Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	prepare_v	vessel_n	wrath_n	3,005	5	9.3678	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20668	The collegiat suffrage of the divines of Great Britaine, concerning the five articles controverted in the Low Countries VVhich suffrage was by them delivered in the synod of Dort, March 6. anno 1619. Being their vote or voice foregoing the joint and publique judgment of that Synod.; Suffragium collegiale theologorum Magnae Britanniae de quinque controversis remonstrantium articulis. English.	Carleton, George, 1559-1628.; Synod of Dort (1618-1619)	1629 (1629)	STC 7070; ESTC S110099	65,063	183

be the meaning of this Position That there is no election of Infants that is to say of infants one before another as if al were promiscuously saved neither truely hath that supposition any good ground nor this being granted will the foresaid position follow For the circumstance of age is impertinent and hath no operation to the establishing or takeing away of Gods election Suppose therefore all infants to be saved not one being rejected yet because Election and praeterition looke upon the common heape not the age they are segregated though not out of the number of infants yet out of the whole lump of sinfull mankind Which segregation is no lesse then a true election The riches of the goodnesse of God have beene poured forth upon the first beginnings of some infants in whom neither the precedent nor the future piety was the motiue for Gods choosing them Infants having no wils no actions of their own are segregated not without the judgement of God Some being taken as heyres some are let passe as debtors God helps those infants whom hee will though they neither will nor runne whom hee hath chosen before the foundation of the world in Christ. THE EIGHTH ERRONEOVS OPINION THat the good will of God by which out of many possible conditions he hath decreed to choose faith onely and to accept it for the condition of bestowing salvation is that only or chiefe good pleasure of God whereof the Scripture speakes and out of which all singular persons are chosen WEE doe not deny but that there is such a good pleasure of God layed open in the Gospell by which hee hath decreed to choose faith as a condition for conferring salvation that is by which hee would have the actual obtaining of salvation especially of those which are of ripe yeares to depend upon the condition of foregoing faith And this is the ioyfull and saving message to bee published to all Nations in the name of Christ. But this is not the very decree of Election properly taken and so much is set forth by the Apostle Paul 1 For that decree is Active ordaining some particular persons to saluation not disposing in things or of the connexion of things in order to salvation and it is confined to the creatures themselves not unto qualities Ephes. 1.4 He hath chosen vs to wit Men Rom. 8. Those whom he hath predestinated that is to say Men Mat. 20. Few are chosen That is few Men. 2 But the quality it selfe of faith is not in this sense called Elected but prescribed to the Elect and given and prepared from eternity For it is one of the chiefe spirituall blessings all which the chosen receive in Christ Ephes. 1.2 3 Lastly it is not rightly affirmed that particular men are elected out of this good pleasure by which faith onely is ordained as the condition of bestowing salvation For to be elected is to bee destinated to life eternall others being ouerpassed But in the foresaid decree no person is chosen no one person passed by but all are alike called and designed to salvation by one and the same condition In God the disposing of future things by his unfallible and unchangeable foreknowledge is no other thing then to predestinate II. OF REPROBATION THE FIRST ORTHODOXALL POSITION REprobation properly called or not-electing is the eternall decree of God by which out of his most free will he hath decreed not so farre to take pitie of some persons falne in Adam as to rescue them effectually through Christ out of the state of misery and without faile to bring them to blisse THe proper act of Reprobation as it is opposed to Election we thinke to be no other then the denying of the same glory and the same grace which are prepared for the sonnes of God by Election But glory and effectuall grace are prepared for them in the decree of Election and with this very intent that it should be effectuall that is that by such grace the sonnes of God might without faile come to the foresaid glory Such grace and glory to be prepared for Reprobates we deny This non-election we avow to be grounded vpon the most free will of God Rom. 9.11 That the purpose of God according to election might stand not of workes but of him that calleth It was said Iacob have I loved but Esau have I hated That is I have not so loved him as that through grace I should certainly bring him to glory And v. 18. He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth Againe vers 21. Hath not the Potter power over the clay of the same lumpe to make one vessell unto honor and another unto dishonor And Ioh. 10.26 ye beleeve not because ye are not of my sheepe Moreover the glory of Heaven is due to none but is the free gift of God Ro. 6.23 Therfore God according to his most free will can choose whom he will to glory and overpasse whom he will and that without any aspersiō of iniustice or hard dealing since that in the bestowing of freegifts there is no place left for injustice Neither is it any inclemēcy or cruelty to deny that to any man which is no way due unto him especially whē in the persō presented unto there is found the highest demerit or desert of punishment which is so farre from expecting free gifts that it cannot choose but call for most just judgements of which sort is the whole state of mankinde represented to God when hee was to choose or refuse whom he would among them And what is here said of the bestowing of glory is likewise to bee understood of the giving effectuall grace Behold mercy and judgement mercy in Election judgement upon those that are hardened They which doe not pertaine to the most certaine and happy number of the predestinated are dismissed and left to their owne free will c. They which by Gods deepe judgement are not severed by the predestination of grace from the lumpe of perdition to them are not applyed Gods promises or workings through which they might beleeve if they should heare or see such things THE SECOND POSITION THis not electing or over-passing doth not presuppose in the man overpassed any qualitie or other condition then that which is in the elect and which is common to the whole corrupted heape GOd choosing out of his mercy doth find every elect person in the corrupted heape overwhelmed in the same misery with the rest and by his present condition subject to death Rom. 9.15 I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and ver 23. That he may make knowne the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had prepared to glory Also ver 22. God willing to shew his wrath and make knowne his power c. So equall objects and persons of the same condition being propounded why God should free some and not all why these rather then them hee

