Hughes:

[Proverbs 14:32 The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.]

2. Let us now inquire into the import of what is here asserted in reference to the righteous; “he hath hope in his death.”

By his death some understand the wicked man’s death, and put this construction on the text:

When the good man is struggling with the troubles of life, the many of which perhaps are occasioned to him by the wicked; he has hope, that God will cut off the wicked, and then it shall be well with the righteous.

But I confess this construction appears to me unwarranted and forced; nor indeed can I see how it is consistent with the character of a righteous man, to hope or wish the death of any, how wicked and troublesome soever they are; the repentance and conversion and forgiveness of the wicked is the only proper matter of prayer with reference to them; our Savior has taught us to show our charity and good-will to our worst enemies in this way: and as the blessed God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked [Ezek. xxxiii. 11.]; it cannot surely be desired or hoped for by his servants.

Obadiah Hughes, The Righteous Man’s hope in death consider’d and improv’d, in a Sermon On Occasion of the Death of the late Reverend Mr Samuel Say. Preached in Westminster, April 24, 1743. (London: Printed and sold by M. Fenner, at the Turk’s head in Gracechurch-street, 1743), 12-13.  [Some spelling modernized; some reformatting; underlining mine; and verse insert mine.]

Marbeck:

1)

PERMISSION

Of God’s permission or suffering.

We must note, that when either the Scriptures or Fathers, do seem God to be the cause of sin, this word permission is not there so to be added, as though only he suffered men to sin, and by his providence or government, wrought nothing as concerning sins. Indeed, he lets  [prevents] them not, though he can, but uses them, and shows in them his might, and not only his patience, which thing Augustine understood right well; and disputed against Julianus, he confuted that sentence, where it is said, that God suffers sin only according to patience, and proves that his might is also thereunto to be added by the words of Paul, who wrote unto the Romans: “if God by much patience has suffered vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, to show forth his anger, and to make known his might.” And undoubtedly there are many things in Holy Scipture, which cannot always be dissolved by the word of permission or patience. “For the heart of the king is said to be in the hand of the Lord, so that he inclines it, whether soever it pleases him.’” And Job testifies that it was so done as God would. But as touching sin of the first man, when yet nature was not vitiated and corrupted we grant that the cause thereof came from the will of Adam and suggestion of the Devil, and we say that God permitted it, because he might have withstood and let [prevented] it, he would not do it, but decreed to use that sin, to declare his Justice and goodness.

Pet. Mar. upon Judg, fol. 167.

Iohn Marbeck, A Book of Notes and Common Places, collected and gathered out of the works of diuers singular Witers, and brought Alphabetically in order (Imprinted at London by Thomas East, 1581), 808. [Some spelling modernized; square bracket inserts mine.]

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Marbeck:

GRACE

What Grace is.

By grace understand the favor of God, and also the gift of working of the Spirit in us, as love, kindness, patience, obedience, mercifulness, despising of worldly things, peace, concord, and such like.

The true definition of grace.

The true definition of grace, and agreeing to the Holy Scripture is, the free benevolence of God, whereby he counts us dear in Christ Jesus, and forgives us our sins, gives the Holy Ghost, an upright life, and eternal felicity: by this definition is seen, not only what we call grace, but also by whom we have it, and with all the principal effects thereof.

Pet. Mar. upon the Rom. fol. 140.

Received grace of an Apostleship. ¶ Grace is throughout all the Epistles of Paul, taken for the favour and free mercy of God, whereby he saves us freely without any deserts or works of the law. In like manner peace is take for the tranquility of the conscience, being fully persuaded, that through the merits of Christ’s death and blood-shedding, there is an atonement and peace made between God and us, so that God will no more impute our sins unto us, nor yet condemn us.

Sir. I. Cheeke.

Iohn Marbeck, A Book of Notes and Common Places, collected and gathered out of the works of diuers singular Witers, and brought Alphabetically in order (Imprinted at London by Thomas East, 1581), 461. [Some spelling modernized.]

Brown:

1)
Q. In what manner doth God hate sin?
A . With boundless hatred, as a thing most abominable to him.

Q. How then is God in scripture said to bid men sin, and to harden them in it?
A. The meaning only is, that he permits, and punishes men by sin, 2 Sam. xvi. 10.

Q. If God hate sin so much, how can he permit it?
A. His permission doth not in the least effect or encourage sin; nor would he have permitted it, but to display his holiness by occasion thereof, especially in punishing it upon Christ, and saving men from it through him.   John Brown, An Essay Towards an Easy, Plain, Practical, and Extensive Explication of the Assembly’s Shorter Catechism (New York: Robert Carter, 1846), 37. [Some Reformatting; some spelling modernized; and underlining mine.]

