Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A41378
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A reasonable word to the doctors of reason being some remarks on a nameless author in his pamphlet entituled The divine unity asserted : and some observations upon a short account of the proceedings of R.S., Bishop of a dissenting congregation in London ... : also a reasonable reprimand to Mr. Considerator for his foolish boasting in his letter to H.H. ... / by N. Goldham.
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Goldham, Nath. (Nathaniel)
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1699
(1699)
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Wing G1019; ESTC R27671
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57,116
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114
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a vain Conversation and to have a Witness within us even the Spirit to bear Witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God and shew out of a good Conversation the Virtues of him that hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light Proving that the Grace of God that hath appeared to us hath Effectually Taught us to deny all ungodliness and Worldly Lust and to live Godlily and Righteously and soberly in this present evil World And that we do not only look to the Blood of Christ to deliver us from the guilt of sin but we do also Live by Faith on him and do find his Blood Effectual to Cleanse us from the Filth of Sin 1 Joh. 1. 7. so should we in our inquiry after this Mighty Saviour be Serious and Humble Resolving to guide our Reason by the Word of God Subjecting all the Powers and Faculties of our Souls thereunto Humbly imploring the Spirits aid and special assistance without which we cannot discern the things of God because they are Spiritually discerned And surely this mighty Salvation can be wrought out by no other then an Almighty Saviour whom we Read of in Isa 63. 1. One that speaks in Righteousness that hath dyed Garments and therefore Travielleth in the greatness of his strength and is mighty to save and therefore this mighty deliverer must be no other then God's fellow which no Created being can be spoken of Zacha. 13. 7. And this is evident from the Nature of the Work which hath been already proved he was to do which was to bring in an Everlasting Righteousness and to make an Attonement for sin Dan. 9. 24. Which no Created Being could do for no Man nor Angel nor any Created Being whatsoever can be Profitable to God as he that is wise can be Profitable to himself Job 22. 2. And not only are Christ's Disciples but all Created beings are unprofitable Servants Job 4. 18. Behold he puteth no trust in his servants and he chargeth his Angels with folly None can do any more then their duty therefore none can come in as Mediators between God and sinful Creatures none have any Excellency but what they have received from God Therefore it is but their duty to return all back again to him from whom they received their Beings and all the Excellency thereof and the more any Creature receives the more is he in Debt to the Giver So that it is utterly impossible for a Creature to interpose between the offended Justice of God and a guilty Sinner the Nature of a Created being will not cannot admit of such a thing Therefore seeing our Lord Jesus Christ did interpose between God and Sinners he must be such a days Man as could lay his hand both on God and Man and therefore must be that Child given to us whose name is called Wonderful Counsellor the mighty God the Everlasting Father spoken of in Isa 9. 6. And indeed were he not so we could have no Comfort here nor happiness hereafter by all that he did or Suffered For First What comfort could we have here or Expectation of happiness hereafter from what he did if he were but a Man or any Created being only If he were but a Creature though such an imaginary One as Mr. Considerator speaks of in Page 57. 1. and Colum 1. 2. Created before God Created the Heavens and the Earth yet he being but a Creature could merit nothing for us that Command to Love the Lord with all the heart and all the might and all the strength makes it the indispensable duty of every Created Being to do all that they are Capable of doing in Obedience to God And in so doing they do but their own duty which is but their Reasonable Service The Nature of a Created Being if we could suppose such a One as might be Ten Thousand times more Glorious and Excellent then the most Glorious Angel in Heaven yet being but a Creature it ows its being and all that it is Capable of doing to its Creator It can pay no more then its own Just Debt And the more Excellent it is the more it is obliged to God to pay the same So that it is utterly impossible to find Works of Superrogation in any Created being so then if Christ were not the true God he could Merit nothing for us by all that he did for If you tell me there have been some Men such as Abraham and David and the like for whose sake God saith he will do good to their Posterity I Answer such Expressions are always to be taken Figuratively as they were Types of Christ or as Declarations of Gods Faithfulness in keeping Covenant with Abraham and his Seed for ever But all those Men had a Mediator to take away there own Guilt for it is Written there is none good no not one Therefore they being saved by the Mercy of God conveyed to them through the Merrits of Christ it is impossible that they could do any thing for the sake of which God should shew Mercy to their Posterity For if an inocent Creature can do but its duty how much less can a sinful Man though renewed by Grace do any thing to Merit for another And here both Mr. Considerator and our Nameless Author may take an Answer to their Babels-Tower that they have thought to build so High as to reach Heaven by their following Christ Example concerning which I shall only ask these Gentlemen Two or Three Queries First Whether they think the Law of God was not a perfect Rule of Righteousness though our Lord had never come into the World Secondly If it was necessary that our Lord should come into the World to give us an Example only or chiefly what should be the Reason why he was not sent as soon or before Sin entered into the World Thirdly If we are saved by following Christ's Example what is become of Abraham David and all the Old Testament Saints that lived and dyed before he gave this Example Fourthly I would ask Mr. Considerator himself and my Nameless Author whether they do not think in their Consciences if God should enter into Judgment with them and deal with them according to their following or not following Christ's Example they must not unavoidably perish without any hope of Mercy Perhaps these Gentlemens Ignorance both of God the Law and of Sin which is a transgression of the same may furnish them with a ready Answer to the last Query the same that one of their Tribe gave me above twenty years agoe to a Question of the like Nature namely that he did not know whether a vain Thought were a Sin or no But whatever their Answer may be to the aforesaid Queries I am taught by the Word of God and sound Reason drawn from the same to believe that it is these Gentlemens Ignorance of God of his Law and of themselves that first laid the Foundation of this Antichristian Fabrick in their Hearts and is
