Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	gentile_n	heart_n	write_v	7,180	5	5.8793	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39669	The method of grace, in bringing home the eternal redemption contrived by the Father, and accomplished by the Son through the effectual application of the spirit unto God's elect, being the second part of Gospel redemption : wherein the great mysterie of our union and communion with Christ is opened and applied, unbelievers invited, false pretenders convicted, every mans claim to Christ examined, and the misery of Christless persons discovered and bewailed / by John Flavell ...	Flavel, John, 1630?-1691.	1681 (1681)	Wing F1169; ESTC R20432	474,959	654

dreadful stab to that noble power Gods vicegerent in the soul. And thus you see the first thing made good that light puts deep guilt and aggravation into sin Secondly In the next place let us examine why sin so aggravated by the light makes men liable to the greater condemnation 2. for that it doth so is beyond all debate or question else the Apostle Peter would not have said of those sinners against light as he doth 2 Pet. 2. 21. That it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness nor would Christ have told the Inhabitants of Chorazin or Bethsaida that it should be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of Judgement than for them There is a twofold reason of this 1. Ex parte Dei on Gods part 2. Ex parte Peccatoris on the Sinners part First Ex parte Dei on Gods part who is the righteous Judge of the whole earth and will therefore render unto every man according as his works shall be for shall not the Judge of the whole earth do right he will judge the world in righteousness and righteousness requires that difference be made in the punishment of Sinners according to the different degrees of their sins Now that there are different degrees of sin is abundantly clear from what we have lately discoursed under the former head where we have shewed that the light under which men sin puts extraordinary aggravations upon their sins answerable whereunto will the degrees of punishment be awarded by the righteous Judge of Heaven and earth The Gentiles who had no other light but that dim light of nature will be condemned for disobeying the law of God written upon their hearts but yet greater wrath is reserved for them who sin both against the light of nature and the light of the Gospel also and therefore it is said Rom. 2. 9. Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile Impenitent Jews and Gentiles will all be condemned at the Bar of God but with this difference to the Jew first i. e. principally and especially because the light and mercy which he abused and violated were far greater than those bestowed upon the Gentiles because unto them were committed the Oracles of God and God had not dealt with any Nation as with that Nation Indeed in the rewards of obedience the same reason doth not hold he that came into the Vineyard at the last hour of the day may be equal in reward with him that bare the heat and burthen of the whole day because the reward is of grace and bounty not of debt and merit but it is not so here justice observes an exact proportion in distributing punishments according to the degrees deserts and measures of sin and therefore it is said concerning Babylon Rev. 18. 7. How much she had glorified her self and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her Secondly Ex parte Peccatoris upon the account of sinners it must needs be that the heaviest wrath and most intolerable torments should be the portion of them who have sinned under and against the clearest light and means of grace for we find in the Scripture account that a principal and special part of the torment of the damned will arise from their own Consciences Mark 9. 44. Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched and nothing is more manifest than this that if Conscience be the tormentor of the damned then sinners against light must needs have the greatest torments For First The more knowledge any man had in this world the more was his Conscience violated and abused here by sinning against it and O what work will these violations and abuses make for a tormenting Conscience in Hell With what rage and fury will it then avenge it self upon the most stout daring and impudent sinner the more guilt now the more rage and fury then Secondly The more knowledge or means of knowledge any man hath enjoyed in this world so much the more matter is prepared and laid up for Conscience to upbraid us with in the place of torments and the upbraidings of Conscience are a special part of the torments of the damned O what a peal will Conscience ring in the ears of such sinners Did not I warn thee of the issue of such sins undone wretch How often did I strive with thee if it had been possible to take thee off from thy course of sinning and to escape this wrath Did not I osten cry out in thy bosom stop thy course sinner Hearken to my counsel turn and live but thou wouldst not hearken to my voice I forewarned thee of this danger but thou slightedst all my warnings thy lusts were too strong for my light and now thou seest whither thy way tended but alas too late Thirdly The more knowledge or means of knowledge any man hath abused and neglected in this world so many fair opportunities and great advantages he hath lost for Heaven and the more opportunities and advantages he hath had for Heaven the more intolerable will Hell be to that man as the mercy was great which was offered by them so the torment will be unspeakable that will arise from the loss of them Sinners you have now a wide and open door many blessed opportunities of salvation under the Gospel it hath put you in a fair way for everlasting happiness many of you are not far from the kingdom of God there will be time enough in Hell to reflect upon this loss What think you will it not be sad to think there O how fair was I once for Heaven to have been with God and among yonder Saints My Conscience was once convinced and my affections melted under the Gospel I was almost perswaded to be a Christian indeed the bargain was almost made betwixt Christ and my soul there were but a few points in difference betwixt us but wretch that I was at those points the bargain stuck and there the treaty ended to my eternal ruine I could not deny my lusts I could not live under the strict yoak of Christs government but now I must live under the insupportable wrath of the righteous and terrible God for ever and this torment will be peculiar to such as perish under the Gospel The Heathen who enjoyed no such means can therefore have no such reflections nay the very Devils themselves who never had such a plank after their shipwrack I mean a Mediator in their nature or such terms of reconciliation offered them will not reflect upon their lost opportunities of recovering as such sinners must and will this therefore is the condemnation that light is come into the world but men loved darkness rather than light Inference 1. Hence it follows that neither knowledge nor the best means of knowledge are in themselves sufficient to secure men from wrath Inference 1. to come Light in it self is a choice