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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	answer_v	scripture_n	word_n	1,678	5	4.1153	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49252	The naturall mans case stated, or, An exact map of the little world man considered in both his capacities, either in the state of nature or grace / as is laid down in XVII sermons by that late truely orthodox divine, Mr. Christopher Love ... ; whereunto is annexed The saints triumph over death, being his funeral sermon, by that painful labourer in the Lords vineyard, Mr. Tho. Manton ...	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.; Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677. Saints triumph over death.	1652 (1652)	Wing L3169; ESTC R35003	150,068	340

Another instance is in 1 King 18. 25. between Elijah the Prophet and the Prophets of Baal Elijah the Prophet tooke two Bullocks and bid the Prophets of Baal to chuse one and you must think they would not chuse the worst of them and he took the other and yet the Lord shewed a token of acceptance to Elijah and his sacrifice though it was the worst of the Bullocks and shewed no acceptance to the Prophets of Baal and the reason of it was because Elijah was a justified man in the sight of God when the others were not And so again in Prov. 15. 8. it is said there that the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the wright is his delight God doth delight in a poore pennilesse prayer coming from a godly man when he will not accept of a costly sacrifice coming from a wicked man 4. The bare performance of duties can be no prop to build hopes for heaven upon because God doth not look so much upon the matter of the duty what you do perform as to the manner how and the end why you doe perform them though it may be the duty which you perform be the same for the matter of them as God requires and commands yet if they be not done in a right manner God lookes upon it as nothing God will not own those duties as done to him that are not done in a right manner and to a right end as in Joh. 16. 24. Hitherto sayes Christ you have asked nothing in my name aske and receive that your joy may be full and yet they had put up many petitions in his name but because they did it not in a right manner Christ lookt upon it as if they had asked nothing at all 5. Another false prop that wicked men build hopes of heaven upon is a meere mistake of the promises and pillar of hope in Scripture and this is done two wayes either 1. They make those promises to be props of hope which are not or 2. They doe misapply those promises that are true grounds of hope 1. They make those to be props of hope which are not I shall name you three of them the first is that passage in our common Liturgy At what time soever a sinner doth repent from the bottome of his heart I will blot out all his sins out of my remembrance saith the Lord This very sentence hath been a means to delude a world of men whereas indeed it is no ground at all to build hopes for heaven upon for 1. There are no such words as these to be found in the whole Scripture and 2. The place where these words are found it is onely in the common Liturgie which Liturgie is but an abstract of the Popish Masse for though all that is in the Popish Masse be not in the Common-Prayer yet all that is in the Common-Prayer is in the Popish Masse it may be you will scarse beleeve this but it is very true as you may see if you look into the second volume of the Book of Martyrs the 667. page where there is a Letter inserted of King Edward the sixth sent to the Papists in Cornwall who were risen up in armes about the translating of the Masse into Englsh which they would by no meanes agree to but rose up to oppose it King Edward to pacifie them wrote to them on this manner As for the Service-booke the translating of it may seem to you to be some new thing but they are the very same words in English which were before in Latine and if the Masse book which is in Latine be good then it is as good now though it be translated into English 3. You will say the Lord himself said these words At what time a sinner doth repent I will blot all his sins out of my remembrance saith the Lord I answer that it is not said so in the whole Book of God and if you look into that Text of Scripture which they ground these words upon that the Lord did say so you shall finde it otherwise it is in Ezek. 18. 21. mark the words these are Gods words indeed If a wicked man will turn from all the sins that he hath committed and keep all my statutes and doe that which is lawful and right he shal surely live and not dye They say if a wicked man does repent of his sins now repentance is a generall work Judas did repent but his repentance did him no good but here you see it is said that if a wicked man turn from all his evill wayes and do that which is lawfull and right then he shall surely live 2. Another Scripture-prop which wicked men build their hopes for heaven upon but is indeed no prop is this that the righteous man sinneth seven times a day this is one of the greatest props a wicked man hath sayes he what doe you tell me of my sins the best men have their failings the righteous sin seven times a day and why may not I goe to heaven as well as they wicked men make this a great prop to their hopes when indeed there is no place of Scripture like this in the whole Bible that which comes nearest to it is in Prov. 24. 16. A just man falleth seven times and riseth again but the wicked fall into mischief now here is no mention of falling into sin in the text nor no mention of a day but only thus a just man falleth seven times and riseth again St. Austin gives this sense of the word a godly man falleth seven times that is often times expounding this place with that in Job 5. 19. The Lord will be with thee in six troubles and in seven there shall no evill touch thee A righteous man sayes Augustine falleth seven times not sinneth seven times he doth not fall into sin but into affliction the righteous falleth seven times that is the godly in this world are liable to fall seven times into affliction that is very often into afflictions and troubles while he lives here in this world according to that of Job In six troubles and in seven the Lord shall deliver thee meaning oftentimes and therefore this place carries no reference at all of falling into sin seven times a day 2. Suppose it were so that the righteous did sin seven times a day yet the text sayes in the next words that as often as he falleth he riseth again now it may be many of you that make this a prop for your hopes of heaven doe fall into sin day after day and never rise out of them again by repentance you leave out these words and riseth again for many of you live your whole lives long in an evill course you wallow and lye down in sin and therefore this can be no prop for your hopes 3. Another sentence which they make a Scripture prop but is not is this that Christ died for all and for

