Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n
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A51603
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Truths in a true light, or, A pastoral letter to the reformed Protestants in Barbados vindicating the Non-Conformists from the misrepresentations commonly made of them, in that island and other places : and demonstrating that they are indeed the truest and soundest part of the Church of England / from Francis Mackemie.
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Mackemie, Francis.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing M308; ESTC R31151
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20,261
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41
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rest to be Spectacles of his Justice 15 Such as are Predestinated unto Life be called according to Gods purpose his Spirit working in due season and through Grace they obey the calling they be Justifyed freely they be made Sons of God by Adoption they be made like the Image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ they walk religiously in good Work and at length b◠Gods Mercy they attain to everlasting felicity but such as are not Predestinated to Salvation shall finally be condemned for their Sins 16. The Godly consideration of Predestination and our Election in Christ is full of sweet pleasant unspeakable comfort to Godly persons such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ mortifying the works of the flesh their earthly members and drawing up their minds to high and heavenly things as well because it doth greatly confirm establish their faith of eternal Salvation to be enjoyed thro' Christ as because it doth servently kindle their Love towards God and on the contrary side for curious carnal persons lacking the Spirit of Christ to have continually before their Eyes the Sentence of Gods Predestination is very dangerous This is the Doctrine of the Church of Ireland so exactly agreeable to the 39 Articles those of Lambeth that I need say no more of them Another discovery of the Doctrine of Predestination is from the Suffrages of the five Representatives of the Church of England at the Synod of Dort Dr. Carleton Bishop of Chichester Dr. Samuel Ward publick Divinity professor at Cambridge Dr. Davenant Bishop of Satisbury Dr. Balcanquel Dean of Richester and Dr. Thomas Goad who were called and assembled to nip Arminianism in the bud and they being Commissionated sent by the Supream Authority in the Nation their Suffrages as recorded in the publick Acts of that Synod and by Dr. Ward in his Suffragium Britannorum are to be found were then received approved at the Doctrine of the Church of England And should it not appear a wonder and be a surprise to the hearers tho' the Preachers cannot be Ignorant of it that the Common Prayer Book the ordinary universal Book of their Devotion should give its Suffrage and bear its testimony for Predestination or Election which upon a more strict observation all shall find In the Collect for All Saints Day it begins Almighty God who hast knit together thine Elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical Body of Christ Jesus our Lord. If God has an Elected people there must some be left out and passed by otherwise there can be no Election or Choice In the Catechism generally taught unto Children in Answer to Q. 6. It is replyed in the third place In God the Holy Ghost who Sanctifyed me and all the Elect people of God which plainly instructs us that God chooseth to Sanctification and holiness as well as to Salvation and that all Elect ones shall be Sanctifyed consequently Saved In the burial of the Dead in the first prayer after the Lords Prayer Beseeching thee that it may please thee of thy gracious Goodness shortly to accomplish the number of thine Elect. Here is not only an Elect but a definite and certain Number determined with God which are not yet accomprished and the number of such as are left out and passed by is also certain and determined In 〈◊〉 Godly prayer at all times which is added to some old Bibles there is this passage In that it hath pleased thee freely and of thine own accord to Elect and choose us to Salvation before the beginning of the World This is plain language and in the Books of Devotion and even those who little thought Common Prayer favoured Predestination which they oft called a Damnable Doctrine and is so particular for a Doctrine some of your Neighbours have asserted contrary to the word of God and a great discouragement to Piety So that I wonder how the Oxford Oath of Assent Consent shall relish for the future wherein men Swear That nothing is contained in the Book of Cannons Ordination of Bishops and Common Prayer contrary to the word of God seeing Predestination is found in one of them We call in also to witness for us the Homilies of the Church which appear to be principally the established Doctrine thereof for the most part composed by the Arch-bishop Cranmer who sealed among many more this and other truths with his Blood It were too tedious to transcribe all here but I shall give a passage or two to engage Readers to be more attentive and observant for the suture Therefore in the 2d part about p. 160. God of his mercy special favour towards them whom he hath appointed to everlasting Salvation hath so offered his Grace especially and they have so received it fruitfully that altho' by reason of their sinful living out wardly they seemed before to have been the Children of wrath perdition yet now the Spirit of God mightily working in them unto the obedience of Gods will that they are the undoubted Children of God appointed unto everlasting Life for the Good fruit is not the cause the tree is good but the tree must first be good before it can bring forth good fruit This much more may be found in both parts for confirmation of this Doctrine of Predestination I refer you also to a Church of England Catechism enjoyned by K Edw. 6. to all Schoolmasters for instruction of Children throughout the Kingdom wherein it is asserted That the faithful were sorechosen Predestinated and appointed to everlasting life before the world was made that the cause of our Justification Salvation is the goodness love of God whereby he chose us before he made the world I cannot omit certain Questions Answers concerning Predestination published by Robert Parker continued to be bound in with your Bibles until the year 1615. I shall give you a hint thereof in two or three Questions relating to Predestination Q Are not all ordained to eternal Life A. Some are Vessels of Wrath ordained to Destruction as others are Vessels of Mercy prepared for Glory Q How standeth it with Gods Justice that some are appointed to Damnation A. Very well because all men have in themselves Sin which deserveth no less therefore the mercy of God is wonderful in that he Vouched to save some of that sinful race and to bring them to the knowledge of the Truth Q. But how shall I know I am ordained to eternal life A. By the motions of Spiritual Life which belongeth only to the Children of God I might enlarge with variety of Testimonies in favour of this Doctrine from the Learned and Godly in all the past Reigns from the Reformation down ward and shall conclude with that honourable and venerable Suffrage of Primate Vsher in his Sum and substance of Christian Religion which for the Satisfaction of all I shall deliver in his own words Q What are
