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to their own lust, the temptations of the world, and the power of Saran a: whereby it comes to pass, that they harden themselves, even under those means which God useth for the foftening of others b.

spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day. 2 Kings viii. 12. And Hazael said, 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 set on fire, and their young men wilt thou flay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their wo men with child. v. 13. And Hazael said, but what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, the Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.

@ Pfal. lxxxi. 11. But my people would not hearken to my voice: and Hrael would none of me. v. 12. So I gave them up unto their own hearts Jutts, and they walked in their own counsels: 2 Theff. ii. 10. And with all deceiveableness of unrighteouf ness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth; that they might be saved. V. 11. And for this caufe God shall fend them strong delufion, that they fhould believe a lie. v. 12. That they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleafure in unrighteousness.

b Exod. vii. 3. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my figas and my wonders in the land of Egypt, With Exod. viii. 15. Eut when Pharoah faw that there was respite, he hardned his heart, and hearkned not unto them; as the Lord had faid, v. 32. And Phasaoh hardned his heart at this time

.:

VII. As

alfo, neither would he let the people go. 2 Cor. ii. 15. For we are unto God a sweet favour of Christ, in them that are saved, 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 thefe things? Ha. viii. 14. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Ifrael, for a 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 disfobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, v. 8. Anda stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed. Ha. vi. 9. And he said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but underitand not; and fee ye indeed, but perceive not. v. 10. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes: left theysee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. With Acts xxviii. 26. Saying, Co unto this people, and fay, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand: and feeing ye shall 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 should fee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and undersland with their

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 difpofeth all things to the good thereof a.

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

UR first parents being feduced by the fubtilty and temptation of Satan, finned in eating the forbidden fruit a. This their fin, God was pleased, according to his wife and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory b.

II. By this fin they, fell from their original righteousness, and communion with God c, and fo became dead in fin d,

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their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

VIL, et Tim. iv. 10. For there fore we both labour, and fuffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe. Amos ix. 8. Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, faith the Lord.

7. 9.

For lo, I will command, and I will fift the house of Ifrael among all nations, like as corn is fifted in a fieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. Rom. viii, 23. 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 ransom, Ethiopia and Sheba for thee. v. 4. Since thou wast precious in my fight, thou haft been honourable, and I have loved then: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy

and

life. v. 5. Fear not, for I am with thee, I will bring thy feed from the east, and gather thee from the weft. 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, whose cry is in the ships.

I. a Gen. iii. 13. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman faid, The ferpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 2 Cor. xi. 3. But I fear least by any means, as the ferpent beguiled Eve through his fubtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Chrift.

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

II. o 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; she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he

did

and 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 imputed f, and the fame death in fin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation g.

did eat. v. 7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked: and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves 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 prefence of the Lord God, amongst the trees of the garden. Eccl. vii. 29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have fought out many inventions. Rom. iii. 23. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

d Gen. ii. 17. Eut of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt furely die, Eph. 1. And you hath he quickned, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

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 inind and confcience is defiled. Gen. vi. 15. 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 de ceitful above all things, and defperately wicked, who can know it? Romaiii. 10. As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one, v. 11. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. v. 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doth

ture

good, no not one. v. 13. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have afed deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips. v. 14. Whose mouth is full of curfing and bitterness. v. 15. Their feet are swift to shed 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. f 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 blessed 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 sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And Gen. ii, 16. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayst freely eat. v. 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely 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 so death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned., v. 15. But not as the offence, so alfo is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead; much

IV. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good h, and wholly inclined to all evil i, do proceed all actual tranfgreffions,

much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jefus Chrift, hath abounded unto many. v. 16. And not as it was by one that finned, so is the gift for the kingdom was by one to condemnation; but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. v. 17. For if by one man's offence, death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteoufnefs, shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ. v. 18. Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation: even fo by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. v. 16. For as by one man's disobedience, many were made finner's: fo by the obedience of one, shall many be made righteous. And 1 Cor. xv. 21. For fince by man came death, by man came alfo the refurrection of the dead, v. 22. Foras in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift hall all be made alive, V. 45. And fo it is written, The first man Adam was made a living foul, the last Adam was made a quickening fpirit. V. 49. And as we have born the image of the earthly, we also shall bear the image of the heavenly.

g Pfal. li. 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquity: and in sin did my mother conceive me. Gen. v. 3. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son 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 should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous ?

IV. b Rom. v. 6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ 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. viii. 18. For I know, that in me, (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. Col, i. 21. And you that were sometimes alienated, and ene. mies in your minds 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. vii. 21. And the Lord smelled a fweet favour, and the Lord said 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 smite any more, every thing living as I have done, Rom. iii. ro As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one v. It. There is none that understandeth, there is. none that seeketh after God. v12. They are all gone out of the way, they are altogether become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one.

D

k James

greffions k.

V. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated 1: and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly fin m.

VI. Every fin, both original and actual, being a tranfgreffion of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunton, doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the finner o, whereby he

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 sin: and sin when it is finished, 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 spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. v. 3. Among whóm also we all had our converfation in times past, 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. Mat. xv. 19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, aCulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blafphemies.

V. II John'i. 8. If we say that we have no fin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. v. ro. If we say that we have not finned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Rom, vii. 14. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, fold under in, v. 17. Now, then, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me, v. 12. For I know that in me, (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is prefent with nre, but how to perform that which is good, I'find not, v. 23. But I fee another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into

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m Rom. vii. 5. For when we were in the flesi, the motions of fin which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. v. 7. What shall we say then? Is the law fin? God forbid, Nay, I had not known fin but by the law: for I had not known luft, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. v. 8. But fin taking occafion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupifcence. For without the law sin was dead. v. 25. I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myselfserve the law of God; but with the flesh the law offin. Gal. v. 17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are con. tray the one to the other, fo that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

VI. I John iii, 4. Whofever commiteth fin, tranfgreffeth also the law, for fin is the tranfgreffion of the law.

• Rom. ii. 15. Which Thew the work

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