Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	day_n	people_n	see_v	12,123	5	3.4423	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02843	An antidote against the erroneous, or rather blasphemous, opinions of some people in this our corrupt age; concerning the true and real cause of man's falling into those gross and notorious sins, which do commonly prove his eternal ruine. : Made plain in a short discourse, being the substance of two sermons upon the 12, 14, 15. verses of the 1st chap. of St. James. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, &c. / By Samuel D'Assigny, a well-wisher to the Church of England's prosperity.	D'Assigny, Samuel, b. 1673 or 4	1698 (1698)	Wing D286; ESTC R171689	15,649	17

after suspect his fidelity and trust now this Tryal is no sin in the Master altho' the theft be a great one in the Servant Even so it is with God we must not fasion my injustice on him because he tryeth and proveth us by occasions and objects for they are things good in themselves tho' we pervert them unto evil ends M●ses wrought many signs and wonders in the Land of Egypt which were good in themselves and yet proved as means to harden Pharoah's heart not so intended by God but so perverted by his malicious temper Thus we see that the Wicked and Blasphemous Opinions of those who make God to be the Author of sin and so charge him with our impieties are absolutely false for he is not evil himself neither tempteth he any Man unto evil I come now to the second Opinion viz. of those who make God to be the only sufferer and permitter of evil which I confess is but an Error of humanity many offending herein rather through infirmity than malice They speak a truth of God when they acknowledge his permission of sin but not the whole truth because they think he only permitteth it and so they make him an idle spectator of all our actions But for our sure proceeding herein let us take along with us these three Notes viz. That God doth praescire permittere ordinare peccatum foresee permit and dispose of the sinful actions of Men. 1. He foreseeth sin he foresaw the iniquity of Esau long before his being and the sentence of reprobation was denounced against him before he had done either g od or evil Rom. 9.11 He foretold the infidelity of the Jews saith St. Austine and their malicious purpose in complotting the Death of the Son of God What of that praedixit non fecit he only foretold it but did not work it Vidit ab aeterno saith Lipsius sed vidit non coegit scivit non sanxit praedixit non praescripsit He saw it from all Eternity but he only saw it enforced it not knew it decreed it not foretold it prescribed it not 2. As the Lord foreseeth sin and yet is not the author of evil so he permitteth sin to be done in the World He suffered the Amorites to go on in their wickedness and telleth Abraham that it was not yet full Gen. 15.16 He suffered Shemei to curse David as we read in the 16th Chap. 2d Book of Samuel I omit several other places of Scripture of less importance because it is so true that it needs no proof for there is nothing visibly or sensibly done within the compass of the whole World which is not either commanded or tollerated from the Court of the highest Emperor He suffers his own Children to be tempted that they may not be exalted above measure and that they may know the Power of the Lord and the proof of his Armour And thus he suffers the wicked also to go on in their wickedness that their Condemnation may be greater 3. As he foreseeth and permitteth evil so he ordereth and disposeth of it as seemeth best to his Godly Wisdom ●or as he is a most 〈◊〉 Creator of good Natures so he is a most righteous disposer of the evil wi●●s and siaful actions of Mankind Look upon that unnatural sin in selling Joseph into Egypt and you shall see it there so plainly delivered that no man need to doubt I wi●l not take time to recite the whole History the words which especially make for our present purpose are these in the 45th Chap. C●n. 8th Verse It was not you that sent me hither but God and at the 50th Chap. of the same Book and 20th Verse Ye thought evil against me but God meant it unto good t● bring to pass as it is this day to save much People alive Observe they thought evil God disposeth it unto good their minds were wholly bent with malice and envy towards their Brother whilst God's providence was working how to serve them in a famine and to save much People alive Thus you see that the Lord doth not only foresee and permit evil to be done in the World but in the very doing of it his Providence is busy how to order and dispose of it that he may bring it to some good Event I will now join all these three together viz. The Pre-science the Permission and Providence of God in the action of sinning and so couch them under one Example and that shall be in the seducement and fall of Ahab as we have it in the 22d Chap. of the first Book of Kings at the 19th Verse It is a place I must needs confess that hath been strongly urg'd to tax God of injustice