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A81815
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The fulness and freeness of Gods grace in Jesus Christ, declared in two general points: first, that personal election is no ground of the saints perseverance in the grace of God by Jesus Christ. Secondly, in what sense the scriptures speake the saints perseverance in that grace. The third part. / By Francis Duke.; Fulnesse and freenesse of Gods grace in Jesus Christ. Part 3
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Duke, Francis.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing D2503; Thomason E892_9; ESTC R205568
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71,363
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121
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but to some To the first Deut. 6.4 This power was not given to him by his Father as he is the one Jehovah for so it was his owne and therefore could not be given him What is meant by that seventh means is at large declared in my second Treatise Matt. 28.18 Nor may it be said to be given him as he is the second Elohim in the one Jehovah simply considered for so he is not Christ But most properly it was given him of his Father the first Elohim in the one Jehovah as he was personally God-man the seed of the Woman the second Adam and seventh means to carry on his Fathers final end for which very end his Father gave him all power both in heaven and in earth Secondly the Extent of that power is over all flesh which reacheth all humane Nature none excepted for by this power all mankind shall be either saved or damned according to the tenor of the Gospel as is at large proved in my second Treatise Chap. 12. Not by any power from the Covenant of the first Adam nor by that supposed Law of Works delivered by God to Moses But all flesh ever since the Fall stands under the universal grace of God in Jesus Christ before faith or else in the special grace of God through Jesus Christ after faith as is proved at large in my two former Treatises Thirdly the End wherfore this power was given him is That he should be the only dispenser of his Fathers gift of Eternal life wherefore he onely reacheth this gift of Eternal life in the sacred Oracles of the Old and New Testament by the hand of his Spirit in the Ministery by the Apostles and others for so onely this Eternal life comes expresly to be known to man that by beleef he may receive the gift thereof as in his very next words to his Father is implyed Vers 3. This is life Eternal that they may know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent For man is onely capable of his deepest misery or his highest felicity by his knowable powers that is as he is a reasonable creature Fourthly the restraint or limitation to which this eternall life is bound that is not unto all but unto some to as many as thou hast given him and no more for that is implyed Now there are severall sorts of men which the Father hath given to Christ and in several respects in order to his final end but they may be all reduced to three heads First his Father gave him twelve men of all flesh and no more primarily to be his dispensers under himselfe of this gift of eternal life Secondly the Father gave him all right beleevers to be the mystical members of his body and no more of all flesh except all dying in infancy or the like for all such are his mystical members as is proved in my first Treatise Pag. 36 37. Thirdly some part of all flesh as have Apostatized so farr from this posture as to become dead in sinnes and trespasses are given to Christ that he may give them eternal life and some of them are not nor ever shall and those that are given him are given him some at one time and some at another And first concerning the twelve they were not created by him as he was Christ and therefore were given him of his Father as is proved by his own words Vers 8. I have given them the words which thou gavest me Vers 11. Holy Father keep through thine own name those that thou hast given me Vers 12. While I was with them in the World I kept them in thy name those that thou gavest me Vers 20. Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall beleeve in me through their word Therefore it is clear That these twelve Apostles were given him of his Father of all flesh and no more To be primarily under him the dispensers of his word to destroy the works of the Devil out of the minds of men But I will propound foure Queries for the further clearing of this 17th Chapter of John in which will fall the other two heads formerly mentioned First Quere How can those men which rightly beleeve be one even as Christ and his Father is one I in them they in me That they may be made perfect in one vers 23. Answ That which made God and all humane nature two I mean not in Essence for so they were never one nor could not never shall be But that which made God and man two was mans error or sinn And so in the fall the Apostate Angels and man were totally one in wills and operations And on the contrary God and man were perfect in one before the fall because then in relation to Gods will mans will was created perfect because he was created perfect in holiness and righteousness and during that estate were perfect in one But seeing they were disjoyned and made two by the fall now Christ by his word and spirit doth make the will of God and man perfect in one in the perfection of parts in this life but the perfection of degrees is reserved for the life to come and then the Fathers will Christs will and the will of the Saints shall be perfect in one that is the Fathers final end to his own glory This was Christs glory he had with the Father before the World was Vers 5. That God before the World was did elect and ordain as it were that drop of humane Seed to be in time assumed and so to be personally God-man that he might make God and man perfect in one 1 Pet. 1.20 Gen. 3.15 or else That the Apostate Angels and all ungodly men should be made one in misery to all eternity And thus Gods final end herein is fully perfected upon all flesh as to that Text It shall bruise thy head The second Quere is verse 16. What meaneth our Lord by these words They are not of the World even as I am not of the World Answ As he was not of the World of men which set down their content and happiness in this Worlds good but he used it as if he used it not So the Apostles and all right Belleevers were of the same mind in some degree and therefore he said They are not of the World as I am not of the World Secondly The Apostles and right Beleevers are not of the World as Christ was not of the World because they do receive and obey the world of Christ which the World does not Christ perfectly they imperfectly but truly Vers 14. I gave them thy word and the World hated them because they are not of the World as I am not of the World And concerning the Apostles he saith Vers 8. I gave them thy words which thou gavest me and they have received them and have known assuredly that I came out from thee and they have beleeved that thou didst send me
