Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A02914
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A short and plaine proofe by the word, and workes off God, that Gods decree is not the cause off anye mans sinne or condemnation And that all men are redeamed by Christ. As also. That no infants are condemned.
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Helwys, Thomas, 1550?-1616?
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1611
(1611)
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STC 13055; ESTC S118308
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16,962
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30
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33.11 The Counsels of the Lord shal stand for ever and the thoughts off his hart throughout all ages The Lord cannot bee prevented by men or Angels but what in his Eternal decree before al beginings hee hath decreed it must off necessitie come to passe Now therefore it could not bee the decree off God that man should sinne seing that God gave him Fre-wil power not to have sinned iff man had not sinned as it was in his owne free choyce then Gods decree had bene prevented which caÌnot bee Therefore off necessitie it must neede bee yeilded that God did not decree that man should sinne except anie wil deny that maÌ had not free wil that were to speake directly plainely against the Holines off God which though men doe in maintayning this opinion that God hath appointed off his owne wil some to condemnation yet they do it vnder a cullor Is it not then plaine that every one that hath an eye may see That to give Adam a Free wil not to sinne an Eternal decree off God that man should sinne can never stand together in the Almightie that is one and the same with whome there is no variablenes neither shadowe of turning jam 2.17 Can men make Freedome bondage in one the same action all in one man al at one time how shall men bee able with any good conscience to make thinges so contrary hang together Moreover wee see the Lord by his commaundement commaunded Adam that he should not sinne will anie notwithstanding this say that it was God Eternall purpose will that Adam should sinne doth God commaund anie thinge against his Eternal wil. In the feare off God let men take heed how they go about by subtil arguments to prove God contrary to himselff which they Plainely do when they say it was the eternal wil off God that man should sinne yet God commaunds he should not sinne Thus doth it appeare by the excellent perfect holy worke off God in mans Creation that God hath freed himselff From decreing that Adam should sinne as also by his holy word in that he coÌmaunds him not to sinne layes death before his eyes for a judgmeÌt iff he sinned What could the Lord do more for Adam then he hath done He made him a perfect maÌ in righteousnes true holines he blessed him gave him his commaundemeÌt with power abilitie in himself to kepe it And wil meÌ for all this say that God decreed he should sinne bee condemned or that God was any actor author or moveing cause in or to his sinne And iff men will deny say they do not hold that God hath decreed or was the author actor or moveing cause in Adams sinne then let them also deny that their opinion that God hath decreed anie man especially to condemnation For iff God decreed not man to sinne then God decreed not man to condemnation in that sinne is the cause off condemnation For iff sinne had not bene there had bene no condemnation This then is the decree off God concerning condemnation that God decreed that iff man sinned he should dye the death but God in no wise decreed that man should sinne as wee have shewed both by the word off God by the works off God which we wish meÌ to hold them vnto iff they wil stil contradict not runne after vaine inventions Wee wil now set downe the fairest deceaving shewe that al the contrary mynded have for their opinioÌ that God hath decreed appointed some to condemnatioÌ they must be condemned making Gods decree the cause off their condemnation But let it alwaies be remeÌbred that it is proved by the word off God that sinne is the cause off condemnation not Gods decree This is theÌ the whole substaÌce off that they say That God hath decreed to forsake leave those that he hath appointed to condemnation to themselves with holdeth his grace from them leaving them to sinne so to perish for their sinne we wil not put theÌ to prove this because we knowe they caÌnot but we wil shewe by the mercy off God that it is an old conceived ymagination hath no ground off truth In this their fained ground wee must vnderstand theÌ that they hold that God leaues forsakes man first And this wee haue vtterly disproved already in that we have shewed proved that God did not leave Adam first who was the first that fell vnder condemnation By whose Offence the fault came on all men to condemnation This will seeme straing but let God have the glorie that God hath decreed no mans condemnation no otherwise then hee decreed Adams For both Gods mercie his justice in all things perticulerly concerning salvation condemnation is one the same to all man-kind as it was to Adam after his fall For Gods decree was before the World was To make this plaine so by the grace off God to make an end off all Lett vs consider with holie vpright harts with willingnes to bee enformed From the Word off God by the meanest earthen vessell that God shall strr vp For the witnessing off anie parte off his truth Lett vs I say consider the estate off Adam affter his Fall First hee was Fallen by him all man-kind Roman 5.12 18. Vnder the condemnation which God had pronounced against him Genes 2.17 And can anie man device or ymagine that anie off his posterity who were yet all in his loynes and had not yet sinned affter the same manner off transgression were fallen Further vnder the Condemnation off God then hee It could not bee that anie should Although it may be that some may ymagine that they did fal further But it could not bee that anie should fal further vnder the decree off condemnation then he in that he fel vnder the depest judgment off Gods decree off condemnacion which God had or hath declared by his word For wee knowe no deeper decree off judgment then the decree off condemnation vnder this was Adam fallen And this went over him over al by his transgression When Adam was thus falleÌ had off his owne Freewil first forsaken God did God yet leave him No such was the mercie off God everlasting glorie praise bee given to his name as he would not yet leave Adam but gives him Freely off his owne grace deliverance by the promissed seed Gen. 3.15 And as the Apostle hath shewed Rom. 5.12 21. That by Adams sinne the fault came on al to condemnation so doth he in the same Chapter verses equally shewe with equal like words reasons yea with the selff same words reasons that as by the offence off one that was Adam the Fault came on al to condemnation Even so by the justifying off one that is Christ Iesus the benifit abounded towards al men to the justification off life That as sinne reigned vnto death
