Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n
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A42016
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The exposition continued upon the nineteen last chapters of the prophet Ezekiel with many useful observations thereupon delivered in several lectures in London / by William Greenhil.
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Greenhill, William, 1591-1671.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing G1857; ESTC R30318
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513,585
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860
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and beastly dispositions of men to cease and they should become meek and gentle according to that in Isa 11.6 where it s said That in the dayes of Christ the Wolfe shall dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard shall lye down with the Kid. Wolves and Leopards are creatures most fierce and cruel especially against Lambs and Kids yet God would so alter the nature of these that they should live and lye down together he would make the most fierce rugged cruell men to become mild and sweet and to converse with them that were for disposition Lambs and Kids Junius sense of the words is this That the Lord would take away or restrain every hurtfull thing he would not suffer his people to be infested or if they were they should not be damnified by those infestations And they shall dwell safely in the wildernesse and sleep in the woods These are proverbiall speeches setting out the great security the Flock of God should have under Christ Where there are no wild beasts in the Wilderness or the Woods there the Sheep feed and rest without all fear they are most secure and Gods people under the Gospel and Christ have the greatest security The word for safely is Labetach in fiducia or Confidenter as Montanus renders it that is confidently they shall be free from the fear of all enemies both Corporal and Spirituall Satan shall be cast into the bottomlesse pit Rev 20.2 3. and all other enemies brought to such a condition as that they should not cause fear Jerem 23.4 The Jews because they see not such security for themselves any where do therefore deny that Messiah is come for when he comes he shall make a Covenant of peace and they shall be in safety even in Wildernesses and Woods because there shall be no enemies no evill beasts to take away or hinder their peace Though when the Lord Christ the true Messiah came there was an universall peace through the world it being at that time when the taxing was in Augustus dayes Vid. Sanct in Isa 2.4 Luke 2. and though the wars after were not so much as before yet I conceive there is a time when this prophesie shall be more fully compleated for every prophesie of Christ was not fullfilled when he came in the flesh but many were to be fullfill'd in after times among which this was one The Jews were mistaken concerning Messiahs coming but not much concerning this prophesie First Observe The infinite goodnesse kindnesse and condescension of God who will enter into Covenant with sinners with any of the children of men Doth not the Scripture say Verily every man at his best estate is altogether vanity Psal 39.5 and why should the Lord who is an infinite excellency infinitely distanced from all creatures and vanity enter into Covenant with man what did he see in these Jews or in the Gentiles to awaken rouze and draw out his heart unto such a work if stubbornness ignorance unbelief idolatry oppression and such like might induce him thereunto these abounded both in Jew and Gentile there was nothing but Gods own goodness grace and mercy to cause him so to condescend as to make a Covenant with man and such a Covenant as a Covenant of peace This should First Raise up our spirits and hearts to admiration that an infinite holy glorious and great God should mind converse and make Covenant with dust and ashes Psal 144.3 Lord saith David what is man that thou takest knowledge of him or the son of man that thou makest account of him David wondered that God should take notice of especially make account of so mean a thing as man is as himself was though a King and Prophet Secondly Indear us greatly unto him When high Ones stoop unto those that are low and mean it gains much upon their hearts and indeares them abundantly unto them When David condescended to Abigail to take her to wife it affected her greatly and indeared her unto him not a little as you may see 1 Sam 25.41 Thirdly Make us faithful unto God Is he pleased to make a Covenant with man and shall not man be faithfull unto him a wife should not be unfaithful unto her husband and break Covenant with him though he be but a little above her how much lesse should man break Covenant with God who is so much above him God complains in Hosea 6.7 saying They like Adam have transgressed the Covenant I condescended to Adam and made a Covenant with him yea I condescended to them and made a Covenant with them but they both proved unfaithful father and posterity they transgressed the Covenant Fourthly Cause us to be free and chearful in our obedience unto God When so great a God shall so graciously condescend unto us as to enter into Covenant with us and that a Covenant of peace should it not make us run in his wayes and serve him with gladness of heart Secondly Observe That men through sin are at distance from and enmity with God I will make a Covenant of peace with them What needed a Covenant of peace if there had not been war between God and man Man being apostatized from God through Adams fall lived in enmity to God Rom 8.7 The carnall mind is enmity against God for it s not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Men by nature have carnal minds oppose God his Laws and wayes and therefore Rom 1.30 they are said to be haters of God and in Psal 5.5 God is said to hate them Thou hatest all workers of iniquity There was such hostility between God and man as that there was no approach for man to God without a Mediator and such a Mediator as could make satisfaction to divine justice being offended Col 1.21 You that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled The Colossians as well as others were once at a great distance from God and enemies to God and wherein lay their enmity in their minds and how did that appear by wicked works they plotted contrived and did such things as declared them to be enemies to God and being so they durst not appear before God But Thirdly Observe God by Christ hath been pleased to take away this enmity and to reconcile sinners unto himself 2 Cor 5.18 All things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ It s Christ hath paid the price of our redemption he hath satisfied his justice fully and delivered us from wrath to come 1 Thessa 1.10 It s by Christ the Mediator that reconciliation is made neither Angels nor men could do that work it was a work for one that had more worth in him then all Angels or men Coloss 1.19 20. It pleased God that in him all fullnesse should dwell that so by him he might reconcile all things to himselfe by him whether they be things in earth or things in Heaven By him is twice in the
