Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	according_a	jesus_n	lord_n	1,817	5	3.2256	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90278	Of the death of Christ, the price he paid, and the purchase he made. Or, the satisfaction, and merit of the death of Christ cleered, the universality of redemption thereby oppugned: and the doctrine concerning these things formerly delivered in a treatise against universal redemption vindicated from the exceptions, and objections of Mr Baxter. / By J. Owen, minister of the gospel.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1650 (1650)	Wing O783; Thomason E614_2; ESTC R206527	67,152	109

I any Reason to expect from the great endeavours which are entring the City of God with Io Triumphs any thing beyond fruitlesse Attempts to varnish over with plausible appearances formerly decryed Invectives and Reasonings whose Deformity and Nakedness have been often discovered to the lothing of them by the Saints of God so I no way doubt but that the Lord whose Truth is precious to him will continue to powre out from the rich Provision which he hath made for the use of his Church and laid it up in the Lord Jesus sutable Gifts and Abilities against all Opposition whereunto by the Craft of Satan it is exposed I shall say no more though Occasion be administred to deplore that successe which the spirit of Seduction that is gone out in this hour of Temptation hath had in prevaising upon them that live in the Earth to turn away their minds from sound Doctrine and the forme of wholsome words Only I desire to Commend the Reader unto those two Apostolical Cautions one 1 Tim. 1. 18 19. the other 1 Tim. 6. 20. and to Commit him to the Grace of God May 15th J. O. OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST CAP. I. The Occasion of this DISCOVRSE with the Intendment of the whole A Few words will briefly acquaint the Reader with the Occasion of this Discourse ensuing It is now about 2 yeers since I Published a Treatise about the Redemption and Satisfaction that is in the blood of Chrst My aym was to hold out the whole Work of Redemption as flowing from the Love of the Father dispensed in the bloud of the Son and made effectual by the application of the Spirit of Grace And because in this whole Dispensation and in all the Method of Gods proceedings to make us nigh to himself in the bloud of Jesus There is no one thing so commonly Controverted as the object of that Redemption in respect of the extent of it That in the whole I did specially intend What by the grace of him who supplieth seed to the Sower was attained in that undertaking is left unto the Judgement of men upon the Issue of his Blessing thereunto altogether I am not out of hopes That that Labor in the Lord was not in vain The Universality of Redemption one thing in that Treatise mainly opposed having of old and of late got room in the minds of some men otherwise furnished with many precious Truths and eminent Gifts I was not without expectation of some opposition to be made thereunto Something also I have been informed hath been attempted that way but I am yet at so much quiet in that regard as an utter nescience of them can afford Only whereas many other questions are incidently and by the way handled therein as about the Satisfaction and Merit of Christ c. It pleased Mr Baxter a learned Divine in an Appendix to a Treatise of Justification by him lately Published to turn aside in the Censure of some of them and opposition to them Indeed most of his Exceptions do lie rather against Words then Things Expressions then Oppinions wayes of Delivering things then the Doctrines themselves as the Reader will perceive so that of this labour I might ease my self with this just Apology That I was desired and pressed to handle the things of that Discourse in the most popular way they were capable of and in the best accommodation to vulgar Capacities so that it is no wonder if some Expressions therein may be found to want some grains of Accurateness though they have not one dram the less of Truth in a Scholastical ballance Notwithstanding because 1 I am not as yet convinced by any thing in M. Baxters Censure and Opposition that there was any such blameable deviation as is pretended but rather the words of Truth and Sobriety cloathing a Doctrine of wholsomeness and especially because the things pointed at are in themselves weighty and needing some exactness in the delivery to give a right Apprehension of them I was willing once more to attempt whether the Grace of God with me who am less then the least of all Saints might give any further light into the right understanding of them according to the Truth to the advantage of any that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity The true nature of the satisfaction of Christ with the kind of Payment of our Debt by him made and accomplished is doubtless worthy of our most serious enquiry The right Constitution of the immediate Effects of the Death of Christ the relation of men to the Election of God and the Redemption of Christ with their several states and Conditions in reference unto those Works of Grace ought to be of no lesse esteem And that not only for the nature and excellency of the things themselves but also because a right disposal of them gives more light into the stating and settling many other Controverted Truths about Faith Justification Vocation and the like These are the Subjects about which I am called forth in my own or rather Truths defence For the Treatise and Subject thereof whose latter part gives Rise to this I shall say no more but as there are in it many footsteps of Commendable Learning Industry and Diligence so to my present Apprehension the chief Intendments of it with very many occasional Expressions of the Authors Judgement in sundry Particulars are obnoxious to just Opposition from Truth it self It is not at all in my thoughts to engage my self into the chief Controversie there agitated though I could desire That some to whom Providence hath given more leasure and opportunities for such employments would candidly examine those Aphorismes for the further advantage of Truth and Light But whereas the learned Author hath to make streight the work he had in hand endeavoured to cast some part of the Doctrine of the Satisfaction and Redemption of Christ as by me delivered into a crooked Frame and that with some such passages of Censure as might have been omitted without losing the least Grace of his Book or Stile I shall with the Lords assistance endeavour to reinforce what of Truth hath been thereby assaulted in vain and more especially take occasion from thence further to unfold those Mysteries which to our apprehension are wrapped up in no small darkness there being in them some things difficult and hard to be understood The First thing then which that learned Divine chose to stand in distance from me in is concerning the nature of the payment made for sin by the bloud of Christ Whether it be ejusdem or tantidem and of the Sense of those Expresions is our First Debate In handling whereof I hope I shall not only satisfie the Reader as to the Truth of what I had before written but also further cleer the whole Doctrine of Satisfaction with especial reference to the kind of the Payment that Christ made and Punishment which he underwent The other Head wrappeth in it self many particulars concerning the

