Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A75470
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An Antidote against some principal errors of the predestinarians a work designed for the information of the common people.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing A3494A; ESTC R42462
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23,735
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50
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God who will have all Men to be saved and to come to the Knowledg of the Truth 1 Tim. 2.1 4. And that the Grace of God that brings Salvation hath appeared unto all Men Tit. 2.11 That Christ is a Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World 1 Joh. 2.2 That he gave himself a Ranson for all 1 Tim. 2.6 That he tasted Death for every Man Heb. 2.9 And that as by the Offence of one Judgment came upon all Men to Condemnation even so by the Righteousness of one the free Gift came upon all Men to Justification of Life Rom. 5.18 Now from thes plain Scriptures 't is evident that no particular Man's Damnation is unavoidably decreed by Go If Men die the Death eternal their Destruction is from themselves and not from him When he made the Generations of Men to dwell upon the Face of the Earth he made them free Agents that is to say he gave them a Power either to do or not to do what he did intend to command them but withal he let them know that if they did disobey they should be punished for their so doing and that if they did obey they should for ever be blessed It was not his purpose therefore to damn any Man absolutely but conditionally in case he should so far abuse the Powers he had given him as wilfully to commit Sin when he might as well have forborn it Now the Truth of this is evident from many plain and undeniable Testimonies For eternal Punishments are only denounc'd against Men in Case of Wickedness God's Decrees are that the Soul that sins shall die Ezek. 18.4 And that all should be damned who believe not the Truth but had Pleasure in Vnrighteousness 2 Thess 2.12 And that if Men live after the Flesh they shall die but if on the contrary they through the Spirit do mortify the Deeds of the Body they shall live Rom. 8.13 And therefore he faith Whosoever sinneth against me him will I blot out of my Book Exod. 32.33 By the Sins and Wickednesses then which Men commit they make themselves Reprobates 't is because of these things says S. Paul that the Wrath of God cometh upon the Children of Disobedience Eph. 5.3 6. God hathsworn that some shall notenter into his Rest But to whom swear he that they should not enter into his Rest but to them that believe not Heb. 3.18 All which shews that God reprobates none but suh as by Sin are the Authors of their own Damnation and therefore 't is said of the wicked Jews O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Hos 13.9 To say therefore that God is the chief and principal or main Cause of Man's eternal Destruction is a Notion you see which is contrary to Scripture and is therefore an Error 'T is also an Error because 't is built upon such a Sense of Scripture as we have all the reason in the World to disbelieve for that can never be the true Sense of God's Word which naturally tends to debase the Glory of the Justice and Righteousness of God but this those Notions do which these Men do build on these mistaken Senses of Scripture for they tell us that as God has decreed the End of those whom he has resolv'd to reprobate so he has also decreed the Means which shall bring them to that End that is to say he has decreed that they shall unavoidably be Sinners that so he may manifest the Rigour of his Justice in punishing them for being wicked But were this true it would be so far from exalting that it would plainly debase the Glory of the Justice of God among Men for according to all the Notions which we have of Justice nothing can be more unjust and cruel than first to lay an unavoidable Necessity upon a Man to do ill that so with a seeming Justice he may be tormented for being wicked Should one Man do so to another we should count him unjust in the highest and shall Man be more just than God Job 4.17 Then and then only is the Justice of God glorious when he punishes Men for wilfully refusing to do that which he has made them sufficiently able by one means or other to perform This Reprobating Notion of theirs does make the Gospel a meer piece of Nonsense for the Gospel tells us that Repentance and Remission of Sins should be preached in Christ's Name to all Nations Luke 24.47 And that God does command all Men every where to repent Acts 17.30 But all this the Predestinarian Doctrine opposes as an impossible Thing a useless Precept for it declares that none of them whom God has decreed to reprobate can repent and become good Men for he has decreed they say that those Men shall be Sinners that so he may bring on them in a way of Justice that eternal Death to which he has foreappointed and designed them all which say they no Endeavours sof theirs can prevent for the most profound Repentance which they can perform will never reverse what God has thus doom'd them to by an eternal and irreversible Decree Which Doctrines are a plain Contradiction to that express Command of God that all should repent They have been also the dreadful Occasion of all that Horror and Despair which has been found in a great Number of men who have been afflicted with doubting and troubled Minds and has occasioned others to entertain in themselves very hard Thoughts of God for such Notions as these do make God seem worse to some Men than the Devil for the Devil they know can force no Man to sin he can only tempt and endeavour to perswade but God according to these Notions of the Predestinarians does force and compel Men to sin by an absolute Decree that so the Damnation he has design'd them to may appear more Just All which are the occasion of very hard and evil Thoughts concerning God in those who under Despair are apt to think themselves of the Number of those whom he thus has reprobated which evil and wicked Surmises concerning God had for ever been prevented had not these Doctrines been taught in the World On the contrary 't is evident beyond Contradiction that the opposite Doctrine does much more advance God's Honour because it teaches that 't is possible for all Men to repent and become good Men and herein saith Christ is my Father glorified that ye bear much Fruit John 15.8 It likewise tends more to advance the Interest of Religion which consists in every Man 's being perswaded to live a sober righteous and godly Life and it is also a Doctrine which is every way more truly conducive to the good of Souls because it declares that all Men may be happy if they will but diligently improve that Talent of Grace that God has given them in order to the working out of their own Salvation and the making their own Calling and Election sure 'T is plain to every common Man's Understanding that those Doctrines which teach
