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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	adam_n	sin_n	will_n	1,571	5	7.0624	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85207	Hidden manna or, the mystery of saving grace. Wherein the peculiarity of Gods especiall grace to the elect is asserted and proved, and divers objections of Pelagians and Arminians about the power of the will of man to supernatural good, are fully answered and confuted. By that reverend, learned, and faithfull minister of Gods word, William Fenner B.D. late of Rochford in Essex. Perfected many years since by the author whilst he was preacher at VVillingsworth in Staffordshire. Imprimatur Edm. Calamy.	Fenner, William, 1600-1640.	1652 (1652)	Wing F692; Thomason E1310_2; ESTC R209026	31,828	115

Hidden Manna OR The Mystery of Saving Grace Wherein The peculiarity of Gods especiall Grace to the Elect is asserted and proved and divers Objections of Pelagians and Arminians about the power of the Will of man to supernaturall good are fully answered and confuted By that Reverend Learned and faithfull Minister of Gods Word William Fenner B. D. late of Rochford in Essex Perfected many years since by the Author whilst he was Preacher at VVillingsworth in Staffordshire Joh. 14. 22. Judas saith unto him not Iscariot Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy selfe unto us and not unto the world Imprimatur Edm. Calamy Printed at London by R. I. for S. Bowtell at the Bible in Popes-head Alley 1652. TO THE Worshipfull my very loving Friends Mr. John Wollaston now Sir John Wollaston Kt. and Alderman of the City of London and Master Thomas Parkes Esquire Grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ THe will of man is more wilfull then the understanding blinde The Prophet speaking of the Learned Scribes and Doctors saith They have known the way of the Lord but they have altogether broken the yoke Jerem. 5. 5. more wilfull then blinde yea the very Pagans When they knew God they glorified him not as God Rom. 1. 21. Yea They were haters of God ver 30. who knowing the Judgements of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not only doe the same but have pleasure in them and doe them ver 32. The reason why I say a wicked man sinnes more out of wilfulnesse then blindnesse is three fold the first is taken à causâ from the cause because his wilfulnesse is the cause of his blindnesse For fooles hate knowledge Prov. 1. 22. or at least they regard not to know it Prov. 29. 7. Neither is this only true of those people that have preaching who actually refuse instruction and will not learne amendment of life of whom the Psalmist speaks They know not neither will they understand Psal 82. 5. But it is true also of those blinde soules that live under blinde Guides they doe potentially and innato habitu reject the Doctrin of newnesse of life of whom Salomon speakes Speake not in the eares of a foole for he will despise the wisdome of thy words Prov. 23. 9. The second is taken ab effectis from the effects because the effect shews his wilfulnesse more then his blindnesse He knowes that drunkennesse and company-keeping is a sinne yet he will live in it he knowes that interloquutory swearing is a sinne and yet he will continue in it That worldlinesse or Video meliora proboque deteriora sequor pleasure-hunting is a sinne yet he will goe on in it like Ovids Medea that knew the good and yet would not doe it his sinne is not so much ignorance of the sinne as hatred of good The wicked shall be cast away for his malice Prov. 14. 32. and therefore Moses calls the sinne of the wicked A roote of Gall and Worm wood Deut. 29. 18. they are sharpe and piquant against purity and bitter against the power of godlinesse they are said to walke after the stubbornnesse of their heart vers 19. all shewing that they are more wilfull then blinde What wilt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou say now saith S. Chrysostome thou knowest not what things are to be done thou both knowest them and willingly refusest to walke in them The third is taken ab experientiâ from experience experience tells us that the wicked are more wilfull then blind wherefore else could Elias that was a Prophet thirty yeares and Elisha that was a Prophet in his roome sixty yeares wherefore could they doe no more good upon the people Wherefore does St. Hierom. Nicephorus John after his so many scores of yeares teaching breake off with this speech He that is filthy let him be filthy still Revel 22. 11. The Drunkard heares us preach against drunkennesse and he will not obey the Blasphemer heares us preach against blasphemy and he will not be reformed the Church-sleeper hath heard his Church-sleeping condemned and yet he will not mend it If Nero could not endure Vespasian because he slept at his Musicke how can God endure such as sleepe at his Word yet no restauration Whence we see that the will is more corrupt by wilfulness then the understanding by blindnesse The heart is deceitfull above all things Jerem. 17. 9. Above all things That is the heart is corrupt above all things namely the will above all things else and therefore above the understanding The heart of the wicked is like an Oven as hot as fire Hos 7. 6. That is the will is like a red hot Oven where all sins are baked with the heat of Concupiscense And therefore wicked men are very oft said to walke after the stubbornness of their heart Jer. 9. 