for it seems God did not only permit the false Spirits to seduce Ahab but giveth encouragement also saying thou shalt prevail adding a commandment go forth and likewise allowing of the form of acting in the matter do so Now that you may know how innocent God is in an action of such a prejudice observe well the circumstances of the place and the thing intended the thing designed was that Ahab should fall at Ramoth Gilead and concerning the means inquiry was made who should entice Ahab because it was not in the nature of God himself to effect it therefore that which he doth he doth by a false Spirit one of Satan's Band and Retinue But observe also God infuseth no mischief into the Spirit he comes furnished of himself for when one said thus and another thus he proffered his service saying I will entice him when God demanded the means he invented the practice I will be saith he a false Spirit in the mouth of his Prophets Now what were these Prophets of Ahab they were a faithless Generation whose guile it was either for reward or ●avour of the King to say they had dreamed when it was not so and that the Lord had said it when he never spake it so you s●e there is h●th Malice in the Spirit and falshood in the Prophets before God had any hand in the Matter Therefore what doth the Lord therein Wh●● he sitteth upon the Throne as the Judg and Moderator of the whole Action He Commandeth the Attendance of all the Army of Heaven on the Right Hand and on the Left both clean and unclean Spirits are in Subj●ction unto him He giveth leave then unto the Spirit who without his permis●ion is unable to do any thing Thou ●hal ●nt●●● saith be and then he giveth the Success which all the Devils in Hell c●uld n●● effect if he would have resisted it Therefore saith he th●● shal prev●●t and then he biddeth him go and he goes run and he ru●s And ●●●●ly he disposeth the Course do so i. e. do so and no more than so which is us much as if he had said since thou hast Malice to bestow Extend it upon Ahab rather than upon Je●●phaphat and falshood to infuse power it forth upon the four hundred Prophets of Ahab

the Earth was not then corrupted nor at that time infected the Corruption came afterwards through the fall of Adam when that curse of God was laid upon it by reason of Adams Sin Cursed is the Earth for thy sake Gen. 3.17 In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life Thorns also and Thistles shall it bring forth unto thee Before that Man was free and had a possibility to live for ever 2. For his Soul it was most divine and heavenly Divinâ particulâ Aurae being a spark of Divinity infused by God himself who breathed into Man the breath of Life and made it spiritual like unto himself It was not of the Essence of God for then it should have been equal with God but it was such a workmanship as did resemble him in true holiness and perfect integrity 3. As for the faculties of his Soul they were likewise pure his reason and understanding was clear without any blindness or imperfection at all His will was free from all Bondage Coaction or Compulsion whatsoever so that none but himself could have brought any inconveniencies or damage unto himself There 's no fault then upon Gods side possibly to be found no hard measure offer'd by him He gave unto Man all things necessary and commodious for a pleasant and an happy life he gave him liberty and freedom to stand what more could he desire It was miserable Man then that was the cause of his own ruine who abused that power which God had given him by suffering the Devil that great Enemy of Mankind who always Enveighed at his prosperity to beguile and poyson him with an Apple not by force but by deceit working on the Woman the weaker Vessel she being poysoned poysoneth her Husband and the poyson being contagious spreads it self through all the faculties both of Body and Soul and that deadly too For so God had said before in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Gen. 2 17. Man was now after all this subject unto all infirmities his Body to the Temporal his Soul unto the Spiritual and eternal Death There is neither Disease of the Body nor Sickness of the Soul but what came in with Sin not unto Adam only but unto us his Offspring for though at first he only sinned yet we are culpable through his Fact and it is derived unto us both by imputation and propagation 1. By imputation so saith the Apostle Rom. 4 19. By one Man's disobedience many were made Sinners 2. By Propagation Ezek. 18 2. The Fathers have eaten sour Grapes and the Childrens Teeth are set on edge So that now our natures being corrupted the soundness and integrity of all the faculties therein are diseased the Image of God is wholly defaced the Soul is taken up with a Mass of Injustice and we are subject to a necessity of Sinning For as it was true of Man in the State of Innocency Potest non peccare he might if he would not have Sinned because God left him in the hands of his own Counsels and gave him liberty both ways either to Sin or not to Sin So now it