Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	death_n	drink_v	eat_v	10,941	5	7.4647	4	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

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

to God Gods argument prevailes with it and therefore is ordinarily expressed by having Gods Law written upon the fleshly Tables of their heart easily moulded to Gods will as much as its frailtie can attaine unto it saith Lord I am full of Rebellion full of distempers but I would not beare up armes against my God I would yeeld to him I would follow him if it bee thus with thee thou hast got the grace of the new Covenant most opposite to the most damnable sinne that can bee found amongst men oh forget not to blesse God daily for it The last and prinpall use I intend is For exhortation because this sinne of a hard heart is such a destroying sinne such a ruining sinne therefore I shall desire to give you some helpes how this great evill may bee prevented if wee be not yet come up to it how it may be cured if any of us lie under it And If the Lord have cured it how wee may bee preserved that wee doe not returne to it But first take a few motives to provoke you to labour and strive against this cursed evill of a hard heart I pray you consider in the first place Wee are all hard by nature not onely a Pharaoh a Senacherib or Iulian are hard hearted but we are all so naturally and that man that hath the stone by nature if hee bee not wonderfull carefull it will grow upon him our whole family are liable to the Stone saies one therefore I must bee wary I must looke to it and the rather looke to it because it is not an easie thing to get hardnesse out of a rock thy heart is a rock and if thou dost not look to it thou wilt not get hardnesse out of it it will grow upon thee and thou knowest not whither it may come in time Consider secondly That while thou art under the plague of a hard heart thou art under all the curses of God God hardens his against thee while thou hardnest thy heart against him none of all thy services are accepted thy person is rejected every thing is accursed all goes crosse to the soule that is harden'd before God Consider thirdly for I 'le but point at things All that God aimes at by all his dealings towards thee is but to bring thee upon thy knees that thou mayst not harden thy selfe against him why dost thou thinke hee brings thee to Church to heare why doth hee give thee leave to speake to him in prayer why doth hee visit thee with afflictions why doth hee powre upon thee so many mercies what doth every stroke thinke thou speake what doth every dispensation speake nothing but this remember the battle doe so no more rebell not against thy God stand not up against him when all that God aimes at is to give thee quarter termes articles of safetie and honour to thee doe not stand out to thy ruine Againe consider this If thou stand out it will certainly end ill I confesse the greatest Monarchs upon earth have sometimes met with their match but the Lord God never yet met with his match never any body that stood out against him that ever made him raise his siege if he hath once pitched downe before them it is in vaine some besieged have first eaten Horse flesh and afterwards eate Dogs and Cats before they would yeeld and sometime succour hath come but when all is done a breach will bee made on thee and thou wilt bee taken Gideon told the Princes of Succoth who refused his request when hee came backe hee would teare them with Briars and Thornes of the Wildernesse and he made his word good beleeve it God will teare thee with Briars and Thorns if thou yeeld not to him yet know for certaine If thou lay downe thy weapons and refuse standing out obstinately against God hee will bee cordially reconciled all quarrels will bee ended if once thou give over hardning thy heart against him his heart will be tender toward thee the Lord expresses it excellently in the 27. Chap. of Isaiah who would set Briars and Thornes in battle against mee what man would be so mad to set Briars and Thornes to fight with devouring fire well if they will doe it if they make that choice I shall goe thorough them and burne them up but saith hee rather let him lay hold upon my strength that hee may make peace and hee shall make peace with me fury is not in me though thou hast hitherto harden'd thy selfe against him hee is yet to bee wonne mercy may yet be found lay hold upon his strength say unto him Lord here I lay downe my weapons I have been a wretch a rebell I have sinned I am guilty but I come with my halter about my neck hee will make peace hee will grant thee very honorable quarter Elihu sets forth this notably in Iob 33. after God hath battered the strong holds of a sinner by preaching by visions by dreames by corrections and judgements to withdraw man from his sinfull purposes yet if when hee is ready to perish when his soule drawes nigh to destruction hee will but yeeld and call for an interpreter one of a thousand to shew him righteousnesse Then will God bee gratious to him and deliver him from going downe to the pit To prevent this killing sinne if as yet thou bee not under the dominion of it First Beware lest yee be harden'd through the deceitfulnesse of sinne marke yee there is a deceitfulnesse in sinne that will harden men before they are aware many a man thinkes thus shall I heare armes against God God forbid I had rather bee struck dead from heaven with a thunderbolt then ever harden my heart against God this is his thought but sinne cozens him into it hee is cheated into it as in our civill troubles many a man is wrapped into an engagement that if hee saw the bottome of it he would die before ever hee would yeeld to it but when hee is once in hee knowes not how to get out so is it here but beware that sinne doe not cozen and harden you through its deceitfulnesse though wee are all hard yet this killing hardnesse comes on by degrees and the first thing that lets it in is the pleasure that sinne brings to the soule the bewitching pleasure of it and then a mans thoughts are onely to give himselfe content but meanes no hurt against God little thinkes that hee begins to fight against God but the pleasure of his sinne hath bewitched him and then that pleasure brings him to repeat it againe and againe and so to come to a custome of it and afterwards to defend it and then in the end to come to a direct opposition of what ever would take him off from it thus men are intangled by the deceitfulnesse of it watch therefore against all the alluring baites of that sinfull flesh that dwells in thee