Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	common_a	nature_n	reason_n	4,591	5	4.8578	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41331	The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God is drawing the soul to Christ ... : to which is added, in the epistle to the reader, a few words concerning Socinianisme ... / by Giles Firmin ...	Firmin, Giles, 1614-1697.	1670 (1670)	Wing F963; ESTC R34439	271,866	392

is it not because the Lord will have it so Now look as we say him that bates sin as sin he hates all sin so he that is meekened with Gods good pleasure in any one thing because of his good pleasure upon the same ground will endeavour at least to stoop in every thing So then if Gods pleasure be to deny thee mercy c. I answer If this Argument be well looked into I think there is a fallacy appears in it If you lay it thus If the Soveraignty of God in denying me any one common mercy be the ground which makes me quiet and still in want of it then if Gods pleasure be to deny me another common mercy upon the same ground I will still be quiet So there may be some use of what is added be that hates sin as sin hates all sin for all sin is of the same nature transgression of the Law enmity against God So all common mercies as common are of the same nature none argue special love But this Argument speaks not ad idem for your Argument runs from common mercies to saving special mercies these are not as sins quâ sins of the same nature enmity to God but these differ infinitely quite of another nature So that to argue because I am quiet with the will of God in denying me common mercies ergo I must be quiet contented with the will of God though he denies me special mercies will never give me his Love Grace but damn me This is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a fallacy Secondly It seems by this Argument that all the reasons or the only reason why we are content and ought to be content when God denies us any common mercy is the soveraignty and pleasure of God for this is the reason expressed and none but this That the pleasure of God doth much and ought to do much among Christians I deny not but that this must be the sole reason as if no other reason should quiet us I understand not this Divinity With his leave I shall give him other reasons why I am content and quiet though God denieth me some common mercies since it is his pleasore freely to give me himself his Christ his Love his Grace his Pardon and Peace which are sure mercies therefore I desire to be quiet and content though he hath denied me many common mercies and let me say this with honour yet to that holy man that the will being a most hungry appetite and good being the meat that must satisfie it and this is Gods own work to make the faculty then if the will be hungry and sharp set after any common mercy that it tastes as good and very good for it then if the temptation blows hard it will be impossible to make that man quiet contented but either he must enjoy that particular good or he must find some other good counterpoizing nay overcoming and conquering that good and what is that but God himself in Christ Soveraignty doth not satisfie the appetite in it self simply it is no good for the will to possess but the love of the Soveraign God which gives the will union with God this is heavenly food for this appetite and this will do when this good God will give out himself to the Soul and make the Soul know it What the Soveraign God might have done with his Creature I deny not but it hath pleased him graciously to deal with man as a rational Creature giving him commands and doth many times give this reason for obedience I am Jehovah but yet withall he gives Argumeuts sutable to the will there is good for it How often is that Argument used to israel That it may go well with you and your Children How many promises of good How many threats of evil from which the will flies Then flie from disobedience Let us observe the twelfth of the Hebrews what Arguments the Spirit of God doth give to quiet Christians under afflictions want of common mercies Is Soveraignty the only Argument there insisted upon Search and we shall find others and but little of that if any thing at all Verse 3. an example from Christ our Lord and Head what he suffered ver 6. the love of God Whom he loveth ver 7. Childrens fare He deals with you as Sons ver 8. Else Bastards ver 9 10. Our own fathers after their own pleasure here was a fit place to have added so God for his pleasure his soveraignty but the Spirit opposeth God chastiseth us for our profit to make us partakers of his holiness These are all quieting Arguments so that for my part I do not find the Scripture speaking after Mr. Shepherd's manner who hath infisted upon nothing but only Soveraignty except his first Argument I find no more Reasons in Mr. Shepherd there is one which I have in my mind which may carry some strength in it I will set it down though I see it not in these holy mens Books and make their case as good as I can Either you must murmure and quarrel against God if he will not give you his Love and Grace but damn you or else you must be content though God will never give you his Love and Grace but damn you But you must not murmure and quarrel ergo you must be content To this Argument I answer I deny the disjunction there is no necessity that one of the parts must be true or I deny both the parts of the Proposition for I would neither murmure quarrel or fly out against God nor will I study to be content to be given up to my lusts denied Grace and be damned Quest If you ask me what will you do then Answ I answer The Lord hath made me see what a finful and miserable Creature I am in my self and hath made me feel how unable I am to help my self being nothing in my self but sin misery rebellion emptiness wants the Toad more happy yet in the Gospel I see he hath revealed his Chaist he offers Christ to me calls me to receive Jesus who delivereth me from wrath to come 1 Thes 1.10 Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity 2 Tit. 14. From this present world Gal. 1.4 Christ himself calls me to come Isai 55.1 Revel 22.17 tells me he will not shut the door against me nor cast me out if I do come John 6.37 He promiseth if I do come I shall not perish John 3.16 Gods will and command is that I do believe in him John 3.16 1 John 3.23 It is obedience to believe in him Rom. 1.5 and 16.26 Obedience of Faith He threatens me if I believe not with his wrath John 3. last When I was in my infancy he took me into Covenant with my godly Parents and powred clean water upon me in my baptisme Ezek. 36.25 signifying and sealing up to me the blood of Christ with his benefits if I answer the condition of his Covenant Now his offer I most thankfully accept his