14. Jer. 11. 8. Jer. 13. 10. Jer. 18. 12. Jer. 23. 17. Eccles 11. 9. There be three reasons why the Will is more corrupt of the twaine 1. Ratione Originis because the Will was it that first rebelled against God for the Serpent could not have deceived the understanding of Eve unlesse she would the understanding as long as it was in innocency could not be deluded by the Devils guile unlesse it would for otherwise God had made the understanding imperfect with a sinfull ignorance the understanding it selfe like a naturall Agent understands and works ad ultimum virium as well as it can and it suspends not its consideration it selfe now it is the Will only that is essentially free and a free worker of its owne workes and now freely itching to sinne by its privie influence into the understanding suspends it not to consider and libertate participatâ by a participated freedome not to observe Satans policy Thus Adam and Eve willingly guld ate the forbidden fruit and first sinning willingly they and we are most punished in the wil most corrupted in wil. And therefore all sinne is devolved upon the heart as the first inward cause thereof The Atheism of the Atheist is cast upon the heart The foole hath said in his heart there is no God Psal 14. 1. The mischiefe of the mischievous is turned upon the heart But mischiefe is in their hearts Psal 28. 3. the iniquity of the vaine man is truly fathered upon the heart His heart gathereth iniquity to it selfe Psal 41. 6. Our Saviour Christ sets all corruption upon the hearts score Out of the heart proceede evill thoughts Murthers Adulteries Fornications Thefts False Witnesses Blasphemies Matth. 15. 19. St. Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c addes more Reviling touchy teasty words filthy talking c. And I may adde Out of the heart proceeds drunkennesse and company keeping c. That is out of the wil for the heart is commonly put for it 2. Ratione reatus because the will is it that indeed is guilty of all the evill in

the soule yea of all the said errors and ignorance of the understanding And therefore saith God of the wicked They doe alwayes erre in their heart Psal 95. 10. Errour is not in the heart but in the minde and understanding but sayes the Text They doe erre in their heart because they doe erre and they would erre They walked in the counsels and imaginations of their evill heart Jerem. 7. 24. Counsels and imaginations are properly in the understanding and minde and not in the heart but sayes the Text They walke in the counsels and imaginations of their evill heart For the understanding as it sayes the sinne is delightfull and gainfull to flesh and bloud so it would say also that it is forbidden by God and punished with death but the will gives eare to that word the pleasingness and the profit of sinne but will hear no more or else bridles the understandings that it consider no further And therfore these broken counsels the imaginations by halves as interrupted ones of the heart are of the heart Hereupon it comes to passe that as the will is free by native disposition and the understanding free by participation so is the understanding blinde and ignorant and deceived subjectively by innate errour and the will by a circular communication And seeing the will is guilty of all the evill in the soule all the blame God layes upon the will and plagues it with the sorest spiritual plagues that it is most wilful 3. Ratione ipsius in regard of it selfe because the will was best while it was Corruptid optimi pessima good now it becomes worst when it is bad As a good King is the best of men so a wicked Tyrant is the worst of men A good heart is Gods My son give mee thy heart Pr. 23. 26. A wicked heart is the devils Satan hath filled thy heart Act. 5. 3. Every conceit of the understanding is not evill But every imagination and thought of the heart is onely evill continually Gen. 6. 5. The heart is the fountaine Jam. 3. And when God would curse all the rivers streams he curs'd the fountaine the heart Now as in a corrupt fountaine the nearer ye come to the fountaine head the more corrupt the water is so the nearer the heart the more corrupt And therefore the outward actions being corrupt the outward members are more corrupt they being corrupt the fancy is worse corrupt that corrupt the understanding is worse corrupt that being corrupt the affections are still worse and worse corrupt and they being corrupt the heart is worst of all corrupt for that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys is the fountaine Out of the abundance of the heart the minde thinketh the sense remembreth the fancie imagineth the mouth speaketh the hand worketh the foot walketh out of the abundance of the heart so that that which is at all in the other faculties and members of the man is in abundance in the heart Whence againe we see that the will does not alwayes follow the understanding for the Wise-man presupposeth that a mans understanding may be right and yet the will not follow it and therefore he saith Be ye wise and refuse it not Prov. 8. 33. Thus how many thousands their owne knowledge yea and their owne conscience haling them from yet will runne upon sinne The envious revengeful malicious man his owne knowledge testifies against this sin and yet he will revenge his owne conscience reproves him for this sinne and yet hee will beare malice The lukewarmling and the civilist his own knowledge in the Scripture tels him he must live holier and ferventlier his owne conscience checks him for not living better and yet hee will not live better Like the knowing Pharisees Ye are of your father the devill and the lusts of your father yee Will doe Joh. 8. 