Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	harden_v	heart_n	pharaoh_n	2,001	5	11.6391	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92856	The parable of the prodigal. Containing, The riotous prodigal, or The sinners aversion from God. Returning prodigal, or The penitents conversion to God. Prodigals acceptation, or Favourable entertainment with God. Delivered in divers sermons on Luke 15. from vers. 11. to vers. 24. By that faithfull servant of Jesus Christ Obadiah Sedgwick, B.D. Perfected by himself, and perused by those whom he intrusted with the publishing of his works.	Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.	1660 (1660)	Wing S2378; Thomason E1011; ESTC R203523	357,415	377

or last they shall know that it shall not be well with the wicked and that between a former punishment and a greater there may step in many mercies as twixt the fits of a Fever some real slumbers and pauses Now I proceed to the Application of this Point which shall be for Conviction 1. Of the vanity and deluding presumption Vse Conviction of The vanity and deluding presumption of the sinner in the heart of sinners who imagine that worse they cannot be and as much misery is befallen them as can be and therefore they will on to their sins again Let us not deceive our selves that God with whom we are to deal is of infinite power and wrath and the conscience of a guilty sinner is capable of infinitely many miserable impressions The Bee may leave her sting in the flesh and so be disabled c. Therefore let no man say as Agag Surely the bitterness of death is past you know Samuel presently hewed him in pieces before the Lord in Gi●gal Alas thou knowest not the wrath which is yet behind God doth never fully manifest his wrath upon any sinner in this life nor doth he punish him so in any kind but that a greater judgement a worse thing as Christ spake to him in the Gospel may yet befal him Consider that as greater judgments are yet behind all the punishments which we have felt so it is Gods method to begin low but to end his work of Judgement heavily he doth by some lighter afflictions skirmish with a person or a Nation and if they yield not then he will bring the great Army of his Plagues and Judgements And again know that multiplication of sins is a just cause for the addition of Judgements Renewed sinnings are alwayes the more hainous and strong in deserts but renewed sinnings after punishment for sin are yet of a deeper dye because They relish much of Presumption though God hath already testified his displeasure yet the sinner will adventure on his wrath and provoke him again They receive universal condemnation the sinner now sins against all the waies of recovery the Word of God which called upon him to be wise and to receive instruction and to return unto him that smote The punishment or rod which did tender him the sins which brought this upon his back The mercy of God which drew off the wrath and though it might have been a destroying sword at once that destruction should not have risen up the second time yet it so wrought with the master that he would try the sinner yet a little longer thou mightst have been among the dead yea among the damned for thy former sinnings yet mercy hath so tempered justice that time is left thee to repent and this space thou abusest to sin again yea though justice met with thee for them already yea though mercy released thee yet a little longer yea though thou didst confess these sins yea though thou wert greatly troubled for these sins yea though thou didst resolve against these sins and if thou thus sinnest more will not thy punishment be greater Doth not God hate sins now as well as then Or if thou be greater in transgressions will he be less in justice Canst thou expect mercy should come more easily when sin is raised more deeply He that being often reproved hardneth his neck saith Solomon Prov. 29. 1. shall suddenly be destroied and that without remedy The same may be affirmed of being punished usually perseverance in sin after punishment brings a sudden and a sore destruction God hath many arrows which flie over the heads and after that hee hath arrows to wound the hearts of his enemies You know that there be not onely warning-pieces but murdering-pieces in the roial artillery The punishment which a man hath already felt for his sins are but so many warning-pieces to repent to return from sin but if men will harden their hearts there are murdering-pieces God can so deeply strike that destruction shall not rise up the second time 2. The second conviction shall be of Duty If the further Conviction of duty men go on in sin the worse rhey shall speed then let us learn a double duty 1. To avoid such things as will occasion a further progress in sin after punishment 2. To apply our selves to such Avoid waies as may take us off from sinning being punished 1. Vitanda The things which we must avoid as occasioning a further progress in sin are these 1. Ignorant Misconstruction as if Gods Ignorant misconstruction arrows did flye out as his who shot at an adventure and lighted on Ahab so that our punishments are but meer casual things naked acts but no lessons Nay brethren if we had but an ear to hear every affliction and punishment hath a voice to speak this may be said of every punishment what Ehud said to ●glon I have a message unto thee