Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	delight_v	evil_a	great_a	59	3	2.0852	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A63017	The re-assertion of grace, or, Vindiciæ evangelii a vindication of the Gospell-truths, from the unjust censure and undue aspersions of Antinomians : in a modest reply to Mr. Anth. Burgesses Vindiciæ legis, Mr. Rutherfords Triall and tryumph of faith, from which also Mr. Geerie and M. Bedford may receive a satisfactory answer / by Robert Towne.	Towne, Robert, 1592 or 3-1663.; Bushell, Seth, 1621-1684.; Towne, Robert, 1592 or 3-1663. Monomachia, or, A single reply to Mr. Rutherford's book ...	1654 (1654)	Wing T1980; ESTC R23436	205,592	262

in that you say that this made the great commotion at first between the Orthodox and the Antinomians Before I entermeddle with this dispute let me deliver my opion Which is That Repentance cannot be said properly to be the doctrine of the Law and yet the Law is not by this wholly excluded as you say it is by the old Antinomians whom you mean or what their Tenets were I know not neither think it much material I shall love the truth in any and maintain them no further Now my inducement hereunto is because the Law never mentioneth Repentance nor hath any word to exhort and call thereunto It worketh indeed preparatorily in the soul by revealing sin and misery so as a man findeth himself undone without help or hope in great distress but this is not Repentance for here Man is a Patient being convinced subdued and brought in his spirit under the work of the Law And this may well be called the former Mortification which is not of sin in Man but in the Man for sin as Rom. 7.11 But to repent is an act a thing to be done put upon man being plunged into this great depth of woe and horrour as a hopeful and initial mean to obtain mercy pardon and salvation this is clear to me from Act. 2.37 38. Where those Jews being beaten down and exceedingly terrified in the conscience of that horrid fact the killing of the Lord of Life and crying out as sinking in despair for advice and councell presently Peter said unto them Repent c. whence I collect with Ambrose that all that former sight and sence of sin and legall terrour was no part of Repentance It was yet to begin yea and secondly It was prescribed as the first course to be taken with hope of recovery Not that Repentance was in their or any mans power for it is God that giveth it 2 Tim. 2.25 26.3 None are bid to Repent without a promise of mercy annexed withall to move him to it which promise holding forth the grace of the Gospel is doubtless first hearkened unto received and credited and so the burthened conscience conceiving now a good hope through Faith in this promise begins to repent and seek unto the Lord. Hence Isaiah saith chap. 55.7 Let the wicked man return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon and Joel 2.13 Rent your hearts and not your garments and turne to the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull c. So that to me it is clear that in order of nature the doctrine that holdeth forth the graciousness of the Name and nature of God in Christ in whom he is propitious ought first to be published both because our conceits naturally are that God will not favour and receive sinners but the just and good are they onely unto whom the promises of acceptance and blessing do belong And also in that God in that Ministry of the Law hath already appeared unto the dejected soul in another forme and under a contrary notion revealing wrath threatning a casting off and shutting up all mercies in displeasure against it because of sin for how else possibly can these naturall and inbred conceits and imaginations of God be raised out of the mind and the soul be perswaded that notwithstanding and beyond all that it apprehends of God in his Law and is become sensible of yet there is hope of mercy forgiveness and redemption with the Lord So that the effectuall and immediate incentive and introduction to repentance and turning to God is the promise of Grace by Jesus Christ When Benhadad King of Syria and his servants being in great strait and danger of losing their lives considered what they had heard of the Kings of Israel how that they were mercifull see their humble resolution Let us put ackcloth on our loynes and ropes upon our heads and go out to the King of Israel 1 King 20.31 But on the other side Adam not so conceiving of God out of the inward privity of his disobedience and being then altogether ignorant of any mercy to be shewed by God in that way that afterward God acquainted him with he in stead of repenting and falling down in a sorrowfull confession of what he had done and crying peccavi In his inward horrour and fear ranne away hid himself and then would fain have excused the matter Now if the way be thus freely set open for all he that comes not in is inexcusable and he that desireth may come but this is not that any soul should rest contented with hearing that it may be freely welcome but that