many think they have the same when they have it not There be several things which cause men to judge so First Outward Reformation When men cease from their former lewd courses when they give over their drunkenness whoredome swearing lying oppression and other scandalous practices they think themselves and are reputed of others to be new men and so to have new hearts but know A man may have escaped the pollutions of the world have changed his manners yet retain his old heart a Swine may be washed and yet reserve her Swinish nature Herod reformed in many things yet had an unreformed heart Mark 6.20 Luke 3.20 Chap. 9.9 The Scribes and Pharisees were whited Sepulchres they had beautifull out-sides they appeared righteous unto men but what were their hearts were they not full of hypocrisie and iniquity Matth 23.27 28. Shame among men fear of punishment death hell terrours of conscience afflictions strength of reason and hope of profits and reward may make a man reform his life and manners his heart being still naught a man formerly deboist and wicked may become a new man and yet not have a new heart Secondly Morall virtues cause many to be deceived about this new heart because they are temperate just prudent faithful to their friends true in their speeches patient under afflictions seek the publique good not their own interest are chaste and courteous unto all they thereupon conclude that they have the new heart and new spirit here spoken of but all these are no more then were found in heathens Scipio Aristides Cato Aemilius Lepidus Lucretia and others excell'd in morall virtues The Romane faith was in great esteem in all the world because the Romans kept their word and made good whatever they promised Many Heathens excell'd in morallities and did virtuous actions for virtues sake yet they had no new hearts or spirits they knew not what regeneration was they were strangers to the Life of God and Faith they attained to what they had by their own industry and what they did was not done according to the mind of God in his Word and so referring to his glory they sought their own glory in all Thirdly A form of godliness When men have left their old wayes of sin and taken up a way or form of godlinesse which is new to them they imagine themselves to be new and to have new hearts they read pray hear meditate and worship God with their hearts which they never did before and hence they ground a newness in their hearts The Jews have a form of godlinesse at this day yet are they cast off of God and numbred amongst unbelievers Rom 11.20 Such was their godliness as persecuted true godliness Acts. 13.50 1 Thess 2.15 The Heathens had forms of godlinesse Plato taught men not to sleep without repentance for their sins Hermes instructed them to pray earnestly unto God and continually for repentance to call upon him in the day and not to forget him in the night they worshipped by nature those were no gods Treatise of Moral Philosophy Gal. 4.8 Forms of worship they had though they worshipped blindly Socrates saw further then the most of them who said God must be worshiped only that way which he hath appointed yet neither Socrates nor the rest of the Heathens had new hearts Christians have forms of godlinesse yet all among them have not new hearts among Papists and Protestants are many religious but few pious they have the form of godliness but not the power Painted fire is not true fire and all that worship God do not worship him in newness of spirit the most do worship him with old hearts Fourthly Some are deceived upon this ground that they have the Law in their hearts approve of truth make conscience of their wayes have peace within and so determine their hearts are new But here is a great mistake the Law is in mens hearts by nature Rom 2.14 15. The Gentiles which had not the Law did by nature the things of the Law and so shewed the work of the Law written in their hearts When they did ill their consciences did accuse them and when they did well they did excuse them and so they had peace here was nothing supernatural where there is a new heart a new spirit there is something supernatural men have not these by descent from their parents but they are given they are put in by God I will give you a new heart and I will put within you a new spirit The Law that all men have in their hearts is by virtue of Creation not of the new Covenant that is another Law Jer 31.33 which is from grace not from nature where this Law is written the heart is new and so doth not only approve of truth in general but knows and approves of truth as it is in Christ Eph 4.21 and as it is according to godliness Truth in a new heart provokes unto Godliness and maketh conscientious towards God and men Acts 24.16 Looking at Christ for peace Rom 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God the conscience being purged from dead works by the bloud of Christ Men have sound peace in their new hearts It s false peace which men of old hearts have they bribe their consciences with doing something and that is their peace Fifthly New Relations make some to fancy they have new hearts and new spirits they are under Church priviledges they are Citizens of Sion inhabitants of Jerusalem in relation to Christ and his Ordinances this may be and yet without newnesse of heart or spirit Relations make not alterations in mens hearts Simon Magus was baptized stood in relation to Christ and the Gospel yet his heart was the same it was before Acts 8. The Jews gloried they were the seed of Abraham John 8.33 Yet they were of their father the Devill vers 44. and had bloudy hearts vers 40. seeking to kill Christ Rom 2.28 29. Outward priviledges may be as Circumcision of the flesh where there is no Circumcision of the heart and Paul tels us Gal 6.15 That Circumcision nor uncircumcision avail any thing but a new creature they may be where the new creature is not himself had many priviledges Phil. 3. when he was far from newness of heart Sixthly Gifts They breed mistakes in divers persons those that have choice and great gifts perswade themselves they have new hearts and spirits that they are gracious and good but there is a vast difference between gifts and grace 1. Gifts make not a man a Christian Heathens had great gifts as Tully Seneca Plato Aristotle Plutarch Its grace makes a Christian the Gentiles were not Christians and so not acceptable to God till they were sanctified by the Holy Spirit Rom 15.16 They may make a man an useful man not a good man Acts 11.24 It s faith and the graces of the Spirit make a good man 2. All gifts do seldome or never meet in one man but graces do