Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	believe_v	faith_n	word_n	11,191	5	4.5836	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93437	The doome of heretiques: or, A discovery of subtle foxes, who were tyed tayle to tayle, and crept into the Church to doe mischiefe. As it was delivered in a sermon at Wickham-Market in Suffolke, upon the fast day, being the 26 of May. 1647. / By Zeph: Smyth, minister of Gods Word. Imprimatur, Ia: Cranford, August 22. 1648.	Smyth, Zeph. (Zephaniah), fl. 1646-1648.	1648 (1648)	Wing S4363; Thomason E467_7; ESTC R204204	27,627	23

no eye pitied thee it was I spread my skirt over thee and washed thee from thy filthinesse and entered into a Covenant with thee It was of his free grace to predestinate thee to life and therefore be humble and give him the glory of his free-grace Thirdly as it is your duty to rejoyce and to be humble so also to be thankfull that God should looke upon you and predestinate you to life When hee passes by so many on the right hand and the left as the Scripture expression is There is but a remnant according to the election of grace Rom. 11.5 And that I should be one of them would the soule say such a vild and sinfull wretched creature as I Was there ever the like love was there ever the like mercy May not Heaven and Earth stand amazed at it Oh! what shall I doe to be thankfull enough to this God oh you know your Interest is in Christ studie prayses and thankfulnesse not a verball thankfulnesse but a reall thankfulnesse shew it by your obedience by your holy conversation by your walking sutable to your place as in 1. Pet. 2 9. Yee are a chosen Generation a Royall Priesthood a holy Nation a peculiar people that yee should shew forth the vertues of him which hath called you out of darknesse unto his marvellous light so should Christians walke according to their place that God may be glorified by their holy conversation God hath chosen the Saints to be holy and called them to holinesse and commanded them be yee holy for I am holy and therefore the Saints should studie holinesse and shew their thankfulnesse in a holy obedience 5. Use If God hath of old ordained some to condemnation then hence bee you exhorted as you would be glad to know you are none of them to give all diligence to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet 1.10 Not but that it is sure in respect of God but the meaning is to use all meanes to make it sure to our soules and Consciences But it may bee you will say why should I use the meanes if God have decreed I shall be saved I shall if hee have decreed that I shall perish I shall doe I what I can and use what meanes I can I answer What hast thou to doe to pry into Gods secret Counsell concerning thy election though God hath decreed to passe by some yet hee does not name thee for one but have appointed the use of the meanes and call upon thee to make thy election sure so that it is thy duty to use the meanes and leave secres things to God for God hath appointed how long every man shall live and they cannot passe that time that God hath appointed them Iob 14.5 He hath see his bounds that hee can not passe but withall as hee hath appointed how long everyone should live so he hath appointed the use of the meanes for the preservation and maintenance of life to such a time as to dwell in houses weare cloathes eat and drinke will any man say God hath appointed my time and I shall live that time whether I use the meanes or no no surely but will use the meanes God hath appointed so God hath appointed the use of I meanes for the attaining the Knowledge of our election Would wee make it ture then we must use the meanes 6. Vse I might use many motives to put you upon the use of the meanes I intend to speake but of one or two First consider there is a possibility of making thy Calling and Election sure Why should the Apostle exhort to it if it were not possible 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves faith the Apostle whether you bee in the Faith prove your selves know you not your owne selves Iesus Christ is in you except yee bee Reprobates Why should the Apostle exhort to try prove and examine our selves if it were not possible to know that our Calling and Election is sure Secondly consider thou canst have no comfort in the neglect of the use of the meanes but rather terrour because thy perseveting in the neglect of the use of the meanes will rather evidence to thee that thou art not Elected for you see Rom. 8.30 Those he Predestinated hee called that is those that God predestinated to life hee calls in his due time and therefore wee must looke for a call or not looke to come into the Kingdome of Heaven doth God let thee sit still in securitie in thy carnall condition under the meanes many a hard heart have been softned and many a blind mind inlightned many a unbeleeving soule have got faith in Christ in the use of meanes and thou art a hard-hearted Sinner still hast a blind mind still lie in unbeliefe still lye frozen in the dregs of securitie I tell thee if thou goest on and die in this condition thou must bee sure to perish for thy persevering in this estate is a signe that God did not decree to save thee It will appeare if thou compare Acts 15.38 with Iohn 10.26 in Acts. 13.58 So many as were ordained to Eternall life beleeved