Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
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A66347
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Gospel-truth stated and vindicated wherein some of Dr. Crisp's opinions are considered, and the opposite truths are plainly stated and confirmed / by Daniel Williams.
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Williams, Daniel, 1643?-1716.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing W2649; ESTC R24559
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134,616
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268
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that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned And as this Grace under this Sanction of Life and Death was to be urged so it 's added Mat. 28. 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you Among which no doubt is included what he told the Apostles when first commissioned Mat. 10. 14 15. Whosoever shall not receive you and hear your Words when you depart out of that House or City shake off the Dust off your Feet Verily It shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in that Day of Judgment than for that City Ver. 32 33. Whosoever shall Confess me before Men him will I confess before my Father which is in Heaven But whosoever shall deny me before Men him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven Ver. 37. He that hath loved Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me 38. He that taketh not his Cross and followeth me is not worthy of me 41. He That receiveth a righteous Man in the Name of a righteous Man shall receive a righteous Man's Reward These are part of Christ's Speech to his Apostles when he first sent them to preach and so from Heaven he taught Paul to preach Act. 26. 18. See how Paul instructs Timothy to preach 1. He enumerates very many Duties which he was to urge and exhort 2. He frequently requires him to back these Exhortations with Promises in case of Obedience and Threatnings in case of Disobedience I shall instance a few 1 Tim. 4. 8 9. Godliness is profitable unto all things having the Promises of this Life and that which is to come This is a faithful Saying and worthy of all Acceptation What are the Promises of the Life to come to Godliness Yea though it 's now with some no true Saying Ver. 16. Take heed to thy self and thy Doctrine for in doing this thou shalt both save thy self and them that hears thee Here 's pressing to doing with a Promise of Life 1 Tim. 6. 6 9. Godliness with Content is great Gain But they that will be Rich fall into Temptation and a Snare and into many foolish and hurtful Lusts which drown Men in Destruction and Perdition Ver. 17. 18. Charge c. that they do Good willing to Communicate laying up in store for themselves a good Foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal Life 2 Tim. 2. 11 12. It is a faithful Saying for if we be dead with him we shall also live with him if we suffer we shall also regin with him if we deny him he will also deny us Can any Man think we ought not to plead with Men and Preach as Christ and his Spirit charge us Or would he appoint us to preach what is not his own Will or Gospel 2. In this manner did Christ and his Apostles preach the Gospel Read Christ's Sermon on the Mount Mat. 5. Are not Graces urged by promised Blessings and denounced Threatnings the first none can doubt the last is as evident Ver. 13. Good for nothing but to be cast out 19. Least in the Kingdom of Heaven Ver. 20. Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Ver. 22. In danger of Hell-Fire 26. Thou shalt not come out thence 30. If thy Right Eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee for it 's profitable for thee that one of thy Members should perish and not that thy whole Body should be cast into Hell See the Parable of the Seed of the Talents Virgins Marriage Supper Was it not he that declared He that believeth not the Wrath of God abideth on him If you believe not you shall dye in your Sins If you repent not you shall all likewise perish Vain World that think they can out-preach Christ or that theirs is Gospel which obstructs the very things that his Ministry was designed to He that knew the Scheme of Truths used his Satisfaction as the great Motive to Obedience but not as what made it needless in its own place The Apostles obeyed and imitated Christ. The first Sermon of Peter includes this Act. 2. 38. 40. Repent and be baptized every one of you for the Remission of Sins c. for the Promise is to you and to your Children and as many as the Lord shall call And with many other Words did he testifie and exhort saying Save your selves from this untoward Generation Read his Epistles and see how he moves by Threatnings and Promises and preacheth Duties The Apostle Paul giveth the Sum of his Ministry to the Ephesians c. Act. 20. 21. Testifying both to the Jews and Greeks repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus ver 26 27. I am pure from the blood of all men for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God It 's he that saith If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be an Anathema Maranatha What a man soweth that shall he reap He will come in flaming fire to take vengeance on all that know not God and obey not the Gospel What he saith of FreeGrace and Christ's Righteousness in Opposition to Man's Merits doth not clash with what he saith of the Necessity of Graces and Duties as the required Terms of such Blessings as God promiseth to them The Apostle James is as express as can be read his Epistle and Doubt and it seems to be written against some Libertines who perverted the Doctrine of Grace delivered by Paul And Peter expresly speaks of these Mens wresting Pauls Epistles in this very Point as I could fully prove 2 Pet. 3. 16. Read the Epistle of Jude and he agrees with the rest in arguing for Holiness from Threats and Promises 3. When the Gospel is said to be preached you 'll find that then Graces and Duties were preached under a Gospel Sanction Act. 15. 7. The Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the Gospel What this was see Act. 10. from ver 34. to 44. Of a truth I perceive that God is no Respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him The Word which God sent unto the Children of Israel Preaching Peace by Jesus Christ He is Lord of all c. he commanded us to preach unto the People and to testifie That it is he which was ordained of God to be Judge of Quick and Dead To him gave all the Prophets witness That through his Name whoever believeth in him shall have remission of sins Rev. 14. 6 7. I saw another Angel in the midst of Heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them c. saying with a loud Voice Fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his indignation is come and worship him that made Heaven and Earth So Act. 147 15 17. There
