Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A74767
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Gods gracious thoughts tovvards great sinners.
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Homes, Nathanael, 1599-1678.
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1647
(1647)
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Thomason E385_22; ESTC R201472
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32,054
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44
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had those thoughts of grace and favour 2. God is pleased to propose to us his Justice conditionally upon our obstinacy against mercy So all along the Scripture But holds forth his offer of mercy absolutely without any condition of ours Isai 55.1 Isai 43.25 Revel 22.17 If at any time there be any sound of a condition it is one of his own making and in-making in us subordinate not opposit to free grace Ephes 2.8 And he that thinks to save thinks to give faith 3. God is pleased to signifie to us that he loves to have his mercy rejoyce over his justice Jam. 2.13 Grace glorieth It is the glory of Gods mercy that it preventeth judgement 4. In that God hates sinne and hath justice to punish it he hath provided a Saviour to remove the guilt and filth of sinne 1 Cor. 1. last save one 2 Cor. 5. last He made Christ taking our nature upon him and sanctifying it and making atonement in it to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousnesse of God On him he laid the iniquities of us all Isai 53. And on us he laid the righteousnesse of God 2 Cor. 5. last The righteousnesse of God therefore good enough to be acceptable to himselfe and great enough being infinite to appease him for the finite unrighteousnesse of man 5. And lastly God doth love to dignifie the second Adam above the first yea to make Christ the plaister more soveraigne then Adam the soare can be malignant Rom. 5. 1 Cor. 15. It 's the businesse of those two Chapters The upshot of all is set down in golden Letters Rom. 5. Two last verses Where sinne abounded grace did much more abound That as sinne hath reigned unto death so might grace REIGNE mark the phrase through righteousnesse unto eternall life by Jesus Christ our Lord. By which it appeares that as heretofore sin did reigne over us so now Gods gracious favour through Christs righteousnesse should reigne over our sinnes And that the benefit might be imparted to poore sinners abounding with sinne God would make his grace of favour much more to abound Of which see more in that glorious Scripture 1 Tim. 1.14 2. Exercise faith upon the birth of these thoughts of mercy Namely that as they are conceived from Gods most excellent sweet nature so they are brought to the birth of a gracious predestinatiō appointment purpose or choosing Rom. 8.29 Whom he did foreknow out of those thoughts of mercy that were conceived in his sweet nature he did predestinate and appoint What to doe or be To be made conformable to his Sonne Christ Jesus They should be according to their capacitie in no worse condition then his Sonne Jesus Christ Ephes 1.3 4 5. Hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places or things in Christ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world having predestinated us unto the Adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will See here the good will of God is the rise of predestination and predestination is the rise of choosing of purpose see presently Those purposes of God are free unconstrained unnecessitated they arise out of his own free nature and good will Ephes 1.11 In whom that is in Christ wee have obtained an inheritance being predetion did according to the purpose of him that worketh all things according to the Counsell of his own will Observe he saith not according to the Counsell of his understanding As if he would know find and consider something in us But according to the Counsell of his own will His good will and sweet inclination to poore sinners is that which puts forth these thoughts of grace and favour So that as in Isai 43.25 He assures us that as he can love himselfe so he can blot out sinnes So here he doth warrant us that as he cannot be of another nature but as the Angel sang Good will to men he is of a sweet and mercifull disposition so he purposeth salvation to poore sinners 2. These purposes of favour are unmoveable and unchangeable 2 Tim. 2.19 Neverthelesse though false-hearted Hymeneus and Philetus fall off the foundation of God standeth sure having this seale The Lord knoweth who are his So that against all feares of change this becomes an assurance that whom he loves he loves to the end Joh. 13.1 With him saith James is no shadow of changeing And this second particular the birth of Gods gracious thoughts with the properties answers many objections that might arise For God is not unresolved to save them whom he loves in his everlasting thoughts as a man is unresolved oft times whether to have her whom he loves God is unmoveable from his purposes of mercy by any thing that is in us or from us Object But in Gods purpose and predestination lyes also his reprobation and that breeds doubts and feares in us Answ 1. It is true that when God electeth some consequently he passeth by others But this preterition passing by or non-election doth onely leave men to shift for themselves it doth not passe any condemnation upon them that are omitted For it were unjust with God to our understanding to purpose to condemne his creature without an eye and relation to some wrong the creature should doe him So that it is some other thought beyond that of passing by that reprobates which wee call predamnation or fore-condemning Which is that God foreseeing any man to sinne obstinately and perpetually against the means of grace offered to him on him God puts forth a purpose of condemning him God doth elect freely because we cannot doe the least imperfect good as all is imperfect but from the gift and power of Gods goodnesse But reprobation is for the desert of sinne because wee can as Adam did most freely and fully sinne of our selves A Magistrate rewards some subjects freely though they have done some good For they had their life livelihood education c. under their good government to doe that good And the good it selfe is a sufficient allurement vertue being lovely enough in it selfe and a sufficient reward of it selfe every vertue yeelding at least a certain Inward quietation of minde as the Heathen Philosopher confesseth as also an outward honour among Civill honest men and therefore Honor dicitur ab honestate Honour hath its derivation of name and thing from honesty But the Magistrate cannot with any justice condemne or punish any Subject nor have a purpose so to doe but as he hath an eye upon and evidence of that mans transgressing By the same proportion with infinite more exactnesse God doth purpose and elect to salvation freely but cannot purpose to reprobate any to condemnation but upon sure evidence that such will sinne impenitently against the meanes of grace 2 Chron. 36.11 12 13 14 15 16. Pro. 29.1 But you will say that Gods passing by those that are not elected doth put a necessitie that