in the Righteousness of Christ imputed to our justification be not comprehended under the Law but the Gospel so that impenitency and unbelief opposite to that Faith are Sins against the Gospel not the Law as a Covenant of works Yet before a man is convinced of his necessity of this justifying Faith and Repentance he must be convinced he is a Sinner and so need these but this must be by the Law which will convince him of his particular Sins Let these Reasons sussice though more might be added to prove that the preaching of the Law to these ends I have mentioned is both Scriptural and rational and the contrary opinion is both against Scripture and reason As to Mr. Saltmarsh his jeer though there seem to be wit yet there is more sophistry in his Similitude For those legal Preachers did not make Christ and Gospel so hot by their preaching of the Law but by that preaching they laboured to make mens lusts so hot that they might not any longer drink iniquity like water but their hearts being scorched with the apprehension of the wrath of God due for their Sins they might now be glad to listen to and answer that blessed Call of Christ Let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 By this I hope it will appear Mr. Shepherd had no just ground to suspect me to be against the preaching of the Law unto right ends though I know many serious Christians have gone many years troubled about the want as they apprehend of these legal works to whom as I have spoken already which I hope may give some ease so I have more yet to speak towards their satisfaction in due place I think it not amiss to give the Reader the close of Mr. Shepherd's Letter to me in these words Dear Brother let my love end in breathing out this desire Preach Humiliation labour to possess men with sence of wrath to come and misery The Gospel-consolations and grace which some would have only disht out as the dainties of the times and set upon the Ministry's table may passibly tickle and ravish some and do some good to them that are humbled and converted already But if Axes and Wedges withall be not used to how and break this rough unhewn bold yet professing Age I am confident the work and fruit of all these mens ministry will be at best but meer hypocrisie and they shall find it and see it if they live to see a few years more 3. Hence If this be the way of the Spirit in drawing the Soul to Christ how rational and necessary is it for those who indeed would have Christ and would have a sound work to beg this Light and Conviction from God to pray with Job though I know the scope of Job in that place something differs Job 13.23 How many are mine iniquities and sins make me to know my transgression and my sin It was part of that counsel Christ gave to the luke-warm Angel of Laodicea To anoint his eyes with eye-salve that he might see Apocal. 3.18 What should he see Among other things he should see himself to be wretched miserable poor and naked ver 17. which for want of this work of Illumination and Conviction he did not see and therefore mistook himself as do most who are called Christians thinking he was rich and had need of nothing Was this counsel of Christ good Deny it if thou canst If it were good then my Use cannot be bad for it calls for the same thing that God would make thee see thy self Sin Creatures all as they are What I see not teach thou me Job 34.32 I am sure none of us naturally see Sin and Creatures as they are nor ever will unless God be the Teacher I know this counsel will not take with a carnal heart though it be that which converted Souls daily follow God for to have themselves Sins and Creatures opened and discovered unto them as they are Let Sin be Sin and Creature be Creature and let me see the misery of being a slave to Sin and the Creature as I feel my self enslaved too much unto these daily But for others I know they like it not And what is the matter Alas this would spoil all the sport should we once have Sin guilt and our misery discovered we must never see merry day after and that which we fear must follow our Lovers and we must part and that we find a hard thing yea impossible to bid farewell to those lusts companions and wayes which have brought us in so much pleasure and profit in our dayes These or such like were the thoughts of him who would not hear Doctor Sibbs for fear he should convert him he said We have been before you and know your Objections very well having had the same thoughts in our own hearts against the work of God which you have now uttered and so can tell the better what answer to give I know it to be a frequent Objection made against the work of God That it makes men melancholy mopish if not mad I heard it once my self being in company amongst some Gentlemen and Scholars one of whom God had pulled out and being now under this work the discovery of his sinful and miserable estate was dejected being before chearful and too too vain in his mirth now was as sad the other Gentlemen his Companions threw this in his teeth presently this is the fruit of your Religion when once men begin to be Puritans they must loose all their mirth and chearfulness now nothing but mopishness sadness and sowr faces and were much offended But are you in earnest Do you verily think if God should indeed enlighten you to see your self sin guilt misery that it would spoil your sport and hazard a divorce between you and your Lovers Then if thou beest a man hast the use of thy reason let us grapple a little as I have felt your Objection so I can give you a feeling Answer First You must and shall see your sin self and guilt do what you can there is no avoiding it if as you are loth to see sin and guilt now so you could take a course that you should never see it nor know the effects of it then you might have some reason on your side why you so oppose this work but this is impossible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God will set mens sins in order before them Psal 50.21 he will set them in order the word is used variously sometimes for the ordering of a Table sometimes for the ordering of an Army God will set them Rank and File and a terrible Army will this appear Before thine eyes turn thy eyes which way thou wilt yet there shalt thou see thy sins you shall not be able to turn your eyes from them My sin is ever before me said David Psal 51.3 David did not now seek to hide it nor could hide it

