If thou wilt have life keep the commandments Matthew 19.15 did not Christ here speak truly yet it was not true that either he could keep the commands or ever should have life by keeping them Did not the Apostle speak truly when he said If there be no resurrection then Christ is not risen and if there be hope onely in this life then we are of all men most miserable 1 Cor. 15.18 19. yet in both these propositions the parts are false for both Christ is risen and there shall certainly be a resurrection and the Saints have better hopes then in this life neither are they of all men the most miserable So this proposition If a man believe he shall be saved is true though God hath never determined his salvation nor Christ died to purchase it for