44. Indeed its true that the will must needs follow one dictate or other in the understanding for it cannot see its object but by the understandings spectacles Neverthelesse the understanding having nothing but a political or a suasive power over the will it can but tender the dis-junction and leave the assumption to the wils choice for any imperative power that it hath As for example worldlinesse true it is a gainful sinne you may be better to live to the eye of the world that you may get by it but then it is a dangerous sayes the understanding Let me have it let me have it sayes the will I will cark I will care for the world c. This I will doe I will pull downe my barnes and I will build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods Luke 12. 18. and then I will say to my soul c. v. 19. I grant likewise that an inordinate act of the will presupposeth an errour in the understanding too I say an errour in the understanding but not alwayes an erring understanding it presupposeth errorem materialem non semper formalem in case the will immediately before this inordinate act were an incorrupt will and the understanding an inlightened understanding as the Angels and Adam before their fall It is a goodly Apple faire to see to sweetly likely to taste on and the Serpent tels me I shall not dye sayes the understanding Well I will put it to the hazard I will eat it sayes the Will These were the seeds of an errour but not an errour it self till by the wils intervening itch the understanding began to be darkned in a moment Now that the will will not follow the understanding alwayes may appear by these reasons 1. Because the blessed Angels albeit extrinsecally they be confirmed in grace and by the vertue of extrinsecal actuating are finally and infallibly and intrinsecally setled in their wils upon grace yet they have an inbred radical mutability of will possibly to depart from the grace revealed 2. Because if the will must needs follow the understanding then there could bee no sinne in the wil against knowledge much lesse the distinct and illuminate knowledge which is to be seene in the sin against the Holy Ghost wherein the wilfulnesse of the wil lifts up the heele against the very face of more special knowledge And although there bee ignorance yea the mysticallest and devillishest ignorance of all ignorances admixt with that knowledge yet that ignorance is not the cause but a concomitant of the wilfulnesse especially quatenus as it is a sin against the Holy Ghost 3 Because the will is so far from following the Understanding that the more understanding the understanding is in goodnesse the stouter the Will is as is evident by the wicked who the more they grow learned and Doctorly the further they are from the mastery of their corrupt wils Some of the deepest heads that could answer all the objections in their braines by their extracted Science out of the Word of God that any carnal man can bring to perswade them to live in any

and not Caine Noah was faithfull but was it not first said before he heard one sillable of good in Noah Noah found grace in Gods sight Gen. 6. 8. and not others Abraham was faithfull but had not God first called him Gen. 12. 1. and not the rest that were in Ur of the Chaldees Isaac was faithfull but was it not first said In Isaac shall thy seed be called and not in Ishmael Jacob was faithfull but was it not first said I have loved Jacob and not Esau Rom. 9. David was faithfull but was it not first said The Spirit of the Lord came upon David 1 Sam. 16. 13. Job was faithfull but doth not the very Devil acknowledge Gods speciall blessing to him first Job 1. 10 c. Wherefore serves all this but to teach thee how to beware lest thou sinne against Gods speciall secret O the Lord will not suffer this indignity at thine hands as to abuse his secrets even the Devils in Hell that are called Gods Apes among the Paynims they would have their secrets inviolably preserved Dionysius Haelicarnasseus tels us of the Pinarii Arcanorum custodes that looked to the secrets and verily the sacred Lord of unsearchable glory is tender of his secret Consider how wretchedly thou wrongest thy Maker in saying the reason why one is converted and not another is from the free arbitrement of the Will for thou robbest God of his secret jewell The secret of the Lord saith the Psalmist the secret of the Will so it should be sayest thou that is the secret cause why this man is converted rather then some other I beseech thee quake and dare not so great audacity Is not mans Will said every where to be passive and all to magnifie this secret Are not the Children of God said to be elected called converted redeemed justified adopted sanctified Are not their Wills said to be turned mollified All passive all to shew all to be from this secret Thou that art an Vniversaller of Grace answer me Why was Jonas sent to Niniveh Ionas 1. and not to Tarsus why was Elias sent to the widow of Zareptah when there were other widowes in Israel as well as she 1 King 17. was it not of this secret Why was Paul commanded to goe to Macedonia and not Bythinia Acts 16. 