thus That whom God did Predestinate to eternall life hee did predestinate to faith to beleeve in Christ And therefore in time the Lord either sends the meanes to them or them to the meanes and calls them and workes Faith in them and on the contrary when the Word proves a hardening a condemning letter to the hearers when it is not a word of Faith to them It is a signe that God did not Predestinate them to life for in the other text of Scripture John 10.16 Yee beleeve not saith Christ because yee are not of my Sheepe this is the Reason they were none of Christs sheepe and therefore could not beleeve And therefore take heed of neglecting the use of the meanes and rocking thy selfe asleepe with this If God have decreed I shall be saved I shall I tell you many have stumbled and fallen upon his Rocke and so mayest thou if the Lord bee not mercifull to thee Mee thinkes this should make such tremble as are in the state of unbeleefe and impenitencie and hard-heartednesse under the meanes how shouldest thou tremble ever when thou seest any of thy Companions brought in to Iesus Christ such a fellow Drunkard such a fellow Sweater such a vild wretch the Lord brought home and I am yet lefe in sinne I am yet uncalled unjustified unsanctified and yet I must bee called or hee damned for tall those that God predestinates to life hee calls them in his due time I mee thinks I feare God hath not predestinated mee to life that hee lets mee alone in sinne oh Brethren that you would consider of these things thou that art a husband and looke upon thy wife that is godly and thou act ungodly still With what sad thoughts may'st thou thinke of this Oh! God hath called my wife and manifested his love to her shee hath left her former sinnes and she walks close with God but I am uncalled still and I goe on in the wayes of sinne still Oh! had God intended good to mee surely he would call mee and give mee a new heart and with the like sad ●●●●ghts may ungodly Wives looke upon their godly Husbands And ungodly companions who it may be have many a time scoffed and jeered at others of their companions because they have left their former sinnes and walke more close with God out oh they might looke upon them with weeping eyes it they would consider this that those that God predestinates to life them hee calls and them he justifies them hee gives faith too As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved and yet he hath to this day let them alone in their sinnes to goe on after the hardnesse of their hearts as if the Lord should say to them as to Ephraim Hosea 4.17 He is joyned to Idols let him alone let them goe on in their sinnes and perish in their sinnes if they will die ungodly men and women Consider of this They could not but mourne and lament their conditions and therefore let this Doctrine be rather an incouragement to put you on to give all diligence to make your calling and election sure then a ground of presumption or despaire FINIS

a world but many thousands of worlds yet it was never intended by the Father in giving of his sonne to dye or by the Sonne in laying downe his life that the Reprobate should be saved or that Christs derth should frustrate Gods decree and therefore see how ineffectuall all the Ordinances of God are to the Reprobate the Lord hath ordained that by the foolishnesse of preaching he will save them that beleeve but the Word is a condemning letter to the Reprobate the savour of death unto death it makes their hearts far I pray see Iob. 12.37 38 39. Though he did many miracles before them yet they beleeved not that the saying of Isaias might be fulfilled Lord who hath beleeved our report they did not beleeve for Isaias saith who hath beleeved there are some are come under Gods decree and come under such scriptures so as they cannot beleeve they could not beleeve why so they were come under this saying of Isaias so that they could not there are some shall fulfill these Scriptures to their greater destruction and therefore in the 39. verse they could not beleeve for Isaias saith He hath blinded their eyes and hardeneth their hearts I pray marke they could not because Isaias saith now if you demand how God hardens their hearts and blindes their mindes I answer By punishing sinne with sinne giving them up to the hardnes of their hearts and blindnes of their mindes leaving them to themselves to go on in the way to destruction Next the causes of Reprobation are these the efficient moveing cause is Gods good will and pleasure to leave the sinner in that miserable estate into which he is fallen in Adam Mat. 11.26 Thou dost hide these things from the wise and understanding why for because it is his good will and pleasure so Rom. 9.18 He hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth and verse 21. hath not the Potter power of the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour are we not all in the hands of God as the clay is in the hands of the Potter may the Potter of the same piece of clay make one vessell for honour and another for dishonour and may not the Lord if he please therefore saith the Apostle in verse 22. What if God will shew his wrath so that the efficient cause is the good pleasure of his will Secondly The finall cause is the eternall glory of Gods Justice Prov. 16.4 He hath created all things for his