Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	appear_v	love_v	son_n	2,609	5	5.7862	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65924	A vindication of the doctrine of Gods absolute decree and of Christs absolute and special redemption. In way of answer to those objections that are brought against them by Mr. Tho: Pierce, in his treatise, entituled, The divine philanthropy. By Tho: Whitfeld, minister of the gospel.	Whitfield, Thomas, Minister of the Gospel.	1657 (1657)	Wing W2011A; ESTC R222306	60,986	90

in those that are saved but in those that are lost 2 Cor. 2.21 Mr. P. boldly asserts That there is an intention in God to save all men without exception if by the wickedness of their wills they did not frustrate his intention But doth not this exceedingly derogate from Gods omnipotency and infinite wisdom Cap. 3. Pag. 81. From his Omnipotency in that he seriously desires that which he is not able to effect from his Wisdom in that he seriously intends that which he knows shall never be effected AN EXAMINATION AND CONFUTATION Of the Doctrine of Conditional and Vniversal Redemption NOt onely the old Arminians but some who seem to disclaim their Doctrine yet hold That Christ hath died for all mankinde and by his death hath made satisfaction for all and purchased pardon and salvation for every particular man and woman in the vvorld upon condition they vvill believe That this Doctrine is not agreeable to Scripture may thus be proved IT hath been already proved Argument 1 That there is no Conditional Election of all Novv if there be no Conditional Election of all there is no Conditional Redemption of all for both these are commensurate and of equal extent one vvith another having one and the same adequate object Christ hath redeemed none but those vvhom the Father hath Elected Redemption being the proper effect and fruit of Election and the effect cannot exceed the vertue of the cause If therefore the Father hath not elected all upon any condition neither hath the Son redeemed all upon any condition vvhatever That Redemption is the effect of Election may thus be proved 1. Our Savior saith That the Father had given him power over all flesh to give eternal life to those whom he had given him Joh. 17.2 this giving must be understood either of giving by election or effectual calling but it cannot be understood of calling because that follows election as a fruit of it Those whom he predestinated those he hth called Rom. 8.30 And our Savior saith afterwards that he had declared his Name to those whom the Father had given him verse 6. and hereby called them As this must be understood as of the elect so of them onely otherwise our Savior would have said Thou hast given me power over all flesh to give eternal life to all flesh but he saith not so but to give eternal life to those whom thou hast given me 2. It is said that we are elected in Christ Ephes 1.4 In Christ not the cause of our Election but of our Redemption this being in effect the same with that 2 Thes 3.9 We are appointed to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ So that not onely our salvation but Christ also the Author of it are made subordinate to our election and as our salvation so also the giving of Christ and all those benefits which he hath purchased are made the effects of our election and therefore can reach no further nor be extended to no more persons then to the objects of Gods electing love 3. It is said that by Christ we have Redemption through his blood according to his rich grace Ephes 1.7 which rich grace is the same which before he called the good pleasure of his will He hath predestinated us to be adopted through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will verse 5. Election therefore is the first fountain whence all the benefits belonging to our salvation do flow and both Adoption Redemption and all the rest are included in that 4. Our Savior saith That God so loved the world that he gave his Son John 3. Here Gods love is made the cause of his giving his Son and that this must be understood of his electing love appears 1. Because it is more then a common love it is a special peculiar love for it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he so loved and this particle denotes a peculiar special love as when it is said if God hath so loved us 1 John 4.11 if he hath so loved us more then others we ought to love one another And when he tells the Israelites that he had given them his Statutes and Ordinances and had not dealt so with any Nation Psal 147. last here is something held forth peculiar to them above other Nations 2. It is such a love as tends to eternal life therefore electing love 3. Such a love as caused Christ to lay down his life and this is the greatest love John 15.13 therefore elelecting love Object But the world is here made the object of this love therefore it cannot be understood of electing love Answ This place is indeed usually made to be one of the strong holds for the Arminian Doctrine but being rightly examined it shall I hope appear to be otherwise 1. If the world be taken in a general sense we shall make every particular man and woman living in the world to be objects of Gods special love which crosseth that which the Apostle saith of Esau that he was an object of hatred and denies that there are any vessels of wrath in Gods everlasting purpose 2. There is no necessity at all why this word should be taken in a general sense including all the men and women in the world For 1. The world most properly signifies the whole work of Creation the frame of heaven and earth as when it is said that God made the world 2. All mankinde living in the world so it is said God will judge the world yea thus it includes not onely men but spirits 3. It signifies not onely the whole but a part of mankinde and because the worst part is the greatest part it is frequently taken for the worst part thus Christ tells his Disciples that the world would hate them because he had chosen them out of the world John 15.19 And if the worst part be often called the world why may not the better part be sometime so called We usually call that a heap of Wheat wherein there is more chaff then Wheat Doth not our Savior speak of a world to which he gives life John 6.33 Doth not the Apostle speak of a reconciled world Rom. 11.15 of a world that shall not have their sins imputed to them 2 Cor. 5.19 If Satan be called the Prince of this world may there not be a world whereof Christ is Prince Why may there not be a world of godly as well as a world of ungodly 2 Pet. 2.5 as there is a whole world that lies in the state of wickedness 1 John 5.19 Why may not there be a whole world that is brought into the state of righteousness Why may not the better part though the lesser be called the world as well as they are called all flesh Joel 2.28 Luke 3.6 All nations Psal 72.11 All the earth Tract 87. in Johan Zech. 14.9 Mundus Ecclesia est totus mundus perditionis odit mundum redemptionis saith A●stin The world is the Church and the whole perishing

