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 |
|
A60717
|
A sober letter, touching predestination and obduration Sent to a minister in the city of Bristol.
|
|
1679
(1679)
|
Wing S4411; ESTC R219110
|
8,859
|
14
|
Sin so God gave corroborating confirming Grace to some Angels and not to others to preserve them from Sin according to the Sovereignty of his Will without reference to their desert This Grace God granted to the elect Angels who has one of the Antients duly observes were Amplius adjuti more assisted by the Grace of God than the other that fell and what reason can be alledged for this but merely the absolute Sovereignty and free Pleasure of God And here we must acquiesce after all our vain and tedious Disputes Behold in this thou art not just God is greater than Man why dost thou strive against him for he giveth not account of any of his matters Job 33.12 13. Wilt thou condemn him that is most just Is it fit to say to a King thou art wicked How much less to him that accepts not the persons of Princes nor regardeth the rich more than the poor Job 34.17 18 19. Yea indeed this great God who governs all persons and things is most just his Will being the eternal Rule of Righteousness Justice may be considered two ways the one is when things are carried towards Men according to their Works The other is when a Man doth no other thing than he hath power to do as in executing the power that God hath given him over the inferior Creatures Thus we are just though We kill Sheep or Oxen c. not in reference to any Works of theirs but only in reference to our own necessary use and that lawful power which God hath given us to make use of these Creatures and to serve our own turns of them And thus God is not unjust or unrighteous but most righteous and just in shewing Mercy on some and not on others in giving the Grace of Faith and Repentance to some and not to others when there is no difference between them Sect. 8. It is the great duty and Concernment of all those persons to whom the Gospel is preached be they rich or poor noble or ignoble learned or unlearned moral or prophane to deny themselves and believe on Christ for everlasting Life and Salvation without questioning the secret Eternal Decrees and Purposes of God concerning them in particular When Men are in danger of drowning if a Rope be cast out with a Command that they should lay hold on it for their safety will any of them be so foolish as to neglect the means of their safety till the secret purpose and meaning of him that cast out the Rope be particularly known concerning them Or if a rich Man throw Mony amongst the Poor requiring them to accept of it will any of them refuse it till he certainly know the secret intent and purpose of the rich Man concerning him in particular Although the Gospel doth not exprefly fignifie that this or that Man shall In the Event actually believe on Christ and be saved yet the Gospel makes known to the Sons of Men that it is their duty to accept and embrace the Lord Jesns as he is freely offered to Sinners and that whosoever will be justified and saved must believe on him He that hath the Son hath life but he that hath not the Son hath not life He that believeth on Christ shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Faith and Salvation are so indivisibly joyned together that wheresoever the one is there the other necessarily and infallibly followeth Consider 1. That where God affords the means of Grace there the outward Dispensation of the Gospel is alike to all both Elect and Reprobate We invite we wooe we intreat all to come in and be reconciled to God not knowing in particular who are elect of reprobate in respect of the Eternal Decrees of God we offer Christ freely to all that will come Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 Christ is tendered as an All sufficient Saviour to all that hear the Gospel with a Command to believe and a promise that Whosoever none excepted believeth shall be saved And though none can savingly believe without God's Special Grace yet all those that finally reject this Tender of the Gospel are left without excuse 2. As none of us are expresly mentioned by Name in the Gospel so neither are we excluded by Name There we find that Christ died for the world for sinners for the Vngodly for Enemies Rom. 5.6 8 10. Joh. 3.16 17.1 Tim. 1.15.1 Joh. 2.2 Which words are comprehensive and will take in all sorts of sinners that will heartily receive and embrace the Lord Jesus Him that cometh to me saith our blessed Saviour I will in no wise cast out Joh. 6.37 And what though our sins be exceeding great and hainous yet let us remember that forgiveness and pardon of all sins of what number or nature foever they be is freely offered and promised to every one that shall cordially accept thereof So that it matters not so much what our Sins have formerly been as whether we are now heartily willing to close with Jesus Christ for pardon of and power against Sin. 3. We cannot perform a more acceptable Service and Obedience to God than to believe on Christ and heartily embrace the offer of his Grace as being poor lost condemned Sinners in our selves Joh. 6.29 Without this all other works are but dead works Heb. 9.14 Heb. 11.4 5 6. He that believes not doth what he can to make God a liar 1 Joh. 5.10 And he that believes on the Son of God sets to his seal that God is true Joh. 3.33.4 Such as have truly repented of their Sins and do cast and roul themselves in the sense of their own unworthiness upon the perfect Righteousness and Merits of Christ as held forth in the Promises of the Gospel have the witness in themselves of their Election Justification and Adoption and are free from the danger of Reprobation and final Obduration though at present they are sensible of and do groan under much hardnss of heart and corruption 'T is God that justifies 't is Christ that died for them Who therefore shall condemn them who shall lay any thing to their charge Rom. 8.1 32. Sect. 9. Whereas God is often said in Scripture to harden the hearts of Men Exod. 4.21 Exod. 9.16 Deut. 2.30 Rom. 9.18 Certainly God doth not harden Men's hearts as Augustine rightly observes Infundendo Malitiam but Non Infundendo Gratiam 'T is not by infusing any evil into the heart but by witholding and not communicating his Grace to it As the Water is congealed and frozen by the absence of the Sun how not by imparting coldness but by not imparting heat and influence Hardness of heart as it is Sin and Rebellion against God so God hath nothing to do with it but it must be put upon the Score of Satan and the Corruption of Man's Nature God hardeneth not the hearts of his own people as he hardeneth the Reprobates for though he hide his face and suspend the comfortable