Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	cause_n	effect_n	sin_n	5,734	5	5.6646	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86420	Fourteen queries and ten absurdities about the extent of Christ's death, the power of the creatures, the justice of God in condemning some, and saving others, presented by a free-willer to the Church of Christ at Newcastle, and answered by Paul Hobson a member of the said Church. In which answer is discovered, the extent of Christs death, the nature and truth of election, the condition of the creature both before and after conversion, &c. Published in tenderness of love for the good of all, especially for the Churches of Christ.	Hobson, Paul.	1655 (1655)	Wing H2273; Thomason E1492_4; ESTC R208520	40,720	127

over all which is manifest in his language commanding of them but the peculiarity of his love is not to be judged by the extent of his authority but by the application or making good of his mercy which work or privilege is but to some and is solely his work as we shall afterwards shew you Fourthly though faith be required in the declaration and is the way to enjoy the manifestation yet a want in faith doth not nor cannot make any alteration in the foundation which is clear from these Scriptures 2 Tim. 2.13 applied to v. 19 2 Sam. 23.2 3 4. Minde well now it is clear that the foundation is Gods unchangeable love and grace which if it were to all upon the condition of faith giving a propriety in the foundation then any want in faith would work some alteration which is contrary to the forementioned Scriptures Fifthly in the fear of the Lord consider this Scripture John 17.4 where CHRIST says to the Father I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do Now if CHRIST was ordained or appointed of the Father to satisfie for the sins of all and to purchase life and salvation for all then he hath finished it and they must be saved or else CHRIST doth not speak truth which were sad to aver but you see and must know all are not nor shall not be saved therefore it was not given him by the Father to do Now if any shall say that CHRIST hath finished the work of eternal life for any who will believe in him I answer the work cannot be finished if it depend upon any thing else and especially upon that which is so mutable as creatures minds whether to receive or not to receive as you affirm therefore without controversie CHRIST speaking truth the work is fully finished as the pardon of sin purchase of salvation and eternal life by him faith doth not make up the work but it is a fruit that floweth from it which is the next thing we shall enter upon and so I shall say no more to this fourth thing to wit That the great design of God in Christ was to satisfie for all sin and purchase salvation and eternal life for the elect and none but them The sixth thing is that faith which is required of all them that enjoy him is not a Cause but an Effect of the forementioned Privilege that is to say It is not the cause but an effect of election and that I shall punctually prove three ways 1. From Scripture 2. From the nature of causes 3. From the nature of the thing First from the Scripture see Acts 13.38 When the Gentiles heard they were glad and glorified the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed Which clearly shews that Ordination is before faith and this order and form CHRIST declares when he saith to his Disciples John 15.16 Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you They had chosen CHRIST that is to say loved him and by faith embraced him but his intent is they were first chosen by him and that is the cause the Apostle saith 1 John 4. We love him because he loved us first And for your further satisfaction minde these Scriptures Rom. 8.30 chap. 9.11 2 Tim. 1.9 Ezek. 16.6 Hosea 14.8 Secondly consider the order of Causes and you will finde that Henry Hagar who is a man I very much honour out of whose Book I see you have drawn your Absurdities if you do there but see how he decyphers Causes you will there finde that he makes no distinction of essential meritorious instrumental and final Causes but jumbles up all together without distinction Dear Friend it is not a form of words that will make things orderly in Gods sight unless there be divine wisdom to rectifie the judgment making man to deny his own natural wit when he goes about to decypher or discover Gods great design in CHRIST Again if you will say though he sets down successive causes yet he doth not set down the cause of Election in any of these seven causes he mentions neither can he unless he can discover a cause of him that is the Cause of Causes For my part I am of his judgment in these Particulars c. 1. That Gods love was the cause of his sending of his Son to die for sinners 2. That Christ's dying and rising is the cause of the Gospel being preached 3. The Gospel being preached is the cause of mens believing 4. That mens believing is the cause of justification but then it is justification in conscience and not justification before God in Christ which is the fountain and this in conscience is but the stream 5. That our knowing our selves justified by faith through the bloud of Christ is the cause of our love to Christ 6. That our love to Christ is the cause of our obedience to Christ But then