Selected quad for the lemma: life_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A25208
|
A faithful rebuke to a false report lately dispersed in a letter to a friend in the country Concerning certain differences in doctrinals, between some dissenting ministers in London.
|
Alsop, Vincent, 1629 or 30-1703.
|
1697
(1697)
|
Wing A2910; ESTC R215794
|
39,818
|
63
|
A Faithful Rebuke TO A False Report LATELY Dispersed in a LETTER TO A Friend in the Country CONCERNING Certain Differences in Doctrinals between some Dissenting Ministers in London Exod. 23. 1. Thou shalt not raise a False Report Jer. 20. 10. Report say they and we will Report it LONDON Printed for John Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultrey M.DC.XCVII Dear Friend IT 's grown of late the Mode with some to communicate their Sentiments under the Colour and Cover of a Letter to a Friend in the Country In complyance with the Humour I have given mine â— same Inscription But you shall excuse me if I imiâ—e not the Disingenuity the Prevarication the Partiâ—ty of the Reporter though I comply with the Fashion general Whoever makes a Report ought to be unâ— the severe Law of Conscience To speak the Truth whole Truth and nothing but the Truth that is whoâ—r will Report ought not to make his Report for an â—â—â—torian must never be the Author of his History I can afford to pass by the Reporters assuming Spirit â—o determines who are the Most Learned of each Party â—ause I know not by what Authority he ventures upon 〈◊〉 nor whether he be duly Qualified for such a Deterâ—ation tho' he has a Friend in the City who has proâ—med him all over the Town A Learned Divine â— shall I concern my self at his Reflections on those or seven Presbyterians who he says are of the BigNames amongst them hoping they can be content â—e of no Name when the Name of the Lord Iesus â—st may be glorified in them Though perhaps they â— not so tamely suffer their Names to be trampled in Dirt by every insolent Scribler I pass by also his temptuous Stuff at those who meet at Little St. Helâ— though you know it is the Body of the United Breâ— who meet there of which Number he himself one with others however now absented from the â— and the Union too and is now laudably imploy'd in misrepresenting them or some of them Principal or Accessaries as inclining towards the Unitarians Nor will it be worth the while to take notice of his affected Terms Pursuances Explosion c. for your great Witâ— fancy now and then to be Pedantick nor are they foâ— little Fooleries to be accountable But it will deserve a serious Remark that since these Persons are resolved never to Unite with them yeâ— they might have suffered the poor Presbyterians to live quietly by ' em They might at least have let the Sparkâ— of Contention silently die and be buried in their own Ashes and not have blown them up into this Flamâ— in the Country which they had kindled in the City Light indeed is pleasant but I like not the Sparks anâ— Flames that come from a Forge That little Artifice which the Reporter may glory iâ— is obvious and needs not my Observation that his Paper came out at a Juncture when he knew the Unite Ministers had Adjourned their Meetings and so migâ— hope to poison the Country before they could prescribâ— and send down the proper Antidote and that his Firâ— balls might put you all in a Flame before the Ministeâ— could rally to quench it But you expect to be entertained with more substantiâ— Matters I. And therefore I present you with the Substance of the Gospel of Christ as he has presented it We are allâ— Nature under the Curse of the Law and destitute of Righteousness intituling to Eternal Life This is our state aâ— condition This is the Place in which we are in which we dye we are undone eternally For Vindicative Iustic which is essential to God makes it necessary that the Wraâ— be inflicted and that there be no Right to Eternal Life witâ— out a perfect Meritorious Righteousness That all who believâ— might escape the Wrath to come and have Everlasting Life The Lord Iesus Christ undertakes for us by making Satisfâ—ction both to punitive and remunerative Iustice and that might do so he put himself into our Place State and Condiâ—â—on So that whereas we were Sin and under a Curse â—y this blessed Change Christ is made Sin and a Curse and â—e delivered from Sin and the Curse 2 Cor. 5. 21. Gal. 3. 