salvation for him by Christ that Christ hath shedd his blood for him that beleeving in him he may bee saved and that God would not the death off him but that he should repent live Thus is al dispaire taken away For the grace off God that bringeth salvation vnto al men hath appeared Tit. 2.11 And al careles presumption cut off For hee that wil not beleeve shal be damned Mark 16 16. Revel 2.25 That which ye have already hold fast til I come for he that overcometh and keepeth my works to the end to him wil I give power over nations and Heb. 3.14 We are made pertakers of Christ if we keepe sure vnto the end that begining wherewith we are vpholden What gratious hart can ever disaprove off this vnderstaÌding That Christ hath redeamed al. It is most straing that men fearing God shoule be so full off indignation against it why should men thinke much that Christ should be a Saviour for al men aswel as for them especially it being agreable to the whole word off God being a doctrine that doth so magnifie sett furth the mercie off God to al man kind in giveing a Saviour that al beleeving in him might be saved as also advaÌcing the justice off God in condemning vnbeleevers seing he hath left them without excuse in that he hath given them a Saviour in whome because they beleeve not they are justly condemned Much more might be said for the advancement of the great mysterie off Godlines in this point off Christs general redeaming off al men but we especially desire that the true ground of the cause may prevaile with you we doubt not the coÌfort wil folow aboundaÌtly Iff we have in any thinge led you from the first ground wee have vttetly gone besids our purpose for the some off al we purposed to speake is this That Adam haveing free-will which no man that knowes God to be Holy may deny then God could not decree any man perticulerly to be saved nor anie man perticulerly to be condemned for life death salvation condemnation were in the Freechoyce off Adam depended not vpon Gods decree but vpon Adams owne wil in that God gave Adam power in over himselff to chuse life or death not decreing him either to life or death For iff God had decreed him either to life or death then had his Freewil bene taken away For Gods decree must needs come to passe therefore this most easie plaine to bee vnderstood that Adam haveing Free-wil power not to have eaten off the Forbidden Fruyt so to have lived for ever God did not decree he should dye And Adam haveing Free-will power in over himselff to eate off the Forbidden Fruit dye God did not decre that Adam should lyve This then is the decree off God as he hath declared in his word to AdaÌ Obey and live Disobey and dye This is the Law off workes which Adam had Freewil power in him selff From God perfectly to kepe God not decreeing as wee have shewed that hee should obey or disobey live or dye And let it bee wel observed that all the decrees off God concerning life or death to man man-kind were made with Adam therefore we produce him for al. And we have shewed that as Christ the promissed seed was given sent to Adam to be his Saviour for the same end he was giveÌ seÌt to al the world as also vnder the same coÌditioÌ which was that he should beleeve in him for iff Adam had not beleeved he must have bene condemned iff all the world had not beleeved al the world must have bene condemned as AdaÌ beleeving in the promissed seed was though the Grace mercie off God in Christ to bee saved even so all the world beleeving in the promissed seed was through the grace mercie off God in Christ to be saved And whereas the Holy Ghost Roman 5.14.15 Speaking off Infants saith That death reigned also over them that sinned not after the like manner of thee transgression of Adam the Grace off God and gift by grace which is by one man Christ Iesus hath abounded much more to theÌ Hereby also is further confirmed that al infaÌts are freed by the vniversall redemption off Christ From that condemnation which you by your opinion off perticuler redemption would cast vpon the most off them as is also before shewed What els hath bene spoken hath the Word of God for warrant thereoff wee earnestly beseech all that feare God love his truth with the Holiest thoughts of their harts to consider off and the Lord give you all vnderstanding harts And our harts desire and praier to God for you all is that you might bee saved come to the acknowledging off the Truth It is a custome amongst men to conclude that free wil must needs followe this vnderstanding of vniversal redemption and if there meaning were freewill in Christ aÌd that we have free power aÌd ability through Christ to worke out our salvation and that through Christ we are made able to every good worke such a freewil we hold But that man hath any freewil or power in himself to worke his owne salvation or to chuse life we vtterly deny haveing learned of Thappostli Ephes 2.8.9 That by grace meÌ are saved through Faith that not off themselves but off the gift off God not off workes least any man should boast himselff But this grace of God which is his mercie by Christ hath God given to al but all receive it not as appeareth joh 1.10.11 He was in the World the World knewe him not He came to his owne his owne receaved him not And Act. 13.46 Paule and Barnabas pake boldly and said it was necessary that the word of God should first have bene spokeÌ vnto you but seeing you put it from you aÌd judg your selves vnworthy of everlasting life loe we turne to the Gentiles And Stephen saith Act. 7.51 Yee stifenetked and of vncircumcised harts and earesryee have always resissed the holy Ghost Thus Christ offering himself man hath power and doth reject Christ Put the Word off God from him Resist the Holy Ghost and freely off his owne will worke his owne condeÌnation But he hath no power at all to worke his owne salvation And so much onely to cleare our selves from that grosse and fearefull error of freewil from the which the Lord in great mercie hath freed vs. The End