shall now give you a more particular view of them without God in the World the words as they are rendered in our translation incline this way for a man to be without any peculiar interest and propriety in God but these words without God in the World in the Greek signifies Atheists in the World that is they did so live as if there were no God in the World so then the words being thus opened there are two things involved in this phrase without God in the World 1. That they were Atheists in the world that is so living as if there were no God in the World 2. They were living in the World without any peculiar interest or propriety in God Doctr. From the first of these that they were Atheists in the World you may note this Doctr. That every man in the state of unregeneracy hee is an Atheist in the World he is a man that lives as if there were no God in the World every man in the state of unregeneracy is a practicall Atheist now when I tell you that every wicked man is an Atheist doe not mistake me for there are two sorts of Atheists an Atheist in judgement and an Atheist in practice an atheist in judgement is such a one as Pagans and Heathens are but an Atheist in practice is such a one as lives as if there were no God in the World so that the Doctrine is that every unregenerate man is a practicall Atheist that is he so lives as if there were no God in the World Psal 14. 1. The Fool hath said in his heart there is no God that is he so lives as if there were no God that takes notice of what hee does thou art a practicall Atheist oh man that so livest in the World as if there were no God in the world and here 1. I shall shew you how it comes to passe that any man is so grossely wicked to live as if there were no God in the World And 2. I shall give you the characters of a man that does live after this manner 1. How it comes to passe that men should be so grossely wicked such practicall Atheists to live as if there were no God in the World I shall give you four grounds of it 1. The first reason is because of Gods forbearance towards them Eccles 8. 11. Because God doth not speedily execute judgement upon wicked men when they commit a finne therefore they run into thoughts of Atheism and sinne with greedinesse as if there were no God in the World as in Psal 50. 21. These things sayes God thou hast done and I held my tongue therefore thou thoughtest that I was like thee but I will reprove thee and set thy sins in order before thee because God held his tongue and did not reprove them for their sins therefore they thought him to be such a one as themselves that he was a sinner as well as they because sentence against an evill work is not speedily executed therefore the hearts of the sonnes of men are set in them to doe evill the for bearance of God to wicked men makes them run on into practicall atheism whereas this is no ground at all to encourage thee to run on in sin for 1. The forbearance of Gods judgments was never intended by God to breed atheism in thy heart but to provoke thee to repentance as the Apostle says The bountifulnesse and long suffering of God should lead us to repentance 2. This will aggravate thy condemnation to make the forbearance of God a provocation to thee to goe on in sinne And 3. Know this that though God doth forbeare a while from punishing of thee for thy sins yet he does neither forgive thee nor forget thee as in Nahum 1. 3. The Lord is slow to anger but he is great in power and hee will not surely clear the wicked though God does forbear thee yet he will not forget thee so in Eccles 8. 12. Though a sinner doth evill an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet it shall not bee well with him in the latter end 2. Another ground whereby wicked men do plunge themselves into atheism is this because they see other men that are knowing men and professing religion men that doe pretend to know God and love God and worship God when wicked men shall see such men as these fall into great and grosse sins and live so unanswerable to their profession this makes them conclude that there is no God in the World as in Rom. 2. 24. sayes the Apostle there the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you I have read a hrange story of a woman here in England that called in question the Deity whether there was a God or no and a Minister coming to her to convince her and satisfie her conscience and to perswade her into a beleife that there was a God asked of her this question how she came to bee an atheist shee answered the very first thing that caused her to entertaine thoughts of atheisme to beleive there was no God was the seeing of him live so wickedly and profanely for sayes shee I know you to be a learned and knowing man and you preach good Sermons and exhort people well and the very beholding you to live so wickedly to be a swearer a lyer a drunkard and a Sabbath breaker c. this made me to question whether there were a God in heaven or no seeing he did let you run on still unpunished 3. Another thing that makes men live as if there were no God in the World is the questioning of the authority of the Scriptures I have read of one a great scholar in this kingdome that the means whereby he came to be an atheist was this he first began to question whether the Bible were the Word of God or no because he did not know whether Moses that penned the beginning of it were a man of God or no then he questioned how Moses could write of those things that were done before he was born and then whether the Papists might not alter it in the translating of it and many others questions till by degrees he came to be a very atheist and to question whether there were a God or no and so there are some errours now in print that tend very much to atheism there are some that doe affirme that that Booke or volume of Bookes called the Bible is not the Word of God and such an opinion as this does very much worke upon mens hearts and perswade them that there is no God as in i Pet. 3. 4. sayes the Apostle There shall come in the last dayes scoffers walking after their owne lusts there are the Atheists but how came they to be so mark the next words and saying Where is the promise of his coming for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning say they we have heard

