A25294:148
The substance of Christian religion, or, A plain and easy draught of the Christian…The substance of Christian religion, or, A plain and easie draught of the Christian…
The substance of Christian religion, or, A plain and easy draught of the Christian catechism in LII lectures on chosen texts of Scripture, for each Lords-day of the year, learnedly and perspicuously illustrated with doctrines, reasons, and uses / by that reverend and worthy labourer in the Lord's vineyard, William Ames ...The substance of Christian religion, or, A plain and easie draught of the Christian catechisme in LII lectures on chosen texts of Scripture, for each Lords-day of the year, learnedly and perspicuously illustrated with doctrines, reasons, and uses / by that reverend and worthy laborer in the Lord's vineyard, William Ames ...
London: printed by T. Mabb for Thomas Davies, 1659
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
This is here presupposed by the Apostle, as granted, and is used by him as the ground of his reasoning.
Reas. 1. Is taken partly from Gods mercy, partly from his wisdom, partly from his power, and partly from the stability of his decrees: from his mercy God would relieve miserable men, therein to show the glory of his grace and free mercy, as it is called Ephes. 1. 6. the riches of his mercy, his great love, and the supereminent riches or treasures of his grace and bounty, Ephes. 4. 7. for unless God had helped miserable men, that were all drowned in sin and death, he had not accomplished above the half of his goodness and bounty towards mankind. For that bounty that was manifested in the creating of us, was neither fully completed in its last perfection and end, because no man by it arrived to eternal happiness; neither was it in its self the greatest, the highest, the fullest goodness of God; because an higher, fuller, and more surpassing sort of goodness appeared in the preservation of the elect Angels; and that also is far greater, which is now revealed in the Gospel, and brings perfect salvation to mankind that is fallen. Now this was most sitting, that the goodness and mercy of God should as well be perfected towards men, as his justice. From his wisdom God knew the best way, whereby he could conveniently help miserable man, and therefore it was meet that his wisdom should be made manifest in its effect. And this is it, which the Apostle every where teacheth, that in this mystery of the Gospel there was a wisdom of ⟨p. 33⟩God, which was kept up, and hidden from all the Heathen; which therefore by way of excellency, he calls that wisdom of God, into which the Angels themselves with desire and wonder are said to look, 1 Pet. 1. 12. For such was our misery, that not only we could not rise out of it ourselves by our own power; but could not so much as think upon, or devise a way or means, whereby we might be delivered: But this was the proper work of the wisdom of God himself conjoined with his own mercy. From his power also, he had the ability of helping and bringing to perfection therein, what he would. For so our redemption in Scripture is not only usually ascribed to Gods grace and mercy, but also to his power.