Economics 1776 Chapter Tillotson: Ec 1776 Reading Notes- Tillotson Notes (10417)

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OF#THE#NATURE#OF#REGENERATION,#AND#ITS#NECESSITY,#IN#ORDER#TO#JUSTIFICATION#
AND#SALVATION.
Circumcision:#the#sign#of#the#covenant;#the#gospel#takes#this#obligation#of#
the#law#away
Show#what#is#implied#by#"new#creature"
"faith#perfected#by#charity"#and#"keeping#the#commandments#
of#God"
This#condition#of#justification#should#be#very#reasonable,#as#
well#as#the#acceptance#to#the#favor#of#God
Requires#three#things:
§
Nothing#with#avail#to#our#justification#and#acceptance#with#God,#but#the#
real#renovation#of#our#hearts#and#lives
Or#for#"faith#perfected#by#charity"#or#"keeping#the#
commandments#of#God"#?
"new#creature"#must#be#effected#by#a#Divine#power#-- and#more#
specifically#an#"irresistible#act#of#the#Divine#power"
§
"a#new#creature"#-->##is#this#due#to#the#"real#renovation#of#our#hearts#and#
lives?
Since#creation#was#an#irresistible#act#of#Divine#power,#so#is#this#new#
creation,#or#conversion#of#a#sinner
§
Creatures#were#passive#in#their#creation,#and#contributed#nothing#to#
it
§
Since#the#creation#of#several#ranks#and#kinds#of#creatures#was#in#an#
instant#and#effected#by#the#powerful#word#of#God,#this#new#
creation,#or#the#work#of#regeneration,#is#in#an#instant,#and#admits#of#
no#degrees
§
Other#answers:
"Concerning#these#three#doctrines,#of#great#moment#and#
consequence#in#divinity,#I#shall#shew,#with#all# the#clearness#and#
brevity#I#can,#that#they#were#built#solely#upon#metaphors#of#
Scripture
§
When#God#says#"he#will#come#in#as#a#thief#in#the#night"#it#means#
that#the#day#of#judgement#will#surprise#the#careless#world
§
So…
"For#in#Christ#Jesus#neither#circumcision#availeth#any#thing,#nor#uncircumcision,#
but#a#new#creature."#(190)
"We#find#that#many#(perhaps#the#greatest#part)#of#those#that#are#good#are#made#
so#by#the#insensible#steps#and#degrees#of#a#religious#education,#and#having#been#
never#vicious,#can#give#no#great#account#of#any#sensible#change,#only#that,#when#
they#came#to#years#of#understanding,#they#considered#things#more#[]"#(192)
First,#no#man#repents#upon#consideration#and#choice,#but#upon#mere#
force#and#violent#necessity,#which#takes#away#the#virtue#of#repentance,#
whatever#virtue#there#may#be#in#the#consequent#acts#of#a#regenerate#
state
Why#make#an#irresistible#act#of#Divine#power#necessary#to#our#repentance#and#
conversion?
First,#no#man#repents#upon#consideration#and#choice,#but#rather#mere#
force#and#violent#necessity,#which#takes#away#the#virtue#of#repentance
Second,#it#implies#that#the#conversion#and#repentance#of#those#upon#
whom#God#does#not#work#irresistibly#is#impossible
It#is#contrary#to#reason,#to#make#an#irresistible#act#of#Divine#power#necessary#to#
our#repentance#and#conversion,#as#it#involved#two#things#that#seem#
unreasonable:
The#bible#supposes#that#men#very#frequently#resist#the#grace#and#Holy#Spirit#of#
God
God#may#still#require#that#they#had#once#a#natural#power#to#do#so#--
the#power#was#in#Adam,#who#forfeited#it#by#his#disobedience
§
Obligation#to#repentance#as#well#as#obedience,#and#man#
should#be#condemned#for#their#impenitency
Adam#had#the#ability#to#not#sin,#but#lacked#the#ability#to#
repent#in#the#stare#of#innocency#once#sinning
"but#the#corruption#of#our#natures#is#a#thing#very#different#form#
personal#guilt,#strictly#and#properly#so#called
§
The#impotence#and#disability#of#sinners#is#their#sin,#and#therefore#cannot#
be#pleaded#in#their#excuse
"But#why#should#the#repentance#of#sinners#be#expected,#or#their#unbelief#
marveled#at,#or#indeed#be#upbraided#to#them,#by#him#who#knew#it#was#
impossible#to#them?"#(194)
And#as#they#could#make#no#resistance,#so#neither#could#they#
contribute#anything#to#their#being#what#they#are
§
So#as#the#first#creation#of#things#was#by#an#irresistible#act#of#Divine#power,#
so#the#things#that#were#made#were#only#passive#in#their#creation
Questions#why#God#brought#the#flood#at#the#time#that#he#did,#for#the#
same#reasons#would've#held#true#for#fifteen#hundred#years#before#and#
ever#after#would#be#the#same#reason#to#end#the#world
Another#doctrine#says#that#we#are#merely#passive#in#the#work#of#conversion#and#
regeneration,#and#contribute#nothing#to#it
"Experience#tells#us#the#contrary,#that#we#can#do#something,#that#
we#can#co#operate#with#the#grace#of#God;#and#the#Scripture#tells#us#
the#same,#and#makes#it#an#argument#and#encouragement#to#us#“to#
work#out#our#own#salvation,#because#God#works#in#us#both#to#will#
and#to#do#of#his#own#goodness"
§
The#grace#of#God#is#necessary#to#the#conversion#of#a#sinner,#but#it#is#not#
necessary#that#he#should#be#only#passive#in#this#work
It#is#true,#that#the#nature#of#man#is#sadly#corrupted#and#depraved;#but#not#so#
bad#as,#by#vicious#practices#and#habits,#it#may#be#made;#all#men#are#not#equally#
at#the#same#distance#from#the#grace#of#God;#some#are#nearer#to#the#kingdom#of#
God#than#others,#and#less#force#and#violence#will#serve#to#rescue#them#from#the#
power#of#Satan,#and#to#transplant#them#into#the#kingdom#of#Christ.#(196)
We#say#that#without#the#powerful#excitation#and#aid#of#Gods#grace,#no#
man#can#repent#and#turn#to#God;#but#we#say#likewise,#that#God#can#not#be#
properly#said#to#aid#and#assist#those#who#do#nothing#themselves.
"Why#then#should#the#metaphor#be#so#strong#on#the#one#side,#that#a#man,#who#
is#said#to#be#dead#in#sin,#should#not#be#able#so#much#as#to#co-operate#with#the#
grace#of#God#in#the#work#of#repentance#and#conversion?"#(196)
!"##$%&$'()$%*&(+,-./.,01
Tuesday,# October#3,#2017
1:44#PM
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