Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A32016
|
Gods free mercy to England presented as a pretious and powerfull motive to humiliation : in a sermon preached before the honourable House of Commons at their late solemne fast, Feb. 23, 1641 / by Edmvnd Calamy ...
|
Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.
|
1642
(1642)
|
Wing C253A; ESTC R19544
|
47,198
|
60
|
judgement am I reserved if I repent not And this makes way for the second use If Englands mercies come from free grace let not England presume upon Gods mercies as iâ—… intailed upon them and their posterity for it is as free for God to take away his mercies as it was free to give them And thus Christ tels the Jewes in the forementioned place I tell you nâ—…y but except ye repent ye shall likewise perish and so they did within forty yeares after with a severe destruction And so doe I say to England Except England repent England also shall perish let not England be high minded but feare God hath a devouring sword for England as well as Ireland And therefore let England this day humble it selfe in dust and ashes for though God deferre Englands judgement longer than Irelands or Germanies yet as sure as there is a God in Heaven unlesse wee repent we also shall perish Gods forbearance is no acquittance It is one thing to forbeare a debtor and another thing to acquit a debtor The longer God is fetching about his hand the heavier will the blow be when he strikes What so calme as the Sea but yet when a storme comes what so tempestuous What so blunt as iron but when it is shâ—…rpned what more sharpe None so patient and mercifull as God but yet when he begins to strike and his anger is kindled how unexpressible is his fury Consider this you that forget God lest he teare you in pieces and there be none to deliver you If free grace hath preserved England let England blesse God for free grace and say as it is Lament 3. 22. It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not not because our sinnes faile not for our sins are as many as our mercies but because his compassions faile not It is the Lords mercie that we sinfull men and women are not consumed O give God the glory of free grace as it is expressed Malachi 3. 6. I am the Lord I change not therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed Not because you have not changed your God not because you are good and righteous but because I am unchangeable therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed Let us say as David We have not got our peace and plenty by our owne sword neither hath our owne arme saved us but thy right hand and thy arme and the light of thy countenanâ—…e because thou haddest a favour unto us If thou art converted blesse God for free grace For who made thee to differ from another and what hast thou which thou hast nâ—…t received and if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it Let us ascribe all our Deliverances and all our mercies the mercie of the Pacification the mercy of Reformation the mercy of the Union of both Houses of Parliament the discovery of all plots and treasons against this Church and State our freedome from all our yoaks and all the good things that God hath done for us unto free grace and say as God to Zerubbabel Not by might noâ—… by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts Who art thou O great mountaine before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plaine and he shall bring forth the head stone thereof with shouting and crying Grace grace unto it Let grace grace be our constant acclamation If free grace hath preserved England not free will Let England maintaine free grace above free will I find in history that Pelagius the greatest enemie to free grace that ever the world had was borne in England and I am sure that England of late yeares hath been too great a friend to Pelagianisme under the name of Arminianisme Bradwardine an Englishman complains of his time as Hierome before had done of Arianisme That almost all the world was gone after the errour of Pelagius and he cries out Exurge Deus judica causam tuam I am confident that this complaint and this prayer might justly have been taken up in reference to England these few yeares past for there was A mighty faction risen up in the Church so I dare now call it blessed be God who advanced free will above free grace and subjected the power of grace to the power of free will which faction prevailed so farre as that whosoever was not an Arminian was eâ—…mine A doctrinall Puritan as hee was then termed The Universities were poysoned with this doctrine and all preferment streâ—…med this way We were come to that height that the doctrine of Arminianisme was accounted the doctrine of the Church of England And therefore I beseech you right Honourable to take this into your most serious consideration Place free grace in its throne advance free grace that hath so much advanced you roote out Arminianisme settle our doctrine not only our discipline that there may be no shadow of plea in it for an Arminian King James of famous memory in a Declaration written to the States of Holland cals Arminius the enemy of God and a booke of Bertius of the Apostasie of the Saints A blasphemous booke whose very Title makes it worthy the fire and he perswades the Low Countries betimes to roote out those heresies and schismes which if they suffered to have the reines would bring the curse of God upon them infamy through all the Reformed Churches and a perpetuall rent and distraction in the whole body of their State I speake to wise men consider what I say And certain it is if temporall deliverances be the fruits of Gods free grace much more are spirituall and eternall Therefore we are said to be justified freely by his grace and to be Elected according to the good pleasure of his will and whereas the Apostle saith that the wages of sinne is death he doth not adde the wages of grace is eternall life but the gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord It is not free will but free grace that puts the difference between Jacob and Esau It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy It is an excellent saying of Augustine Timeo ego animae meae salutem aliqua ex parte libero arbitrio committere Iam afraid to commit the least Iota of my salvation to free will and the same Father doth much and often commend a saying of Cyprian In nullo gloriandum quoniaem nostrum nihill est We must glory in nothing because nothing is ours Bernard most sweetly Horreo quicquid de meo est ut sim meus I abhorre whatsoever is mine that I may be mine Bucer likewise hath these words Si vâ—…l tantillum boni a Deo non est Deus non est if the least beame of holinesse be in us without the efficacious worke of Gods grace he is no longer a God Now surely the act of assenting to the offer of grace is