the seventh cause which is That our obeying Christ is the cause of his giving us everlasting life that I deny And if you view these Scriptures he brings to prove it is will not make it good Mark 16.16 Revel 22.14 Heb. 6.9 He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved and blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gate into the City and Christ being made perfect through suffering he became the Author of everlasting salvation unto all them that obey him these Scriptures are truth and declare that they that obey Christ shall have eternal life but they nor no other Scripture declare anything contrary to this position that obedience is the way to life but not the cause of life if yea look upon causes either essential or meritorious but if you look upon it instrumental that is to say as the meanes or way to such an end then it is true and so is faith and so is prayer according to these Scriptures Philip. 1.19 1. Peter 1.5 Phil. 2.10 Heb. 12.14 Now when I tell you I do approve of these six causes successively before mentioned it is also with this restriction to put a diference between causes for the first cause which is Gods love that is the efficient cause 2. cause which is Christs death is the meritorious cause the 3 4 5 6. causes he spoke of are the instrumental causes and if you speak of these things in themselves and as they are to us then they are causes but if you speak of them all as they relate to God who is the Cause of Causes then they are but effects CHRIST'S death is but the effect of Gods love the preaching of the Gospel is but an effect of Gods love faith in him is but his gift and our love to him and obedience do all flow from him as the Fountain according to these Scriptures Gal. 5.22 Ephes 6.23 Heb. 12.2 James 1.17 18. they cannot in that sense be called causes but fruits Further consider what that Friend

saith in his Book he declares a cause in all the seven things yet he shews you no cause why God should love us Now election or chusing is so considered in the singularity of his love and doth so live in the bowels of it that there is no more cause for the one than there is for the other and he requires nothing without himself to beget or maintain that in himself for us And now the thing I would have you consider followeth Thirdly consider what we minde by election it consisteth in Gods foreknowledg wherein he was pleased from all eternity in the riches of his grace and love to pitch upon and make choice of some in a peculiar sense to be vessels of glory whom he elected in the election of his Son who was the publick person comprehending the whole and this prerogative of God and privilege to us is not to be decyphered or discovered like as other privileges are for the death of Christ and our faith in Christ these have the time of their rise reign and perfection but for the other privilege it is done in God and with God without relation to any thing without himself it onely depends upon the prerogative of his will and his good pleasure according to these Scriptures Rom. 9.16 18 21 22. Matth. 11.16 Luke 10.21 Therefore when we speak of causes we must make a distinction between what is done by God out of God and what is done by God in God and whatsoever is done in the last sense hath no rise but himself and his own pleasure and if you give not God this you must deny his Prerogative and prove that he may not do with his own what seems good unto him which is contrary to these Scriptures Matth. 20.15 Exod. 33.19 Rom. 9.15 16 18 20 23. Now besides what hath been already said to prove that faith is but an effect and not the cause of election minde these Reasons First if election be before men have faith then faith cannot be a cause but it must be an effect but election is before we have faith Ergo. The Major is not to be questioned The Minor which is that election is before faith is proved from these Scriptures Acts 13.48 1 Tim. 1.9 Ephes 1.4 5. Reason 2. God is the first cause of causes and whatsoever doth take its rise or is immediate from him hath no other cause the truth of that you will see from the Scriptures before mentioned therefore faith must needs be an effect But besides all the Scriptures and Reasons I have brought Do but consider that election is not capable of being caused by any causes out of God for we are elected in the election of Christ and Christ did not merit his own election for his Death is not the cause of election though it be the meritorious cause and Gods great way to accomplish life and salvation If so be that faith is a cause of our election then election is subject to a cause and if in the lesser then in the greater but we know that in the greater which is the election of CHRIST in which general all particulars are comprehended it is not caused nor depends upon no condition or causes out of God but immediately flows from him and all other works and acts of grace and mercy done by God in CHRIST for us or by God in us towards CHRIST are the fruits of this fountain I mean Gods love in which Gods owning or chusing is so involved in it as it is one with it and both arise from one and the same fountain which is his own will and pleasure Now there being some that make Objections against this truth which peradventure may be the cause of your stumbling I shall in faithfulness to CHRIST and love to your soul mention some of them and give my answer to them First some there are as Henry Hagar in particular that do acknowledg this truth from these places of Scripture Ephes 1.4 where it is said that God hath chosen us in Christ before the world was And also the same in 1 Pet. 1 2. 