3. Pag. 5. This he tells us is the Substance of the Gospel of Christ which if it be and sound at the Bottom is the worst â—rawn up of any I ever read 1. Out of his Substance of the Gospel he has left Regeneration Conversion Repentance Holiness Sanctification a new Heart and new Obedience Good Works c. A Blessed Report for the Country you are eased at least of one Moiety of your Work though I question whether your Consciâ—nces will take his Security that this is the Substance of â—he Gospel which you are to Preach to the People Woe â—o that poor People whether in City or Country who â—t down under such Preachers who make this the Substance of their Preaching for though they may now and then upon the by hint a little at Repentance and so â—orth yet that 's but Accidental to the Gospel the Subâ—ance lies in what Christ has suffered for them 't is meer Accident what he is by the Spirit to work in them much more what is if any thing be to to be done by â—hem 2. But suppose this were intended only as the Substance of the Gospel so far as we are to believe what Christ has done and suffered for Sinners without them â—nd with God yet there 's something in this Draught â—hat gives cause of Suspicion to those who are of no â—ealous Inclinations For whereas he informs us that Christ suffered and satisfyed that all who believe might â—cape Wrath to come and have Everlasting Life Here 's â—o necessity of Faith in order to Justification no Beâ—eving necessary to Pardon of Sin or Peace with God No Faith needful to Union with Christ that we may â—ave an Interest in his Righteousness but only to escape â—rath to come and the having Everlasting Life Well! give me my Bible again I will subscribe without Equâ—vocation to the Apostle Rom. 5. 1. Being justified bâ— faith we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ. 3. Be pleased to observe He instructs you Thaâ— we are all by Nature under the Curse of the Law and destâ—tute of a Righteousness that may intitle us to Eternal Life and that this was our Place State and Condition which we all own and lament as too true but then he instruct you also that Christ put himself into our Place State and Condition will you not must you not conclude from hence that Christ also was destitute of a Righteousness tâ— intitle him and if himself us too to Eternal Life 4. Such an Inference is obvious but it will requirâ— more Application of Mind to discern the Fallacy iâ— these Words So that whereas we were Sin and undeâ— a Curse by this blessed Change Christ is made Sin and under a Curse and we delivered from Sin and Curse
odd Notions which savoured pretty strongly of the other Extreme And it 's an unquestionable Truth that some of them had â—ented such strange Doctrines that it gave Umbrage to â—hem that there might be found among them one or two â—r so that had dipt very deep in those Crispian Heteroâ—â—xies and therefore for a Trial they transmitted to â—hem these Seven following Propositions On the other side we renounce these Doctrines 1. THAT Men are under no Obligation to make use of their Natural Faculties with such external means of Salvation as God affords them praying in hope for his gracious Assistance in order to that blessed End 2. That God hath not made Offers of Grace by Christ 〈◊〉 all within the Sound of the Gospel testifying that whoever believeth shall be saved without excluding any and commanding them to believe accordingly 3. That any are in the Sight of God Iustified or entituled 〈◊〉 Eternal Life before they are effectually Called or while â—hey continue Unregenerate or in Unbelief 4. That any may expect Pardon without Repentance 5. That continued Repentance towards God and Faiâ— in our Lord Iesus and Holiness of Heart and Life are 〈◊〉 in the Nature of the Thing and by the Gospel Constitution â—â—cessary to Salvation 6. That the Moral Law is not of use to unregenerâ— Men to awaken their Consciences to fly from the Wrath come and drive them to Christ or that it is not a Rule Life to them that live under the Gospel as well as others 7. That Believers falling into grievous Sins do not iâ— curr God's displeasure thereby or that they may expect â—â—â—surance otherwise than by the Evidence of those Graces which the Promises of Salvation are made and by the Testâ—â—mony of the Spirit of Adoption witnessing with our Spirâ— that we are the Children of God We have thought it our Duty to bear our Testimony agaiâ— all these erroneous Opinions or any other contrary to the plaâ— Tenour of the Gospel of God And we do further protest â—â—gainst all undermining one another in any matter of Churcâ— Discipline and Government and do heartily desire to maiâ—â—tain Communion with each other according to the Heads Agreement which we have assented to And if any thiâ— hath been done or spoken by any of