Selected quad for the lemma: life_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
life_n	death_n	sin_n	sin_v	6,726	5	9.1768	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17306	A plea to an appeale trauersed dialogue wise. By H.B.	Burton, Henry, 1578-1648.	1626 (1626)	STC 4153; ESTC S106969	84,171	122

for losse of faith he must meane iustifying and sauing faith and not that faith of the Romane Church hee alledgeth the 16. Article in these words After we haue receiued the holy Gh●st we may depart from grace giuen fall into sinne and by the grace of God wee way rise againe and amende our liues Now in all due remembrance to my blessed mother the Church of England is it not as lawfull for mee her Sonne to take her in a good sense as for another in a bad And if it be lawfull for me to interpret her words according to the letter it is one thing reced●re a gratia another excidere one thing to depart aside as out of the way erroniously another 〈◊〉 fall quite away and to abandon the way at least for the time to fall quite away from grace nor doth the Article speake of a totall falling away but of such slips as are recouered by repentance against the Doctrine of N●●atus as is there expressed It being one thing to fall into sin of infirmitie another to fall away from grace totally But if by departing be meant a totall falling away then how doth this accord with the Scripture that saith If such as were once enlightned c doe fall away it is impossible they should be renewed againe to repentance Againe for the words of the Homilie alledged by the Appealer they containe a wholsome admonition to pietie and perseuerance therein but they mention no totall falling away from true and sauing grace in any one particular true beleeuer Therefore by departing is meant some other thing then any totall falling away from grace so that howsoeuer wee imbrace and adore the generall Doctrine of the Church of England our deare Mother yet whatsoeuer she saith we must not presently take it at the first rebound according to our priuate fancie which what it affects and inclines to it can easilie as the corrupt stomacke assimilate euen wholesome meates and cause them to corrupt or as the Naturall thinkes the bells ring that which hee imagines so apt is mans fancie to take words rather by the sound then by the sense to feede his pre-conceiued opinion yet as neither the Church of England her selfe auoucheth or concludeth any thing for Doctrine and matter of Faith but so farre as is consonant to the word of God so that her Doctrines are to be called the Doctrines of God rather than of the Church so neither are we to measure her Doctrines but by the onely line and rule of the Scriptures But by the Scriptures there is either no totall falling away from grace or if there be as from the common grace it must necessarily be finall too for it is impossible saith the holy Ghost 〈◊〉 such as fall away should be renewed againe to r●pentance Therefore the Church of Englands words speaking of d●p●●ting from grace and yet of returning againe cannot be understood of a totall falling away of particular persons from 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 grace so that it appea●es the Appeall●r hath wrested the words of the Article to his owne fancie he should first conclude out of the Scriptures that there is a falling away from grace totally But if the Scriptures teach the contrary let no man fasten such a reproach vpon the Church of England casting durt in his Mothers face as teaching otherwise then her heauenly Husband hath taught in his Word Babylonius But where doe the Scriptures teach that a man cannot fall away from grace and sa●ing 〈◊〉 after he once hath it Orthodoxus In many places and that so pregnantly and definitiuely as the very Aduersaries of this truth confesse it may be waued and taken indifferently either way whither for a penny as we say their Opiniō or Gods Truth Babylonius But if Scripture say and gainsay how shall we beleeue them or how shall we reconcile them Orthodoxus Very easily for as there is but one truth so if wee first pitch vpon that truth where wee finde it clearely and positiuely laid downe in the Scripture then whatsoeuer places of scripture seeme to contradict yet the sense thereof must of necessitie bee reduced to that positiue truth For the purpose 1 Iohn 3. 9. Whosoeuer is borne of God doth not commit sinne for his seede remaineth in him and he cannot sinne because h● is borne of God Here is set downe a positi●e truth Whosoeuer is borne of God doth not commit sinne and the reasons are annexed first for the seede of God remai●eth in him and secondly because he is borne of God he cannot sinne But this seemes a hard and a darke saying doe not Gods 〈…〉 sinne yo● sur●ly for In many things we 〈◊〉 all saith Saint 〈◊〉 but the same Apostle cleares the sense in his 5. Chapter of the Epistle Verse 16 17. There is a sinne vnto death and there is a 〈◊〉 not vnto death now Gods children commit sinne which is not vnto death whereof ver 16. If any man see his brother sinne a sinne which is not vnto death he shall aske and he shall giue him life for them that sinne not vnto death But of the sinne that is vnto death of that the Apostle speakes ver 18. Wee know that whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not that is not vnto death Now Gods child sinneth not vnto death that is falleth not from faith as Saint Augustin● vnderstands this sin vnto death neither totally nor much lesse finally for the seede of God remaineth in him The seede of God is the holy Spirit of God by which as a holy and liuing seede wee are begotten and borne of God This seed● is that annointing whereof the Apostle speakes 1 Iohn 2. 27. The annointing which yee haue receiued of ●im abideth in you and therefore yee shall abide in him Therefore none shall be able to seduce you v. 26. Now if th● the annointing abide in vs if the seede of God remaines in vs how then can we fall totally much lesse finally from grace for the Spirit of grace remaineth in vs. So long as this seed of God remaines in vs and being once receiued it abideth with vs Gods regenerate cannot so degenerate as by falling from grace to cease to be his sonnes He that is of the blood royall yea who is descended immediately from the Kings owne loynes cannot cease to bee the Kings sonne for the seede and blood of the King is in him And yet though a Kings sonne may degenerate from his Fathers vertues notwithstanding his Fathers blood bee in him yet the b●gotten of God as they haue his seede alwaies remaining 〈◊〉 them so it is an actiue quickning and pregnant seede springing vp to life eter●all wherin Gods child groweth in grace till he be a perfect man in Christ Iasus Againe this seede of God is immortall as the Father is immortall Now as a mortall father begets a mortall son So the immortall God can beget no sonne but is immortall as his Father is It is impossible for the