glory and the wicked for the day of wrath for in inflicting eternall punishment upon the Reprobate he doth to eternity shew his severity against and hatred of sin And so I come in the next place to the proofe of the doctrine That God did of old ordaine some to condemnation it appeares a truth in the text so in Iohn 17.12 Of all that thou hast given me have I lost none but the child of perdition that the Scripture might be fulfilled I pray marke Iudases destruction was ordained God had decreed it from eternity so why did those stumble at Christ 1 Pet. 2.8 it was ordained they should doe so in Isa 30.33 Tophet is prepared of old it was ordained of old that some should perish for in Mat. 25. he shall say to them on his left hand Go ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for you Gods wrath is a prepared wrath it is prepared for the wicked now if wrath were prepared of old then the wicked who are the vessels of wrath were ordained to it of old therefore saith Iob The wicked are kept unto the day of destruction they shall be brought forth in the day of wrath Job 21.30 But here ariseth an Objection If God did ordaine men to condemnation he is the Author of it but God did ordaine some to condemnation ergo he is the Author of it Ans Although condemnation be of God foreseene and ordained yet none are condemned because God did foresee and appoint it but because the Reprobates themselves do such actions as procure damnation and so by their wicked actions they bring to passe the eternall counsell of God concerning their damnation Hosea 9.13 Oh Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in me is thy helpe as if the Lord should have said art thou destroyed thou mayest thanke thy selfe for it thou mayest say here is the effect of sin this misery and woe and damnation my sinne brings upon me God at the first made man righteous but he sought out many inventions Eccles 7.31 I pray observe man sought out so that it is men use such meanes as procure their condemnation they are causes of their owne ruine Ay but you will say God did did decree those actions as well as their destruction for those Actions for the Text saith God did ordaine that the wicked should stumble at Christ and he being the author not onely of the punishment but of the sinne also he is the Author of condemnation Ans We must make a distinction betweene sinne it selfe and the permission thereof it is one thing to be the author of sinne and another thing to permit sinne for as God did decree to passe by some of the lost race of Adam he did also decree to permit them to use such meanes as should bring to passe his decree so that Adams will was not forced by any violence of Gods purpose compelling him to consent but he of a voluntary free-will left God and hearkened to the devill so that it is true God did decree the permission of those actions and they in doing of those actions bring to passe Gods decree concerning their damnation and thus their destruction is of themselves Obj. But you will say God could have prevented those actions that procure our damnation if he would Ans First God was not bound to prevent it he was no more bound to keep Adam in the estate of innocency then he was bound to create him and set him in that estate Secondly After he had destroyed himselfe God was not bound to save him no more then he was bound to create him and therefore it is no lesse then blasphemy to say God is the Author of sin and condemnation because he permits sin and destroyes the creature for sinne when he is not bound to prevent it and it stands with his Justice to punish it Againe we must take notice that it is one thing to be the author of an action and another thing to be the Author of the evill of that action it is true God did decree that such actions should come to passe viz. that he would permit Adams fall and all other wicked actions but God is not the Author of the evill of those actions but the evill of these actions is from our selves and the misery that followes we bring upon our selves according to the Scripture expression Thou hast destroyed thy self Hosea 9.13 and man suffers for his sinne Lam. 3.39 Thus God did ordaine some

to condemnation he did decree likewise to permit them to destroy themselves as did those who stumbled at Christ 1 Pe. 2.8 though God did ordaine Cain and Pharaoh and Judas to condemnation yet through their sinnes they bring to passe Gods purpose sain his envy murther cruelty and desperation this brought his ruine and destruction and Pharaoh by his contempt of God cruelty to his people obstinacy and hardnesse of heart wrought out his ruine so Iudas his covetousnesse treachery treason to his Lord and Master Jesus Christ desperation procured his ruine so hereticks by their pride vaine glory selfe-conceitednesse wickednesse deceiving and being deceived they ruine themselves and thus they themselves bring to passe Gods purpose Reason of the doctrine is That he might magnifie the glory of his justice as well as the glory of his mercy the glory of his justice in inflicting punishments upon the vessells of wrath and the glory of his mercy in saving his people he hath created all things for his owne glory and the wicked for the day of wrath Prov. 16.4 For as the godly shall for ever set forth the glory of his mercy so the wicked shall for ever