us through mistake or inaâ—â—vertency that may cause any just Offence to the Prejudice the aforesaid Union we are ready upon better Informatiâ—â— to rectify the same still desiring and resolving mutually Brotherly Forbearance towards one another in any less Points wherein we may differ And now Sir do you and let the impartial World judgâ— whether these Dissenting Brethren did not owe a Satiâ—â—faction to the United Ministers as well as the Uniteâ— Brethren to them and whether there were not moâ—â— pregnant Reasons to suspect some of them inclining 〈◊〉 Antinomianism than they could pretend to Reasons 〈◊〉 suspect any of these Veering towards Arminianisâ— And yet to the Amazement of all considerate Personâ— though the Five first Articles were received the Seveâ— last were wholly rejected I say this further It was not without cogent Reasons â—at the United Brethren after they had given such freâ—uent and incontestible Demonstrations of their Soundâ—ess in the Faith against all Arminian and Socinian Erâ—ors and were still ready to give all further reasonable â—roofs thereof did try these Dissenting Brethren wheâ—her they were sound in the Faith in Opposition to the Antinomian Heresies especially when some of the bigâ—est Name amongst them from the Press and Pulpit had â—isseminated such horrid Opinions as filled all intelligent â—ersons with equal Astonishment and Indignation Now â—ir because most of you in the Country are innocent â—n these matters and perhaps not many of you have yet â—eard what abominable Doctrines the Wantonness of â—ome Mens Fancy in this City doth produce I will give you a little Taste of some few of them with this Caution that you would implore the special Grace of God to fortify your Souls with that Antidote least this â—ittle Taste should prove your Bane and Poyson 1. To talk of a Gospel Threat is at best a Catachresis and nothing else can save it from being a Bull. 2. Pardon is rather the Condition of Faith and much more haveing a causal Influence thereunto than Faith and Repentance are of Pardon 3. It was Sin as to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Christ bore the Fault of Sin was laid on Christ the Sin it self as opposed to Guilt Christ was reputed a Criminal not only by Man but by God 4. As to the Elect there was never any Guilt upon them in respect of the Righteous Judgment of God in foro Dei but that which accompanied the Letter of the Law setting in with Conscience 5. Union with Christ is before Faith at least Naturâ and we partake of the Spirit by Virtue of that Union 6. Justification in regard of Application must be before Believing 7. The first Application ordine naturae saltem is to ungodly Man eo Nomine that he may believe 8. We believe that we may be justified Declaâ—â—tively 9. It is denied that God requires Faith as an indispeâ—â—sable Qualification in them whom he will justify 〈◊〉 Christ's Merits 10. All that a Believer can pray for is the furthâ—â— Manifestation of Pardon for he knows that all his Sâ—â—â— are pardoned 11. A Believer is to work from Life and not 〈◊〉 Life 12. It 's a great Truth that God sees no Sin in a Bâ—â—liever 13. Sin can do no real Hurt to a Believer 14. God is not displeased with his People and is 〈◊〉 angry with the Persons of Believers for their Sins 15. Legal Convictions before saving Faith are no moâ—â— than Sin it 's but the filthy Conscience polluting Guâ—â—â— of Sin 16. All imperfect Holiness is Sin 17. Turn ye turn ye why will ye die is but the Tâ—â—umph of the Law over a dead Sinner 18. The Eternal Life in which the Angels were crâ—ated and confirmed by Christ differs from that Eternâ—â— Life which Believers have in Christ The one is Creature Life or a created Life the other is the Eteâ—â—nal Life of God communicated in time 19. Believers are as Righteous as Christ I mean noâ— in a way of Similitude but in a way of Equality 20. Christ's Incarnation was no part of his Humiliation 21. We Coalesce upon believing into one Mystical person with Christ which is distinguisht from Legal Union which is before Faith I doubt not but by this time you are abundantly saâ—fied that the United Brethren had Just Reasons to 〈◊〉 and of the Dissenters and might reasonably expect â—om them that they should clear themselves in these â—oints when they had given such Offence to the Uniâ—â—d Brethren who had over and over given them all â—anner of Satisfaction in all points wherein they could â—etend any Suspicion of them to be leaning toward â—e Arminians But alas no Satisfaction could be obâ—ined they were inflexible and would not comply in â—y one of the