Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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B02798
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The fulness and freeness of Gods grace in Christ declared. Namely, how God orders and appoints men to their final ends; some to honor, some to dishonor to eternity. The second part.; Fulnesse and freenesse of Gods grace in Christ declared. Part 2
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Duke, Francis.
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1655
(1655)
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Wing D2502A; ESTC R176022
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62,389
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122
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that posture in which they might receive the said gift of eternal life wherefore saith the Apostle The Scriptures fore-seeing that God would justifie the Heathen through faith Preach the Gospel before unto Abraham saying In thee shall all the Nations be blessed Hence observe Observe that in the said taking hold of this Nation in Abrahams loyns or seed God not only elected that Nation to be as a part of the whole nature of man but as such to be Christs visible Church and Spouse I say the nature of man as such but not Angels nature as such nor elected he this Nation upon his fore-sight of their faith or believing operations Esa 44.1 Psal 147.20 but to be put in the said posture in which they might believe and in believing operations receive the said gift of eternal life Rom. 3.2 Hos 2.19.20 For unto them was committed the Oracles of God when denyed to all Nations wherefore saith God to this Nation I will marry thee unto me for ever and so forth Rom. 11.29.30 in pursuance of my final end for that 's imply'd and in this sense the gifts and calling of God are without repentance From this ground God did call the Gentiles to the said posture and so will the Iews that now lay in their apostacy and I say in this sense the gifts and callings of God are without repentance to mankind with respect to his said final end Observe Again observe this Election conferred upon that Nation the greatest honour that ever any Nation had Nationally considered First that of them concerning the flesh Christ came who is God over all blessed for ever The second was the aforesaid Election of humane nature as such in them to be Christs Spouse elect Rom. 9.5 The third was this as saith our Lord Salvation is of the Iews John 4.22 because the Oracles that were committed to them was from them derived being the light of eternal peace to all Nations that then sate in darkness or shades of death Observe Again observ that this election confer'd not their being nor their being so honor'd for their own sakes no more then any other people who had none of these honorsbut only for Gods own namesake in pursuance of his said final end Esa 43.25 Esa 48 9.11 Ezek. 36.29 30.31 Not for your sakes do I these things saith the Lord God be it known unto you O House of Israel So Samuel tels them saying The Lord will not forsake his people for his great names sake 1 Sam. 12. c. 22. because it hath pleased him to make you his people Again Observe Observe that the visibility of Christs Church is in the flesh or bodily part of man or in bodily operations which as saith our Lord profiteth little therefore let all men within the visible Churches of Christ Tim. 1.4.8 take heed they perish not in making the visibility of their profession their religion but to be sure to make eternal life as obtained by Christ and so Christ their Religion in their Intellectual spirit and in truth according to the Scriptures for the quintescence of true Religion is invisible because as God and Christ the object is invisible so the intellectual acts of mans belief or credit he gives to God and acts of love are invisible Rom. 2.28.29 whose praise is of God and not of men that cannot see invisibly or invisible things CHAP. VI. In which is opened the second Branch propounded That as Adams unrighteousnesse in its guilt and punishment by God imputatively in the falne Mass was extended unto all mankind even so in that falne Mass the righteousness of the seed of the woman was by God imputatively extended to all mankind to justification of life that is to put them in a posture in which they may receive his said gift of life eternal or to be either as is said FOr proof of this Point the Scripture saith Ioh 1.29 Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation Rom. 5.18 Heb. 2.9 1 Ion 2.2 2 Cor. 5.14 1 Cor. 15.22 even so the free gift of the righteousness of one came upon all men to justification of life Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world Again men from their believing operations in Scripture speaks the same for say they We see Jesus who was made a little lower then the Angels for suffering of death crowned with glory and honour that he by the grace of God should taste of death for every man and he is the propitiation for our sins and not for our sins only but for the sins of the whole world and we thus judge that if one died for all then were all dead And as in Adam all died even so in Christ shall all be made alive that is to the said posture in which they might receive life as well as to receive judgement according to their works good or evil Again the same men say also that all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself in Iesus Christ and hath given unto us that is Us Apostles and those that succeed us in the Ministry of Reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and not imputing their trespasses unto them And then the Apostle demonstrates a reason of this reconciliation of all mankind into the said posture namely because God hath made Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him But sin inherently was not in him nor actually committed by him for the Text saith He knew no sin and himself saith Sathan has nothing in me therefore he was only imputatively made sin for us and contrarily we were imputatively only made the righteousness of God in him to justification and acceptation into the said posture to a right reception of the said gift of eternal life in pursuance of Gods said final end Therefore as by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they namely believers which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reigne in life by one Iesus Christ Thus all mankind were put into the said posture by the imputation of Christs righteousness Again if the whole frame of nature was put into a posture by Christs righteousness imputed in opposition to the unrighteousness imputed of Adam as is proved and so travelleth untill now from the bondage of corruption to be partakers of the glorious liberty of the Sons of God then much more did the force of the imputation of that righteousness put the principal part of the frame of Nature namely man into the said posture of reception of eternal life Hence observe that the imputed guilt and punishment of Adams one offence and the imputed gift of Christs one righteousness were both of one universal extent to the whole Creation and so to all mankind the principal part thereof for even as