set forth the glory of his justice We come in the next place to answer objections May some say If God hath ordained some to condemnation how shall we know who they bee or how many there be of them Ans Secret things belong to God but things revealed to us and our children Deut. 29.29 We have nothing to do to pry into Gods secrets as whether so many of a hundred or so many of a thousand shall be saved and the rest damned or whether this man or that woman be an elect vessell or a reprobate that is onely knowne unto God the foundation of God standeth sure and hath his seale the Lord knowes who are his and the Lord knowes who are not his but we know not neither is it necessary that we should know thus much we may know that God hath elected some and rejected others for this he hath revealed in his word and that the number he hath elected is but a remnant in comparison of the rest of the world as in Rom. 11.5 There is but a remnant according to the election of grace but how many in a towne or a kingdome no man can determine it is not for the minister to say so many in my parish are reprobates for the housholder to say so many in my family such a sonne or such a daughter or such a servant is a reprobate we know not but God may let the day of his power come upon them and bring them in to Jesus Christ it is not for a particular man to determine concerning himselfe he is a reprobate he knowes not but that God may shew mercy to him therefore we have nothing to do to be so curious as to pry into Gods secret counsell Object This doctrine of reprobation is not fit to be preached because it is the next way to make people despaire Ans First It is a part of Gods counsel and therefore ought to be preached how can a Minister with Paul Act. 20. say I have not ceased to make known to you the whole counsell of God if they do not with Paul teach the doctrine of Reprobation Secondly It is the doctrine of Christ Mat. 20.16 Many are called but few are chosen the doctrine of Paul Rom. 9 10 11. Chapters in all three chapters how doth the Apostle insist upon Election and Reprobation and Saint Iude in the Text Peter 1 Epistle 2.8 did Christ live now and the Apostles these men would tell them too their doctrine were not fit to be preached Thirdly When a fundamentall truth comes to be questioned the question is Whether because some suck poyson where they might suck honey by stumbling at religion whether the truth should not be preached seeing by the same rule we may say Christ is a stone of stumbling unto some therefore Christ is not to be preached though the wicked by reason of the corruption in their hearts suck poyson from this doctrine yet the fault is not in the doctrine but in their wicked hearts for the doctrine is rather a doctrine they might suck honey from if they would from hence give all diligence to make their calling and clection sure But to this doctrine the Pelagians are adversaries also for they deny the doctrine of Reprobation and affirme that Christ dyed for all without exception alledging that text in 1 Ioh. 2.1 He is a propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sinnes of the whole world For answer to this First I pray observe how these men confound Election for if all be reconciled where is Election for to elect is to chuse out some from amongst the rest as Ioh. 15.19 I have chosen you out of the world that is from amongst the rest of the world where I gather some were chosen and some refused Secondly I pray observe how they corrupt the true sense of the text for the world is foure-fold in Scripture there is the elementary world which God created Gen. 1.1 and which we read of Heb. 11.3 Through faith we understand that the world was framed by the word of God so that the things that are seen were not made of things which did appeare Secondly There is the reasonable world and that is all mankind without exception Ro. 5.12 By one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death went over all men that is all the world in Adam all dye Thirdly There is the Elect world and this is spoken of in the text He is a propitiation for our fins and not ours only but also for the sins of the whole world that is the whole world of beleevers agreeing with 2 Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe not imputing their sins unto them he doth not speak of such a world as can possibly perish any one of them for if Christ have reconciled them it is impossible any thing past present or to come should separate them from the love of God Rom. 8. latter end of the Chap. but Christ doth reconcile this world he makes attonement for them he offered himselfe a sacrifice for them he is a propitiation not onely for their sinnes they did commit before conversion but if after conversion they sinne through frailty and weaknesse he is a propitiation for that too and none of their fins shall be laid to their charge therefore sayes the text 2 Cor. 5.19 Reconciling the world to himselfe not imputing their sins to them and if he do not impute their sinnes to them they shall all be saved but the Pelagians themselves do not affirme that all mankind shall be saved but acknowledg some of this world may perish then let every godly man take notice how they abuse this text of Scripture to prove that Christ dyed for all the world without exception when both