love upon your belly you make your belly your God or if upon pleasures then you make pleasures your God and so of any thing else And therefore beloved I beseech you look to it and examine your selves is not God undervalued sometimes when your lusts are set in the throne is not God sometimes very low in your estimation and other things set above him if it be so it is meer Atheisme in your hearts 7. That man is an Atheist that makes no conscience of keeping those vowes and covenants he hath made with God The Scripture looks upon that man as an Atheist that does not make conscience of performing those covenants which he hath made with God in Josh 24. 25 26. there Joshua made a covenant with the people and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem and he wrote these words in the book of the Law of God and took a great stone and set it up there under an oake that was by the Sanctuary of the Lord and Joshua said unto all the people Behold this stone shall be a witnesse unto us for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us it shall be there for a witnesse unto you lest ye deny your God and therefore those men that do call the covenant that we have made with hands lifted up to the high God an old Almanack out of date and do scorn and despise the oath they have taken and make no conscience of keeping the vowes and covenants they have made with God the Scripture looks upon such men as very Atheists and beloved in this regard there are more Atheists now in England then ever there were since the world stood But the Lord will manifest himself to be a just God though wicked men do despise his covenant and count it as an unholy thing 8. That man is a very Atheist whose conscience does never trouble him nor check him for the commission of any sinne That man that can be drunk to day and swear to morrow and cheat the next day and commit one sin after another and yet his conscience never give him any controll that man is a very Atheist Those that can live in the world and commit grosse sins every day and their consciences never check them for their sinnes it is a sad sign that such men are practicall Atheists If you have the fear of God in you and the thoughts of a God upon you it will make you reflect upon sins past and be grieved for sinnes and miscarriages of twenty years standing thus did Josephs brethren call to minde their former sins Gen. 42. 21. And they said one to another We have verily sinned against our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would not hear him and therefore is this evill come upon us and so Job Thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth and so David prays that God would not remember the sins of his youth But now you that can be drunk one day after another and belch out one oath after another and commit one sinne after another and thy conscience never controll thee the Lord be mercifull to thee for thou art plunged into a depth of Atheisme One compares an Atheist to a duck in a pond if a man throwes a stone into the water where she is she will presently dive under but let it thunder or lighten never so much in the heavens she takes no notice of it so an Atheist he cannot endure that men should take notice of him or discover his wickednesse to reprove him or speak against him but let God thunder upon him never so much he will not be troubled at it did you live under the apprehensions of a Deity it is impossible your consciences should be so long and so frequently out of its office 9. Those men are very Atheists that do yeeld to a detestable indifferency in matters of Religion that man that will sleep in a whole skin and not dare to do any thing to the hazarding of his estate or person for the advancement of true religion such a man is a very Atheist I will give you a strange place for this in 1 King 18. 21. sayes Elijah the Prophet to the people How long will you halt between two opinions if the Lord be God then follow him but if Baal be God then follow him and the text saies the people held their peace and answered him not a word they neither said they would follow after God neither did they say they would follow after Baal if God were too strong for Baal they would be for God but if Baal did prevail they would follow after him which did manifest their Atheisme and that God was not their God that man that takes God to be his God must follow him through whatsoever troubles or afflictions hee meets withall in the world and indifferency in matters of religion does argue men to be very Atheists And therefore all time servers that live according to the times that are men of indifferent tempers any religion rather then fail will serve their turns such men are practical Atheists 10. Men do then shew themselves to be very Atheists when their practises shall palpably thwart and contradict their professions when they are such as those spoken of in Tit. 2. 16. that in their words do professe to know Christ but in their works they deny him Those that do professe themselves to be Christians and yet live like heathens that professe themselves to have an inheritance with the Saints in light and yet walk here as Children of darknesse such men are very Atheists And thus I have done with these 10. discoveries of a practicall Atheist I have given you thirteen in all three of them out of the Scripture and ten more deduced from the Scripture Use 1 Now the use that I shall make of this shall be by way of counsell and advice if this be so as you have heart that all unregenerate men are practicall Atheists they live as if there were no God in the world Oh then that you would bewaile this practical Atheism that is among you Doest thou favour thy self in the practise of secret sinnes or dost thou make no conscience of the performance of secret duties Doest thou make impunity to be a provocation to impiety and doest thou carry in thy minde a forgetfulnesse of the day of Judgement or doest thou distrust the providence of God in times of trouble and distresse Doest thou place thy affections upon any thing in the world more then upon God And doest thou make no conscience of performing the vowes and covenants thou hast made with God Does thy conscience never trouble thee after the commission of sinnes Art thou a luke warm and indifferent man in matters of Religion Doest thou professe to know God and in thy works deny him Doest thou any of these