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Chap. V. VI. As for those wicked and ungodly men, whom God as à righteous judge, for former fins, doth blind and harden w, from them he not only wishholdeth his grace, whereby they might have been enlightned in their understandings, and wrought upon in their hearts; but fometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they hady, and expofeth them to fuch objects as their corruption makes occafion of finz; and with al, gives them over to their own luft, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan a: whereby it comes to pafs,

the fecond time, Simon, fon of Jonas, lovest thou me? He faith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He faith unto him, Feed my fheep. v. 17. He faith unto him the third time, Simon, fon of Jonas, loveft thou me? Peter was grieved, because he faid unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knoweft all things; thou knoweft that I love thee. Jefus faith unto him, Feed my fheep.

VI. w Rom. i. 24. Wherefore God alfo gave them up to unclean. nefs, through the lufts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themfelves: v. 26. For this caufe God gave them up unto vile affections: For even their wo men did change the natural ufe in to that which is against nature: v. 28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. Rom. xi. 7. What then? Ifrael hath not obtained that which he feeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the reft were blinded. v. 8. According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of flumber, eyes that they fhould not fee, and ears that they Should not hear unto this day.

that

x Deut. xxix. 4. Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to fee, and ears to hear, unto this day.

y Matth. xiii. 12. For whofoever hath, to him shall be given, and he fhall have more abundance: but whofoever hath not, from him shall be taken away, even that he hath. Matt. xxv. 29. For unto every one that hath fhall be given, and he fhall have abundance: but from him that hath not fhall be taken away even that which he hath.

z Deut. ii. 30. But Sihon king of Hefhbon would not let us pafs by him: for the Lord thy God hardned his fpirit, and made his heart obftinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day. 2 Kings viii. 12. And Hazael faid, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Ifrael: their strong holds wilt thou fet on fire, and their young men wilt thou flay with the fword, and wilt dafh their children, and rip up their women with child. v. 13. And Hazael faid, But what, is thy fervant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elifha anfwered, the Lord hath fhewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.

a Pfal. lxxxi. 11. But my people Would

that they harden themselves, even under those means which God ufeth for the foftening of others b.

VII. As the providence of God doth, in general, reach to all creatures; fo, after a most special manner, it taketh care of his church, and disposeth all things to the good thereof c CHAP.

would not hearken to my voice: and Ifrael would none of me. v. 12. So I gave them up unto their own hearts luft: and they walked in their own counfels. 2 Theff. ii. 10. And with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that perifh; because they received not the love of the truth; that they might be faved. v. 11. And for this caufe God shall send them strong delufion, that they should believe a lie. v. 12.That they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleafure in unrighteousness.

¿ Exod. vii. 3. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my figns and my wonders in the land of Egypt. With Exod. viii. 15. But when Pharaoh faw that there was refpite, he hardned his heart, and hearkned not unto them; as the Lord had faid. v. 32. And Pharaoh hardned his heart at this time alfo, neither would he let the people go. 2 Cor. ii. 15. For we are unto God a fweet favour of Christ, in them that are faved, and in them that perish. v. 16. To the one we are the favour of death unto death; and to the other, the favour of life unto life: and who is sufficient for these things? Ifa. 8. 14. And he fhall be for a fanctuary; but for a stone of ftumbling, and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Ifrael, forta gin, and for a fnare to the inhabitants of Jerufalem. 1 Pet. ii. 7. Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious: but unto them which

be difobedient, the Stone which the builders difallowed, the fame is made the head of the corner, v. 8. and a ftone of ftumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. Ifa. vi. 9. And he faid, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and fee ye indeed, but perceive not. v. 10. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and fhut their eyes: left they fee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and underftand with their heart, and convert and be healed. With Acts xxviii. 26. Saying, Go unto this people, and fay, Hearing ye fhall hear, and fhall not understand; and seeing ye fhall fee, and not perceive. v. 27. For the heart of this people is waxed grofs, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; left they fhould fee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and fhould be converted, and I should heal them.

VII. c 1 Tim. iv. 10. For therefore we both labour, and suffer reproach, because we truft in the liv ing God, who is the Saviour of all men, fpecially of those that believe. Amos ix. 8. Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the finful kingdom, and I will deftroy it from off the face of the earth; faving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, faith the Lord. v. 9. For lo, I will command, and I will fift the

houfe

CHAP. VI. Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof.

UR first parents, being seduced by the fubtilty and temp

tation of Satan, finned in eating the forbidden fruit a. This their fin, God was pleased, according to his wife and holy counfel, to permit, having purpofed to order it to his own glory b.