from God 2. Atheistical pride as Pharaoh who is the Lord that I should let Israel go When a Atheistical pride person will exalt himself in the times of wrath and will not tremble nor fear before the Lord but slights the operation of his hands and for all this will not lay to heart the hand of God alas this makes way for sinning 3. Froward Impatience when persons are sensible of punishment but vex against God who strikes so close yea and like that Froward impatience King in the strait This evil is of the Lord why should I wait on the Lord any longer When men will forsake God because hee doth punish them this is a further sin and makes way for more sinning The soul which is most apt through a murmuring impatience to question God will be apt through a presumptuous confidence to sin against God in the dead sea there is least sailing and in the raging sea there is most ship-wracking 4. Empty confessions when persons satisfie themselvs with words and a meer form of Repentance putting on for the time a grave Empty confessions countenance and fetching a sigh and dropping a tear and acknowledging that all is not well but all this while they search not to the root they do not strive to examine their hearts to humble them to cleanse and reform them and what then can be expected but upon some convenient occasion the old heart should return to its old waies and courses Pharaoh confessed that he and his people had sinned but still he hardned his heart and would not let Israel go Hypocritical humiliation or repentance because rising from mutable causes lasts not long nor changes the disposition of the soul The sore which is but covered and not cured will break out again 5. Negligent remissions An heart which likes not to change its course may ye for the obtaining some special good give out Negligent remissions unto the doing of much good and for the removal of some evil make a stop of much sin You may observe that

often an eye-salve than an heart-salve they may be a qualm to bring sin to sence when yet they are not a potion to bring off the sinner from wandring 3. Again twixt impediment to sin and twixt amendment of sin Impediment to sin and amendment of sin Miseries and straits may be a Dam to stop the Current when yet they are not like the Prophets salt effectual to heal the waters A Lock may stop a Thief but not alter him When the the Prophet Eliah met Ahab with a sharp message about Naboth's blo●d and Vineyard it made him go softly it cooled his spirit but did not change it Miseries more ordinarily for the present make men less forward and bold in sin as Jupiter's Log did quash the noise of the Frogs when yet they make them not so good as to turn them from sin They do like a shower of rain and hail make the Traveller to stand a while under the Tree who yet intends to hold on his journey again 4. Again twixt Declamation and Declination A sinner under misery may play the Oratour and yet never prove the Penitentiary Declamation ' and Declination he may both indite and accuse the sin which yet by no means he intends to condemn and execute It is one thing to confess that my sins do now hold me in bonds of affliction and thereupon to profess a discharge of such inmates and it is another thing really to repent and to forsake those sins yea the very those which a man more then suspects as patrons of his misery So that straits may bring sin to sight and the sinner to a stand and to a confession yet not always to repentance and to conversion which is true This is true 1. Of inward straits those manacling and severe fetters of conscience to which no distresses are comparable The boylings of Of Inward straits conscience may be but like the boylings of the Sea a person may have many guilts fretting there like a Leprosie and gnawing there like death and flaming there like hell it self and yet not be brought off from sin As Judas who betrayed his Master O think of that sin and fell into quick horrours of conscience and these cured him not but he proceeded to despair and then to self-murther 2. Of outward straits which do never come without cause but many times go off without remedy they may in all the sorts of Of Outward● straits them say oft times as they did of Babylon We would have healed Babylon and she would not be healed They find us evil and they leave us worse as we do our friends upon their dying-beds Ye revolt more and more why should ye be smitten any more Isa 1. 5. This is evident in Pharaoh whose hardnings increased like the iron with the stroaks Or like the Snake which Salvian spake did multiply by occision It was no better with Saul and Ahab nor with that King Ahaz who is blackt and fingred out amongst all the Kings of Judah because he sought not to the Lord in his distress but trespassed yet more against the Lord This is that King Ahaz 2 Chron. 28. 