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lord_n	firm_a	glory_n	great_a	99	3	2.1248	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70819	Appello evangelium for the true doctrine of the divine predestination concorded with the orthodox doctrine of Gods free-grace and mans free-will / by John Plaifere ... ; hereunto is added Dr. Chr. Potter his owne vindication in a letter to Mr. V. touching the same points.	Plaifere, John, d. 1632.; Potter, Christopher, 1591-1646. Dr. Potter his own vindication of himself.	1651 (1651)	Wing P2419; ESTC R32288	138,799	346

State of a good Subject but they that stand out and refuse this grace be after such a day pursued with fire and sword They that submit magnifie the amplitude of the Kings mercy sorrow for such as obstinately stand out justifie his Execution done upon stubborn ungratefull Rebels You think to win greater thanks to God by amplifying his Grace upon one consideration of sparing some simply but with prejudice to his Truth proclamed to all I think to winne greater thanks to God by amplifying his Grace upon another consideration of sparing all upon favorable conditions according to the Gospell the most wise comprehension of the Grace Mercy Justice and Truth of the Almighty 3. To the third particular I answer for matter of glorying let this Rule stand firme Qui gloriatur in Domino glorietur let him that glorieth glory in the Lord or let him not glory Remember againe that the gifts of God are either immediate and proceeding from himselfe alone as prophecy tongues c. or mediate and such as proceede from Gods Grace and Mans will together as I have declared of those immediate gifts there is no glorying the latter part of the Text is strong What hast thou that thou hast not received and if thou hast received why boastest thou as if thou hadst not received here accepisse excludes boasting over another whose non-accepisse hath been no fault of his it having proceeded from the meere will of the giver But for gifts mediate as Faith and Repentance and obedience in any particular duty they must be considered as Dona Dei and as Debita à nobis as the gifts of God as our duties things necessary upon Gods Commandement and upon perill of our Salvation as they are gifts of God wrought in us by his Grace preventing helping and strengthning us there is no glorying of them but in the Lord So Paul gloryeth 1 Cor. 15. 10. Plus omnibus laboravi yet not I but the Grace of God with me which Grace was not in vaine Phil. 4. 13. I have the art both to abound and to want c. I am able to doe all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through Christ that strengthneth me here also accepisse excludes glorying in a mans selfe Againe the same gifts considered as duties owing by us and as proceeding from the will of man yet helped by Grace are no matter of glorying because they are done S. Paul 1 Cor. 9. 16. Though I preach the Gospel I have nothing to glory of for necessity is laid upon me yea woe is me if I preach not the Gospel So woe is to me if I beleeve not the Gospel doth the hearer say accepisse is not the onely excluder of Glory debuisse is as much Luk. 17. 9. Doth he thank that Servant because he did the things that were commanded him I trow not So likewise we when we have done all those things which are commanded us say Wee are unprofitable Servants we have done that which was our duty to doe What matter of boasting is it for a man to have kept himselfe from a detestable crime whereinto another rushing precipitated himselfe to Hell Yet I pray you doe not exclude all kinde of glorying not that which Saint Paul names so 2 Cor. 1. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The testimony of a good conscience is some comfort and some joy that he wanteth who hath an Evill conscience Let Innocency wash her hands without a check of Vaine-glory Let Samuel call witnesse of his Integrity and Nehemiah record his owne good deeds cap. 5. 15. The former Governours before mee had beene chargable to the People even their servants bare rule over them but so did not I because of the feare of the Lord. In generall I answer to these three Objections when things succeede well and prosperously unto us whatsoever bee our naturall parts whatsoever have beene our industry or our labour more than others who is so voyd of piety or of understanding that doth not ascribe his good successe unto God the Fountaine of all good and the universall or principall cause of all happy events who builds the house more than all that labour on it who keeps the City above all that watch or ward who gives more to the increase than all that plant or water yet the Builder the Watchman the Planter the Waterer have their parts and offices which being neglected the house is not builded the City is betrayed the Tree is unfruitfull Because some little thing is done by men but nothing comparable to that great which is done by God therefore the forme of the Saints rejoycing is thus conceived Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give glory that not unto us implies that something hath beene done by us and that mans corrupt heart is too ready to claime some glory to it selfe for it but true Wisdome and Piety soone removeth it and saith Not unto us O Lord but to thy Name give glory Neither truly should these poore things of the will of Man whether wish or will whether endeavour or labour whether yeelding or obeying have been once named the same day that Gods Grace and Works are praised or have beene pleaded or contended for in these disputes had not there beene a necessity compelling thereunto Qui verò necessitate cogente vera de se bona loquitur tantò magis veriùs humilitati jungitur quantò veritati associatur saith Bern. Serm. 20. in coena Domini They have compelld mee who under a colour of magnifying the grace of God and bringing greater thankes to him and of justly reproving them that have beene Adulatores naturae are turned themselves Adulatores gratiae so farre forth as by them Satan seeketh to subvert the Truth and righteousnesse of God and to extinguish and destroy all Piety and Religion in Men bringing into the World a stupid sloth for some a remorslesse infidelity and impenitency for others and an invincible desperation and hardnesse for other some the naturall off-spring of that Doctrine that takes away all manner of freedome of will from men in matters of Salvation that turnes the generall Promises of the Gospell into particular and private that limits an especiall kinde of grace which is onely effectuall to a few secret ones by a direct decree the rest being left destitute of true grace though they be called by the word of the Gospell These things I was warned of long agoe by Melanchton before the name of Arminius was heard of here in his common places cap. de Praedest Removeamus à Paulo Stoicas Disputationes c. Let us remove from S. Paul such Stoicall disputes as overthrow Faith and Prayer for how could Saul believe or pray when he doubted whether the promise belongd to him or when that fatall Table of the Destinies had prepossess'd him For it is decreed that thou shalt be a castaway c. And in the Chapter de lib. Arbitr hee admits of their disputation

