Divinity Knots Unloosed, Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. Of the state of Men after death, and withall, of the Reſurrection, and laſt Judgement.
71, Doubt. HOw can a man comfort himſelfe, in the death of his prophane kindred?
Reſol. He may quiet his heart with theſe confiderations following.
1. God is ready to forgive thoſe which repent at the laſt moment, and for ought we know, may worke repentance, when the party is too far ſpent to expreſſe it.
2. Gods decree is unchangeable, and therefore they either were elected and are ſaved, or Reprobates and could never have been ſaved, had they lived a thouſand yeares.
3. Had ſuch as are rejected of God, lived longer, their impenitent hearts would have cauſed them ſtill to have treaſured more wrath to themſelves, by proceeding further in wickedneſſeaRom. 2.5.
4. Our relation to them (the maine cauſe why we are grieved for them) ceaſeth after this lifebMat. 22.30.
5. However it is with them, God will diſpoſe of all things for his onelyonly glory, which ſhould be more deare to us then our friends (yea our owne) ſoules.
72. Doubt. If the whole man (ſoule and body) ſinned, how can it otherwiſe be but the ſoule muſt dye as well as the body?
Reſol. Man in his actings is to be conſidered collectively, not diſtributively; and as ſin is not acted by the ſoule and body in a divided ſenſe, but joyntly by the whole man, conſiſting of ſoule and body, as its conſtitutive partscGen. 2.7. : So man dyes not in a diſtributive ſenſe, as if the body dyed by it ſelfe, and the ſoule by it ſelfe; but as a creature compact of both, he dyeth (or ceaſeth to be what he was) when the ſoule (which is the eſſentiall forme of a man) is taken away. A Parliament when diſſolved, looſeth its eſſence (as ſuch) though all the members be alive; ſo doth an houſe dimoliſhed, though all the materialls remaine whole: So when the ſoule and body are diſunited, the man is dead. howbeit the ſoule lives either in happineſſe, or woedEccleſ. 12 7. Mat. 10.28 Luk. 12.4. & 16.23. 1 Pet. 3.19 Revel. 6.9.10, 11..
73. Doubt. If there be no ſatisfaction of the juſtice of God after this life, which men having given, ſhall be forgiven and ſaved, how is it ſayd, Till thou haſt payd the laſt miteeLuke 12.59., or uttermoſt farthingfMat. 5.26?
Reſol. This word [till] is often found in Scripture, ſignifying (or at leaſt not excluding) perpetuitygGen. 8.7. & 28.15. 1 Sam. 15.35. 2 Sam. 6.23 Pſal. 110.1. & 123.2. Mat. 1.25. & 28.20. 2 Tim. 4.13 2 Pet. 1.19, and taken in that ſenſe, the force of it is thus much; if thou be not reconciled to God in Chriſt before thy death, thou ſhalt be caſt into the priſon of Hell, there to abide the exact juſtice of God for ever, becauſe thou never canſt ſo ſatisfie his wrath, as to be acquitted from it.
74. Doubt. If every ſoule when it leaveth the body, goeth either to Heaven or Hell immediately, to what purpoſe is the reſurrection, or day of judgement.
Reſol. There is very great reaſon for them: a…,
Firſt, That the whole creation may be purged, and delivered from the bondage of corruptionhRom. 8.19, 20, &c..
Secondly, That the ſoule and body which ſuffered or finned together, may in the righteous day of the Lord be crowned, or puniſhedi2 Theſ. 1.6, 7, &c. 2 Tim. 4.7, 8..
Thirdly, That all hidden thingskEccl. 12.14. Luke 12.2. ; yea the ſecrets of heartslRom. 2.16., may be diſcovered, that thereby Gods righteous judgement may be alſo revealedmRom. 2.5.
Fourthly, That he may publickly right his people upon their enemiesn2 Theſ. 1.6, &c..
75. Doubt. Godly men, are men ſtill, and Chriſt avoucheth, That every idle word that men ſhall ſpeake, they ſhall give account thereof at the day of judgementoMat. 12.36. : How then can they be ſayd to be diſcharged from all ſinne?
Reſol. The meaning is not as if the godly ſhall be called to account, for their idle words, or any other ſins; but onelyonly thus much; that the judgement of God ſhall be ſo exact and ſevere, that even ſo much as an idle word ſhall not paſſe him without ful ſatisfaction to his juſtice, on the tranſgreſſour, or his ſurety; and that he which hath not his pardon already procured by Chriſt, ſhall be found culpable at that day, and the ſentence of condemnation pronounced againſt him, though he had onelyonly one idle word to anſwer for.
Poſtſcript.