22. Thus it was with the Israelites many a time who felt the scourage but mended not their work but with bleeding shoulders oft times went away to sin and no sooner were the Assizes past but they adventured the way to the prison again If you now demand the Reasons why straits or miseries do not Reasons of it always bring men off from sins I answer 1. Because that onely true Grace is it which brings men off from sins Afflictions may be considered two ways either immediately Onely true grace brings men off from sin and solitarily so they are not forcible to bring any man o●f from his sinfull course no punishment whatsoever is an immediate Agent and sufficient to turn a sinner Mediately and concomitantly as they are sanctified i. either as they light upon an heart sanctified or as sanctifying Grace with them or by them is wrought in the soul and so they may bring off the heart from sin not the naked afflictions but grace in the heart afflicted turns the heart for nothing turns the heart from sin bu● that which is contrary unto sin now though miseries are contrary to the sinner yet not to the sin they are contrary to the sinners ease and way but not to the affection and delight of sin which may and oft times doth live and remain even under extreme miseries Now then many men are in miseries by reason of sin yet they turn not from sin because they want true grace by the strength of which alone men come off from sin for that it is which changeth the sinfull heart You know that Physick ordinarily works as the body is into which it is received there must be some strength of nature to help it else it will not work the Philosophers rule being true Quicquid recipitur recipitur ad modum recipientis The heat which melts the wax hardens the clay and the juice which goes into the Rose makes it sweet but that which goes into the Nettle makes it stink so it is with miseries they work as he is on whom they fall if true grace be not in the heart what good use can an evil heart make of them 2. Secondly Because straits and miseries are sometimes meerly judicial onely the strokes of revenging Justice You know that Straits are somtimes meerly judicial there is a great deal of difference 'twixt a whip which causeth smart and a plaister which causeth healing All miseries which befall us are not healing plaisters sometimes they are judicial lashes they are not the wounds of a friend but of an enemy God is said in Job to distribute sorrows in wrath and then they are not remedial effects but exitial they come not then with their teaching and recovering assistance but are the beginnings of a greater judgment yet to come You know that God plagued Pharaoh in a judicial way the miseries which befel him were as sharp and great and many and came as thick as most that ever befel any man of whom we ever read nevertheless they were so far from reclaiming of him from his sins that still he hardned his heart and exalted himself If you should demand why it should be thus with him that no not quick nor great nor many plagues did him any good I answer One cause amongst many is this Because they came onely in a judicial way they did not come out of the hand of a mercifull Father but of a provoked and revenging Judge If there be not grace in the heart to joyn with and to improve the affliction and if there be not mercy to send out and bless the affliction it will then never do us good it will not turn us from our Sins 3. Thirdly The Heart of a Sinner may be above his miseries There is not such a power in miseries alone as to

And is this excuse to pass for currant hath not God dealt Answered with thee often didst not thou more often harden thine own heart willingly withdraw thy self and all out of a love to sin 2. Though thou couldst not convert thine own heart yet this thou mightest have done in the times of afflictions c. considered what might move the Lord thus to deal with thee all or some of the causes which thy own conscience did freely suggest and the ends which God pointed thee to to reform them And then to have gone to him by vehement prayer to convert thy heart from thy sins to teach it righteousness to submit to his instructions Thou mightst thus have gone to him who can convert and have waited on him in the means of conversion but thou didst nor desire after him nor delightedst to seek him c. 2. But What may we do to prevent this shuffling and assaying of means to support us in sinning when the Lord deals with us and Means to prevent this shuffling calls upon us for the leaving of sin Sol. I would commend these five Directions 1. Strive to be convinced of this That as long as the Course is a sinfull Course it Be convinced of this That a sinfull course cannot be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 safe course can never be a safe Course We may weary our selves in the multitude of our imaginations and ways but run what course you please and pursue your own devices yet this ye shall reap of the Lord you shall lie down in your shame and sorrow you may run to new experiments but misery will follow your sins the next time as well as this and in every way as well as one way Your sins will find you out and as long as you carry your sins with you you cannot keep off calamities from you 2. Of necessity you must return or perish Your sinfull course is You must return or perish a by-path and leads to death It is sinfull and you know it and being sinfull it must be miserable To what end doth the Patient excuse the taking of the Receipt the wholsome Balm he must die if he doth not receive it So consider To what end do I thus vary my paths and shuffle and seek supports there is nothing strong enough to secure a sinner and let me sadly consider that I must one time or other leave these sinnings or else farewel my Soul and Salvation 3. It cannot but be best the sooner it is I must return or perish too soon I cannot return