Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	ear_n	eye_n	fat_a	2,377	5	10.2276	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96426	The extent of divine providence: or, 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.	1651 (1651)	Wing W2007; Thomason E628_10; ESTC R204032	39,726	51

besides his scope and intents To this doubt answer may be made by distinguishing betwixt intentio operis operantis Answ the intention of worke and the workeman Sin is besides the scope of the worke which God doth but not besides his owne intent who is the agent and workeman When he decrees sin shall be he intends it shall be by such wayes and meanes by which acts and workes so far as he works in it as in themselues and their own nature tend onely to good and are meer accidentall causes of the evill which man does The Law and word of God his mercies judgements and all his dealing with men in their owne nature tend to this end namely to make men better not worse and if they be made worse by them it is propter scopum besides the scope and intent whereto these things in their owne nature tend The Gospel in it selfe tends to life when therefore it is the savour of death it is besides the proper scope intent and of the Gospel but though it besides the intent of the Gospel to be the savour of death it is not besides Gods intent for he both knows and intends in what effect the Gospell shall have otherwise he should be defective in his wisedome and providence besides what power the Gospel hath to produce an effect either way it receives from him Hence it is aid to be the power of God unto salvation Rom. 1.16 the powerfull instrument which God useth to bring men salvation which power he puts into it and so likewise when he workes the other way it is power also The Lord bids the Prophet Go make the hearts of this people fat and make their ●ares heavie and shut their eyes c Isa 6.10 and how should he do this namely by preaching the word unto them by which it appeares that sometimes the word doth harden mens hearts close their ears and shut their eyes and that God intends it should do so and sends it for this very purpose yet the word in owne nature tends to soften their hearts to open their cares and eyes to make them see and heare better so that the word here is onely an accidentall cause it being beside the scope and intent of the word to harden yet this is not besides Gods intent who in all his actions and in the use of such instruments as are imployed in them propounds to himselfe a most sure and certaine end By all which appeares as the secret and just judgement of God so his infinite wisedome and skill who can worke out his owne ends by such meanes as in their owne nature do tend a contrary way CHAP. X. Shewing some usefull conclusions which do necessarily follow from what hath been spoken of this Subject IF God so ordereth things Conclu 1 that in all the sins which are committed by men though he hath a secret working hand yet he workes in a most just and holy manner and doth nothing but what is right and good Hence it followes that in all the sin which is committed in all the evill which is done either by our selves or others we lay all the blame on our selves or them not imputing the least miscarriage on God not so much as in our thoughts He is just in al his wayes and holy in all his workes what ever he doth is well done be the instruments never so bad by whom it is done In all the evill that befals us we have no just reason at all to repine and murmur to be impatient or discontent for all his dealings with us whether by his word or his workes his mercies or his judgements do in themselves tend to good when therefore any evill comes we must take heed we do not charge God foolishly Iob 1.22 but remember that we have procured these things to our selves as the Prophet tels the people Jer. 2.17 Sin is the seed of sorrow all the evill of suffering ariseth from the evill of finning and this ariseth onely from our selves yea though sometimes we suffer many evils altogether unjustly as they proceed from men yet as they come from God who guides all the actions of men they are done most holily wisely and justly Thus Daniel acknowledgeth in regard of himselfe and his people O Lord righteousnesse belongs to thee open shame to us Dan. 9.6 Thou art just in all that is come upon us saith Nehemiah for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly cap. 9. last Let God be true and every man a lyar saith the Apostle Rom. 3.4 So let God be just and holy and every man sinfull wicked and wretched abundantly worthy of all the evill which comes upon him Hence it follows Conclu 2 that we ought with all reverence to admire and to adore the infinite wisedome justice and power of God that is able to worke in the most blame worthie actions of sinfull men and yet himselfe remaine altogether blamelesse that is able to bring about the best ends by the worst meanes that in many great works which have been done in the world hath wrought out such ends as have been altogether different yea sometimes contrary to the scope and intent of those who have been the principall actors and agents in them Little did Josephs brethren thinke that when they sold their brother for a slave this should be the meanes of making him the greatest mam in all the Land of Egypt next to Pharaoh Little did Haman thinke that when out of his hate and indignation against Mordecai he gate a decree of destroying all the Jewes in the Kings Dominion in one day that this should be a meanes and occasion of making them have a hand against their adversaries and of procuring liberty to destroy them yea of bringing himselfe to the Gallowes Hest 8.11.7.10 Little did the Jewes thinke that their envie and hatred against Christ should be an occasion of redemption of mankind that when they spit upon him buffeted him beat him with rods crowned him with thornes caused him to suffer the shamefull and accursed death of the Crosse that this should be a meanes of his greater advancement and exaltation yet the Scripture saith that because he made himselfe of no reputation and humbled himselfe to the death of the Crosse therefore God highly exalted him and gave him a name above every man Phil. 2.8 what reason therefore have we in way of admiration to cry out with the Apostle Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and ounsell of God unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out Rom. 11.33 Thirdly Conclu 3 hence it follows that we ought to acknowledge with all thankefulnesse that infinite goodnesse of God which doth not suffer us to goe on in a course of sinning especially in such a sort as would ruine our soules and drive us to destruction for if he should it would be in vaine for us to complaine against him he would easily acquit himselfe and justifie his owne proceedings he would be justified in his words and overcome when he is judged as the Apostle speakes Ro. 3.4 he would easily convince us that in all the evill which we have done or shall suffer the just blame lyes upon our owne heads and our destruction is of our selves he would cause our mouthes to be stopped and make us as all the world to be found culpahle before him Rom. 3.10 If he should enter into judgement with us we should not be able to answer one of a thousand what a mercy is it that he doth not suffer us to fall into sin so frequently and in so fowle a manner as we are ready to doe especially that he doth not charge our sins upon us What reason have we to say with the Psalmist Praise thou the Lord O my soule and all that is within me praise his holy name who forgiveth all thine iniquities and healeth all thine infirmities who doth not deale with us after our sins nor reward us after our iniquities but as high as the heaven is above the earth such is his mercy towards us as far as the East is from the West so far he doth remove our sins from us Psalm 103.1 3.10 11 12. to him alone be all glory now and ever FINIS