Selected quad for the lemma: mercy_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
mercy_n	good_a	grace_n	work_n	6,662	5	5.6625	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90293	Theomachia autexousiastikē: or, A display of Arminianisme. Being a discovery of the old Pelagian idol free-will, with the new goddesse contingency, advancing themselves, into the throne of the God of heaven to the prejudice of his grace, providence, and supreme dominion over the children of men. Wherein the maine errors of the Arminians are laid open, by which they are fallen off from the received doctrine of all the reformed churches, with their opposition in divers particulars to the doctrine established in the Church of England. Discovered out of their owne writings and confessions, and confuted by the Word of God. / By Iohn Owen, Master of Arts of Queens Colledge in Oxon.	Owen, John, 1616-1683.	1643 (1643)	Wing O811; Thomason E97_14; ESTC R21402	143,909	187

not that whereby God determineth to give some unto Christ to ingraft them in him by faith and bring them by him unto glory which giveth light to that place of Arminius where he affirmeth That God loveth none precisely to eternall life but considered as iust either with Legall or Evangelicall righteousnesse Now to love one to eternall life is to destinate one to obtaine eternall life by Christ and so it is co-incident with the former assertion that our election or choosing unto grace and glory is upon the fore-sight of our good workes which containes a doctrine so contradictorie to the words and meaning of the Apostle Rom. 9. 11. condemned in so many Councels suppressed by so many Edicts and Decrees of Emperours and Governours opposed as a pestilent heresie ever since it was first hatched by so many Orthodoxe Fathers and learned Schoole men so directly contrary to the Doctrine of this Church so injurious to the grace and supreame power of Almightie God that I much wonder any one in this light of the Gospel and flourishing time of learning should be so boldly ignorant or impudent as to broach it amongst Christians to prove this to be a heresie exploded by all Orthodoxe and Catholique antiquitie were to light a candle in the Sunne for it cannot but be knowne to all and every one who ever heard or read any thing of the state of Christs Church after the rising of the Pelagian tumults To accumulate testimonies of the Ancient is quite beside my purpose I will onely adde the confession of Bellarmine a man otherwise not over-well affected to truth Predestination saith he from the fore-sight of workes cannot be maintained unlesse we should suppose something in the righteous man which should make him differ from the wicked that he doth not receive from God which truly all the Fathers with unanimous consent doe reiect but we have a more sure testimonie to which we will take heed even the holy Scripture pleading strongly for Gods free and undeserved grace First our Saviour Christ Matth. 11. 26. declaring how God revealeth the Gospel unto some which is hidden from others a speciall fruit of election resteth in his will and good pleasure as the onely cause thereof even so O Father for so it seemed good in thy sight so comforting his little flock Luk. 12. 32. he bids them feare not for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome his good pleasure is the onely cause why his kingdome is prepared for you rather then others but is there no other reason of this discrimination No he doth it all that his purpose according to election might stand firme Rom. 9. 11. For we are predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will Ephes 1. 11. But did not this counsell of God direct him to choose us rather then others because we had something to commend us more then they No The Lord did not set his love upon you nor choose you because you were more in number then any people but because the Lord loved you Deut. 7. 7 8. He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy yea before the children were borne and had done either good or evill that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of workes but of him that calleth it was said unto her the elder shall serve the younger as it is written Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated Rom. 9. 11 12. In briefe where ever there is any mention of election or predestination it is still accompanied with the purpose love or will of God his foreknowledge whereby he knoweth them that are his his free power and supreame dominion over all things of our faith obedience or any thing importing so much not one syllable no mention unlesse it be as the fruit and effect thereof it is the sole act of his free grace and good pleasure that he might make knowne the riches of his glory towards the vessels of mercy Rom. 9. 23. for this onely end hath he saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was given in Iesus Christ before the world began 2 Tim. 1. 9. Even our calling is free and undeserved because flowing from that most free grace of election whereof we are partakers before we are it were needlesse to heape up more testimonies in a thing so cleere and evident when God and man stand in competition who shall be accounted the cause of an eternall good we may be sure the Scripture will passe the verdict on the part of the most high and the sentence in this case may be derived from thence by these following reasons First If finall perseverance in faith and obedience be the cause of or a condition required unto election then none can be said in this life to be elected for no man is a finall perseverer untill he be dead untill he hath finished his course and consummated the faith but certaine it is that it is spoken of some in the Scripture that they are even in this life elected few are chosen Mat. 20. 16. for the elects sake those dayes shall be shortned Matth. 24. and shall seduce if it were possible the very elect vers 24. where it is evident that election is required to make one persevere in the faith but no where is perseverance in the faith required to election yea and Peter gives us all a command that we should give all diligence to get an assurance of our election even in this life 2 Pet. 1. 10. and therefore surely it cannot be a decree presupposing consummated faith and obedience Secondly consider two things of our estate before the first temporall act of Gods free grace for grace is no grace if it be not free which is the first effect of our predestination comprehendeth us Were we better then others no in no wise both Iewes and Gentiles were all under sinne Rom. 3. 9. there is no difference for we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God vers 23. being all dead in trespasses and sinnes Ephes 2. 1. Being by nature children of wrath as well as others vers 3. a farre off untill we are made nigh by the blood of Christ vers 12. we were enemies against God Rom. 5. 10. Titus 3. 3. and looke what desert there is in us with these qualifications when our vocation the first effect of our predestination as Saint Paul sheweth Rom. 8. 30. and as I shall prove hereafter separateth us from the world of unbeleevers so much there is in respect of predestination it selfe so that if we have any way deserved it it is by being sinners enemies children of wrath and dead in trespasses these are our events this is the glory whereof we ought to be ashamed But secondly when they are in the same state of actuall alienation from God yet