the bed-side heard him and God was pleased to convince that man that he was such a person who had lived upon himself without Christ to that day and would say afterwards had I died before score and sixteen I had perished for I knew not Christ Another man lived a civil life kept his Church on the Lords dayes went often to hear Mr. John Rogers of Dedham on Tuesdayes and so attended other Lectures thus he lived in a fine civil course till he was about fourscore and seventeen years of age then the Lord opened his eyes and shewed him that he was not acquainted with Christ at this time and then revealed Christ unto him he lived after this I think four years when any asked him how old are you he would answer two or three and according to the number of years were from the time that he knew Christ for then began his life in his own esteem all his years before he did not live 1. This agrees with Adam's principle once it was so we had life in our selves and needed not to go out to another for righteousness we are all born under a Covenant of works till the Lord brings us under a Covenant of Grace and we would live by a principle that agrees with a Covenant of works 2. This agrees with the pride of mans heart We have heard the pride of Moah he is exceeding proud Jer. 48.29 It may be truly applyed to us all as to this point proud yea exceeding proud poor as beggars not one rag of righteousness to cover us but proud no man cares to be beholden to another every man would be an Independent Rom. 10.3 The Jews went about to establish their own righteousness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they sought to make it stand they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God would not submit their hearts too proud Was this proper to the Jews only No verily it is common to all the Sons and Daughters of Adam Whence rise these disputes against imputed righteousness exalting of merits works c. the bringing of men to walk according to the light within them i.e. which light within them is all the Christ that many know in these dayes Yea let a man that keeps a narrow watch over his heart and observes what rises there tell me doth he not feel sometimes in his life what risings there are against this self-emptying principle Verily mans nature loves it not he hates it 3. Satan helps here he seldom or never troubles that person whom he findeth living upon himself with temptations he labours to settle them in the way they are in keeps off all disquieting thoughts if he cannot draw them into that profaneness he would then he seeks to undo them this way if he can but keep them from closing with Christ well enough he is sure of these other men may possibly meet with an Alarum from their Consciences which these men seldom do 4. The life of Faith in Christ is the most cross duty to flesh and blood of any that God requires let men think of it what they will to be sure here is the same holiness required that the Law requires and that is as cross to mens lusts as the Law can be this is opposite to mans badness Then it empties a man of himself all his conceited righteousness duties abilities and this is opposite to mans goodness So that Faith is cross every way hence the vile heart frets against it 5. As to the poor humbled sinner of whom we are now treating he is ashamed to go to Christ he seeth himself in such a forlorn condition he knows not how to look Christ in the face nor can tell how Christ should look on him as if the Prodigal seeing himself in his rags should be ashamed to see his Father till he had gotten better clothes on his back So doth this if he had repented mourned changed his life and he thinks at least he might come better to Christ then now he can in this ragged condition Secondly Though the convinced sinner hath not a principle in him naturally that leads him directly to Christ but to self yet all that are convinced of sin by the Spirit do not turn aside to settle upon themselves their own doings duties righteousness instead of Christ All would do so if the Spirit let them alone but all do not so this I add to remove that stumbling block which temptation may lay before some who when they hear or read of the Spirits work in taking off the Soul from sinful self in former Heads and now of taking of it off from good self under this Head and this must be done else the Soul will never truly close with Christ they examine themselves when was this done in me when was that distinct time after my conviction of sin that I settled upon my own duties doings repentance changes c. then the Spirit took me off now I say this is not the case of all in the work of Conversion Commonly as is the light persons live under and as is the manner of the Spirits working If persons live where Christ is clearly and powerfully preached the Spirits work also very quick follows the Soul close that it stayes not long in the birth many times such persons turn not aside into this by path but are carried to Christ more directly search and many experiences will tell you this truth Thirdly Let the works of God in the former Heads be various yet in this work of self-unbottoming taking off the Soul from its own goodness righteousness abilities all converted Souls meet The reason is this unless this be done the end of Gods call will never be attained his call will not be effectual for no man will come to Christ for life John 5.40 Who can find life in one hand by his own duties and workings All the sin against the Law as a Covenant of works all a mans badness by reason of this sin is not so opposite and cross to Christ as is this self-righteousness self-considence a mans own goodness Consider God and Christ as being holy so indeed sin directly opposeth him but consider Christ as Redeemer Mediator High Priest Righteousness Jesus so it is not sin but self-righteousness that is most directly cross to him for not sin but our self-righteousness nulls and makes void his Righteousness and whole work of Redemption Mans nature had rather turn to God if he must turn directly by himself then turn to God by Christ So that all believers meet in this work Quest How doth the Spirit take off a man from his self-confidence and own-righteousness Answ I shall give my answer very briefly under several Heads premising this first He who will stand upon his own legs or seek to make his righteousness stand as Rom. 10.3 the Jews would do he must First Be able to make satisfaction for the wrong that sin hath done the broken Law and he must agree Secondly He must be