A20187:75
The opening of heaven gatesThe opening of heauen gates
The opening of heaven gates, or The ready way to everlasting life Delivered in a most familiar dialogue, between reason and religion, touching predestination, Gods word, and mans free-will, to the understanding of the weakest capacity, and the confirming of the more strong. By Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God, at South-Shoobery in Essex.The opening of heauen gates, or The ready way to euerlasting life Deliuered in a most familier dialogue, betweene reason and religion, touching predestination, Gods word, and mans free-will, to the vnderstanding of the weakest capacitie, and the confirming of the more strong. By Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God, at South-Shoobery in Essex.
London: printed by G. Eld for John Wright, 1610London: printed by G. Eld for Iohn Wright, 1610
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
for who knoweth not, that if the Lord him-self, by his only magnificent power should not continually support the world, that we should anon be made an hotchpatch, ⟨p. 44⟩and tumbled together into utter confusion? how then can we have the face to say, that we have ability to do this good thing, or that bad thing, be it never so little, as of our own proper strength. On the other side, if thou mean the Papists deliberating, or choosing free-wilt, as being authorised by God to do, or1 not to do his own commandment, who will not laugh at this […]? for how can there be free liberty given, and yet a sharp restraint? again, as we have already said, those free-willians cease not to make the Lord of so gross and rude understanding, as if good and evil were all good in the eye of God: but how can that brabbling be true, when the price of righteousness was fain to be paid, with the blood of Jesus Christ? or how could he call for satisfaction, when as by a certain carelessness he had consented to evil, except he were new •angled according to the manner of men? Last of all, if (I say) man were so much2 Lord of himself, that he had power, to shape out his own proper fortune, where is that purpose of God become, that we spake of eve now? if God held that purpose, ⟨p. 45⟩how can man dispose of him-self? •or there cannot be a settled determination, and purpose in God of man, and yet a peculiar power in man to appoint his own end: if by any colour the purpose of God might be denied, which cannot be (for as much as it is written of the3 children being not yet borne, which had done neither good nor evil, The elder shall serve the younger, that the purpose of God which is according to election might remain sure; then would all these inconveniences following, fall out against God. 1. First and chiefly, that he is careless of man, whom in such sort he hath given up to himself. 2. Secondly, that God is vain, & idle: for how can he be otherwise, that without any mediation, or request, hath done such things as him-self in no wise regardeth. 3. Thirdly, that the Scripture bearing witness of his tender love, and elousts over his people, is false. 4. Fourthly, that he never sent Jesus Christ, to pay the ransom of our sin. 5. Fifthly, that he made not man for his glory, with that Angelical difference from insensible creatures to serve him,