them to his sh●●pe eternall life and they shall neuer perish neither shall any man plucke them out of my hand My Father which gaue them me is greater than all and no man is able to plucke them out of my Fathers ●and I and my Father are one And Saint Peter said we are kept by the power of God through faith vnto saluation 1. Pet. 1. 5. And the Prophet Dauid sheweth by this reason that the righteous shall neuer fall totally away because Gods band euer supporteth them as Psal. 37. 24. Though he fall hee shall not bee vtterly cast downe for the Lord vpholdeth him with his band Which place Aquinas applies to the same purpose in Rom. 8. A fourth reason from the will of God Ioh. 6. 39. This is the Fathers will which hath sent me that all which he hath giuen me I should loose nothing but should arise is vp at the last day And this is the will of him that sent me that euery one which seeth the Sonne and beleeueth on him should 〈◊〉 euerlasting life and I will raise him vp at the last day A fifth reason drawne from the efficacie of Christs prayer Ioh. 17. 20. and so to the end of the Chapter A sixth reason from the impossibilitie of seducing the Saints from Christ by Antichrist and false Prophets Mat. 24. 24. A seuenth reason from the perpetuall mansion and inhabitation of Gods Spirit in all the faithfull 1. Ioh. 3. 9. Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not that is not vnto death as chap. 5. ●6 For his seede remaineth in him and be cannot sinne because he is borne of God An eight reason from the infallibility of Gods knowledge of all his called Gods foundation 2. Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God standeth sure hauing this seale The Lord knoweth them that are his whereupon Saint Augustine concl deth thus If the elect may perish and fall away then God may be deceiued But God cannot be deceiued therefore his elect cannot perish nor fall away And if at any time the elect doe exorbitate or decline out of the way vpon reproofe they are reformed and returne into the way from which they had digressed As Aquinas cites the glosse on Rom. 8. verse 28. Vsque adeo c. To such as loue God he doth so cause all things to cooperate for good as if any of them stray or straggle euen this also hee causeth to turne to their further good yea euen their sinnes cooperate to their greater good in causing them to walke more humbly and carefully A ninth reason is from the inseperable vnion betweene Christ and euery true beleeuer Christ himselfe expresseth this sweetly applying it as a speciall tye and token of the saints continu●ance in him Ioh. 17. 20. I pray not for these alo●● but for them also which shall beleeue in mee thorow their word that they may all be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in vs. And that glory which thou hast giuen me I haue giuen them that they may be one euen as wee are one I in thee and thou in met that they may be made perfect in one So that as not a bone of his naturall body was broken so neither a bone of his mysticall body For he keepeth all his bones not one of them is broken Psal. 34 20. Not a haire of their head shall perish that are his members I will adde but one reason●more of many vsed in Scripture to confirme the Doctrine of the Saints perseuerance and it is taken from Gods eternall election and effectuall vocation of his elect vnto eternall life As Rom. 8. 30. Whom he did praedestinate them he also called and whom hee called them he also iustified and whom hee iustified them hee also glorified This is such a golden chaine as all the Diuells of hell can neuer breake Christ vseth the same reason Ioh. 15. 16. Yee haue not chosen mee but I haue chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruite and that your fruite should remaine which place Saint Augustine sweetly applyeth to Gods eternall election whence springeth th● perseuerance of his elect whose fruite remaineth for euer As also the same Augustine applieth that other place to the Romans to the Saints perseuerance and onely to the elect Saints quorū it a certus est numerus c. whereof the number is so certaine that none of them can perish no more than any of the reprobate can be saved And so hee concludes the Saints perseverance from the foundation of Gods eternall election and praedestination Quis c. What one could be ordained to eternall life but with the gift of persence rāce This is the Doctrine also of the Church of England Arti● 17. So then if God can breake his euerlasting covenant with his people if his sauing feare be such as to whom it is giuen it will not suffer them to depart from God if Gods loue in Christ to his owne be immutable and endlesse if Christs power and his Fathers be so great that none can plucke his elect out of his hands if it be the Fathers will that none of his elect shall perish but haue eternall life if Christs prayer for his elect cannot bee in vaine if it be impossible for all Antichrists power and policie and lying wonders to seduce Gods elect if the perpetuall residence of Gods holy Spirit in his regenerate preserue them from sinning vnto death if Gods infallible knowledge of his owne cannot be deceiued but remaineth as a sure and sealed foundation if all things cooperate for their good and nothing can seperate them from the loue of Christ if Gods eternall election and praedestination of his to grace and so to glory cannot be frustrate then who dare be so bold as to affirme that the Saints may fall away either totally or finally from grace so fall short of glory Babylonius But my authour instanceth two examples of totall falling away from grace the one of King Dauid the other of the prime Apostle Saint Peter now if these did fall totally from grace at least for a time then is it possible for any in the state of grace to fall totally from that state● and so come short of finall perse●●rance And to proue thier totall fall he argueth thus 〈◊〉 ●ter fell now if he fell he must needs full totally or finally for Cedo tertium And saith hee if Dauids and Peters repentance had beene preuented by death they should haue perished eternally And you know that a supposition must necessarily imply a possibilitie of the thing supposed else it were absurd so that it was possible they might haue beene preuented by death before they had repented and so haue perished eternally As the Authour saith elsewhere * cap. 4. that it is possible for the fallen away to arise againe possible but not certaine and necessary Orthodoxus By mentioning this last