different measure even of saving graces yet that difference of an Emptinesse and absence of fayth in them that heare the word he putteth not he approveth not Lastly the difference in the measure of gifts of all sorts may come from God that giveth but the different using of these gifts doth come from man that is to reckon with God about the usage of them That one Servant received five another two another one Talent this difference was from the Lord but that one Servant gained five another two another none this difference was not from the Lord but from the Servants whence it is that one heareth Euge serve bone fidelis and another Serve nequam piger Vid. Origen super Numeros homil 12. Being secure of this place of Saint Paul I come with greater confidence to avoyd those absurdities in pressing of which some so much triumph They say that if man make the difference betweene himselfe and another then it followes 1. That God doth no more for his Elect than for the Reprobate 2. That the Saints have no more to give thanks to God for than the wicked 3. That one man may glory against another for that he hath done something more than another did To these I answer 1. in particular 2. in generall 1. To the first admitting for a while that God in the grace of Vocation doth no more for the Elect than for the Reprobate yet in the grace of Predestination he doth incomparibly more In that foreknowing the different successes of his Calling and the Ends of the called so different he was pleased to decree and confirme that Calling to some which he foreknew would be saving to them and to decree no other to the rest than that which he foresaw would not be saving to them through their owne disobedience when it was in his power to have altered their Calling to such as obedience in his knowledge would have followed So that in the Preparation and in the Execution of his gracious Calling which God knew would prove happily to these his Election of them and his love to them appeareth singular and they have infinite reason of gratitude above the Reprobate The Reprobate have cause to thank God for preparing that Calling whereby they might have been saved as well as others are and are to blame onely their owne contempt and folly but they have not this to thank God for that he did alter their Calling to a better when he found the Event of this would be Evill unto them neither can they blame him seeing he was no way bound to doe so for if he were He should not have suffered any to perish at all And the Elect who obey their Calling which of them can tell in the preparation of their Calling how often God changed it and amended it to speak after our manner of Understanding who use to bring things thus to perfection and to our liking untill he had brought it to that order as where of he saw the Effect would be the free Conversion of the Called But it was admitted onely not affirmed that in the Grace of Vocation God doth no more for the Elect than for the Reprobate for what if the time wherein a Convert obeyeth be not the first second third or the hundredth time that he hath Suffr 3. 4. thesi 6. beene called upon but God hath shewed him that Patience as one that would not give him over untill he win him What if the time wherein the unconverted refused mercy was but the first second or the third after which God in just severity would no more move him by his Spirit nor wait upon him but forsooke him here is much inequality in Grace and favour for it is enough for my supposition of the liberty of mans Will under Grace and of two equally called that one may obey and not another that sometime two may be equally called and unequally obey though all that be called be not every one called as oft as another for as we may suppose an equality in some so doe we confesse an infinite variety and inequality in most yet there is a time when that hath place which our Church saith in the Homily of the knowledge of the Scripture the second part pag. 5. That God receiveth the learned and unlearned and casteth away none but is indifferent unto all 2. To the second I answer for matter of thankfulnesse That as Grace is not therefore Grace because it is given to one and denyed to another but because it is given the Unworthy for Grace were not the lesse but the greater if it were given to all So my thanks are not therefore given to God because he hath beene mercifull to me more than to another but because he hath been mercifull to me unworthy and my thanks are not diminished because many more are partakers with me in the same benefits but the greater and should have been yet greater had more still been partakers than are Heare the words of Salvianus or whosoever be the Author l. 2. ad Ecclesiam Catholicam prope à principio Sed forsitan dicis c. But happily thou dost say there is a generall debt of all men touching these things of which we speak and that all mankinde without exception are obliged thereunto namely in the Passion of Christ we confesse it is Truth Yet doth any man therefore owe the lesse because another also owes the like summe c. That which I said formerly though it be a general debt yet no question it is also a special debt although all men in common be engaged yet every one in particular is also bound For Christ as he suffered for all so he suffered for every one and bestowd himselfe upon all as well as upon every one and gave himselfe wholly for all and wholly for every one And in regard of this whatever our Saviour by his suffering perform'd as all owe themselves wholly to him for it so every one wholly except in respect of this every one owes more than all Mankinde because every one hath reaped as much benefit thereby as all men This is a good rule for thankfulnesse but take heede of the Pharisees forme of thanks for Graces with comparisons to other folkes Lord I thank thee I am not like other men or as this Publicane Indeed as some put the case of mankinde like a company of Rebels out of whom the King chooseth whom he pleaseth to pardon and executes the rest with the sword those pardoned owe thanks for their pardon and more thanks for culling them out that were like to the rest in Rebellion But the Scripture puts not the case of mankinde so but rather thus God by the Gospell as a King mercifully proclames a generall pardon to all the company of Rebels in such a County upon condition that he that comes in and yeelds his sword and takes at the Kings Pavilion a Ticket of his pardon be free to goe home and enjoy the