SOme Friends expected ere this time I ſhould have publiſhed a Treatiſe tending towards accommodation in Church diſcipline, which they know I have made a conſiderable procedure in: Others of a maligning ſpirit, ſcoffe at me, as if to finiſh it, were either impoſſible, or vaine: To both theſe I ſhall onelyonly ſay thus much: Viz. That however the peruſing of many tracts, for the materials therein improved, together with multiplicity of imployment in an unſetled condition, and withall the want of a Book or two, which yet I cannot attaine, have hindred the perfecting thereof; I hope it will not be long ere it have its due from me: After which (if its prolixity hinder not, but that I mry have a faire opportunity to make it publick) I ſhall ſend it abroad, and my prayers after it, for a bleſſing thereon: If not, though the fault will not be mine, I ſhall make amends as farre as I can, either by Printing an Epitome thereof, or at leaſt, by ſuffering ſuch Friends to peruſe it in writing, as deſire the ſame.
July, 30. 1649.
Imprimatur,
Joſeph Caryl.
| The Texts of Scripture. | Places in the Booke. |
| Gen. 1.5.8.13.19.23.31. | Chap. 12. Reſol. to 56. Doubt. |
| Gen. 6.6. | Chap. 2. Doubt. 3. |
| Gen. 17.7. | Chap. 15. Reſol. to 64. Doubt. |
| Gen. 17.14. | Chap. 6. Reſol. to 24. Doubt. |
| Levit. 12.1.2.3.4. | Chap 15. Reſol. of 64. Doubt. |
| Numb. 15.30. | Chap. 6. Doubt. 24. |
| Deut. 6.13. & 10.20. | Chap. 13. Doubt. 57. |
| 1 Sam. 15.11. | Chap. 2. Doubt. 3. |
| Iſaiah 45.21. | Chap. 2. Doubt. 6. |
| Matth. 5.26. | Chap. 6. Doubt. 73. |
| Matth. 5.34. | Chap. 13. Doubt. 58. |
| Matth. 12.36. | Chap. 16. Doubt. 75. |
| Mat. 17.20. | Chap. 9. Doubt. 39. |
| Mat. 19.13. | Chap. 15. Reſol. to 64 Doubt. |
| Mat. 28.19. | Chap. 15. Reſol. to 63. Doubt. |
| Mark 10.14. | Chap. 15. Reſol. to 64. Doubt. |
| Mark 16.16. | Chap. 15. Reſol. to 67. Doubt. |
| Luke 12.59. | Chap. 16. Doubt. 73. |
| Luke 18.15, 16. | Chap. 15. Reſol. to 64 Doubt. |
| Acts 2.39. | Chap. 15. Reſol. to 64. Doubt. |
| Acts 15.10. | Chap. 15. Reſol. of 63 Doubt. |
| 1 Cor. 7.14. | Chap. 15. Reſol. to 64 and 68. Doubt. |
| 1 Cor. 7.23. | Chap. 11. Doubt. 47. |
| 1 Cor. 11.28. | Chap. 15. Doubt. 70. |
| 1 Cor. 12.28. | Chap. 14. Reſol. to 59. Doubt. |
| 1 Cor. 14.26. | Chap. 12. Reſol. of 52 Doubt. |
| 2 Cor. 3.6, 7, 8. | Chap. 6. Doubt. 25, |
| 2 Tim. 2.13. | Chap. 9. Doubt. 38. |
| James 5.12. | Chap. 13. Doubt. 58. |
| 1 John 3.14. | Chap. 10. Reſol. to 46 Doubt. |
The Capitall Contents of this ſhort Diſcourſe.
CHAP. I. Concerning the holy Scriptures, and by the way, of the light of Nature. p. 1.
Chap. 2. Of God. p. 4.
Chap. 3. Of Gods Decree, and of Creation. p. 6.
Chap. 4. Of Providence. p. 10.
Chap. 5. Of the fall of Man. p. 13.
Chap. 6. Of the Law of God and the two Covenants. p. 16.
Chap. 7. Of Chriſt the Mediatour. p. 22.
Chap. 8. Of Free-will. p. 28.
Chap. 9. Of Calling, Juſtification, Sanctification, Adoption, Faith, Repentance, and good Workes. p. 31.
Chap. 10. Of Perſeverance, and Aſſurance. p. 38.
Chap. 11. Of Chriſtian Liberty, and Liberty of Conſcience: and withall of the Christian Magistrate, and Church-cenſures. p. 47.
Chap. 12. Of Religious Worſhip, and of the Sabbath-day. p. 49.
Chap. 13. Of Oathes. p. 54.
Chap. 14. Of the Church, and Communion of Saints. p. 56.
Chap. 15. Of Baptiſme, and the Lords Supper p. 57.
Chap. 16. Of the state of Men after death; and withall, of the Reſurrection, and last Judgement. p. 80.
FINIS.
End of the text · Adam Martindale, Divinity Knots Unloosed (1649)