Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	aaron_n	abuse_v	people_n	29	3	4.3239	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89585	The sinne of hardnesse of heart: the nature, danger, and remedy of it. Opened in a sermon, preached to the Honorable House of Commons, July 28. 1648. being the day of their solemne monethly fast. By Stephen Marshall, B.D. minister of Gods Word at Finchingfield in Essex. Published by order of that House.	Marshall, Stephen, 1594?-1655.	1648 (1648)	Wing M783; Thomason E455_3; ESTC R204198	29,752	46

must know it is not by Gods infusing obstinacy and and malice into them that God doth to none but it stands in these three things sometimes By taking away from them or denying them those meanes that might make their heart plyable to God or Secondly In case they doe injoy the meanes yet God withholding his blessing from the meanes and Thirdly Permitting them or so far withdrawing the bridle of his restraining grace from them as to permit them to abuse the meanes that they doe injoy to their own ruine and further hardening and thus was Pharaoh and his people harden'd by the Ministery of Moses and Aaron and thus were the Israelites harden'd by Isaiahs Ministery as you 'le find it in Isaiah 6. the Lord said to him Goe to this people and make their hearts hard how was that Hee should preach to them but they should bee given up to a fat heart that is a senslesse and a heavy eare that is a heedlesse eare God would give them up to a senslesnesse and heedlesnesse that the more means they enjoy'd the more desperate and vile their hearts should grow now then to draw up all this to my purpose the Doctrine that I am to handle wherein I am to shew you that hardening the heart against God is a certain forerunner of destruction I doe not mean it of that naturall hardnesse that wee all bring into the world nor of that acquired hardnesse that is found in every man who hath but lived a while upon earth nor of that partiall or graduall hardnesse that is in the best of Gods people much lesse of that felt bewailed bemoaned hardnesse that is look'd upon as a heavy judgement by them that lye under it though all these are sinnes yet these are not the sinnes of my Text but my Text meanes it of the chosen voluntary elected hardnesse the Totall hardnesse the Raigning hardnesse when men doe obstinately and willingly strengthen and make firme their hearts in their sinfull wayes against God and then God in his righteous judgement concurres and saith bee it so when men doe thus harden their hearts against God be it a Family be it a Kingdome be it one or be they many this hardening the heart against God is a certaine forerunner of utter destruction Now you understand what the Lesson is that I am to handle and First I shall make it good and plainly demonstrate the truth of it out of the Scripture and for the proofe turn to three or foure Texts the one is that knowne signall Text in Prov. 29. 1. read it carefully Hee that being often admonished or reproved hardens his neck there is my very Doctrine that after admonitions hardens his neck what of him Shall suddainly bee destroyed and that without remedy weigh all those words First What it is that is threatned against him hee that being often reproved hardens his neck what of him He doth not say he shall smart for it he shall be afflicted but he shall be destroyed destruction is prepared for him Secondly Hee doth not say hee is in danger of it but hee shall bee destroyed it is decreed in heaven it is set down for him hee shall perish and Thirdly That suddenly hee shall suddenly bee destroyed the Vision of his destruction is not for a long time to come but his damnation sleepeth not he shall suddenly be destroyed Yea and that with out remedy no power shall rescue him no mercy shall pardon him no Mediator shall intercede for him there is no remedy all the world cannot helpe it the man that after many reproofes hardens his heart shall bee destroyed without any remedy there is a place like it in the 28. of Proverbs the very Chapter before it and the 14. verse He is a blessed man that feares alwayes that is the beginning of the Verse he is a blessed man hee lives in a blessed state whose heart suspects it self O I shall sinne I shall offend God I shall yeeld to my Corruption hee is a blessed man that feares alwayes but hee that hardens his heart hee that dares venture upon ungodly enterprizes what of him Hee shall fall into mischief some render it in malum inprovisum into unthought of mischief hazardous men hard hearted men are suddainly before ever they thinke of it caught and in 2 Rom. 2. 5. the Apostle there speakes to such a hard hearted wretch as my Text meanes Thou saith hee after thy hardness of heart that cannot repent treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath marke yee the hard heart it is Satans treasury for sin but it is Gods treasury for wrath Satan doth not lay up more wickedness in a hard heart then God layes up vengeance in the Cellars of it treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath were it needfull I could give you abundance of examples out of Gods Word Pharaoh and the Egyptians are a famous one 600000. Israelites in the Wilderness are another famous example of hardning hearts to ruin when the hardness of their hearts made them all fall in the Wilderness as you have it Epitomized in Psalm 95. and the latter end of it and so many more in the Old and New Testament that the time will not allow mee to mention Iob hath a passage may serve for all in Iob 9. 4. saith he Who over harden'd himself against God and prosper'd As if he should have said I challenge all the World to bring an example of any one man that ever harden'd his heart against God and was not ruin'd by it that expression and prospered is but an Affirmative for a Negative bring me an example of one that carryed away the victory that was not lost in the War but to make it yet more plain to you bee pleased to observe there are two things meet in this sin of hardness of heart besides many other that might be said but I say there are two things that will demonstrate to all the world that it is a sin that must bring forth certain judgment The one is In the Nature of it it is rebellion against God it is the trying of it out with God whose will shall stand for God saith plainly to the harden'd sinner I will have such a thing done no saith the t'other I will have such a thing done but saith God if I bee God I 'le have it done saith the t'other I am resolved it shall bee thus and hee tries it out The sin of hardness of heart is made up of Rebellion and not yeelding he takes up the bucklers against God here I will try and when hee hath done refuses to lay them down upon a Summons but will stand it out to the utmost Now Brethren it is not imaginable that any thing but ruine should attend such an one Gamaliels speech in Acts 5. Beware saith hee left yee bee fighters against God The harden'd sinner enters into the lists to