nor is it to be thought strange if the Ministry it self be slighted in the General when there are so many Novices that know not how to divide the Word of Truth aright and therefore they spake not as the Ministers of Christ as being called and sent of God to Preach the Everlasting Gospel but as the Scribes and low Spirited time-servers that can Tell a Tale out of Ovid and Homer but are far enough from being like Ezra who read in the Book of the Law and gave the Sense and the Meaning the Gospel and Epistles to the Primitive Christians being seldom mentioned or if they be either not Explained or miserably perverted to set up some other Christ or some other Saviour besides our Lord Jesus Christ For alass poor Creatures they know not what the terrors of the Lord nor the Consolations of the Holy Ghost are themselves And how then can they perswade Men to be Christians they are strangers to the New Birth themselves and how can they give any account of those things they have not seen nor felt These things are to be Lamented and shall be reformed when God causeth Glory to dwell in our Church and Land It is in vain for Men In vain did I say it is a sin and a shame for Men to go before God in chusing of Ministers one would think the Gospel should Teach us so much good Manners as to let God choose first And when he hath given some visible Demonstrations who he hath Chosen then to set such apart by Fasting and Prayer and laying on the Hands of the Presbytery So shall they revive the Glory that is due to the Gospel Ministry by having none but Work men among them that are able to divide the Word of Truth aright and so need not to be ashamed either of the Gospel or a shame to it being sound in the Faith and having the Spirit may Convince gain-sayers For want of a due regard hereunto the Church hath too many Novices and too many put too much Contempt on the whole Ministry for the sake of some Pretenders thereunto But that which is worse then all this is the Enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Gospel of his Grace take occasion hereby to Assault the very Foundation of the Christian Religion and finding many in the Ministry some of the lowest of the People before spoken of who are either prepared to receive their Principles or not Fortified against them by the Spirit of the Lord. They grow insolent and because a Novice or an Arminian cannot Confute them for want of a Spirit of Judgment and of a sound Mind they are ready to say neither can a Minister of the Gospel do it And indeed it is a Question which perhaps a Doctor of Reason cannot readily determine whether it be harder for an Arminian to Confute a Socinian or for a Socinian to Confute an Atheist for there is a connexion and a dependancy in those damnable Heresies for the denying the full satisfaction that Christ made to Divine Justice for our sin and our being Justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christs Blood makes way to deny the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ and the denying the Divine Nature of our Lord Jesus Christ makes way for denying the being of God Arminianism naturally runing into Socinianism and Socinianism as naturally into Athesim as I trust Rational Reader thou wilt see by the insuing Discourse that the most Goliah like Arguments that our Pretenders to Reason have against our Lord Jesus Christ Lye with equal force against the very being of God These Gentlemen having Formed an Idea of Religion and of God himself according to that little Measure of Reason God hath bestowed upon them and that Reason wofully Corrupted they all three set this down for a Rule and tell us in so many Words that what is contrary to their Reason cannot be True and being very Conceited as thou knowest Rational Reader most of our Weak and and Half Witted People are they tell us what ever God tell us in his Word to the contrary no matter for that That one infinite Saviour is not sufficient to grapple with an in numerable Company of sins and Guilts each of which they will have to be infinite But thy Reason will tell thee their Argument will assoon destroy the being of God as over throw the Satisfaction of Christ They also tell us the Father the Word and Holy Ghost cannot be one that sin cannot be Forgiven if the guilty be not Cleared and yet God himself saith he will not Clear the guilty and yet he will Forgive sin And to carry on their damnable Heresies with a high Hand they set themselves up for Mastersof Reason Freemen of the Common-wealth of Wit and Learning But thou wilt see Reader by the ensuing Discourse that they are quite otherwise and that they prove themselves to be no other then a shame to Learning a dishonour to the Schools a reproach to sound Reason a scandal to the Gospel Enemies to the Crown and Dignity of our Lord Jesus Christ and Factors to Atheism Now Reader I shall not detain thee any longer at the Door then to tell thee how I being no Prophet nor Prophets Son came to be ingaged in a Work of this Nature And indeed it was an unexpected Providence that led me to it I being at a Friends House some Months since I Accidently saw the two Books mentioned in the Title Page and by that transient view that I had of them while I was there I perceived they struck at the Foundation of the Christian Religion I therefore desired to Borrow them that I might inquire by the Scriptures of Truth whether those things were so or no my request was readily granted and accordingly at spare Times and redeemed Hours for I resolved not to Lose one Hours Time from my Imployment for it but I say at Redeemed Hours I did look over those Books comparing the things that were therein asserted with the Scriptures of Truth and sound Reason drawn from the same And I do Freely acknowledge that at first I was somewhat Staggered in my Faith and indeed Had I not been almost turned aside from the simplicity of the Gospel thou hadst never seen any thing of this Nature coming from me nor should I have commited my Tuoughts about those things to Paper and Ink but finding the things that were so confidently denyed and Contended against was not about Meats or Drinks or a Holy-day or a White or a Black Garment and such like Trifles as these which makes them that observe them never the better nor they that observe them not never the worse but the matters contended about being no less then denying or believing in the true God and our Saviour Jesus Christ I resolved by the Grace of God to find out the Truth as it is in Jesus and therefore I gave the more earnest heed both to these Books and the