2 Thess 2.13 Now though they acknowledg these words yet they endeavour to evade or turn the meaning another way by giving this answer from Rom. 4.17 where it is said that God declared unto Abraham that he hath made him the father of many Nations And in Rev. 13.8 CHRIST is said to be a Lamb slain from the beginning of the world Now from thence they reason thus The Apostle in Rom. 4.17 declaring the promise of God to Abraham saith that God calls those things that are not as though they were for saith he Abraham at that time was not the father of Isa●● in whom the Nations should be blest and yet God saith I have made thee the father of many Nations but saith he It was not so for the Apostle doth declare it saying he calls things that are not as though they were and so CHRIST is said to be a Lamb slain from the beginning of the world though he was not slain many thousand years after So saith he are we to understand election for the Scripture saith that he did chuse and elect us before the world was yet it was not so onely God calls things that were not as if they were therefore men saith he are not elected till they are called Now dear friend in the fear of the Lord as you tender the information of your own soul seriously consider what an evasion here is without any way in truth discovering what the Apostle intends in these expressions for without controversie when God said I have made thee a father of many Nations he spake truth without any such evasion as our carnal wits will prompt us to believe But that I may give an Answer to this Objection judging that if that cover were removed the truth would lie naked I desire you to minde in Answer to it these Particulars First in every action there is these three things to be considered 1. The life or virtue of the Act. 2. The fruit of the Act. 3. The form of the Act. The life of the Act is that which produceth the form the fruit of the Act lives in the life and is spoke out or brought forth by the form had not this bin so the sin of Adam could never have brought a curse upon his posterity for the life of his act was in unity in all that were comprehended in his person and the evil fruit of his act took place upon all in that sense when it took place upon him but the manifestation or execution of this took place successively as Creatures were brought forth and so it appears the form of the act was to be made manifest according unto the succession or appearance of forms in Creatures but the life of the act from whence the denomination of the act comes was really acted and executed in Adam so in the promises of God to Abraham you are to look upon the life

to us if you minde these Particulars First it is in the power of God to condemn all it is onely grace and love that he saves any according to these Scriptures Ephes 2.5 8. 2 Tim. 1.9 Tit. 3.5 2. God doth condemn no man if you look upon the meritorious cause not for the creatures not expressing of a power of believing in entertaining CHRIST but for the exercising of a power in rejecting CHRIST should God condemn creatures for their not exercising a power in receiving CHRIST then he did condemn them for what they have not 2 Thess 3.2 but he condemns them for their rejecting CHRIST which power they have it is true the Scripture saith He that believes not is damned for not believing is a declaration of an abid●●● in a state without CHRIST which is a state of condemnation It is also said that they are condemned because they believe not the Son of God but that cause is the declarative cause but the meritorious cause which is that God doth and will go upon to clear up his justice by is not the creatures refusing to exercise a power in receiving CHRIST for that they have not 2 Thess 3.2 but it is the exercising of a power of darkness in rejecting CHRIST and that men have and God is just in doing it and that that is the ground God will go upon is clear from these Scriptures John 3.19 20. Acts 7.51 Hebr. 12.25 Psalm 118.22 And so much in answer to this Objection Now there are other Objections which I judg may occasion mistakes but I shall speak to them in the next thing which is the third Particular that I promised in the beginning of my writing to wit to discover your mistakes which the cause of your stumbling in which discovery you will see some of the Objections that further may be made both exprest and answered Now as for the mistakes which is the cause of your stumbling they are many I shall mention so many as I have been acquainted with which are as followeth First the measuring or judging of mans ability by the extent of Gods authority which is manifest in his Word for in all the Scripture God manifests his authority over us and your mistakes are from his authority to conclude the creatures ability as in such Scriptures where God saith Do this and you shall live and Turn your selves or be this or be that which Scriptures are principally to discover Gods authority but not the creatures ability when man fell he lost his