uppermost they are as severe as any The former is natural for all men that when they are mastered or like to be conquered they cry out for Quarter and plead moderation as we find the Church of England shewed as much of it as any when there was occasion and ground for it What condescensions and fair promises did they allow K. Charles II. to make yea and to take the Coronation Oath of Scotland to maintain Presbyterian Government there and also to give Solemn Protestations at Breda to Dissenters of England confirmed by a Declaration for Liberty to all tender Consciences but soon after the Restoration all was violated and soon forgot The next time they were under any fears was at the Discovery of the Grand Popish Plot and fresh pretences for moderation were then Published but continued not long ending in a Sham plot and a new Persecution And the next trouble the Church of England was in was when the Seven Bishops were in the Tower only for refusing to engage upon their Honours to answer at the K Bench to what should be objected against them and then in their Petition to the late K they professed a great deal of tenderness to Dissenters and about the time of the Prince of O. his landing all their Discourse was of Vnion and Comprehension and afterwards confirmed it by an Address and their Majesties promised to endeavour an Agreement between the Church of England and Protestant Dissenters and in adhering to his Royal Promise and design first secured to Dissenters an established Liberty and soon after issued forth a Commission founded on the Preface to the Common Prayer which the Convocation after they were secured and safe from their late fears and troubles took no further notice of but in opposition to all their lately professed tenderness refused to part with one indifferent Ceremony in obedience to their Majesties Authority or for Vnion with Dissenters That the God of all Grace would bless the World with a better Spirit is the Prayer of Sirs Your devoted Servant in all Civility FRANCIS MACKEMIE Barbades December 28. 1697. POSTSCRIPT AMong the misrepresentadons of the principles and practices of the Presbyterians in this Island I cannot for bear taking special notice of one because it strikes so very deep into the Vitals of Religion 'T is that the Doctrine of Election and Reprobation as taught by the rigid Presbyterians of the Kiâ—k of Scotland is contrary to the Word of God and a great discouragement to Piety Tho' I owe not my birth but a part of my Education only to that Kingdom yet having read many of their Books heard several of their Ministers for several years on all Doctrines of the Christian Religion and having alwayes with me their Confession of Faith their Catechisms with many found and excellent Treatises I do profess my self fully of their Sentiments in this and all other Doctrines of Faith and in Gods strength shall never swerve nor prevaricate And in their behalf do profess and declare they hold no Predestination but what is maintained in all the Calvinist Reformed Churches abroad and by all the Presbyterians in England and Ireland and further the same which is held and maintained by the Estabeished Church of England If I prove this I hope you will own they have been palpably misrepresented And that I may effectually and undenyably do it I shall first lay down the Doctrine of the Church of Scotland both from their Catechisms and Confession of Faith In their Shorter Catechism learned taught by many in the Church of England they teach That the Decrees of God are the eternal Counsel of his will whereby for his own Glory he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass In their larger Catechism they are some-what fuller and teach that the Decrees of God are the wise free and holy acts of the Counsel of his Will whereby from all Eternity he hath for his own Glory unchangeably foreordained whatsoever comes to pass in time especially concerning Angels and Men And in the following Q they further teach That God by an eternal and immutable Decree out of his meer Love for the Praise of his Glorious Grace to be manifested in due time hath Elected some Angels to Glory and in Christ hath chosen some men unto Eternal Life and the means thereof and according to his Sovereign power and the unsearcheable Counsel of his Will whereby he extendeth or with holdeth favour as he pleaseth hath passed by and fore-ordained the rest to dishonour and wrath to be for their Sin inflicted to the praise of his Justice And what is for our purpose in their Confession of Faith is this 3d. Parag. By the Decrees of God for the manifestation of his Glory some Men and Angels are Predestinated unto everlasting Life and others sore-ordained to everlasting Death 4. Those Angels and Men thus predestinated fore ordained to everlasting Life are particularly and unchangeably designed and their number so certain and definite that it cannot be either encreased or diminished 5. Those of mankind that are predestinated unto Life God before the Foundation of the World was laid according to his eternal and immutable purpose and the secret Counsel and good pleasure of his Will hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting Glory out of his meer free grace and love without any fore-sight of Faith or good Works or perseverance in either of them or any other thing in the Creature as Causes or Conditions moving him thereunto and all to the praise of his glorious Grace 6 As God hath appointed the Elect unto Glory so hath he by the Eternal and most free purpose of his Will fore-ordained all the means thereunto wherefore they who are Elected being fallen in Adam are redeemed by Christ are effectually called unto Faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due season are Justifyed Adopted and Sanctifyed and kept by his power through Faith unto Salvation neither are any other redeemed by Christ Effectually Justifyed Adopted Sanctifyed Saved but the Elect only 7. The rest of mankind God was pleased according to the unsearchable Counsel of his own Will whereby he extendeth or with holdeth mercy as he pleaseth for the glory of his Sovereign power over his Creatures to pass by and ordain them to Dishonour and Wrath for their Sin to the praise of his glorious Justice 8. The Doctrine of this high Mystery of Predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care that men attending the will of God revealed in his Word and yielding obedience thereunto may from the certainty of their Effectual Vocation be assured of their Eternal Election So shall this Doctrine afford matter of Praise Reverence and Admiration and of humility diligence and abundance of consolation to all that sincerely obey the Gospel Let any man make it appear that this is not the unanimous Doctrine of the Church of Scotland and that they teach any other Doctrine disagreeing hereunto Et erit mihi magnus Apollo I must