and the sooner the better A Our Return is best the sooner it is Best For Safety Souldier of a middle age a Counsellor of a grave age and a Penitent of a young age are still the best The work which must be done is best done when soonest Best for Safety for thy life is very uncertain and if thou doest not leave thy sins to day thou mayest be in Hell for ought thou knowest for thy sins to morrow For Acceptance the Lord likes it best when For Acceptance one word of Mercy can cause us to trust and one shaking of the Rod can cause us to tremble and when one command sufficeth to turn us when upon the first Arrest we give up our Weapons it pleaseth Soveraignty best For Quietness for we do hereby deliver not onely our Souls but Bodies also from many troubles For Quietness the sooner we do repent and plainly yield why Conscience speaks peace the sooner and God commands mercies the faster strong Sins breed long afflictions but give up the Sins and God gives up the Quarrel throw over Bichri's head to Joab and he will presently remove the siege If a man had health he might take sleep the better but as long as the body is diseased it is unquiet 4. Strive against those diverting Principles which do draw thee from the right and onely way and put thee on by-thoughts and Strive against diverting Principles as Presumption of Mercy Or of thy own Power by-paths and a vain assayment of means to support us As 1. Presumption either of Mercy though thou doest add drunkenness to thirst and still findest out thine own inventions or thine own Power Thou mayest be hindred of the time which thou doest project and mayest want strength to execute thy purposes For sinfull practises do altogether weaken our power whilest they delude us with a conceit of strength hereafter 2. Stoutness and pride of spirit Do not in a bravery of villany dispute with the Almighty Stoutness and pride of spirir God it may prove a sad Victory to thee that thou art able to reject good counsel and to quench all good motions 3. Delight Delight in sin in sin which drowns the errand of all afflictions c. 5. Beseech the Lord at the very first to circumcise the stubbornness Beseech the Lord to c●rcumcise the stubbornness of your hearts of your hearts and to give you the understanding ear and the obedient spirit that when in the Word he calls upon you to turn from your sins your hearts may fall down and cry out O Lord turn me and when by afflictions he calls upon you to turn you may presently humble your hearts and cry out O Lord pardon me O Lord heal me O Lord turn and save me Let us all think of this You know that the Lord is displeased with us and we have hitherto hardened our hearts against the Lord God hath dealt with us once twice often in publick in private ways and still we seek our own ways delude the work of Repentance set nothing to heart nor repent of our evil doings I I. Now I proceed to the Second thing which is The final The final disappointment of all the Prodigals designs Doct. 2. Nothing shall avail the shuffling sinner till he return but God will disappoint all his p●ojects Some things premised This is meant● of a sinner whom God intends to convert disappointment of the Prodigals assays and designs in these words And no man gave unto him Whence I observe That nothing shall avail the shuffling sinner until he doth turn from his sins but God will disappoint all his projects batter down all his confidences frustrate all his expectations drive him out of all his harbours and overthrow all the means and ways which he flies unto Before I confirm this Assertion let me premise a few particulars that so you may rightly conceive the scope of it Thus then 1. I intend the Assertion of a sinner whom God doth intend to convert others he may leave to prosper in their imaginations For you see it raised from the disappointment of a Prodigal one whose conversion at length attended his manifold afflictions and as manifold contrivances to keep up his sinfull conversation though such a person knows not it nor thinks on it yet God is secretly against him and thrusts him off from all the Cities of Refuge

occulta even your secret sins que sunt contra duo ultima decalogi praecepta Nay those which are committed against the two last commandments circumstancias yea and all the circumstances of your sins this is the confession which the Church of Rome in the Trent Council doth injoin upon pain of Anathema to be made unto the Priest Sess 14. Can. 7. but without any warrant from the Scripture or averment from true Antiquity for Scripture assures us that confession of sin made to God alone obtained remission of sins and favour Psal 32. 5. I said I will confess my sins unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Lo here confession to God alone not to a Priest and upon it remission of sins by God himself dares any Popish Priest reverse this absolution or confession because not made to man which yet is accepted with God Saint Chrysostome speaks strange words Let Tom. 5. Hom. de paenit confess Lat. ●d Bas an 1 558. God onely see thee confessing And again upon Hob. 12. Hom. 