Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	apostle_n	sin_n	word_n	4,593	5	4.4164	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96430	A treatise tending to shew that the just and holy God, may have a hand in the unjust actions of sinfull men: and that in such a way as shall be without any impeachment of his justnesse and holinesse, or diminution of his power and providence. By Thomas Whitfield minister of the Gospel.	Whitfield, Thomas, Minister of the Gospel.	1653 (1653)	Wing W2011; Thomason E684_34; ESTC R207076	39,661	51

tooke an occasion to grow stubborne and rebellious and more to harden his heart in a resolution not to let them goe Exod. 5.2 I know not the Lord saith he neither will I let them go yea the ofner Moses came to him with command from God for doing it the more he still hardned his heart against it looke as a strong streame the more it is stopt the higher it riseth though no new water be added to it so it is in this case Thus the Jewes the more they were warned by the Prophet of their Idolatry and that they should not goe downe into Egypt Jer. 42.17 the more obstinate and wilfull they waxed both these wayes Chap. 44.16 so when Christs hearers heard that which they thought touched themselves it is said they were filled with with wrath and thrusting him out of the City they led him to the edge of an hill with purpose to have throwen him downe headlong Luk. 18.27 When Stephen preached so excellently to the Jews they hurst with anger and gnashed upon him with their teeth running violently upon him Act 7.54.57 So that Christs and Stephens preaching was an accidentall cause of the wrath of these wicked men as the stopping of a streame is the cause of the rising of it Hence the Apostle speaking of the Law saith where there is no law there is no transgression Rom. 4.15 that sin took occasion by the command and wrought in him all manner of concupiscence for without the Law sin is dead but when the Law came sin revived Rom. 7.8,9 that sin took occasion by the command and deceived him verse 11. so that the Law quickned sin put life into it and set it on worke it lying as it were dead before and not stirring so strongly as it did after the comming of the Law by all which it appeares that the Law is an accidentall cause of sin Now so far as the Law workes it God workes it the Law being his agent and instrument Quest But here it may be asked how can it be that the Law which in it selfe is holy just and good should any way be the cause of evill Answ This ariseth from the contrariety that is betwixt the good and holy law of God and mans corrupt and wicked heart there is nothing more pure and holy then the Law of God it being the perfect rule of righteousnesse and an exact idaea of all purity and holinesse there is nothing more corrupt and and impure then the wicked heart of man it being the fountaine of all pollution and filthinesse Mat. 15.19 Jer. 17.9 Now it is a true rule in Logick Contraria juxta se posita magis elucescunt when contraries are placed neer together the contrarieties of their natures doth more appeare and put forth it selfe keep fire and water at a distance and the contrarieties of their natures doth not much shew it selfe but bring them together cast water upon the fire or put coales of fire into the water then they fight one with the other and the stronger overcomes the weaker so the more neer and close the most pure and holy word of God be brought and applyed to the corrupt and rebellious will of man the more is the innate corruption and rebellion of it irritated and stirred up and the more strongly doth it put forth it selfe The more strongly the command was pressed upon Pharaoh touching letting the Israelites goe the more strongly did his rebellious will rise up against it This we may see true in the ordinary carriage of wicked men Let a proud swearer or filthy speaker be rebuked for their ill language and they will the more breake forth into abusive speech Thus we see how the Law and Word of God that in its owne nature tends to restraine and represse sin may accidentally provoke and put men forward to greater eagernesse and violence in sinning yea not onely the Law but the Gospel may by accident be an occasion of greater evil Thus our Saviour tels the Pharisees that if they had been blind they had had no sinne but because they said they did see therefore their sin remained Joh. 9. last if they had had no meanes of knowledge their sin had not been so great but now the light shined upon them thereby their sin was increased because they shut their eyes against it Hence likewise the Apostle saith that the Gospel was to some the savour of death 2 Cor. 2.16 In it owne nature it did tend to life but by accident it came to be an occasion of death to such as rejected it Thus we see how God may be accidentally a cause of sin namely by administring occasion and that both inwardly and outwardly both by his workes and by his word and Bellarmine himselfe is forced in a manner to acknowledge thus much for he saith Bellar. de amiss grat statu pcti l. 2. c. 14. Patientia Dei aliquo modo indurat Caeterum non dicitur excecare vel indurare nisi per accidens sed ipsis homines abutentes rebus bonis seipsos obdurat The patience of God doth after a sort harden men but yet he is not said to blind or to harden but onely by accident for when they doe abuse good things they harden themselves Here Bellarmine grants that God may bee said to blind and harden men by accident when they abusing his Patience and long suffering take occasion from thence to harden themselves in sinne CHAP. VI. Shewing that such causes as worke by accident may have a true efficiency and yet not be altogether blameless in blame-worthy actions THat accidental causes may have a true efficiency and yet not be faulty when the effect is faulty may appear both by Reason and Scripture 1. The rule of reason tels us that whatsoever hath a vis any power or vertue to bring forth an effect is so far a cause of that effect For causa est cujus vi res est Now there be many things which have an efficiency in bringing forth such or such an effect which yet cannot justly be blamed though the effect be evill When a man stands so neare the fire that he scorcheth his legges the fire hath a true efficiency in this scorching yet not the fire but the man onely is to be blamed for though it be the natural property of the fire to burne yet the end why the fire was made was to warme not to burn those that stand before it and that it scorcheth the mans leggs it is his owne fault because he did not stand further off when he might have done it and the fire was onely an accidental cause of scorching When a man weares a sword for his defence and he in a Melancholike or mad humour shall run the Sword into his own body here not the Sword but the man is to be blamed because the end of wearing a Sword is the safety not the hurt of the owner and though it hath a true efficiency in hurting wounding