CONDITION to be by them performed not absolutly procured for them thereby whereby they became to have a Right unto the GOOD THINGS by him Purchased to be in due time Possessed according to Gods Way Method and Appointment From a faithful adherence unto this Perswasion I see nothing as yet of the least Efficacy or force to disswade me and am bold to tell these concerned therein That their Conditional Satisfaction or their suspending the Fruits of the Death of Christ upon Conditions as though the Lord should give him to die for us upon Condition of such and such things is a vain Figment contrary to the Scriptures inconsistent in it self and destructive of the true value and vertue of the Death of Christ which by the Lords Assistance I shall be ready at any time to Demonstrate My Intention in the place Excepted against being cleered I shall now tender my Thoughts to these Two things 1 The distinct Consideration of the Acts of the Will of God before and after the Satisfaction of Christ as also before and after our Believing towards us as unto Justification 2 The distinct Estate of the Sinner upon that Consideration with what is the Right to the Fruits of the Death of Christ which the Elect of God have before Believing CAP. VI Of the Acts of Gods Will towards Sinners Antecedent and Consequent to the Satisfaction of Christ Of Grotius Judgment herein THE distinct Consideration of the Acts of Gods Will in reference to the Satisfaction of Christ and our believing according to the former Proposal is the First thing to be Considered Grotius who with many and in an especial manner with Mr Baxter is of very great account and that in Theologie distinguisheth as himself calls them with a School term 3 Moments or Instances of the Divine Will a 1 Before the Death of Christ either actually accomplished or in the purpose and fore-knowledge of God in this instant he saith God is Angry with the Sinner but so as that he is not averse from all Wayes of laying down his Anger b 2 Upon the Death of Christ or that being suppos'd wherein God not only Purposeth but also Promiseth to lay aside his Anger c 3 When a man by true Faith believeth in Christ and Christ according to the Tenure of the Covenant commendeth him to God here now God layes aside his Anger and receiveth man into Favour Thus far he Amongst all the attempts of distinguishing the Acts of Gods Will in reference unto Christ and Sinners what ever I considered I never found any more slight Atheological and discrepant from the Truth then this of Grotius d To measure the Almighty by the Standard of a man and to frame in the mind a mutable Idol instead of the Eternal Unchangeable God is a Thing that the fleshly Reasonings of dark understandings are prone unto Feigns the Lord in one Instant Angry afterwards promising to cease to be so then in another instant laying down his Anger and taking up a contrary affection and you seem to me to do no less What it may be esteemed in Law which was that Authors faculty I know not but suppose in Divinity that notwithstanding the manifold Attempts of some {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in most heads of Religion e the ascribing unto the most holy things alien and opposite unto his glorious nature is by common consent accounted no less then f blasphemy whither this be here don or no may easily appear I hope then without the offence of any I may be allowed to call those Dictates of Grotius to the Rule and Measure of Truth 1 Before the fore-sight of the Death of Christ saith he God is angry with Sinners but not wholly averse from all wayes of laying aside that Anger Answ. 1 That God should be conceived angry after the manner of men or with any such kind of Passion is grosse Anthropomorphisme as bad if not worse then the assigning of him a bodily shape g The Anger of God is a pure Act of his Will whereby he will effect and inflict the Effects of Anger Now what is before the fore-sight of the Death of Christ is certainly from Eternity Gods Anger must respect either the purpose of God or the Effects of it The latter it cannot be for they are undoubtedly all temporal It must be then his purpose from Eternity to inflict punishment that is the Effect of Anger This then is the First thing in the business of Redemption assigned by Grotius unto the Lord viz. He purposed from Eternity to inflict punishment on Sinners and on what sinners even those for whom he gives Christ to die and afterwards receives into favour as he expresseth himself Behold here a Mystery of Vorstian Theology God changing his eternal purposes h This Arminius at first could not down withal inferring from hence That the Will of God differ'd not from his Essence that every act thereof is 1 Most Simple 2 Infinite 3 Eternal 4 Immutable 5 Holy Reason it self would fain speak in this Cause but that the Scriptures do so abound many places are noted in the Margin Ja. 1. 17. 2 Tim. 2. 19. Ps. 33. 9 10 11. Acts. 15. 18. c. may be added A mutable god is of the dunghil 2 That the Death of Christ is not compriz'd in the first consideration of Gods Mind and act of his Will towards Sinners to be saved is assumed gratis 3 He is not saith he averse from all wayes of laying down this Anger This Schem Grotius placeth as is evident in God as the foundation and bottom of sending Christ for our Redemption This he immediatly subjoyns without the least intimation of any further inclination in God towards Sinners for whom he gives his Son But 1 This is a meer negation of inflicting Anger for the present or a suspension of that affection from working according to its Qualitie which how it can be ascribed to the pure and active i Will of God I know not Yea it is above disproved 2 Such a kind of Frame as it is injurious to God so to be held out as the fountain of his sending Christ to die for us is I am perswaded an Abhorrency to Christians And 3 Whether this Answer that which the Scripture holds out as the most intense distinguishing love Joh. 3. 16. Rom. 5. 8. Chap. 8. 32. 1 Joh. 4. 9 10. is easily discernable A natural velleity to the good of the Creature is the thing here couched but was never proved In the second Instance God saith he the Death of Christ being suppos'd not only determineth but also promiseth to lay aside his anger 1 What terms can be invented to hold out more expresly a Change and Alteration in the Unchangable God then these here used I know not 2 That the Will or Mind of God is altered from one respect towards us to another by the Consideration of the Death