Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	angel_n	earth_n	verse_n	1,878	5	6.6440	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65924	A vindication of the doctrine of Gods absolute decree and of Christs absolute and special redemption. In way of answer to those objections that are brought against them by Mr. Tho: Pierce, in his treatise, entituled, The divine philanthropy. By Tho: Whitfeld, minister of the gospel.	Whitfield, Thomas, Minister of the Gospel.	1657 (1657)	Wing W2011A; ESTC R222306	60,986	90

whit infringe the liberty of mans will or take away the contingency of the second causes to which he hath given no answer 3. If he hath forgotten or will take no notice of what was spoken of this subject in the Observations which Mr. Barly prefixed before his Book the same things shall be told him again with some addition That the Will and Decree of God doth not violate the liberty of mans will may appear upon these following grounds Christs death was decreed Argument 1 for he was delivered by the determinate counsel of God Acts 2.23 yet he died most freely for he saith that he laid down his life when no man had power to take it from him John 10.17 18. Besides if Christs death had not been voluntary it had not been meritorious if it had not been an act of most free and perfect obedience it could have merited no reward at the hands of God either for himself or us The firm standing of the good Angels is a free act Argument 2 they are not enforced to it yet this was decreed for they are called Elect Angels 1 Tim. 5.21 The obedience and service which the Saints perform in heaven they perform most freely and willingly without any constraint or necessity hence we are taught to pray that the will of God may be done on earth as it is done in heaven and when the Saints on earth repent believe and obey they do it freely they are not carried to it by any natural or violent necessity yet all these things are decreed for it is said he hath chosen us before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before him in love Eph. 1.4 And that God hath from the beginning chosen us to salvation through the sanctification of the Spirit and the belief of the truth 2 Thes 2.13 In all our natural motions and actions Argument 3 in our eating and drinking sitting walking discoursing talking we act freely so also in our civil affairs in our journeying buying selling and all other businesses belonging to our several Callings we act freely without any compulsion or necessity this I suppose Mr. P. will not deny and will he deny that these things are appointed and determined by God What a kinde of Governor of the world will he make him to be when the greatest part of things that are done in the world all the actions of men and angels and all contingent events what ever are excluded from the compass of his Decree How doth this agree with Scripture-Doctrine which teacheth that mans goings are ordered of the Lord Prov. 20.24 That the way of man is not in himself Jer. 10.23 yea that in him we live move and have our being Acts 17. in all our natural motions and actions what we do he doth and what he doth in time he hath determined before all time otherwise he should not work by counsel Gods Decree is actus ad intra an act within himself Argument 4 and of those kinde of actions the rule holds true that they do nihil ponere in objecto Gods Decree alone never works any thing upon the creature till it comes to execution till he puts forth his inward purpose by some outward action Unless therefore it can be shown how God by some outward action upon man doth necessitate mans will his inward purpose and decree alone will never do it And we finde by dayly experience that we sin as freely as we eat or drink or do any other thing in the world Besides Gods inward purpose and decree is altogether unknown to a sinner and ignoti nulla cupido therefore this can never move him to any sinful act The Decree of God is so far from necessitating mans will and infringing the liberty of the second causes Argument 5 as it is the ground and foundation of all freedom and liberty for he doth not onely decernere rem ipsam sed modum rei he doth not onely determine the thing it self that shall be done but the maner how it shall be done for the modi rerum are not really distinguished from the things themselves but so nearly conjoyned as they cannot be severed as therefore some things come to pass necessarily because God hath decreed they shall come to pass necessarily so other things come to pass contingently because he hath decreed they shall come to pass contingently for he hath decreed that all things shall come to pass either necessarily or contingently and the effect of his decree must be as certain in the one as the other Necessity and contingency arise from the intrinsecal nature of the things and not from any thing extrinsecal Argument 6 In things that come to pass necessarily there is such a near and strong connexion betwixt the cause and the effect that if the cause go before the effect must needs follow after as if fire be fire it must needs have the property of burning if a stone be a stone it must needs have the property of descending but in contingent effects though the thing shall certainly come to pass upon supposal of Gods Decree yet there is no such necessary connexion betwixt the cause and effect but in regard of the nature of the things they might have been otherwise then they are It is said The Lord holds the winds in his fist Prov. 30.4 therefore the motion of them is according to his appointment when he caused a strong East winde to blow upon the head of Jonah Jon. 4.8 this was according to his appointment and decree yet this was not out of any natural necessity planted in the winde for that was equally disposed to have blown out of the West or any other quarter if it pleased God so to order it for the winde bloweth where it listeth John 3. Object But if things may come to pass otherwise then they do then Gods Decrees may be frustrated Answ It follows not because as before was shewed he hath decreed that they shall come to pass in the same maner that they do namely that necessary things shall come to pass necessarily and contingent things contingently and his Decree can no more be frustrated in the one then in the other For though it be necessary that what God hath decreed should come to pass yet it is not necessary it should come to pass necessario modo necessariis mediis God had decreed that Christs bones should not be broken therefore it was necessary this should take effect yet the Soldiers were not hindred by any necessity from doing it but did as freely abstain from breaking them as they did freely break the Thieves bones God had decreed the birthright and blessing to Jacob yet this came to pass by as contingent means as might be for there was no necessity that Esau should come hungry from hunting that Jacob should have his pottage in a readiness that he should propound them as a price for the birthright that Esau should accept of the bargain that Isaac should