Q. How is God’s providence exercised about angels
A. In permitting some to sin, and lie therein; establishing the rest in holiness and happiness, and employing them in the administration of his mercy and justice.   John Brown, An Essay Towards an Easy, Plain, Practical, and Extensive Explication of the Assembly’s Shorter Catechism (New York: Robert Carter, 1846), 50. [Some Reformatting; some spelling modernized; and underlining mine.]

2)
Q. How is God’s providence peculiarly exercised about men?
A. In giving or withholding from them the ordinary means of salvation, and enabling them to improve, or suffering them to abuse these means, as he sees meet, Psal. cxlvii. 19, 20. Rom. ix. John Brown, An Essay Towards an Easy, Plain, Practical, and Extensive Explication of the Assembly’s Shorter Catechism (New York: Robert Carter, 1846), 59. [Some Reformatting; some spelling modernized; and underlining mine.]

3)
Q. How is God’s providence exercised about casual or accidental actions, as killing a man with a bow-shot at a venture, &c.?
A. In joining or disjoining the circumstances of these actions otherwise than the actors thereof intended, Exod. xxi. 13, 2 Kings xxii. 34.

Q. How is God’s providence more generally exercised about moral and reasonable actions?
A. In prescribing a law to be the rule of them, end in annexing rewards punishments to them, Exod. xx., Deut. xxviii

Q. How may moral actions be distinguished?
A Into good and evil, Deut. xxviii. 1. 15.

Q, Are no reasonable actions indifferent, that is neither good nor evil?
A. They may be indifferent in their nature; but with respect to their manner and end, they must be either good or evil, 1 Tim. i. 5, 6.

Q How is God’s providence specially exercised about good actions?
A. In stirring up to, directing in, and giving power and opportunity. for them, Phil. ii. 12. 13.

Q. How is God’s providence exercised about sinful actions?
A. In concurring to the substance of the act; and in permitting, bounding, and over-ruling to his own glory the sinfulness of it, Iso. xxxvii. 29.

Q. Doth not this way make God the author of sin?
A. No; when God so hates and punishes sin, he can never in any respect be the author of it, Zeph. iii. 6.

Q. Does God’s exciting or concurring in actions any way cheek the free will of creatures?
A. No.

Q. Whence it then that men raise an outcry against God’s providential concurrence with all, especially sinful actions, as if that and his decree put a farce upon the will of creatures?
A. It arises from their great pride and ignorance, in measuring God by themselves; for, because they could not effect the matter of a sinful action, and not its sinfulness, neither absolutely decree, nor infallibly determine another to an action, without forcing his will, they conclude that God is incapable to do it; forgetting that as the heavens are high above the earth, so are God’s ways above our ways, Isa. Iv. 9.      John Brown, An Essay Towards an Easy, Plain, Practical, and Extensive Explication of the Assembly’s Shorter Catechism (New York: Robert Carter, 1846), 59-60.  [Some Reformatting; some spelling modernized; and underlining mine.]

4)
Q. How doth tho curse of God consume men’s wealth?
A. It deprives them of prudence to keep it, blasts their endeavors to increase it, and permits others unjustly to bereave them of it, Zech. v. 4. Job xx.

Q. How doth the curse of God slay the souls of men by their wealth?
A. By permitting them to improve it as an excitement to, and instrument of spiritual idolatry, carelessness about salvation, pride, uncleanness, &c.    John Brown, An Essay Towards an Easy, Plain, Practical, and Extensive Explication of the Assembly’s Shorter Catechism (New York: Robert Carter, 1846), 258. [Some Reformatting; some spelling modernized; and underlining mine.]

5)
Q What do you mean by temptation?
A. Temptation properly signifies an enticing to sin.

Q. Does God the properly: tempt any man?
A. No; God tempts no man, but only tries them, James i. 13.

Q. What then is meant by God’s leading into temptation?
A. His laying such occasions before men, as their lusts can improve to sinful purposes; withdrawing his grace; and permitting Satan, the world, and the flesh, to seduce them into sin, Joshua vii. 21, Job i. and ii.    John Brown, An Essay Towards an Easy, Plain, Practical, and Extensive Explication of the Assembly’s Shorter Catechism (New York: Robert Carter, 1846), 352.  [Some Reformatting; some spelling modernized; and underlining mine.]