GODS GRACIOUS THOUGHTS TOVVARDS GREAT SINNERS JER 29.11 But I know the thoughts I thinke towards you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evill to give you an expected end EPHES. 3.19 The love of Christ passeth knowledge LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons dwelling in Aldersgate-street 1647. NATHANAEL HOMES TO THE CHURCH IN FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM DEare Brethren and Sisters as my compassions to some bleeding hearts among you did put me upon this discourse in our more private weekly meeting so their unexpected importunitie for Copies have necessitated me to print it so as it was suddainly compiled and ruggedly delivered unpolished and untrimmed for publike view of all abroad But being willing you should have it I would rather deny mine own honour then you of any spirituall comfort I might hold forth to you who am yours in the Lord by many strong obligations N. H. From my study in Mary Staynings Decem. 2. 1646. GODS GRACIOUS THOUGHTS TOWARDS GREAT SINNERS ISAIAH 55.8 9. For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher then the earth so are my wayes higher then your wayes and my thoughts then your thoughts THe former part of this Chapter is a most glorious invitation of poore sinners to free mercy vers 1. to the end of the 7th verse in which 7th verse the Lord tells all commers to him that he hath mercy for them and mercy with eminency namely that He will have mercy on them And he will abundantly pardon Or as it is neerer to the Hebrew and is so expressed in the Margin of your Bibles He will multiply to pardon or Multiply pardons The freenesse fulnesse and faithfulnesse of this glorious grace and favour the Lord most strongly demonstrates to confute all doubtings and chase away all feares that are in the hearts of drooping sinners in the verses of the Text. The Catastrophe and upshot of all is this That the Lord having removed their sinnes he will remove their judgements and change their sorrowes into joyes vers 12 13. The substance of the verses of the Text in the sense of them are the matter of the Demonstration The coherence or inference of them in the severall FO RS are the forme that forme them into arguments to remove their doubts and feareâ— As if the Lord should say When I say I will have mercy and abounding or multiplyed pardoning mercy you ought not to doubt of it or feare FOR my thoughts are not your thoughts c. FOR as the heavens are higher then the earth so are my thoughts higher then your thoughts FOR as the raine comes down from heaven c. So that one FOR backs another And then saith the Lord Your sins being done away your judgements shall be removed Ver. 12 13. FOR you shall goe out with joy c. You shall by the effect of removing of your sorrowes discerne the cause viz. the pardoning of your sinnes Doctrine Out of all for the designe in hand I picke and cull this one Doctrine That the incomparablenesse of Gods gracious thoughts towards poore sinners above and beyond their thoughts is sufficient to stop the mouth of all objections and still the cryes of all dejections in all their miseries 1. Note for explanation of this rich Doctrine that our miseries are twofold Afflictions Transgressions Those the threed these the needle For these are they that prick and sting to the quick These the sting in the mouth or tayle of afflictions The sting of death is sinne 1 Cor. 15. A confluence of all afflictions of themselves cannot sting so as the single essence of the sinne when God will set it on the conscience Pauls concupiscence stings him more Rom. 7. then his being killed all the day long Rom. â— Afflictions whip the body sinne the soule The spirit of a man saith Solomon may sustaine his infirmities But a wounded spirit who can heare That is of himselfe without Gods grace Now secondly observe that in all these afflictions and sinnes Gods thoughts towards us poore sinners are such as are incomparable and transcendent above and beyond that wee can thinke 1. Father with simple cogitation That is we cannot thinke towards others in the like case of misery as God thinkes towards us in the same case 2. Or with reflexive comprehension or apprehension that in to conceive what those thoughts of God are towards us in our misery just as he thinkes them Both these seeme to be cleerly in the Text. For the first I can saith the Lord shew mercy wheresoever there is a sence of misery though that misery did as well provoke me by the sin of it as it did grieve man with the affliction of it For my thoughts are not your thoughts For the second If there be abundance of sinnes bringing abundance of iudgements I can saith the Lord abundantly pardon For my thoughts are above your thoughts As if the Lord should say of the first thus Can you have such thoughts of mercy on misery as I can especially where you are provoked Doe not you usually repell violence with violence Doe you not use to render evill for evill Are you not usually for the punitive way Or if you passe by a few wrongs can you passe by abundance Doe you not cry against multiplying of offences Immedicabile vulnus c. cut the putrifying limbe off Doe you not after once or twice warning fall to harming Do not your Magistrates burne in the hand then hang up the neck And you admonish then punish But I can thinke thoughts of mercy contrary to all these as hath been shewed in the Text. For the second You as if the Lord should say can hardly thinke that I can thus thinke but I can For my thoughts are above yours You are men I a God you corrupt I pure I prove it thus Doe you see the disproportion of creatures of the Heavens above the earth Much more between an infinit Creator the creature Can you take the just altitude of the Heavens above the Earth Then note how high my thoughts are above yours Therefore these my thoughts I propound and presse to hush and stop the mouth of all objections and still your sorrowing fearing complaining-dejections If you object any crooked unworthy thing to disparage my thoughts and so to prejudice your selves in laying hold on my thoughts let the answer be my thoughts not as yours Mine in substance are all good right c. As my words are Psal 19. so are my thoughts No evill no iniquitie no crueltie in my thoughts If you thinke any you bring it with you you can finde none in me you goe about to pervert the straight wayes and thoughts of the Lord Act. 13.10 But the Lords thoughts are like himselfe The Lords thoughts and wayes are equall they are yours that are unequall Ezek. 18.25 As if the Lord should say take it for a generall rule What ever your thoughts are if