Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	act_n	apostle_n	peter_n	1,298	5	6.9742	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

to procure as many as they can by subtilty and cunning craftinesse deceive to joyne with them in the worke The Apostle likewise sheweth the danger of being seduced by them and that is drawn from the Judgements that will most certainely light upon them not onely upon seducers but upon the seduced as in Rev. 2.22 God doth not onely threaten to cast Iezabel into a bed of sorrow great affliction but them also which commit fornication with her so that those which are seduced are in great danger as well as they which seduce and the certainty of their judgements the Apostle proves from three examples of Gods judgements upon others viz. the judgment which he brought upon the murmuring Israelites who though God brought them out of the land of Egypt yet destroyed them in the wildernesse Secondly of the Angels who were not spared but throwne downe from heaven and are reserved in everlasting chains under darknes unto the judgement of the great day Thirdly the burning of Sodome and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone from heaven and the Cities about them And what did God so severely plague them and will he let these escape No verily as if the Apostle should have said as he hath plagued them so he will not let these seducers goe scorfree and this he proves verse 14. Enoch the seaventh from Adam prophecied concerning such Behold the Lord cometh with thousands of his saints to give judgement against all men and to rebuke the ungodly and the Apostle speakes of the same ungodly persons that the text speaks of and therefore there will be no escaping of Gods judgements If God come armed against a people who shall be able to stand against God Ezek. 22.14 Can thy heart indure or can thy hands be strong in the day that I pleade with thee as if the Lord should have said thou canst not indure it but thy heart will faile and thy hands will be weake so though seducers be audacious before men yet when God calls them to account then they shall not be able to stand In the begining of the Epistle foure things are considerable First the person writing Secondly the persons to whom he writ Thirdly the salutation and Fourthly that he intended in writing From the person writing three things are considerable viz. his name his office and his kindred his name Iude his office he was an Apostle one of the twelve Apostles which our Saviour Christ chose to preach the Gospell thirdly his kindred he was the brother of Iames of which Iudas Iames brother we read was one of the twelve Apostles who is called by the Evangelist Saint Matthew in Chap. 10 3. Lebbeus Thaddeus and the same man which is here called Lebbeus Thaddeus is called in Luk. 6.16 Iudas Iames brother and to distinguish him from Iudas the Traitor they are named as two distinct persons in the same verse which will be very cleare if you compare Iohn 14.22 with Acts 1.31 It is the judgement of reverend Divines that this Apostle Saint Jude out-lived many of the other Apostles even in the dayes of Domitian the Emperour at which time all sorts of people grew desperately wicked corruption did abound both in doctrine and manners insomuch as many to whom the Apostles had preached Christ laying open the doctrine of free grace they waxed wanton and made it a doctrine of liberty turning the grace of God into wantonnesse and this Apostle perceiving it very well he is very zealous in admonishing the Saints to take heed of them Secondly the persons to whom he writ and that is not to a particular person or Church as Paul when he writ to Philemon or as Saint Iohn when he writ to the elect Lady and to the beloved Gaius but this is writ to all the Saints in generall all them sanctifyed and called in Christ Iesus the whole Church was in danger by reason of seducers and therefore the Apostle writes an Epistle of very great concernment unto the whole Church The Third thing considerable is his salutation in which the Apostle wishes the increase of three things viz. mercy peace and love The fourth thing considerable is that the Apostle did intend in writing this Epistle which was to confirme the Sainis in the truth and to keep them to their principles they had learned in such times as many did change their true principles for false and turned from the truth to fables therefore in the 3 ver When saith the Apostle I gave all diligence to write to you about the common salvation it was needfull for me to write unto you that you should earnestly contend for the maintenance of the faith which was once given unto the Saints here we must observe that salvation is called common in three respects First because it is generally offered both to the elect and reprobate those were invited to the supper of the King of Heaven Luk. 14. who were rejected and never tasted of it none of those that were bidden shall taste of my Super and many are called but few are chosen Mat. 20.16 and of foure sorts of hearers which are spoken of Mat. 13. who are compared to the foure sorts of ground three sorts get no good Secondly because it is the way that all those walke in that are saved there is but one way truth and life which is Christ Jesus neither is there any other name under heaven whereby a man can be saved Act. 4.12 There is not one way for the Jewes and another way for the Gentiles one way for the servant and another way for the sonne but it is the common way that all have gone that ever have beene saved from the beginning of the world unto this day they have been saved by Jesus Christ who is the Author of eternal salvation to all that obey him Heb. 5.9 Thirdly to confute the new fantastique wayes which many goe about to finde out to heaven some have not been ashamed to say they have found out a broader way to heaven then ever Jesus Christ knew of for whereas Christ Jesus saith Mat. 7.14 Straite is the way that leadeth to life who knew the way very well and whither many or few should walke in it he being the way himselfe yet they say all shall be saved and to say some shall be damned they call it a doctrine of Devills not fit to be taught I might instance many more who suppose they have found a very good way to heaven as the Civillian the meere morall man the presumptuous with others which notwithstanding they have a good opinion of their wayes yet their way is the broad road to hell this is called the common onely way to shew the vanity of all other wayes Next that ye would contend for the faith once given to the Saints in that the Apostle exhorts the Saints to contend for the faith I understand by faith he meaneth the true sincere doctrine of Christ which the Apostles had taught the Saints and which they

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