it come indeed and so it find an effectuall entrance into that state and kingdom of Grace for too many do hover and dally with these weighty things and the inward terrours ceasing to pursue the soul to the utmost the bare knowledge and having of the letter of this word of Grace sufficeth them being never truly converted healed and comforted And this is the main reason of their hankering after the legall way for a supply of what they want or of turning this Grace into wantonness So that I cannot but marvell that you or any experienced Christian should so oppose D. Crisp whom the Lord raised up and used as a choice instrument to open this free way to poor sinners that if God had given them a heart to come whatever their sins were they might come and welcome and nor be rejected nor denied what they defired as if his doctrine were against repentance whereas it tendeth to breed and bring forth true Repentance not to be repented of I had thought to have writ a Treatise onely upon this Subject seeing how opposite mens minds are to that so acceptable truth of God Who will seek unto him that smiteth him humbling and casting down himself at the foot of the Lord willingly if he do not first hear and know that God pardoneth iniquity and delighteth in shewing mercy God draweth the froward heart of man with the Cords of his love and overcometh his evill and rebellious nature by shewing and commending his kindness even as afterward he frameth their heart and putteth his own into the same way to follow him in labouring to overcome evill with good Rom. 12.21 Ephes 5.1 2. And lastly who will not be contented to be numbered amongst transgressors yea and willingly sit down with the greatest and chiefe of sinners when he heareth that God is mercifull to sinners justifieth the ungodly and where sinne aboundeth maketh his Grace to abound the more thereby taking occasion to manifest and magnifie his graciousness in the eyes of all the World as Rom. 5.20 Ephes 2.7 Ephes 1.6 By this you may see still that the Law excludes and keeps out the sinful soul and that it may convert and turne unto God the word of his Grace onely is to be preached Now I come to consider what you write Mr. B. The word repentance is

just also to forgive they are arguments to porswade a man to take that course without fear or doubt for man naturally hath that opinion of God that where he sheweth favor unto any it is for some goodness and therefore he dare not come as a naked and meer sinner into Gods sight and presence as is plain in Adam Gen. 3. But if he can bring nothing else he will make promise of amendment in some hope of mercy to be the rather shewed him hence to correct and satisfie our thoughts and to encourage us to take this course to come as we are in our sins making our selves nor our case or matter better then it is he requireth a free and simple confession of sins adding that God is faithful in his promise in which he hath declared a gracious minde to pardon such in his Son and also that his justice the thought whereof in that case chiefly terrifieth is so fully satisfied that now non obstante imò salva justitiae God may in order of his justice forgive and save To that other place 2 Tim. 4.8 I have before shewed how you misinterpret it for that righteousness unto which the crown belongeth is the righteousness of God and not ours Rom. 1.17 Rom. 10.3 of faith and not of works that we have done Tit. 3.5 Rom. 3.22 M. B. Hence some Divines say that though godliness be not meritorious nor causal of salvation yet it may be a motive as they instance if a King should give great preferment to one that should salute him in a morning this salutation were neither meritorious nor causal of that preferment but a meer motion arising from the good pleasure of the King and so much they think that particle for I was an hungry doth imply Answ O how welcome and pleasing is this teaching to mans nature It tendeth to withdraw our eyes and considerations from off Christ unto our selves and from free-grace unto our works whereunto all are most prone by nature If our goodness be a motive moving God 1. Then God seeth something out of himself exciting and moving him to do good and if you hold this foresight of goodness which thus moved him was from eternity you are not far from Arminianisme or Popery and if he was moved at the time of doing good which many of them also hold as the King you instance in then this new and present motion in God to do good is a child of time begot in his minde or occasioned of late and God showeth more kindness then from the beginning he intended Lastly a motive must needs have some influence if not into the act of salvation yet into the minde of God for the salutation worketh upon the kinde nature and heart of the King stirring him up to be so bountiful and the man may thank his salutation in great part for his preferment O happy man I and happy was that time that I met and so saluted the King but the Gospel calleth from all such fleshly rejoycing in our selves that he that