that are in darkness and under the power of Satan that are strangers from the life of God and are without God in the world and have no hope of salvation can these be in the state of salvation unless by the Gospel they be brought out of the darkness unto light and from the power of Satan to God can these be saved without a miracle 2. If the works of Nature were sufficient to bring men to the true knowledge of God in Christ then Nature should be a Preacher of Evangelical Grace as well as the Gospel and these two should differ onely gradu non specie in degree onely and measure and not in kinde and maner of manifestation Did ever any Orthodox Divine in any age of the Church once dream that the Sun Moon and stars the Trees and Plants the Corn and Cattel Oxen Sheep and such like should be preachers of Evangelical Grace 3. Man had this means of knowledge before the fall therefore this is not the way which God useth to bring men to the knowledge of his grace in Christ Object The Apostle saith that the bountifulness and goodness of God leads men to repentance and where there is true repentance there shall be remission and so salvation Answ Though these in their nature tend to this end yet it cannot be made to appear that these alone ever brought forth this effect and that by them onely any man was brought to repentance unto life they may be sufficient means for conviction and to render men unexcusable as the Apostle speaks Rom. 2.1 but not for conversion Repentance is the gift of God Acts 11.18 which grace he conveys to men by his word as the proper means of effecting it and not by his works alone without his word The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Psal 19.7 He commanded the Gospel to be preached to turn men from darkness to light c. Acts 26.18 Thus we see that there are many who never had sufficient outward means of salvation and it is evident that this came to pass by divine dispensation for the Psalmist saith that he gave his word unto Jacob his Statutes and Ordinances unto Israel and that he hath not dealt so with any Nation Psal 147.19 Our Savior forbade his Disciples preaching to the Gentiles and the Spirit forbade Paul and Silas to preach the word in Asia Acts 16.6 Now if either the Father had intended or Christ had purchased salvation for all upon condition that they would believe they would never have withheld the means of faith from them How can they call on him on whom they have not believed and how shall they believe as him of whom they have not heard Rom. 10.14 3. There are many that enjoy sufficient outward means yet God doth not bestow upon them inward grace or that efficacious work of his Spirit without which all outward means will be ineffectual The Israelites that came out of Egypt wanted no outward means for besides the teaching of Moses they had seen all the miracles and wonders which God wrought in Egypt at the Red-sea and in the wilderness and yet it is said that God had not given them a heart to perceive and eyes to see even to that day Deut. 29.3 The Scribes and Pharisees and wicked Jews wanted no outward means for they heard Christs heavenly doctrine and saw his wonderful miracles and yet the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven were hid from them when they were revealed unto babes and this was done according to Gods good pleasure Mat. 11.25 which certainly he would not have done had he intended their salvation or sent his Son to purchase it our Savior saith that no man can enter into the kingdom of heaven unless he be born of water and the spirit John 3.5 and this winde blows not every where but where it listeth verse 7. Object Where ever God sends his word it is accompanied with such a work of his spirit as is sufficient for salvation if men did not resist it Answ 1. It can never be proved that where ever God sends his word it is accompanied with the work of his Spirit in every one that hears it What work had the Spirit upon those hearers whose hearts our Savior compares to the high-way side where the seed was wholly lost being either troden under foot or carried away by the fowls of the air 2. Though there may be some common work of the Spirit upon the hearts of such who are never saved yet not such a work as is fit to bring them to salvation for how can that grace be accounted sufficient for salvation which doth not remove that which hinders mens salvation and which if it be not removed it is impossible for them to be saved if the strength of that natural corruption be not removed and the power of that rebellious disposition subdued which makes us alway ready to resist the word of God and the work of his Spirit it is not possible for any man to be saved and if God should give such an efficacious grace to all men as would be superior to corruption as would subdue and conquer it then all men would be saved and if it be not sufficient to remove that which necessarily hinders salvation it is not a grace sufficient for salvation Now how can God be said seriously to intend the salvation of such from whom he withholds that without which it is impossible to be saved when it is in his power to give it yea he doth actually give it to all those who are saved Some Divines make mention of a three-fold resistance 1. There is Resistentia connata which is bred and born with a man for whatsoever is born of the flesh is flesh wherein there is a natural disposition to resist the Spirit as being contrary it 2. Resistentia adnata a readiness to put forth this into act when ever it meets with that which is contrary to it self 3. Resistentia vincens a conquering resistance and this effectual grace always subdues and removes in those whom God intends to save Object But God hath given every man power to believe if be will for he hath given him an understanding whereby he is able to apprehend that object which is clearly propounded to him and a will that is fit and ready to follow the dictate of his understanding Answ 1. This Objection presupposeth that a man is able to understand the things of God which is contrary to scripture that telleth us the natural man doth not understand the things of God neither can he for they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 His understanding is not onely darkned but also overspread with spiritual blindeness thou knowest not that thou art poor and blinde Rev. 3.17 the eyes of his soul are closed and he must first have them opened before he can see what is the hope of his calling c. Eph. 1.18 Let a thousand Torches be brought into a dark room where a