be so for we see it prov'd he respects no mans person more then another in pursuance of this his final end be they men without the Church or be they men within the Church Saints by calling or Saints indeed and in truth such if they abide not so are by God judged impartially some to honor and some to dishonor as are all sorts of men for he made all for himself yea the wicked for the day of evil wherefore God is most righteous in all this not only because he wils it but also because he wils it thus to men and Angels by the said suitable rules and not according to the forementioned mistake of many reverend learned and godly men Object How can that be a just act in God to punish a finite creature for works that are but temporary done in a small time with a revokable punishment to eternity Answ I answer Punishments with us men respect not time but according to the nature and degree of the fact for we by our Laws take away this life which now men have for facts done in a short time and that life so taken away is lost to them as now it is to eternity and yet we judge this fact a just punishment if for theft or murder or the like then much more is the righteous administration of God to proceed thus with men and Angels but as for that fact of Angels it was most transcendent First because they voluntarily left their first estate as not liking it and the reason why they so did is in the Text that is They were puffed up that was to be above what God had made them althoughed the highest created nature and so next to the uncreate and unmeasurable essence of God therefore they being puffed up their sin was they would have been he because between him and them there was no middle thing therefore because they would have been eternity it self eternity in punishment is their just reward Again I answer If the case of men and Angels in the Point of Eternal Reprobation had been this Jer. 18. from v. 1. to 10. that not mans undeservings had been the cause of reprobation but only the will of God to reprobate without respect to their sins Pag. 65. to the last clause and from p. 71. to p. 77. there had been some ground for this objection but because God thus proceeds as is said only according to their works to the said suitable rules therefore it is most just and righteous But as for the aforesaid mistake of Reverend Divines being grounded principally upon the ninth to the Romans therefore I refer the Reader to the Exposition of the ninth to the Romans in my forementioned Treatise to the pages in the margent Object God made men and Angels in the natural liberty of their will purposly that they might be vessels of honour or dishonour for ever and did know before they were which of them and how many should be in misery to eternity therefore he then will'd it as now it is and was not this a most heavy destiny of God upon them and who hath resisted his will Answ I answer true it is in his said final end and all means to accomplish it as is proved he is unchangeable irrevocable and unresistable by men and Angels that is in those habilitles and indowments they received of him if they work to him according to the suitable rules to them they shall infallibly be vessels of honour to eternity and this he will never revoke and also to those men and Angels which in those endowments they have received from him and work contrary to him in his Rule made suitable to them as is described he will make them vessels of dishonour to eternity irrevocable and so none hath resisted his will Therefore let all men submit to his will if they will not perish by following their own will Answer Again I answer I answer There was a time and means in which and by which all men and Angels which are now under eternal misery might in that time and by that means have been vessels of honour for ever in which time and during which means God would rather had it been so as it respected them as is proved but now as it respects God himself he likes it well as now it is because they did as they did when they might have been otherwise as is proved therefore although in one respect they could not resist his will yet in the other respect they might have been otherwise then now they are and that with his will as now they are in torments according to his will and although it be true that God made men and Angels in the natural liberty of their will purposly that they might be either yet by him necessitated to neither therfore the destruction of men and Angels that perish is of themselves although he in his unmeasurable perfections did know the persons and number of them that would perish all things being naked unto him as is proved therefore a most just administration in God to men and Angels Answer Again I answer There is couched in this Objection the seed of the old Serpent that is that Gods will might be subordinate to our will and lusts and what 's that but he must forsooth make men and Angels not for his own sake and glory but for their sakes and glory and what is that but to be God 2 Tim. 3.13 Luk. 4.29 Mar. 4.39 Mar. 6.49 Job 38.12 13. 2 King 20.11 Mat. 15.13 which is the fancy of our Familists as well as their father the Devil being puft up his Will will they do by fancying a Deity in themselves calling themselves Christ and the like which if they be why do they not as he did When the Jews led him to the edg of the Hill on which the City was built to destroy him he passed away from them and could not be detained of them but so did not one of those Familists although he strived with them that carried him to prison for his fancy was of no force for to prison he was carried and if they be Christ why do they not walk upon the waters and command the seas and winds that they may obey them as did Christ or if they be God why doe they not cause the light to take hold of the corners of the earth every morning and cause the Sun to go back so many degrees as pleaseth them and if they be God why do they not shake the wicked out of the corners of the earth and then they shal shake out themselvs and so the world shal be well rid of them But however that which our Lord saith shal stand firm Let them alone every plant which my Father hath not planted shal be plucked up by the roots which will be soon enough to their eternal woe if they return not by those means which God hath put into their hands by the said assistance of Christs Spirit