rejoyceth may onely so do in the Lord Christ in whom and for whose sake onely God sheweth all favour exalteth and blesseth with all spiritual blessings And why do you bring in and propound this to your hearers and the whole world as now but both because you like and approve of it and would put all upon the like course and practise in hope so to speed But before they had done good or evil it was said Jacob have I loved c. The true God loveth accepteth and saveth freely in Christ without any thing considered in the party M. B. So that God having appointed holiness the way and salvation the end hence there ariseth a relation between one and the other Answ Keep the Law and Works as you told us Luther said here below on the earth and by faith mount up live and converse above in heaven then the way in which the soul walketh to salvation is Christ and his righteousness a way sanctified by his blood Heb. 10.19 20. Believe and be saved and so the relation will be between salvation and Christs righteousness and not our righteousness of works distinguish between believing Abraham and working Abraham as Luther wisely c. Secondly For that place I was an hungry it makes nothing for your purpose For. 1. The kindome was prepared from the foundation of the world therefore God was not moved by works Mat. 25.34 2. It is an argument from the effect of true faith working by love by which faith they being accepted to life eternal did declare and witness the truth of it by such seasonable proper and kindely fruits as is there mentioned all relating to Christ and being expressions of ardent love to him and this is that God may appear to be just therefore he proceedeth to give sentence according to what is manifest to all for faith is hid in the heart and not seen nor known M. B. 3. There is a promise made to them 1. Tim. 4.8 Godliness hath the promises Answ Some by Godliness in that place understand the righteousness of faith by which we become Saints towards God and indeed all true piety is vertually included in it 2. Actual holiness is produced by it and if the promises were to this active righteousness yet not primarily nor yet causally but by reason of justification the sole root and foundation of it There is a secret faith in all that we do saith Luther and unto this God in his promises of any good hath respect and for it or more truely to Christ apprehended by faith is the promise made so that in having Christ we have all the promises else we have none Yet it 's more plaine and direct to take Godliness in that sense it is in 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mystery of godliness that is of Christian religion in general but all tendeth to one though this seemeth to me to be the meaning of it Secondly You say That the promises lye scattered up and downe in the word of God so that to every godly action thou doest there is a promise of eternal life Answ If every Godly action have a promise of eternal life then either so many actions so many eternal lives be due as where promise is of twelve pence a day to a labourer and so many dayes work so many twelve pences become due or at least there be so many rights and interests in it as be holy actions But eternal life can but be due to all holy actions joyntly and to no one singly if it should be due to works 2. It is true that promises be so made in the Law wherein there is a concatenation or linking of all in one yet they are upon such hard conditions that it is poor comfort and small or no hope of having any performed it being impossible The Law is weak through the flesh Rom. 8.3 but the New Testament is upon better promises which are sure to faith because they

You may seem to disparage the learned too much as if confining or ascribing all the promises to the Gospel or accounting them to be Gospel they should deny any promise to appertaine to the law Whereas I think you cannot alleadge one learned Author who doth not grant the law to have its promises also yea and to make this difference also between legal and Evangelical promises that the Evangelical are free and absolute the legal conditional Promiss alia conditionales aliae gratuita yet never read I of any hard or undue expressions cast upon the law as you insinuate If the curse be not sometime expressely set down yet it is implicite and necessarily included wher-ever the law is mentioned taking it for law moral but you reserve this to a future time and so it is referred M. B. pa. 141. In the moral law is required justifying faith and repentance c. the second commandment requireth the particular worship of God insomuch that all the ceremonial law yea our Sacraments are commanded in the second commandment Answ 1. You may as well say also that the judicial law is included in the first commandment and the second table and so jumble and confound all in one law which in their delivery nature use and end are so distinct 2. Justifying faith is so called only from the object of it unto which it hath respect Non aliunde nos salutem quam ex evangelio consequi