the Apostle are the same with Election and Rejection for the Apostle makes this the ground why one was loved and the other hated before they had done either good or evil namely That the purpose of God according to Election according to which Jacob was elected might remain and that it might appear that this was not of works but by him that calleth Rom. 9.11 And this holds as well in the hatred of Esau as in the love of Jacob he was hated before he was born that the purpose of God according to rejection might remain Contra Donat lib. 1. cap. 16. To this purpose Austin makes Esau together with Cain and Judas to belong to the Malignant Church Object Though Jacob and Esau had not actually dont good or evil yet they had done it in Gods foresight according to which God might love the one and hate the other Answ This still crosseth the Apostles Scope which is to shew that the first ground of putting a difference betwixt these two in loving the one and hating the other was not in themselves but in God not of works saith he but of him that calleth that the purpose of God according to Election and so also his purpose according to Rejection might remain firm For if this difference should arise from foreseen works yet it should be of works which the Apostle here wholly rejecteth not of works saith he Many who renounce foreseen works as the ground of Election yet make Original sin the ground of Reprobation but the Apostle here excludes both alike namely all foreseen works from the hating of Esau as from the loving of Jacob before they had done either good or evil saith he speaking of both of them alike Learned D. Whitaker brings this as an Argument to prove that Original sin is not the cause of Reprobation Causa illius odii quo Deus Esavum prosequutus est nondum natum Cygna cantio pag. 7. non fuit peccatum originale quia tum aequaliter odisset Jacobum quare si quaeras cur Esau non invenerit nec acceperit misericordiam oportet causam aliquam assignari quae non conveniat Jacobo The cause saith he of that hatred wherewith God hated Esau before he was born was not Original sin for then he should have alike hated Jacob wherefore if you ask why Esau neither found nor received mercy some cause must be assigned which agrees not to Jacob. Now if some other cause must be assigned for the same cause brings forth the same effect what can this be but the good will and pleasure of God who hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardens 2. This conditional Decree crosseth the Apostles Doctrine because it makes the difference betwixt vessels of honor and dishonor to arise from the disposition of the matter whereas the Apostle makes it to arise from the will of the Potter Hath not saith he the Potter power to make of the same lump one vessel to honor and another to dishonor Rom. 9.21 Unbelievers and believers are not the same lump but these are a better qualified and more refined lump then the other but the Apostle makes both sorts of vessels to be made of the very same lump 3. There had been no ground at all of quarrelling at the Will of God or saying Who hath resisted his Will if his Will had not been the cause of difference betwixt one and another And the Apostle might easily have answered Yea for vindicating the Justice of God he was bound to have done it that God did earnestly will and desire their salvation but they resisted his will Yet he goes not this way to work but answers them by checking their malepert and audacious insolence that dare enter into contest with their Creator What art thou c. 4. This Doctrine is easie and obvious to every mans apprehension that hath any use of his rational faculty namely That it is just with God to decree that mans damnation who willingly rejects Christ and salvation when they are offered unto him and God seriously desires that he might be saved and therefore the Apostle needed not to have cryed out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God his judgements are unsearchable and his ways past finding out Rom. 11.33 this being the great abyss and hidden depth of the Apostles Doctrine namely How God should hate any man before he was born or had done either good or evil To this purpose Austin saith truly Eos evacuare verba Apostoli Ad Bon●ifa l. 2 c. 7. qui judicium divinae discretionis ad opera reducunt aut praevisa aut praeterita That they make the Apostle speak to no purpose who reduce the judgement or cause of Divine difference of one from another unto Works whether foreseen or already done Argument 8 This conditional Decree cannot stand with the absolute liberty and independency of the Will of God For whereas he saith I will do this because I will Rom. 9.15 this makes him to will because the creature wills and confines the liberty and freedom of his Will to the motions of mans will so that he cannot absolutely and positively determin and will mans salvation till man hath first willed it himself by being willing to believe and to persevere in doing so Pet. Mart. loc commun loc de praed sect 24. According to this opinion as Peter Martyr saith well Deus non operaretur juxta suam voluntatem sed juxta alienam God should not act or work according to his own will but according to the will of others Yea this imposeth a necessity upon the will of God which is the fountain of all freedom for it makes his will and decree to be grounded upon his foreknowledge and his foreknowledge to be grounded upon mans actions and motions So that if he foresees man to persevere in believing he must of necessity determine his salvation and that not because it is his good will and pleasure to save him and in order thereto to work faith in him but because he foresees him to persevere in believing and if he foresees him to do otherwise he must of necessity decree his destruction and can do no otherwise He cannot have mercy on whom he will have mercy and harden whom he will till mans will hath made way for him The Assertors therefore of this Doctrine while they are sollicitous about maintaining the Liberty of Mans Will and tender of the least touch that may tend to the contrary they minde not that they bereave God of the Liberty of his Will and do as it were cast fetters upon it so that he can move no otherwise in point of mans salvation then man shall give him leave This conditional decree cannot stand with the infinite and most perfect Wisdom of God Argument 9 For 1. It makes him to fetch the Idea the model and plot according to which he will frame his greatest works and those