he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting Life Joh. 3.16 and therefore 't is said that to every one is given Grace according to the Measure of the Gift of Christ Eph. 4.7 and that the Grace of God that brings Salvation hath appeared unto all Men Tit. 2.11 that he is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance 2 Pet. 3.9 that he would have all Men to be saved and come to the Knowledg of the Truth 1 Tim. 2.4 Besides all this we find the Angel thus speaking to the Shepherds Fear not saith he for behold I bring you good Tidings of great Joy which shall be unto all People for unto you is born this Day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord Luke 2.10 11. And the Psalmist tells us that the Lord is good to all and his tender Mercies are over all his Works psal 145.9 For which Reason he proclaims himself to be the Lord God merciful and gracious long suffering and abundant in Goodness and Truth Exod. 34.6 Which universal Declarations of his Goodness do make it most evident that the saving Intentions of God in Jesus Christ were extended to the whole World God having thereby put all Men into a Capacity of being made Happy if they will but do on their Part what he has commanded and what he for the Sake of Christ has made them able to perform and none can miss of Salvation but by their own wilful Neglect If they will not come to Christ that they may have Life the Fault is their own How shall we escape saith the Apostle if we neglect so great Salvation Heb. 2.3 Some I know are so sensless as to imagin that their Notion of particular Grace does magnify and more exalt the Glory of God's free Grace than it would be exalted were the free Grace of God universally extended to all Men. But the Reason of every common Man will serve to confute this for every one knows that he who contributes towards the making a thousand Persons happy is much more good and gracious than he who is kind only to two or three the Grace of God is never a whit the less free for its being extended unto all but as for the Riches of the free Grace of God there 's no Comparison to be made between that which is general and which is particular for the more universally the Grace is extended the more rich in all Respects it is which shews that the Predestinarian Notion of God's intending to be gracious through Jesus Christ but to a few Men to the utter Exclusion of all the rest does but tend to eclipse the Glory of the free and undeserved Grace of God and that which does so must needs be an Error 'T is evident likewise that this Doctrine is an Error from the Practice of those Preachers that profess it for they often declare that God hath committed unto them the Word of Reconciliation and therefore as Ambassadors for Christ they pray the People in Christ's stead to be reconciled unto God that so their former Trespasses may not be imputed unto them 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. For say they as God has commanded all Men every where to repent Acts 17.30 so we have a Commission to preach Repentance and Remission of Sins to all Nations in the Name of Christ Luke 24.47 but at the same time you never hear them say Beloved don't think that by this we preach that cursed Doctrine of Universal Redemption by Christ as if by what he has done for Mankind all were put into a new Capacity of obtaining Life eternal no we declare the contrary that tho by us God does command all Men every where to repent yet by his eternal Decree he has made it impossible for all those to repent which are not first elected we may exhort you all to repent indeed because we don't know who are elected and who are not but if there be none of the Elect among you our Exhortations will all be in vain for the Non-elect cannot come to Christ that they may have Life tho he bids all come that are weary and heavy-laden that they may find Rest to their Souls Mat. 11.29 No Man I say ever heard a Predestinarian Preacher speak thus but thus they ought to speak were their Practice answerable to the Principles which they hold but their not doing so evidently shews that this Doctrine is repugnant to the true Office and Duty of a Minister and for that very Reason ought by all Men to be rejected as an Error Of FREE-WILL The Predestinarians teach that God has not given unto Man such a Freedom and Power of Will as does enable him either to do or not to do what he requires of him for they say that as one part of Men are reprobated and the other are elected so he will unavoidably make them righteous whom he decrees to save and as unavoidably make them wicked whom he decrees to damn for as God has decreed the End of Men whether it be Salvation or Damnation so he has decreed the Means that shall bring them thereunto these things say they are not left to their own Choice neither is it in their own Power to be that which God has not absolutely determined them to But this Notion is contrary also to Scripture and Reason and is therefore an Error The general Importance of the Scriptures does make it evident that Man is a Being to whom God has given such Powers as do sufficiently enable him either to do the Will of God or else to disobey it and therefore we are exhorted to give all Diligence to make our Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 and to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 and to labour to enter into that Rest Heb. 4.11 and to cleanse our selves from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 and to cast away from us all our Transgressions and make us new Hearts and new Spirits Ezek. 18.31 And to the same purpose St. James presses those to whom he wrote saying Cleanse your Hands ye Sinners and purify your Hearts ye double-minded Jam. 4.8 All which do clearly imply that God has given Men a Power to do his Will else he would not exhort them to do it as we see he has done and if he exhorts all Men to do this and yet they all do not do it as we see they do not this is a plain Proof on the other hand that they have a Power to disobey And indeed the Divine Law of God is a clear and demonstrative Proof that the Will of Man is free for it would be in vain to oblige Men by a Law to do one thing and not to do another if there were a natural Necessity that Men must do these things As there is no place then so neither is there any need of an Obligation where there is