quoniam non alibi suam nobis justitiam Deus patefacil quae sola nos ab interitu leberat Calv. but this object is not propounded in the moral law for the soul to have respect unto therefore it is an error to teach that justifying faith properly so called is required in the moral law and a confounding of law and Gospel The righteousness of God is the object of justifying faith therefore it is called the righteousness of faith also Rom. 10.6 and that in opposition to the righteousness of the law v. 5. and it is only revealed in the Gospel whence Paul inferreth it to be the power of God to salvation Rom. 1.16 17. and the Gospel is preached for the obedience of this faith Rom. 1.5 that is to call and bring men unto this justifying faith but if the law do it it is not the proper office and end of the Gospel 3. What requireth repentance must necessarily propound a promise of pardon and acceptance unto the penitent but the moral law knoweth nor offereth no such mercy to any sinner 4. God cannot be rightly worshipped nor known but in Christ the Mediator by whom alone we have access with boldness and confidence Deus nisi in Christo suo coli nec cognosci Eph. 3.12 but the law teacheth not Christ 5. And if our Sacraments be commanded in the second commandment then they were commanded the Jews for whatever the law requireth it is of them that live under it as did the Jews Rom. 3.19 but I hope our Sacraments were not commanded them to use yea and we by that are to be circumcised who now have the second comman dment 2. If all the ceremonial law be commanded there then the ceremonial doth not differ in nature and kind from the moral but as a part from the whole Where is the specifical dissirence then so that you have vainly distinguished the law into moral ceremonial and judicial many other arguments might be used to let you see your great mistake but I forbear in a case so clear M. B. The moral law hath more particulars then can be in the law of nature hence the Apostle saith he had not known lust to be sin had not the law said so c. Ans As the moral law is not so comprehensive as to containe justifying faith and repentance so neither do you evince it to be more extensive or large then the law of nature having more particulars then be in that these be your private crotchets How will it stand with the justice of God to require more then was given to our nature at first And the invalidity of your reason is evident for though the Apostle had not known lust by it yet you know that much of that law lyeth dead and obscure in us there be many seeds and remanents of it which to us be imperceivable till the Ministery of the moral law do fetch those sparks from under the ashes revive and bring them to light And lust lurketh in our corrupt nature as fire is in the slint not known nor taken notice of till the law as the steel beat it out and cause it to sparkle abroad but it followeth not that the moral law containeth more because it revealeth more 2. You take the natural law as it is obliterated and imperfect in our corrupt nature and the moral law in its perfection an unequal comparison 3. The sin of lust was there before the law came now if there were not a law of nature or in nature against which it was how came it to be sin by what law had it a being for the knowledge of it you say was only by the moral law As you pass along you are ever and anon like a rash and passionate Schoolmaster lashing your adversaries without cause accusing them as guilty of crying down the law preaching against it reviling it c. and the like aspersions you cast upon them which argue and bewray too much gall and distemper in you but such passages I pass over being minded not to reply to every extravagant expression but only to give satisfaction in what is material LECT XVI Exod. 20.1 And God spake c. LAstly observe in general that God did not give them his law till he had humbled them Answ The principal end of giving the law is that by it as an instrument God may humble us beating down that pride and presumption in our spirits conceiting and boasting of what we neither have nor are M. B. p. 151. To signifie that the law could not be a way of justification Ans And yet you said but lately that the law requireth justifying faith to what end is it if it show no way to justification nor cannot justifie as you say afterward or how can it then be a covenant of grace M. B. God doth use the law as he doth his whole word to beget and increase the life of grace in us and in this effect of the law to increase life David doth often commend it Ans 1. There be two principal and essential parts of the Covenant of Grace 1. To hold out the way of justification peace and life 2. To promise and give the Spirit of regeneration and renovation So Jer. 31.33 34. and Ezek. 36.25 26. And the law doth neither of these therefore it is no covenant of grace 2. There is nothing more against Scripture and the maine current of all true divinity then to teach that the life of grace is begot by the law Here are two great