as increase of Peace returns of Prayer Joy c. Truth Though neither Holiness sincere Obedience or good Works do make any Atonement for Sin or are in the least the meritorious Righteousness whereby Salvation is caused or for which this or any Blessing becomes due to us as of Debt yet as the Spirit of Christ freely worketh all Holiness in the Soul and enableth us to sincere Obedience and good Works so the Lord Jesus hath of Grace and for his own Merits promised to bring to Heaven such as are partakers of true Holiness perform this sincere Obedience and do these good Works perseveringly and appoints these as the Way and Means of a Believer's obtaining Salvation and several other Blessings requiring these as indispensible Duties and Qualifications of all such whom he will so save and bless and excluding all that want or neglect them or live under the Power of what 's contrary thereto viz. Prophaneness Rebellion and utter Unfruitfulness Errour Men have nothing to do in order to Salvation nor is Sanctification a jot the way of any Person to Heaven nor can the Graces or Duties of Believers no nor Faith it self do them the least Good or prevent the least Evil nor are they of any Use to their Peace or Comfort yea though Christ be explicitely owned and they be done in the Strength of the Spirit of God And a Believer ought not to think he is more pleasing to God by any Grace he acteth or Good he doth nor may Men expect any Good to a Nation by the Humiliation earnest Prayer or Reformation of a People Proved that this is Dr. Crisp 's Opinion P. 41 42. The Doctor tells us Seeing all things are setled by Christ for us of free Gift all we do is for Christ himself I say that we do we do for Christ not for our selves If we do it for our selves we do but labour in vain if a Man will run a hundred Miles for Money if that Money be proffered to him before he step out of his House at his Door his Journey is in vain seeing he might have had it before he stept out of Door c. Christ comes and brings Justification loving Kindness and Salvation he lays them down presents them delivers them to the Heart when we are ungodly he enters into Covenant that we should become his What needs then all this Travel for Life and Salvation seeing it is here already But seeing we get nothing by it c. Obj. But sure the Doctor intends only That nothing we do can merit but not that they are not required as the requisite Means and VVay to obtain these Blessings A. The Doctor satisfies us he intends the last as well as the first P. 45. 46. I will note one thing before I go on to make clear this thing It is a received Conceit among many Persons that our Obedience is the Way to Heaven and though it be not say they the Cause of our Reign yet it is the Way to the Kingdom c. This he disapproves saying I must tell you all this Sanctification of Life is not a jot the Way of that justified Person unto Heaven c. The Truth is since Redemption is managed by Christ the Lord hath pointed out other Ends and Purposes for our Obedience than Salvation Salvation is not the end of any good Work we do P. 151 152. he puts this Objection We had as good sit still He that works all day and gets nothing more than he had in the Morning he had as good sit still and do nothing He answers Let me tell you the Prevention of Evil if there be reality of Evil in it and the obtaining of Good if there be reality of Good Peace of Conscience Joy in the Holy Ghost Pardon of Sin the Infallibility of Miscarriage the Light of God's Countenance All these I say which you aim at are abundantly provided for you and established firmly on you by the mere Grace of God in Christ before you do perform any thing whatsoever To what purpose do Men propose Ends to themselves which Ends are accomplished before their Proposition And to what purpose then do we propose to our selves the gaining of that to our selves in our Labour and Industry that is already become ours before we do a jot c. Must they now labour to gain these things as if it were referred to their well or evil Walking that as they shall walk so they shall speed c. The Lord doth nothing in his People upon Conditions in his People c. The Lord intends not that by our Obedience we shall gain something which in case of our Failing we shall miscarry of c. That they are to do they are not to do with any Eye to their own Advantage that being already perfectly compleated to their Hands before they do any thing but simply with an Eye to glorifie God and to serve their Generation and therein to serve the Lord c. When you do yield Obedience to God you go to Prayer and fall to Fasting to Weeping and Mourning and Self-denial Keeping the Sabbath Dealing righteously c. What is it you aim at in all this that God may do you good that God may be gracious that God may speak Peace to your Spirits then it follows that Life is that in your Eye that puts you on that which you do c. This is the Righteousness of the Law P. 13. Let Subduing of Sin alone for Peace P. 73. While you labour to get by Duties you provoke God as much as in you lies Obj. But though Holiness or Obedience do not profit us as to saving Good may they not bring us some Good or other Ans. The Doctor tells us No P. 150. I must tell you there is not any Duty you perform when you have attained the highest Pitch that hath any Prevalency and Availableness to produce to bring forth any though the least Good to your selves I say it again there is nothing you can do from whence you ought to expect any Gain to your selves by doing it The Doctor speaks the same as to the Uselessness of Reformation to a Kingdom P. 235 236. But if a Soul get under full sail filled with a stiff Gale of the Spirit when Floods of Meltings flow from it if they can cry mightily and be somewhat exact in observing practical righteous Means to mourn and pray lustily being helpt by the Spirit therein then such Exercises will do Wonders hereby Persons shall get Pardon settle Spiritual Civil and Natural Healings with National such Courses some will think will turn away Gods Wrath c. But he tells us in that Page though these be done by Persons being in Christ though thus assisted by Christ's Spirit though Christ be explicitely owned as the Author of such Assistance the Righteousness so assisted hath no efficacy at all to obtain any thing of the Lord c. So P. 425 426 124 125 24. His common Phrase is