his flesh and bones with that reverence from God as he did the losse of his Children and his whole Estate as he did in the first Commission Another particular was this he had too high an esteem of his own uprightness wrought by the spirit of Christ in him who also assisted him to perfect patience under the first Commission consequently he did too much undervalue the glorious imputed righteousness of Christ in which was comprehended the pardon of his sin and eternal life included in the sacrifices which he daily offered therefore O ye Saints of God that are eminent in the fruits of righteousness beware you stumble not at this Rock but endevour with Paul to be found in Christs righteousness more and more in a sole dependencie onely on it for pardon of sin and eternal life And though ye endevour to grow in the fruits of inherent righteousness and at the best as compared to his esteem yours but as filthy rags or as drosse and dung as did Paul Formerly you affirm Object That man in order to become a Saint did in a patient seeking c. But now you affirm none have true patience but Saints According to the being or nature of a thing such is its workings Answ therefore that former patient seeking was but a shadow of this true patience or as to its perfect work for this patience in the Saints ariseth from the root of their inherent righteousness or sanctification which the former hath not but onely a previous disposedness towards it from a remote principle from whence they do by nature the things contained in the Law of Christ therefore the objection is without ground CHAP. XII In which is more fully opened the works of the Saints as under a dolorous and troubled minde IF it be objected The Apostle saith Object He that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him therefore the Saints are accepted of God for their own works of righteousness as to salvation Although this point be formerly answered Answ and also that I grant that their own works of righteousness is the ground of their acceptance yet I deny it in the sense objected for although Christs righteousness imputed is the Saints own righteousness and that upon a double ground the one is That righteousness is Gods free gift to all mankind as formerly is proved and so theirs with others and so accepted as others the other ground is this That work of Christs righteousness is by beleeving received by them Rom. 5.17 and in it abundance of grace and so a particular ground of their acceptance with God and no men else Again The Saints inherent work of righteousness in one particular branch doth act and work in the receiving of Christs righteousness namely Faith and so Christs righteousness is brought to be their own as the eye by its operation brings that light to be its own which was not its own Hence saith our Lord this is the work of God that ye beleeve so that the one righteousness as in it self is an external object of blessedness the other righteousness in this particular branch is the blessed act of reception and from this union with the subject and object according to the Text He that worketh righteousness is accepted of him and that in two respects First That mans person is accepted of God a member of Christs mystical body whereof he is the head Secondly That mans person is accepted the Son of God by adoption as saith the Text To as many as received him he gave this prerogative to be called the Sons of God even to as many as beleeved in his name You affirm formerly Object the reward from God proper to the works of the Saints is onely in this life by the increase of their graces consequently a more neerer and clearer union and Communion with God then what say you to Heman that holy man whose dayes of life from his youth were in dolor terror and horror Saith he to God Thy terrors have cut me off c. where was the increase of his graces Psal 88.16 either of Faith or love or the quiet fruits of righteousness the reward of his righteous works Questionless Answ He was a most holy man as appeares by his heavenly breathings from his woful minde thoroughout the Psalm therefore it is a hard case to give a right judgement in this particular whether his afflictions were for tryal or chastizement or for neither for this case is very rare and not ordinary for the sacred Scriptures as I remember doth not speak of one man the like as to the whole life of any therefore this is besides our point in hand as to Gods ordinary course of the Saints reward as is proved yet nevertheless in Scriptures we finde one extraordinary proceeding of God in the affliction of a particular man for a time as John 9. God denyed from the womb one man the light of this World being born blind whereupon the Disciples put the question to our Lord Who did sin this man or his Parents that he was born blind Jesus answered Neither hath this man sinned nor his Parents that is not to so transcendent a heighth as to draw on this judgement for that 's implyed but he was so born with respect to Gods glory that Christ might prove himself to be he that was sent of God to give sight and light to man sitting in the shade of death and darkness and accordingly Christ and he met together and the man born blind received sight as never man the like So doubtless as this man so Heman was in some eminent respect to the glory of God for although God thus deeply afflicted him in sorrow and troubles of minde yet it is apparent God secretly preserved him and his minde to himself Vers 1. He saith Oh Jehovah Elohim of my salvation I have cryed day and night c. For God sometimes brings men to a low ebbe of distraction some in respect of Estate some in body and some in minde Psal 9.3 Ps 116 3. but we read not at so great a length as this man as to a troubled minde And then God saith to such men Return again ye Sons of men The Psalmist saith The sorrows of death compassed me the pangs of Hell got-hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow whereupon Vers 4. He prayed to God to deliver his soul and Vers 8. His soul was delivered So without doubt God granted Hemans unfeigned prayers either delivering his soul out of those great troubles of minde in the latter end of his dayes or else over and above what he could think or speak secretly preserved him to his Heavenly Kingdom whereof his deep afflictions were but light in comparison of that glory now revealed Now the main ground why God doth so deeply sink some holy men in sorrows terrors and troubles of conscience as Heman is for the redundancy of his glory that maugre Satan I mean the Apostate Angels by all