Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	harden_v	heart_n	pharaoh_n	3,527	5	10.7953	5	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

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