Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	faith_n	justify_v	remission_n	9,449	5	10.2949	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42231	Hugo Grotius, Of the government and rites of the ancient church, conciliation of grace and free will, certainty and assurance of salvation, government of the highest powers in church affairs in a letter to the states embassador.	Grotius, Hugo, 1583-1645.; Barksdale, Clement, 1609-1687.	1675 (1675)	Wing G2118; ESTC R34449	21,440	54

any one living in the most remote parts of the World do make good use of the first Grace whether God will send a Preacher to him or an Angel Suppose the Answer be affirmative I know not how it can be refuted For the hand of the Lord is not shortned But he saith it never comes to pass How knows he that Because we read it not As if we had the Histories of those Nations or if we had the things befalling every particular person as the sending of an Angel were wont to be related in Histories when they use not often to come to the knowledge no not of the next neighbours And I see not how this can be deny'd to happen Did not God appear to Abraham living amongst the Chaldeans Did he not appear to Abimelech If you say these did not make a right use of common gifts I ask a reason why we should believe God would shew his power less to such as do make that use than to such as do not Have not the Prophets have not the Apostles preached the Word to many Nations wherein were some persons if not well using certainly less contumaciously abusing common gifts To Cornelius the Centurion praying and giving Alms which by Grace one may do who does not yet believe in Christ as Austin expresly saith of Cornelius there is sent both an Angel and an Apostle Who can assure us God is less willing now to do so or less able Indeed Cornelius was already endued with the spirit of the Law delivered by Moses But 't is confest the Law written in the hearts of men and the Law of Moses differ only in the manner of delivery and the degree of clearness not in substance wherefore also this Law the spirit is ready to assist calling to repentance and I see not how he may be refelled who believes God will cumulate the use of this gift with greater according to that general sentence Whosoever hath i. makes use of former gifts to him shall be given i greater gifts shall be granted Neither is he guilty of a new opinion who thinks so of the Divine Goodness For 't is the saying of Prosper There have been and are gifts of this sort so general that by their evidence men might be further'd in seeking the true God unto which gifts in all Ages witnessing the Author the bounty of special Grace hath been superadded And Austin saith 'T is not reckon'd to thee as a fault that thou art ignorant against thy will but that thou dost neglect to seek after that whereof thou art ignorant nor that thou dost not close up thy wounds but that thou contemnest him who is willing to heal them Bullinger saith No Nation wanted true Religion if they would have used it Musculus They have knowledge fit to lead them to the true worship of God and would lead them did they not binder it by their Idolatry Mattyr The Heathens were inexcusable because they performed not what was within their power And after all if one had a mind to maintain that the Apostolical Preaching came unto all the Nations of the World and the footsteps thereof are not wholly worn out no not among the Indians and Tartarians arguments would not be wanting and such as are of moment But this would be a Question rather Historical then Theological Merit of Congruity as the Papists call it is very justly condemned by Molinaeus but I suppose he includes not in that name this opinion That it is congruous or agreeable unto the Divine will without merit to confer upon a man greater gifts who uses former gifis even before faith as well as he can For this opinion wholly excludeth merit I. Because that very use is not from the strength of nature but from the strength given by prevenient Grace to one not only meriting no good but all evil 2. Because not the worthiness of mans act obtains the greater benefit but the undeserved bounty of God affords it Grace for Grace 3. Because this is the nature of merit that whatsoever is given in the way of merit merit is the cause thereof and for that reason it is given otherwise not given But now the Preaching of the Gospel and the gifts attending on it happen to very many who have foully abused former gifts so that an adequat rule of this concession cannot be taken from the use of former Grace And this is mainly urged by the Fathers to shew that the Grace of the Gospel is not given because of merit For that which without any precedent obligation without any discriminating sign is common to him who rightly useth former gifts and to him that does not that must needs be a pure and mere gift as well in the one sort as in the other That Free will hath no strength from nature unto spiritual good that Grace is efficacious i. actu secundo to give not to resist and to will it self that our salvation is wholly of Divine gift that when we follow God calling we owe it to the Grace of God and in other things which are well said by Molinaeus to the honor of Grace I am of his mind They are all without controversy amongst the Protestants But though a man not yet regenerate be able to do no spiritual work i. truly and properly such though no man without faith can please God i. to Justification yet does it not follow hence that a man excited by prevenient Grace not at present regenerate cannot by the power of that Grace do something which the Divine Goodness may accept of so far as to carry on the doer to that Grace without which he cannot be justified Wherefore whereas Molinaeus saith It is impious to hold any degree of sufficient Grace without faith in Christ 't is very true if you understand Grace immediately sufficient unto salvation or remission of sins And yet Prosper is not to be accus'd nor they that with Prosper affirm The more general Grace preceding faith is sufficient to a remedy understanding a remote sufficiency because that Grace is apt to lead one by the hand as 't were to further Graces and by Gods order is sufficient to that purpose So likewise I conceive it is not to be denied that before faith it self there do in some precede certain Dispositions effected doubtless by virtu of Grace prevenient which are not found in other men For when Christ saith Job 7.17 If any one will do the will of my Father be shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God He plainly setteth an obedient temper of mind precedent to faith it self So are some persons said to be not far from the Kingdom of heaven Marc. 12.37 to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well disposed to the Kingdom of God Lu. 9.62 to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a more generous nature Act. 17.11 And this affection being the effect of Grace some do apply here that text Act. 13.48 where 't is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the well