ability but this change wrought no alteration in God if no change in God then why should any change be in his language ●f God had changed that way of his language the creature would have been apt to conceive that in mans fall there had been a change of Gods power or authority as well as of the creatures ability which is not so A second mistake is your not distinguishing of causes putting no difference between the essential meritorious instrumental and final causes and so it occasions you to conclude God or some of his eminent acts done in himself to be subject to something that are but instrumental causes and so you do bring the efficient cause into subjection unto the instrumental cause and sometimes the effects of the efficient cause is declared in Scripture as a declarative cause as He that believes not is damned or as an instrumental cause He that believes shall be saved Now your not understanding causes is an occasion of your stumbling A third mistake is your not applying one Scripture with another in the understanding of the extent of some expressions in Scripture as the word all and the word world 1. Now the word all and the word world they are diversly taken sometimes the word all doth signifie some of all sorts as appears in these Scriptures Matth. 3.5 6. 4.23 Acts 10.12 2. The word all doth signifie the greater part as in Luke 16.26 Phil. 2.21 3. The word all is many times understood with limitation unto the present subject according to these Scriptures Heb. 12.8 So the word world sometimes is taken for a part according to these Scriptures John 14.17 ch 15.18 19. 1 John 2.2 chap. 4.14 Sometimes for the better part as Professors in the world John 12.19 Rom. 11.12 Sometimes for the wicked of the world according to these Scriptures as Acts 17.31 Rom. 12.2 1 Cor. 3.19 chap. 4.9 chap 6.2 Heb. 11.7.22 Peter 2.5 1 John 5.19 Sometimes for the whole world comprehending every thing in the world according to these Scriptures as Joh 34.18 Psalm 24.1 Psal 50.12 Acts 17.24 Now not distinguishing the extent of words applying one Scripture with another is very dangerous and a special cause of your stumbling A fourth cause relating to the language of God in Scripture is the misapplying of things to the subject that is exprest in a particular Scripture without understanding that Scripture by another as in Ezek. 33.11 where the Lord saith As I live I delight not in the death of a sinner From which Particular you conclude all sinners Now if you look in the Scriptures you will see your selves mistaken for there are three sorts of sinners One sort that sins out of confidence of Gods mercy and upon that account resolves to sin Deu. 29.19 We will add Drunkenness to Thirst for God will be mercifull See what the Lord saith in v. 20 The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man and all the curses that are written in this Book shall light upon him If so then this cannot be the sinner God intends in Ezek. 33.11 A second sort of sinners are those that sin and are not sensible of their sinning but rather thinks it goes well with them when they sin as the generality of the world doth this sort of sinner God speaks of in Jer. 44.17 18. and Isai 27. Now if you look in Jer. 44.26 God there swears he will shew them no mercy And in Isai 27.11 there God doth affirm he will shew no mercy to them Now both these sorts of sinners cannot be those God intends when he saith As I live I delight not in the death of a sinner A third sort of sinners are sinners in a Gospel sense and they are those that CHRIST 1●th I come not to save the righteous but sinners as in these Scriptures Matth. 9.13 Mark 2.17 Luke 5.32 1 Tim. 1.15 And those sinners appear to be such and are declared to be such when they have through the gracious appearance of God a discovery of themselves to themselves that in the sense of their sins groan and long after JESUS CHRIST These are those that CHRIST invites Matthew 11.28 Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest And so much of that Scripture and so in some other Scriptures you take one person for another mis-understanding the drift or scope of what is there intended

wherein there is a cessation from that fiery appearance of God and they are now under the tender of life and salvation by JESUS CHRIST according to these Scriptures Matth. 13.38 chap. 24.14 chap. 26.13 Mark 10. ch 14.9 chap. 16.15 Rom. 10.18 Col. 1.6 And this is to be done for the gathering out the chosen of God from the world till CHRIST hath brought his Enemies under his feet and then resign up the Kingdom to his Father and God become all in all 1 Cor. 15. 24 25. Besides the Scriptures which I have brought which are sufficient to prove what I affirmed yet for your further satisfaction minde my Reasons to prove that every one hath the benefit of Christ's Death in those two things before exprest The first Particular First Reason that which was included in the curse must needs be in the immediate execution prevented by CHRIST But the immediate execution of a temporal death must needs be included in the curse therefore The Major is not questionable the Minor Proposition is proved by this Reason Reason That which was a fruit of sin must be comprehended in the curse but a natural death is a fruit of sin therefore The Major Proposition none will deny the Minor is proved from these Scriptures 1 Cor. 15.21 56. 