does not fetch the reason out of any disparity among them but onely out of Gods free pleasure to show forth here his rich glory there his just wrath when he makes these such as they were not vessels of mercy those such as they very neere were vessels of wrath A type hereof is represented unto us Ezek. 1.16 where the naturall impurity of all men is set downe v 4. and the goodnesse of God choosing v 6. When thou wast in thy blood I said unto thee live yea I said unto thee others being left in their impurity He which is freed let him love Gods grace hee which is not freed let him acknowledge his owne debt although all men out of the same masse of perdition and damnation according to the hardnesse of their heart doe treasure up for themselves wrath as much as in them lyes God notwithstanding through his mercifull goodnesse does bring from that state some to repentance others according to his just judgment be does not bring Grace doth find some whom it may adopt among the most wicked at their last end when many which seeme lesse guilty have no part in this gift THE THIRD POSITION WHen God affordeth his saving Gospel to save Nations hee doth not this out of consideration of speciall worth in them And when hee denies this benefit to others there is alwaies a concomitant unworthinesse in them to whom it is denied But the meere will of God is the onely cause why to these he will not show that mercy which out of his good pleasure he vouchsafed to others no lesse unworthy thereof DEut. 9.4 Say not in thine heart for my righteousnesse the Lord hath brought mee in to possesse this land when for the wickedness of those Nations he hath driven them out from before thee and v. 5. That he might performe the word that he sware unto thy Fathers Vpon the like motives God alwayes finds in all places why he should not giue his Gospel to be preached or why hee should take it away being once given But where hee affordeth it to a people it is not for their righteousnesse or lesse wickednesse then is otherwhere found as if it were out of a kinde of congruity or desert but for his good pleasure and freedome of his spirit which blowes where it listeth and as long as it will If we will ascribe this to the merits of mens wills that grace should bee said to passe by the bad and choose the good the state of many innumerable Nations will confute us to whom for so many ages the light of heavenly doctrine hath not shined Neither can we say that their posterity were better men of whom it was written The Gentiles which sate in darkenesse have seene a great light THE FOVRTH POSITION TO some of those to whom the Gospel hath shined although they bee indued with many gifts of grace yet of their owne accord and withall infallibly they by Gods permission fall into those sinnes in which being forsaken and so remaining till death they make themselves liable to just damnation WE doe not deny but these though being not elected yet receive many effects of grace such as reckoned up Heb. 6.4 Illumination tast of the heavenly gift of the good word and of the powers of the world to come All which they turne to their owne greater destruction being left to their owne wills and not being founded upon Christ according to the decree of Election Rom. 11.7 The election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded He that falls away from Christ and ends his life being an alien from grace shall bee damned for his last sinnes And because his Apostacy could not be hidden from Gods foreknowledge nor frustrate the same without doubt God never chose such a man be never predestinated him yea hee never set apart from eternall death him who was to perish Some receive the grace of God but for a time they persevere not they forsake God and are forsaken of him for they are left to their owne freewill THE FIFT POSITION GOd damnes none or destinates to damnation except in consideration of sinne 1 GOd dispenseth the gifts of grace to his free will Matt. 20. 15. It is not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine owne Yet hee never appoints the evill of punishment but upon the fore-seene guilt of men Rom. 3. 9. The Iewes and Greekes are all under sinne v. 19. That every mouth may be stopped and all the world guiltie before God Rom. 2. 9. Tribulation and anguish be unto the soule of every man that worketh evill 2 Moreover damnation is an act of vindicative justice and therefore it must necessarily presuppose a precedent fault A man that is not predestinated perisheth by voluntary not by constrained infidelity The predestination of God hath neither excited perswaded nor forced the falls of those which perish nor the untowardnesse of wicked men nor the wicked desires of sinners but God hath fore-ordained his owne judgement by which hee will render to every one according to that he hath done Erroneous Opinions THE FIRST THat the decree by which God from all eternitie and that irrevocably hath purposed out of lapsed mankinde to leave none but the impenitent and incredulous in sinne and under the wrath of God as being aliens from Christ is the whole andentire decree of Reprobation 1 THis we deny for the reasons alledged by us against the first erroneous position of Election 2 Besides in this decree there is not contained the speciall will of God not to take pitie of whom he will in which the decree of reprobation as it is opposed to Election is formally contained 3 Adde to this that if this decree were granted it might come to pass that God might passed by none but that all might hee chosen and brought to eternall life THE SECOND THat Reprobation from salvation is not of one kinde onely but is either indefinite and generall or else definite and particular and that this is also diverse either incomplete revocable mutable or else complete irrevocable immutable REprobation which is the negation of Election doth set downe to us the immutable will of God by which he hath decreed not to take pitie of that person whom he passeth by so farre forth as to bestow upon him eternall life Now this will of God doth not admit any change at all Esa. 46.10 My counsell shall stand Malach. 3.6 I am the Lord I change not Hereto may be added what wee have formerly set downe at the fourth orthodoxall position and at the fourth erroneous position concerning Election All the children of adoption before the foundation of the world were chosen In which election what man soever was not foreknowne in Christ shall not by any meanes be joyned unto him THE THIRD THat no man after Adams fall was overpassed by the meere will of God but all reprobation of particular persons was made upon consideration of their