ordered and disposed unto life eternal and affected with a serious desire thereof believed and that other Job 8.47 He that is of God by this pious inclination heareth the words of Christ with ass●nt of faith This surely is plain beyond denial to read the holy Scriptures to weigh them diligently to meditate of their meaning to frequent Godly Sermons to compose himself to prayers is in the power of a man haply now at the point of new Birth and not yet fully born again I assent also unto Molinaeus none of the Reformed as I suppose gainsaying That the Elect resist not the call unto the end no nor can resist it in the conjoyned sense but all the doubt is about the sense divided and the reason is because God as Molinaeus himself confesseth so bows the will as not to take away the liberty of the will The Question is whether to the Conversion of man any previous action of God be necessarily required I say previous for of the concomitant there 's another reason besides the concession of sufficient strength For say some either something more is required and then what was granted is denied the strength is not sufficient or the strength is really sufficient and then it follows that nothing more is requir'd But sufficient strength being granted the will remains free i. indeterminate to do or not to do This for the elect or such as are actually converted but for others who are not actually converted the cause why Grace is inefficacious many think it hard to attribute unto God since in no wise it seemeth Grace which is inefficacious by Intention of the Giver Nor doth it seem possible that any one should be punisht more heavily for not doing that which was impossible to be done namely for not making that grace efficacious which was in itself at least in relation to the subject inefficacious Nor does it seem to these men enough to avoid the making God the Author of unbelief which Molinaeus conceives may be avoided by casting the cause upon mans nature but withal care must be had of this also lest the signos of Gods will be made to disagree with his will and so injury be done to the Divine simplicity and sincerity For how shall they be said called seriously who are called with this mind that they may not come yea so that they cannot come Here now do those Scriptures offer themfelves to hand I desire not the death of a sinner but that he be converted and live What could I have done for my Vineyard which I have not done How often would I have gathered you and you would not and such like which do both on Gods part prove some will at least of converting and on mans part not converted argue a fault not simply natural and so necessary as 't is necessary for a stone not to live saith Molinaeus but evitable by those helps which were granted or were ready to be granted For to those also who being called to the Wedding would not come all things yet are signified to be in readiness And verily unless it be so it seems a man may be punisht for his sin that hinders him from believing but cannot be punisht more heavily for this that supposing sin and this inovitabl hindring be believed not That saying which Molinaeus dislikes It is in man to follow Gods calling or not to follow though it may have a dangerous sense is not yet without great Authors and therefore may receive a benign interpretation They which are halped to believe saith Prosper have it in their power to come Austin Neither ought they to ascribe unto themselves who are come because they came being called nor they that would not come to lay the fault upan another but on themselves alone because being called it was in their free power to come Again we have the beginning of our Salvation by Gods compassion 't is in our power to acquiesce in the saving inspiration Wherefore the same Father explains the calling according to purpose by that manner of calling as is fit for one to be called that he may follow not so as being called he cannot chuse but follow And although the same Austin very often describes vocation by swasion yet I think all Pious men will grant to Molinaeus God doth not work by mere suasions not only upon the mind but upon the Will by inspiring salutary aftections and not by changing the property of the will concreated with it To that Question touched by Molinaeus Why unto some the Gospel is not preached or being preached their Heart is not opened to believe I see the antient Fathers have answer'd two ways in a double respect For if it be absolutely enquir'd Why unto some people of Bithynia and Asia the Gospel was not preached at this or that time The answer is because of their voluntary sins sins of that fort for which God threatens he will send a Famine of the Word Likewise if in be enquir'd why God hardens some to whom the Gospel is preached the Answer is because they had harden'd themselves before For as Austin speaks Then began they to deserve punishment when being call'd they neglected to come But if the Question be propos'd comparatively Why to these the Gospel is preach'd rather than to those Why this mans heart is touched with more Virtue than the others Here it cannot be answer'd so as to give a general Reason in either case from man For t is certain greater Benefits do often fall to them who are the more undeserving persons Recourse must be had in this affair to the Divine Liberty Next as to the certainty of Salvation I do exceedingly approve that which is set down by Molinaeus 1. That there are some degrees of true Faith which are overthrown 2. That some Elect ones doubt of their Salvation 3. That there is a certain peculiar degree of Faith which never fails 4. That full Assurance is to be earnestly beg'd of God For hence I collect 1. That the Faith which fails and which doth not fail differ not so much in essence as degree which also was the Opinion of Iunius 2. That Christ obtain'd for us perseverance and it was promis'd by God on this condition that we ask and beg it with our earnest prayers and therefore not at all absolutely But not to be deceived with ambiguity of words we must note all the Antients so affirm that Faith which may be overthrown to be true Faith as not to deny to it the effect also of Justification For they openly pronounce Many are damned for latter sins to whom the former were remitted Nor do they less consent to this justifying Grace cannot at the same time consist with sins against Conscience as Murther Adultery and such like Wherefore being some elect after the gift of Faith received fall into fins of this sort as by too many Examples it is evident it follows and is clearly pronounced by the Holy Fathers that there may be