2 Kings 14.6 2 Chron. 25.4 Job 24.19 Rom. 6.23 ch 8.10 Besides these Scriptures I prove the Minor Proposition thus Reason If any thing that is a part of a temporal death be a fruit of sin then is the whole but afflictions and pains in men and women which is a part of a temporal death is a fruit of sin therefore None can deny the Major the Minor is proved from these Scriptures Gen. 3.16 1 Kings 8.33 35. Psal 38.3 Jer. 8.14 Isai 3.10 Jer. 50.7 Now as the freedom from any thing of this temporal misery is a fruit of CHRIST so what comes instead of that as the enjoyment of life with other mercies of this world with the Sun shining and the Rain falling upon the just and unjust must needs be a fruit of CHRIST which extends to all Matth. 5.45 Eccles 9.2 Psalm 145.9 36.6 Now my Reasons to prove this second thing to wit that all men are by CHRIST brought under the authority and power of CHRIST and discoveries of Life by him are these Reason First that which the Scriptures declares to be a truth we must believe but that all men in that state are under the power and authority of CHRIST and discoveries of Life by him the Scriptures declare therefore a Truth The Major Proposition none can deny the Minor is proved from these Scriptures Matth. 28.18 John 17.2 Mark 2.10 Luke 5.24 Ephes 1.19 Secondly if mens sins be aggravated by the abuse of the mercies they enjoy in being under the authority and discoveries of CHRIST then to be under the authority and discoveries of CHRIST must needs be a benefit but mens sins are aggravated by their abusing of mercies that they enjoy under the authority and discoveries of CHRIST therefore The Major is proved by this Reason Reason Sin is never aggravated but either by the extent of a Law or discoveries of Love and if sin be aggravated as before exprest then it must be either by the extent of the Law or discoveries of mercy and if either it discovers the truth of the Major to wit that they are under the authority and discoveries of Christ by whom now all Law and Love is handed out to poor creatures they being all under his power the Minor Proposition is proved from these Scriptures John 15.22 24. Matth. 11.21 22 23. I shall say no more as to the business concerning the extent of Christs Death to every man but shall now speak to the second part of my Affirmation to wit that CHRIST did not die for all alike now that I may not speak to maintain that corrupt way of mens exercising wit to conquer one another but shall desire in the fear of the Lord and the love of his truth to speak to inform you about the difference relating to you and others about the Death of Christ and to maintain my Affirmation to wit that CHRIST died not for all alike Now judging that these Proposals following will help forward that work I shall in this part of my Affirmation propound them and speak to them which are as followeth First that there is a people that God hath chosen and elected in his Son before the world was Secondly that he had a special design for the advancement of his grace and love to carry on by CHRIST for them and them onely Thirdly that this great design of CHRIST for them was and must be accomplished Fourthly that this great design of God in CHRIST for them and onely them was satisfaction for all sin and the purchase of salvation and everlasting life by him Fifthly that faith which is required of all them that enjoy him is not a cause but an effect of the fore-mentioned privilege Sixthly that the publishing or declaring the fore-mentioned privileges which is the Gospel is Gods way or means to effect or produce faith or other Gospel-obedience in the heart of his own Seventhly that that faith which is produced in obedience to truth by the discoveries of the Gospel of Christ is not the bringing up of some thing that is in men before conversion But it is a peculiar work of God which nature in the highest improvement is not capable of till conversion or the new work of grace be wrought which work is Gods not upon a common but a special and Gospel account wrought by him Eighthly that it is Gods minde and way and a necessity it must be so for the advancement of his Grace and the accomplishing begetting of faith in the hearts of his own that this Gospel is to be presented or discovered to all without any exemption as to the declaration of it self Now I shall speak to these eigth particulars orderly which when I have done then that part of my affirmation will appear to be true to wit that Christ dyed not for all alike First to the first which is that there is a people that God hath chosen and elected in his Son before the world was the proof of which I shall make good so clearly from Scripture and by the truth of such reasons by Scripture that I hope through the Grace of God it may be a means to inform you the first scripture is the 2. of Timo. 1.9 where the Apostle declares this truth who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and Grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began I need not paraphrase upon the expressions they are without all controversie that truth that God will owne which is that saving and election was determined by God for his people before they were called or did any works suitable to the worth of that mercy The