contend with God and then saith God if it be come to that it shall be tried whose word shall stand mine or theirs God speakes to the very case of some harden'd sinners that said to the Prophet Ieremiah they would do what is good in their eyes well saith God you have spoken the word and we will try it out whether you or I shall carry it if poor wormes dare enter the lifts and bid defiance to God and refuse to submit they must perish Secondly there is this in this sinne of hardnesse of heart that In the nature of it it frustrates all the meanes that should possibly serve to save the soule from ruine I say the sin of hardness of heart in the nature of it frustrates all those means which should tend to save the soul from ruine and therefore you 'l find it ordinarily If you 'l heare Gods voice harden not your heart in the 95. Psalme so in Hebrewes 3. 15. To day if you will heare my voyce harden not your heart as they did in the Wildernesse and my Text hath it againe they made their heart like an Adamant stone that they might not heare the words that God had said to them so that this is a sinne that prevents all those Ordinances and meanes which the Lord hath sanctified and appointed for reducing a soule from the wayes of death and this is noted of the Israelites in the Wildernesse that though they had innumerable miracles and administrations of all sorts they ate miracles and dranke miracles and wore miracles they had whatsoever might possibly doe a people good all these were lost to that people how onely because of the hardnesse of their hearts and so the Prophet Isaiah expresseth it in the sixth of Isaiah the Lord doth by the Prophet saith he harden their heart that they may never turne and be healed Christ saith the same in Iohn 12. 40. that this was the reason why all the miracles that he had wrought among them and all the Sermons that he had preached among them did them no good because their hearts were harden'd it is like a peece of stone put into a bottles mouth though you put it into the bottome of a well no water gets into it the stopple keeps all out the sinne of hardnesse of heart keeps the soule from receiving any good it is like unto the harlot that Solomon speakes of or rather like them that goe in to the harlot that none of them ever turne to take hold of the wayes of life so that because it is a sinne that is open Rebellion against God and it is a sinne that in the nature of it rejecteth all the meanes that might make reconciliation with God what can bee expected but the heart that goes on to harden it selfe must needs run into utter ruine I have one thing more before I come to the Application and that is to discover how this sinne of hardnesse of heart may be known the properties of it that every soule may bee able when it comes to the Application to give a right judgement of its owne condition and here I beseech you remember that I doe not come to enquire after hardnesse of heart in generall there is no living man upon earth but his heart is harden'd there is no child of God living but his heart is harden'd all the sinfull motions and inclinations that are found in us they are all the fruits of hardnesse of heart all that rebellion that Paul speakes of in the seventh to the Romans a law in the members rebelling against the law of the mind and leading of him captive it is all the fruit of hardnesse of heart but all hardnesse is not the hardnesse of my Text all hardnesse of heart is not destructive hardnesse is not ruining hardnesse hardnesse felt hardnesse bemoaned hardnesse lamented and striven against is softnesse in Gods esteeme and is so farre from being a forerunner of ruine that it is an evidence of salvation but it is this destroying damning hardnesse of heart that I would enquire the properties of and set them before you out of the word of God and there are six things that I have thought upon whereby this destroying damning hardnesse of heart doth manifest it selfe First Take that which is most usuall in the Scripture the Lord ordinarily expresses this devillish hardness of heart by the comparison of an untamed heifer of a bullock that refuses to carry the yoke to draw or to plow very often in the booke of God doth the Lord describe this hardned sinner by the comparison of an untamed heifer in reference to the yoke Now in an untamed heifer there are these two things remarkable to my purpose the one is That if it be possible it will throw off the yoke that you would put upon it turning away the neck rinching the shoulder using its strength and all that it hath to keepe the yoke that it may not come upon the neck of it or secondly If you doe get the yoke over the neck and compell it to be under the yoke then it pines away frets and fumes and bellows and takes on but worke it will not just thus is this harden'd heart God hath two yokes The one is The yoke of his Commandements which hee commands every soule to take upon its selfe this yoke this hardned wretch throwes away with indignation that you may say of a harden'd heart in reference to the yoke of obedience as Iob speaks of the Vnicorne in the 39. of Iob Canst thou intreat him to carry thy yoke and to plow thy ground can thy faire words perswade him to doe it saith hee so doe you thinke any allurements for God shall make this wretched man carry the yoke of Gods Commandements no hee throwes them off what God would have him doe he will not doe but then God hath another yoke that this creature cannot keep off and that is The yoke of correction the yoke of judgement and when the Lord puts that yoke upon him then hee pines away frets swelters himselfe and as the Prophet Ezekiel expresses it in the 24. of Ezekiel You shall not weep that is you shall not weep with any godly sorrow but ye shall pine away in your iniquities and the Lord expresses it in the 51. of Isaiah Thy sonnes do faint in the 20. verse they are like a Bull caught in a net full of the fury of the Lord there thy sonnes are fallen I have yoked them they would not carry my yoke of obedience but I have yok'd them with judgement and how are they under it there they lie like a Bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord yelling and roaring thus the harden'd heart is like an untamed heifer the yoke of Gods commandements it will not carry and the yoke of judgements though it must carry yet it doth not profit by them but onely pines away by discontent under them This first