7. was it not from this secret Why hath such and such Countries meanes of Salvation and others againe for many hundred nay thousand of yeares not was it not from this secret Why are some Aufes and Fools like beasts in knowledge to their dying day and others not is it not from this secret Againe answer me Wherefore were all almost that were converted in Scripture then converted when their owne wils were about no such matter but rather the cleane contrary but only to set up this secret Pauls will was to persecute Grace then did he light upon conversion of grace Act. 9. was it not from this secret Levi when he was sitting at the grating receipt of Custome then he rose to the receipt of grace Mar. 2. 14. was it not from this secret Were it from the liberty of the Will then conversion should be when the Will is most intent upon it wherefore was the man possessed with a Legion of Devils turned in the instant could that be from the first choyse of his owne Wil Mar. 5. 2. nay he cryed out against Christ v. 7. but even then was he converted ver 13. was it not from this secret Wherefore are Publicans and Harlots oftner saved then other orderlyer people is it not from this secret wherefore was Nero's harlot that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Chrysostome calls her and not Seneca was it not still from this secret Againe answer me Why is not every blessing of God universall if Saving Grace were to be universall God doth not give strength to all nor beauty to all nor wit to all nor riches to all nor houses to all nor learning to all nor any left hand favour to all and will he give Saving Grace to all Shall we deny that to God which we account an injury to offer a deniall of to the meanest of Gods Creatures May not a Mother love one childe more then another yea while they are considered in themselves both alike May not a Master love one of his servants more then another though respected alike May not a Prince raise up a Favourite out of the rest of the people though circumstantiated alike Yea very Fowles love some young one more then another though qualified alike yea the very Viper will affect one of her brood more then the rest though shaped alike The Sunne doth not shine upon all places alike nor the Moone upon all corners alike the Mother Earth doth not feed all her Plants alike but some more some lesse some not at all And wilt thou say that God gives universall grace alike and deny him to doe with his owne whatsoever he pleaseth The Psalmist here teacheth yee better Divinity The secret of the Lord is with them that feare him and he will shew them his Covenant O remember it is the part of a slanderer to discover secrets Prov. 11. 13. Prov. 20. 19. and verily thou slanderest Gods wise and hidden Counsels that thus broachest all his secrets yea thou takest part with mockers that revile the Saints who say to the godly Oh forsooth what secret have you oh belike you are of those special ones even as Eliphas abused Job Hast thou heard the secret of God and dost thou restraine wisdome to thy selfe Job 15. 8. What knowest thou that we knew not What understandest thou that is not in us ver 9. With us are both the gray-headed and the aged men much elder then thy father vers 10. Is there any secret thing in thee vers 11 yes mocker there is a secret with them and God reveales it to his babes and leaves the wise and the aged many times in their folly and it is Gods glory to conceale this secret from them Prov. 25. 1. not as if the godly can or may pry into Gods secret Arke but this secret is the knowledge of their owne vildnesse which Zophar calls the secret of wisdome Job 11. 6. This is a secret that God reveals to them alone The secret of the Lord is with them that feare him and he will shew them his Covenant Seeing the grace of conversion is a secret how comes it about then that the wicked that have not this speciall secret afforded them are bound to be converted and shall be judged for not being converted For answer hereunto I must needs use a little extravagancy The Prophet Jeremiah saith Woe be unto thee O Jerusalem wilt thou not be made cleane This is a plaine question and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the people should answer yea or no suppose they answer downe-right No we will not bee made cleane then their wilfulnesse plainly appeares they will not be made cleane suppose they

answer Yea we will be made clean then their wilfulnesse appeares to bee double for they are not onely wilfull but lyingly wilful wee will be made cleane but when shall it once be saith God they doe but dally with him so that he is faine to denounce a woe Woe unto thee O Jerusalem and question againe as being not yet satisfied When shall it once be It is evident then that they were wilful in their impenitency They kept not the Covenant of God and refused to walke in his law Psal 78. 10. that is neither did they nor would they The wicked refuse to doe judgement Prov. 21. 7. They would not heare Esa 28. 12. Children that will not heare the law of the Lord Esa 30. 9. And they would not vers 15. They would not walke in Gods wayes neither were they obedient to his word Esa 42. 24. They would not bee ashamed they would not receive correction Jer. 5. 3. They refuse to returne Jer. 8. 5. They refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their eares that they should not heare Zach. 7. 