II. By this fin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with Gode, and fo became dead in find, and wholly

houfe of Ifrael among all nations, like as corn is fifted in a five, yet fhall not the leaft grain fall upon the earth. Rom. viii. 28. And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Ifa. xliii. 3. For I am the Lord thy God, the holy One of Ifrael, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ranfom, Ethiopia and Sheba for thee. v. 4. Since thou waft precious in my fight, thou haft been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. v. 5. Fear not, for I am with thee: I will bring thy feed from the eaft, and gather thee from the weit. v. 14. Thus faith the Lord, your Redeemer, the holy One of Ifrael, for your fake I have fent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whofe cry is in the ships.

I. a Gen. iii. 13. And the Lord God faid unto the woman, What is this that thou haft done? And the woman faid, The ferpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 2 Cor. xi. 3. But I fear left by any means, as the ferpent beguiled Eve through his fubtilty, fo your minds fhould be cor

rupted from the fimplicity that is in Christ.

b Rom. xi. 32. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

II. c Gen. iii. 6. And when the woman faw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be defired to make one wife; fhe took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. v. 7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked: and they fewed fig-leaves together, and made themfelves aprons. v. 8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God, walking in the garden, in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God, amongst the trees of the garden. Eccl. vii. 29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath måde man upright; but they have fought out many inventions. Rom. iii. 23. For all have finned and come fhort of the glory of God.

d Gen. ii. 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou fhalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou cateft thereof, thou fhalt furely die. Eph. ii. 1. And you

hath

49 wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of foul and body e. III. They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this fin was imputedf, and the fame death in fin and corrupted.

hath he quickned, who were dead in trefpaffes and fins.

e Tit. i. 15. Unto the pure all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled, and unbelieving, is nothing pure, but even their mind and confcience is defiled. Gen. vi. 5. And God faw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, was only evil continually. Jer. xvii. 9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? Rom. iii. 10. As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one. v. II. There is none that understandeth, there is none that feeketh after God. v. 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one. v. 13. Their throat is an open fepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of afps is under their lips. v. 14. Whofe mouth is full of curfing and bitternefs. v. 15. Their feet are swift to fhed blood. v. 16. Destruction and mifery are in their ways. v. 17. And the way of peace have they not known. v. 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

III. ƒ Gen. i. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them. v. 28. And God bleffed them, and God faid unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and fubdue it: and have dominion over the fifh of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And Gen.

nature

ii. 16. And the Lord God commanded the man, faying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayft freely eat. v. 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou fhalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou fhalt furely die. And Acts xvii. 26. And hath made of one blood, all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation. With Rom. v. 12. Wherefore, as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned. v. 15. But not as the offence, fo alfo is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead; much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jefus Chriit,~ hath abounded unto many. v. 16. And not as it was by one that finned, fo is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation; but the free gift is of many offences unto juftification. v. 17. For if by one mans offence, death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteoufnefs, fhall reign in life by one Jefus Christ. v. 18. Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation: even fo by the righte oufnefs of one, the free gift came upon all men unto juftification of life. v. 19. For as by one man's difobedience, many were made finners: fo by the obedience of one, fhall many be made righteous. And I Cor. xv.21. For fince by man came death, D

by

Chap. VI. nature conveyed, to all their pofterity, defcending from them

by ordinary generation g.

IV. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indifpofed, disabled, and made oppofite to all good b, and wholly inclined to all evili, do proceed all actual tranfgreffions k. V. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain

by man came alfo the refurrection of the dead. v. 22. For as in Adam all die, even fo in Christ shall all be made alive. ¶ v. 45. And fo it is written, The first man Adam was made a living foul, the lait Adam was made a quickning fpirit. ¶v. 49. And as we have born the image of the earthly, we alfo fhall bear the image of the heavenly.

Pfal. li. 5. Behold, I was fhapen in iniquity and in fin did my mother conceive me. Gen. v. 3. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a fon in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth. Job xiv. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. Job xv. 14. What is man that he fhould be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he fhould be righteous?

IV. b Rom. v. 6. For when we were yet without ftrength, in due time Chrift died for the ungodly. Rom. viii. 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not fubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom. vii. 18. For I know, that in me, (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is prefent with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. Col. i. 21. And you that were fometime alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.

i Gen. vi. 5. And God faw that the wickedness of man was great in

the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, was only evil continually. Gen. viii. 21. And the Lord fmelled a sweet favour, and the Lord faid in his heart, I will not again curfe the ground any more for man's fake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth: neither will I again fmite any more, every thing living, as I have done. Rom. iii. 10. As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: v. 11. There is none that understandeth, there is none that feeketh after God. v. 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doth good,

no not one.

k James i. 14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own luft, and enticed. v. 15. Then when luft hath conceived, it bringeth forth fin: and fin, when it is finifhed, bringeth forth death. Eph. ii. 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the fpirit that now worketh in the children of difobedience. v. 3. Among whom also we all had our converfation in times paft, in the luft of our flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Matth. xv. 19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications,

thefts,

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