is true in the State of Corruption non potest non peccare he cannot choose but sin the whole lump of his Nature being sour'd with that antient Leaven nor shall he ever be delivered from that Corruption whereunto he is Subject until he attains unto the State of glorification wherein it shall as certainly be verified non potest peccare he cannot Sin though he would corruption having put on incorruption both in Body and Soul Which necessity of Sinning in the mean time is not in any external cause but in the decayed Nature of Man upon the fall whereof cometh Vanity in the Mind and a frowardness in the Will to depart from the living God Thus then you see the immediate cause of Sin to be our own corruption and concupiscense which draweth us away from the rules of Reason and the right Paths of Gods commandments nor is this true only in the wicked and reprobate but even in the dearest Children of God They are not free from this Original infection they have many combats and conflicts in them There is Ishmael against Isaac the Flesh against the Spirit continually striving S. Paul himself complained hereof Rom. 7 23. He found one Law in his Mind another in his Members striving against the Law of his Mind and leading him from that which was true just and holy unto the contrary which he did not allow of Thus then we still see the former proposition to be very true viz. That God is not the mover unto Evil nor the Author of Sin but every Man is Tempted when he is drawn away by his own Lust and enticed For there is an absolute Antipathy betwixt God and Sin as being contrary to his divine Nature which is pure and holy Let no Man then say at any time when he is tempted unto evil God caused him to err for he hath no need of Sinful Man The Lord hateth all abomination of Errour and they that fear God love it not saith the Son of Syrach Eccles. 15.11 12. Again in the last Verse of that Chapter he hath Commanded no man to do wickedly neither hath he given any man a License to Sin In the last place this Doctrine may teach us all not to suffer our selves at any time to be drawn away by our own Lust and Concupiscence not to hearken to the dictates of our own corrupt Natures but to endeavour with all immaginable resistance to oppose those unruly Motions and evil inclinations which do daily tempt and solicite us to violate the sacred Laws of our Maker In a word whensoever the Devil shall assault us by any manner of Temptation let us I beseech you both remember and practise what S. Peter hath prescribed unto us 1. Peter 5.9 Whom resist stedfast in the Faith and by how much the De●●●●●●he more watchful for his Prey let us I beseech you be so m●●● the more watchful unto prayer to withstand him It is good Advice which the Wiseman gives viz. That we should giv● the water no Passage no not a little so we should give as small an entranc● unto Satan as possibly may be for let but one foul Spirit enter and rest 〈◊〉 while in thy Soul and by and by Legions will be there and then Satan wi●● be like the Centurions Servant in one part but not in the other bid his come and he comes presently but bid him go and he will not be gone without much ado for if you once give him an Inch he 'll be sure to take an Ell● Let us therefore obstare principiis withstand him in the beginning of hi● assaults and stifle our sins in their first conception before they are brough● forth into action for when once Lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and si● when it is finished bringeth forth death death and destruction both to body and soul and a final rejection from God and all divine Mercies which man by sin hath justly deserved from the hand of his Creator I might indeed here enlarge a great deal more but I think it needless having made out the main points of the Text and answered all the objection● that might possibly have been brought to oppose it So I beseech all that bear the name of Christians to abandon every wicked conceit or opinion of their Maker and likewise not to be any way concerned for the non-apprehension of those sublime mysteries which he doth no● think either profitable or convenient for us to be acquainted with Bu● let us all unanimously joyn in the diligent fulfilling this most seasonable and excellent advice of S●lomon Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the Whole Duty of Man This is indeed the Will of God and th● end of all our obligations to him with which we are charged and to which w● are all enjoyned But as for the Books of God's Councils and secret Decrees which are clasped up that no man may read them let us leave them unto th● Lamb and blessed Trinity But those of Moses and the Prophets of Christ and his Apostles are written for our Instruction and for our Posteritie's after us These let us search and inquire into with all imaginable care and diligence and with reverence and submission let us with the Prophet David Meditat● upon them day and Night that hereby our Sinful Souls may be amended and saved finally in the day of our Lord Jesus Amen FINIS