11. So that here wee see the wicked are wilfull against conversion That they are wilfull may bee gathered 1. From the corrupt nature of their will their heart is desperately wicked Jer. 17. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is deadly wicked saith Buxtorfius Bonorum expectatio Buxtorf nusquam apparet saith Tremellius There is no good to bee expected in it and therefore as it wils sin so it will will sin and will wil not be converted The carnall heart is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can bee Rom. 8. 7. that is it doth not barely not doe good but it is an enemy of God it doth not onely not obey but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it cannot obey and why can it not Quia non vult as Haymo speakes because it wil not for because it can not is not put as a reason of its not obeying but as a parenthesis as if he should say It is not subject to the Law of God because it is an enemy it will not indeed it is true it cannot but that 's not the reason for it rebels against it Rom. 7. 23. it will not bee made clean That they are wilfull may be gathered Secondly from the abominable spawne of hideous conditions in the heart for a wicked heart is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an alseminary of sinnes an universal roe or seed-plot of rebellions Tell it of new obedience it simply wills not They would not consider his wayes Job 34. 27. urge it it perversely wils not The ungodly man scornes judgement Prov. 19. 28. urge it further it strongly wils not A foole rageth and is carelesse Prov. 14. 16. presse yet more not onely outwardly by preaching but also inwardly by the strange motions of Gods Spirit it stubbornely and contumaciously wils not They resisted the Holy Ghost Act. 7. 51. winde into it and excite it it maliciously and desperately wils not He hath done despight unto the Spirit of grace Heb. 10. 29. their will is the very tunnel of hell it selfe so that the sinne against the Holy Spirit is in the bottome of the heart and the reason why all doe not breake forth into it is because God doth not follow and presse all the wicked hearts alike with grace That they are wilful may be gathered Thirdly from the Father of their corrupt heart the Devill For the devill worketh and ruleth in the children of disobedience Ephes 2. 2. It is the devil that poysoned the heart and what poyson hath he brought into the heart even like a Serpent the poyson that he hath in himselfe namely willingnesse to disobey and wilfulnesse either actually or radically in disobeying and therefore a wicked heart is wilful upon sinne It is dead in trespasses and sinnes Ephes 2. 1. But what death is that that the Apostle tels us a lustful desiring selfe-minded wilful death vers 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith St. Chrysostome this death is an elective death dead the Will is and dead would be My people love to have it so Jer. 5. 31. whence I deduce this sure conclusion That the reason why wicked men are not converted and doe not repent is not because they cannot but because they will not The Lord doth not say Canst thou not bee made clean But wilt thou not Indeed a wicked man cannot repent For no man can come unto me except my Father draw him Joh. 6. 44. No man can come unto me except it be given to him of my Father vers 65. that is beleeve in me saith St. Austin Hence it is saith the same Father that the preaching of the Crosse is pereuntibus stultitia to them that perish foolishnesse but unto them that are saved it is virtus Dei every wicked man is like Lazarus dead in the grave fast bound and a stone upon him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it being an Chrysost impossible thing to raise himselfe againe as a foundered horse cannot but limp so a wicked heart cannot but be impenitent there is a necessity though not a violent yet a cruel necessity as Avitor cals it not as fatal yet a willing misfree necessity as Bernard cals it So that Luther gives the free wil of a wicked man in regard of grace a good title Res de solo titulo A naked titular thing no such matter Yet notwithstanding albeit the wickeds will canot but be impenitent the cause why it is impenitent is not because it cannot be otherwise but because it will not be otherwise penitent it doth not repent and it will not Sic volo stat pro ratione voluntas so I will this will is the reason Object Thou wilt say thou wouldest repent although thou bee a wicked man I would if I could but alas I cannot though I would I answer three wayes 1. Hast thou a will in thee to repent many will boast every one of his owne goodnesse Prov. 20. 6. It may be said to thee as Seneca said to his friend of a wicked youngster that said he would bee good I do not say sayes he he lies but put at se cupere he thinkes he wills but he wills not Thou sayest thou hast a will to repent whom may I beleeve saith St. Bernard truly I dare not beleeve thee if thou livest in wicked courses thou hast a will to live in them Thou art a scorner and wilt heare no rebuke Prov. 13. 1. Thou art so and thou wilt bee so thou wilt not be made cleane Secondly I answer thou sayest thou art offended with thine owne iniquities I doe not deny it what damned Devill is not Homines vitam suam amant oderunt wicked men hate their owne lives and love them both at one time their owne conscience gripes them and so they must needs finde fault with themselves but then their corrupt desires transport them Thou dost not will to