Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	creature_n	heaven_n	world_n	8,020	5	4.5844	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88635	A vindication of free-grace: in opposition to this Arminian position, (Naturall men may do such things as whereunto God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation.) / First preached, after asserted at Stephens Coleman-steete [sic] London, by Mr. John Goodvvin. Also an appendix proving the souls enjoying Christ after death, afore the Resurrection, against some errours hereafter specified. Published for the justification of truth by S.L.	Lane, Samuel.	1645 (1645)	Wing L341; Thomason E275_3; ESTC R209881	66,752	86

take away from him by far more then we give and then we give only in conceit and take away from him in reality for the like order here is to be observed by us in making distribution between Nature Gods Handmaid and creature and God himself We must give to Nature the things that are Natures as to God the things that are Gods and as in the other case so here 't is most true That when men think to be most bountifull to God and take away all from Nature and cast all on God men may here dash their foot and and take away from God while thinking to give him A man may so farre oppresse Nature for Gods cause till he leave not so much to Nature as to bear the charge of its own condemnation and then if men leave not to Nature sufficient to bring the guilt on it of its owne condemnation then it must necessarily reflect upon God But if we will consider two Arguments in generall we shall see that the assertion mentioned that if men do what is in their power c. they shall finde acceptation with God must be maintained Consider this reason if men must labour for the bread which endures to everlasting life which Christ is said to give them and he not give it then God of necessity must destroy men for not doing that which is altogether out of their power to do for as for actuall believing 't is a work so farre out of the power of the creature as that it requires Gods power Omnipotent to effect Now to say God should destroy his creature for want of such an action as cannot be done by any power inferiour to Gods own which is infinite this is so hard a saying and so contrary and rises up with that fiery contestation against what the Scripture delivers concerning the gratiousnesse of the covenant of God and mercy by Jesus Christ yea it so rises up against all reason all principles of common sense that there is no Oyle that will mollifie it no reason nor argument nor consideration that is able to make attonement for it or to reconcile it with any of these either with any expression in Scripture concerning the tenour of the grace of God towards the world nor otherwise with the principles of reason and common sense 't were as good reason to say that God destroyes the creature for not being God or for not making another Heaven and Earth like to these he hath made as to say he destroyeth them for not doing that which they have no more power to doe then they have to make themselves God or an Heaven and Earth Neither will it at all here availe to say that men had power in Adam while as yet in the state of Innocency then to believe in Jesus Christ this will not all ease the businesse as if God might in a way of justice equity and righteousnesse condemne men for not doing that which sometimes they had power to do namely in their first Parents though now they have not I answer 't will not at all ease the businesse First because 't is not a truth Secondly though it were yet it would not salve the sore First that men never had power in Adam to believe in Jesus Christ especially to justification may evidently appear by these reasons that which Adam and himself never had in the state of Innocency that certainly his posterity could never have but certaine 't is that Adam himselfe had never such power of believing in Christ in innocency neither therefore can his posterity be supposed to have such a power Now that he had no such power is evident hence because there was no necessity use or occasion of such a power as this to have been given to Adam in that state we all know and look on God as the most wise Agent that ever acted now 't is inconsistent with his wisdome and dispensation that he should create such an excellent power as this of believing is when there was no necessity nor use thereof That there was no occasion thereof is evident because during the time of innocency he was in a state of righteousnesse and justification on other tearms and in another way so that he had no necessity of a power to believe to justification because as Paul saith Gal. 2. If righteousnesse be by the law than Christ dyed in vaine so it had been in vain Adam being under a righteousnesse by the Law then for him to believe that Jesus Christ was dead or alive for his justification What 's the reason man had no wings put upon him in the time of innocency but only that he was well enough in that state for this is reason enough to prove that Adam had no such power of believing because well enough without even in a state of righteousnesse Secondly if Adam during his innocency had a power to believe either for his own or for any of his posterity their justification and salvation then he had a power also to foresee his fall because justification presupposes sinne because 't is from sinne and consequently a power to believe presupposeth a sight and a sense of sin but that he had no such principle in him vvhereby to foresee his fall in time of innocency is evident hence because had he had a power for to foresee his fall before he fell then he had a power or principle out of which he might have been made miserable before he sinned because it cannot be imagined but that the foresight of his sin and fall and posterity with him and the whole world that should come out of his loynes would have been a very tormenting consideration to him and therefore it being altogether against the righteousnesse of God that man should be miserable before he sinned hence 't is clear he had no power then to believe in Christ because not able to foresee his fall Thirdly if Adam in innocency had power to believe in Christ then had he a power to foresee the incarnation death and resurrection of Christ because none can have a power to believe in Christ savingly but on knowledge of these now if Adam had a power to belive c. It must be supposed he had such a knowledge of Christs Incarnation c. but that he had nor the least whispering of this great Mysterie concerning Christ during his innocency is evident as from other Scriptures so especially from that 2 Cor. 2.8 9. Now certainly if there were any of the deep things of God that were of the deepest mystery that of Christs Incarnation was the most deep of all things deep out of the sphear of the minds of Men and Angels therefore 't is certain Adam had no knowledge of this mysterie till after his fall But another Objection Object He had a power to believe in Christ had this mystery been revealed to him in his innocency though he had not such a power actually to put it forth yet had not he such