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reveal thy way unto the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Confess them before God and again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Confess thy sins before thy Judge and Saint Austins tongue needs to be clipped Quid mihi cum hominibus ut audiant confessiones nostras Conf. lib 10. cap. 13. quasi ipsi sanaturi sint omnes languores meas What have I to do with men that they should hear my confessions as though they could heal all my diseases Saint Basil saith that the groans of his In Psal 37. heart did suffice for a Confession Surely here was no absolute necessity to confess all to the Priest but yet again observe there is a use of Confession in case of 1. Injury 2. Anxiety 3. Scandal to the Church as in the next particular 2. Christian and prudential Confession and this is the acknowledging Christian and prudential of sins to men either in case of notorious scandal which the primitive Churches much urged and used or else in case of trouble and thus we deny not but any person may lawfully and warrantably go unto a faithful godly skilful compassionate Minister and confess his sins either to obtain counsel out of the Word of God for the remedy of sins to recover or prevent them or to be imformed aright concerning his present estate or to have his conscience quieted and settled 3. Penitential which is made onely to God this the Scripture Penitential to God doth command and this wee hold as absolutely necessary when wee do repent then to make confession of our sins to God Penitential confession considered In respect of the material part onely or Secondly This penitential confession may be considered either in respect of the material part onely and so it consists of words whereby we acknowledge wherein we have transgressed Hos 4. ver 1 2. Or of the formal part also and thus it conteins these Of the formal also ingredients which specifie and dist●nguish it from all superstitious or hypocritical or false confessions 1. It is an hearty acknowledgment no● nuda confessio feigned And so it is or meerly verbal confession It is affectionate the lips do u●ter An hearty acknowledgment the mind of the heart in it cum sensu peccati miseriae as a sick man opens his disease here I feel it c. The publican smote upon his breast and confessed True confession is the language of the very soul being very sensible of sin 2. It is voluntary not coacta confessio the Thief may confess upon the rack though And voluntary there were no wrath in God no rack in conscience no flames in hell yet the true penitent will confess When there is no other cause of confession of sin but that which is penal it is not then truly penitential Pharaoh confessed under the plagues and Judas under the stings of conscience it was an extorted confession but penitential confession is voluntary it is an act that ariseth from an inward displicence with and detestation of sin though there be no apprehension of hell no sense of wrath yet the penitent confesseth even to a Father I have sinned Many of the Saints did I shut up in prison and when they were put to death I gave my voice against them I punished them oft in every Synagogue Acts 26. 10 11. 3. It is distinct and not confused the penitent hath special bills of inditement he knows his sins and And distinct wherein he hath exceeded and failed such sins as he hath most delighted in such as he hath most walked in such as he hath most dishonoured God by such as cleave most unto his nature such as conscience may be most clogged with these he doth more especially confess unto God and indite and condemn himself for small sins as well as great Sauls lap as well as Vriahs murther antient sins as well as present secret sins as well as open But must our confession of sins be particular Sol. Either explicitly so or virtually so the heart hath a particular intention or affection the more particular the better to humble our hearts to obtein mercies to make us fervent As David though hee did give a touch at all his sins in the beginning of the 51 Psalm yet at length brancheth his confession into particulars into that of Adultery and the other of Blood So doth Paul often uncover his special sins of Persecuting the Church and Blaspheming and of Injuriousness Judas cryed out of Blood but not of Covetous●ess and Hypocrisie 4. It is Humble and not And Humble proud as Benhadads servants with ropes c. done with Contrition of Heart not with Ostentation of Spirit Like a flash of Lightning breaks out of a cloud rented and Josephs garment was shewed to his father rent and dipt in blood Anciently when they did confess their sins to God they did it with Sack●loth and Ashes and the opening of their sins is termed The pouring out of water before the Lord I am vile Job 40. 4. Not worthy c. Luke 15. because when they p●ured out their sins in confession of Tongue they likewise poured out contrition of Heart their tears of Grief spake as much as the words of their Lips I will declare mine Iniquities and be sorry for my sin Psal 38. The Papists indeed have as course a Garment and as severe a Garb in penitential confession as any but underneath they have dainty Linnen there lies great pride under all this pretended Humiliation as if all this did merit at the hands of God the Voice is humble Jacob's but the pride upon the act is proud Esau's If they saw the wrong which they did by sinning how could they so proudly challenge God upon their confessing what doth the murtherer deserve because he confesseth But truly Penitential Confession is accompanied with grief in the heart and with