Manoah If the Lord did intend to destroy England surely he would never have bestowed so many mercies upon England Eightly let us make these mercies as so many meanes and instruments of service Let us serve God with our health wealth and parts Let us serve him Cheerefully liberally thankefully fruitfully lest God send upon us that curse threatned Deut. 28. 47 48. Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulnesse and with gladnesse of heart for the abundance of all things Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee in hunger in thirst in nakednesse in want of all things And he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy necke untill he hath destroyed thee Let us rend our hearts and not our garments and turne to the Lord for he is gracious O give thankes unto the Lord for his mercy endureth for ever There is mercy with thee O Lord and therefore thou art to be feared Let us feare to sinne against a God of such mercy Let us admire these mercies and admire him for his mercies And say with David Who am I O Lord and what is mine house that thou shouldest bring me hitherto and is this the manner of man O Lord God And let us pray that excellent prayer Domine da gratitudinem cum misericordia nolo misericordiam sine gratitudine Lord give us thankefull hearts with thy mercies Lord give us obedient hearts with thy mercies Rather let us be without mercy than not to have grace to glorifie thee with thy mercies The third part of the Text is the false reason of the mercy deposed and that by way of Proclamation Be it knowne unto you O House of Israel that it is not for your sakes that I doe this Nec per vos nec propter vos Neither by you nor for you It is I that doe it saith the Lord and for my owne names sake I doe it Not for your sakes This Proclamation is very often inculcated for feare lest men should ascribe mercies to their owne merits which all are very apt to doe It is said in the 22. verse of this Chapter Say unto the House of Israel Thus saith the Lord I doe not this for your sakes O House of Israel but for my holy names sake which you have prophaned among the heathen whither you went Thus Ezekiel 20. 44. And you shall know that I am the Lord when I have wrought with you for my names sake not according to your wicked wayes nor according to your corrupt doingâ—… O ye house of Israel saith the Lord Thus also Deuteronomy 9. 4. Speake not thou in thine heart for many will thinke so in their hearts though ashamed to speake it with their tongues after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee saying For my righteousnesse the Lord hath brought me to possesse this Land But for the wickednes of these Nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee This is repeated againe at the 5 verse that it may not be forgotten Not for thy righteousnes or for the uprightnes of thy heart dost thou goe to possesse the land c. This is also againe repeated verse 6. Understand therefore that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possesse it for thy righteousnes for thou art a stiffenecked people And in the 7. verse he cals upon us to remember it and not forget it Hence observe That Nationall mercies come from free grace not from free will Not from mans goodnes but Gods goodnes My desire is that this Doctrine may be a third Looking-glasse for England If any shall aske How it comes to passe that England hath beene like Noâ—…s Aâ—…ke safe and secure when all other Nations have beene drowned with a sea of blood Why England is like Gideons dry fleece when all other Nations are like his wet fleece bedewed with miseries and lamentations No other answer can be returned but Gods free grace and mercy I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy May I not doe what I will with mine owne May not a man that hath two debtors equally indebted to him spare the one and not the other as he pleaseth Be it known unto you O house of England It is not for your sakes for you are a stiffe-necked people but for my holy names sake But doth not God indent and Covenant with a Nation upon its repentance to shew mercy how then is Gods mercy free Repentance it selfe is of Gods free grace 2 Tim. 2. 25. In meeknesse instructing them that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance Repentance is Gods free gift and therefore Christ is said to be exalted by God to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sins Repentance is not the cause for which God spares a Nation but onely a qualification of that Nation which God will spare Repentance denotes the Persons whom God hath freely promised to pardon but not the câ—…se for which he promises to pardon as the Gnomon in the Diall is not the cause why the Clocke goes right or wrong but onely an Indication whether it goe right or wrong If Englands mercies come from Gods goodnesse and not our righteousnesse let us not thinke our selves more righteous than Ireland because wee are not wallowing in blood as Ireland Thinke you saith Christ that those eighteene upon whom the tower in Silce fell are sinners above all men that dwell in Jerusalem I tell you nay I that am the Judge of the world I tell you nay The nature of man is prone to censure Germany and Ireland as horrible sinners above others but I tell you nay saith Christ When the Barbarians saw the Viper skip upon the hand of Paul they concluded presently Sureâ—…y this man is a murtherer but they were Barbarians and in this they acted the part of Barbarians It is a barbarous action to censure them that are punished by God to be the greatest of sinners Judicia Deinm sunt tâ—…mere discutienda sed formidoloso silentio vener and a saith Gregory Be it knowne unto you O England it is not for your righteousnesse you are spared not because you are better but because I love you better not for your sakes doe I this saith the Lord for if Ireland be sinfull England hath a great share in this sinfulnesse because it hath taken no more care to bring those Popish Rebels to the knowledge of the Gospeâ—… of Jesus Christ Let England say as Lysimaâ—…hus did who was on a suddaine called forth out of a house where he was at supper by his good Genius as the Heathen say and as soon as ever he was out of doores the house fell down and killed them all which were within Good God saith he to what evill am I reserved So let Engâ—…and say Good Lord to what super-transcendent