then in respect of his purpose to save them by Christ some are said to be his thine they were and thou gavest them unto me Iohn 17. 6. they were his before they came unto Christ by faith the sheepe of Christ before they are called for he calleth his sheepe by name Iohn 10. 30. before they come into the flocke or congregation for other sheepe saith he I have which are not of this fold which must also be gathered Ioh. 10. 16. to be beleved of God before they love him herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us 1 Ioh. 4. 10. Now all this must be with reference to Gods purpose of bringing them unto Christ and by him unto glory which we see goeth before all their faith and obedience Thirdly Election is an eternall act of Gods will he hath chosen us before the foundation of the world Ephes 1. 4. consummated antecedently to all dutie of ours Rom. 9. 11. now every cause must in order of nature praecede its effect nothing hath an activitie in causing before it hath a being operation in every kinde is a second act flowing from the essence of a thing which is the first but all our graces and workes our faith obedience pietie and charitie are all temporall of yesterday the same standing with our selves and no longer and therefore cannot be the cause of no nor so much as a condition necessarily required for the accomplishment of an eternall act of God irrevocably established before we are Fourthly If Predestination be for faith foreseene these three things with divers such absurdities will necessarily follow first that election is not of him that calleth as the Apostle speakes Rom. 9. 11. that is of the good pleasure of God who calleth us with an holy calling but of him that is called for depending on faith it must be his whose faith is that doth beleeve secondly God cannot have mercy on whom he will have mercy for the very purpose of it is thus tied to the qualities of faith and obedience so that he must have mercy only on beleevers antecedently to his decree which thirdly hinders him from being an absolute free agent and doing of what he will with his owne of having such a power over us as the Potter hath over his Clay for he findes us of different matter one clay another gold when he comes to appoint us to different uses and ends Fifthly God sees no saith no obedience perseverance nothing but sinne and wickednesse in any man but what himselfe intendeth graciously and freely to bestow upon them for faith is not of our selves it is the gift of God it is the worke of God that we doe beleeve Iohn 6. 29. he blesseth us with all spirituall blessings in Christ Ephes 1. Now all these gifts and graces God bestoweth onely upon those whom he hath antecedently ordained to everlasting life For the election obtained it and the rest were blinded Rom. 11. 7. God added to his Church daily those that should be saved Acts 2. 47. therefore surely God chooseth us not because he foreseeth those things in us seeing he bestoweth those graces because he hath chosen us Wherefore saith Austine doth Christ say you have not chosen me but I have chosen you but because they did not chuse him that he should chuse them but he chose them that they might chuse him We choose Christ by faith God chooseth us by his decree of election the question is whether we choose him because he hath chosen us or he chooseth us because we have chosen him and so indeed choose our selves we affirme the former and that because our choyce of him is a gift he himselfe bestoweth onely on them whom he hath chosen Sixthly and principally the effects of election infallibly following it cannot be the causes of election certainly praeceding it this is evident for nothing can be the cause and the effect of the same thing before and after it selfe but all our faith our obedience repentance good workes are the effects of election flowing from it as their proper fountaine erected on it as the foundation of this spirituall building and for this the Article of our Church is evident and cleere Those saith it that are indued with this excellent benefit of God are called according to Gods purpose are iustified freely are made the sonnes of God by adoption they be made like the image of Christ they walke religiously in good workes c. Where first they are said to be partakers of this benefit of election and then by vertue thereof to be entitled to the fruition of all those graces Secondly it saith those who are endued with this benefit enioy those blessings intimating that election is the rule whereby God proceedeth in bestowing those graces restraining the objects of the temporall acts of Gods speciall favour to them onely whom his eternall decree doth embrace both these indeed are denied by the Arminians which maketh a further discovery of their Heterodoxies in this particular You say saith Arminius to Perkins that election is the rule of giving or not giving of faith and therefore election is not of the faithfull but faith of the elect but by your leave this I must deny but yet what ever it is the sophisticall heretique here denies either antecedent or conclusion he fals foule on the word of God they beleeved saith the holy Ghost who were ordained to eternall life Act. 3. 48. And the Lord added daily to his Church such as should de saved Act. 2. 47. from both which places it is evident that God bestoweth faith onely on them whom he hath praeordained eternall life but most cleerely Rom. 8. 29 30. for whom he did fore-know he also predestinated to be conformed to the Image of his Sonne moreover whom he did predestinate them also he called and whom he called them he also iustified and whom he iustified them also glorified Saint Austin interpreted this place by adding in every linke of the chaine onely those how ever the words directly import a precedency of predestination before the bestowing of other graces and also a restraint of those graces to them onely that are so predestinate Now the inference from this is not onely for the forme Logicall but for the matter also it containeth the very words of Scripture faith is of Gods elect Titus 1. 1. For the other part of the proposition that faith and obedience are the fruits of election they cannot be more peremptory in its denyall then the Scripture is plentifull in its confirmation He hath chosen us in Christ that we should be holy Ephes 1. 4. not because we were holy but that we should be so holinesse whereof faith is the root and obedience the body is that whereunto and not for which we are elected the end and the meritorious cause of any one act cannot be the same they have divers respects and require repugnant conditions againe we are predestinated unto the adoption of