Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	faith_n	heart_n	purify_v	2,568	5	11.6551	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97246	The cure of misprision or Selected notes, upon sundry questions in controversie (of main concernment) between the word, and the world. Tending to reconcile mens judgements, and unite their affections. Composed and published for the common good : as being a probable means to cure prejudice, and misprision in such as are not past cure. / by R. Junius.	Younge, Richard.	1646 (1646)	Wing Y149; Thomason E1144_1; ESTC R208480	108,291	199

glory And a strange thing it is saith Chrysostome that a Physitian a Shooe-maker a Taylor and generally every Artificer is ready and able to render a reason in defence of his profession and trade and yet many Christians even Parents and Masters and Magistrates cannot give an account of their religion Sect. 10. Sixtly They are so farr from being convinc'd of the sinfulnes of their ordinary evil thoughts word● and actions though a very thought may be unpardonable as Simon Peter intimates to Simon Magus Acts 8. 22. that they thinke they doe well and deserve praise for the foulest sinne that can be committed namely for persecuting Christ in his members Witnesse Bishop Laud Wren their fellowes when they have beene examined Nor is this the case of a few but of all naturall men Nor of the meanest simplest or uncivill●st but principally of the greatest and wisest and learnedest Civilians and Moralists Yea who have beene so active and forwards as some hundreds of Preachers and Prelates in this land And not only with tongue persecution in rayling upon slandering and nick-naming all godly Christians and preachers even out of the pulpit and that in words of Scripture which shewes a reprobate judgement but even excommunicated arraigned imprisoned whipt beggered branded banished dismembred and in the end when all would not beate them off from Christ and from keeping a good conscience killed them Yea how many of these Bishops and Clergie men have been the incendiaries of this bloody and worse then salvage war in all the three Kingdomes meerly out of a mortall hatred and enmitie which they beare against zealous Christians their sincerity and the power of religion In which they but fulfill those words of our Saviour Luke 21. They shall put you out of the Sinagogues persecute you imprison you and kill you for my names sake vers 12. and in all thinks that they doe God good service John 16. 2. So far are they from thinking the worst of murthers a sin And no wonder when St. Paul tells you that it was his very case so long as he was in his naturall condition Acts 26. 9. and 1 Tim. 1. 13. Sect. 11. Seventhly So far are naturall men from seeing their sinnes or desiring to see them that if a Minister in discharging his duty shall but deale plainly with them in laying open their sinnes and declaring the judgements of God due unto the same powerfully applying it to their consciences they will persecute him for it even to the death as the Jewes served our Saviour John 7. 7. and all the Prophets before him and Apostles after him Pro. 15. 12. Amos 5. 10. Mat. 23. 37. Gal. 4. 16. 1 Thes 2. 16. Acts 4 17. 18. and 7. 27. and 19. 28. 1 Kings 22. 8. John 3. 19. 20 21. And so you have it proved that all naturall men justifie themselves more or less and thinke they are pure and without sin But heare the reasons of this their miserable mistake and you will the lesse wonder at it Sect. 12. In the word of God I find 7. reasons thereof 4. Negative 3. Affirmative The reasons Negative are these 1. The deceitfulnesse of their hearts 2. They are unregenerate 3. they want the eye of faith 4. They are not vers d in the Scriptures nor have they the spirit to convince them of sinne The affirmative reasons are these 1. Sinne 2. God in judgement 3. Satan further blinds them that they cannot see their finfulnesse Only observe by the way that the foure first reasons are applyable to all naturall men even the civillest and wisest of them the 3 last pertain chiefly to the obstinate and superlative in sinne in whom this ignorance and blindnesse is much increased for there are Three de grees of ignorance 1. Naturall which is the effect of Originall Sinne. 2. Adventitious which is accompanied with actuall Sinne 3. Habituall which arises from the excesse of Sinne. But least in handling all of the● I should tyre my Reader I will in a few words give you the sum of all Are they unregenerate as none can deny then there is a mighty and vast difference between naturall men and the regenerate in many particulars I le give you an instance or two well worth your observing Naturall men in Scripture for I will lay downe their severall Characters in the very expressions of the Holy Ghost are said to have Vncircumcised hearts Jer. 9. 26. Rom. 2. 29 Grosse hearts Mat. 13. 15. Brawny hearts Isay 6. 10. Fatt hearts Acts 28. 27. Hearts without feeling Eph. 4. 18. 19. Foolish hearts Rom. 1. 21. Bl●nd and darke hearts Rom. 1. 21 Beasts hearts Dan. 4. 16. Jer. 51. 17. Dead hearts 1 Sam. 25. 37. No hearts Hosea 7. 11. Evill and wicked hearts Gen. 6. 5. and 18. 21. Vncle ane hearts Ezek. 14. Impure hearts James 4. 8 Hearts Slow to beleeve Luke 24. 25. That cannot repent Rom 2. Fained hearts Jer. 3. 10. Pro. 11 20. False hearts Jer. 5. 23. Deceitful hearts Jer. 17. 9. Devided hearts Hosea 10. 2. Double hearts 1 Chron. 12. 33. Psal 12. 2. A heare and a heart Jer. 32. Proude hearts Deut. 17. Froward hearts Pro. 11. 20. Stubborne hearts Hosea 13. 6. Obstinate hearts Jer. 52. Hard hearts Exod. 9. 12. And Stony hear●s Ezek. 11. 19. Whereof not a few by custome in sinne harden their owne hearts Deut. 15 7. Heb. 3. 8. Pro. 28. 14. Yea make them as hard as an Adamant Zach. 7. 12. Least they should heare the Law and be converted by ●he Gospel Isay 6. 10. where upon God in judgement hardens them Exod. 7. 3. 22. and 10. 20. and 14. 8. so making them more hard and brawny Isay 6. 10. John 12. 40. Whereas on the contrary God circumciseth the hearts of his children that beleeve in him and of stony hearts makes them fleshie and soft Ezek. 11. 19. Rom. 2. 29. Yea taketh away the stony hearts out of their bodies and giv●th them new hearts Ezek 36. 26 even pu●ting a new spirit into them Ezek. 11 19. Besides he so farther softens them that they become like m●lling wax Psal 22. 14. then op●ns them to heare and receive his word Acts 16. 14. 1 Sam. 10. 26. Yea he wash●th them from wickednes Jer. 4. 14. cleanseth them Psal 73. 13. purifies them by faith Acts 15. 9 ●nd sheds his love abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost Rom. 5. 5. And having thus prepared them he writ●● his law in their hearts Jer. 31. 33. Heb. 8. 10. and 10. 16. And put s in them such a filiall feare of his name that they shall never depart from him Jer. 32. 40 Whence they are said by the Holy Ghost to bee pricked in their hearts Acts 2. 37. To set and apply their hearts to understand his precepts Pro. 2. 2. Dan. 10. And to seeke him with their whole hearts Psal 119. To have perceiving hearts Deut. 29. 4 To lay up his word in their hearts Psal 119. 11. Yea to have

reioycing in it boasting of it yea pleading for it and applauding our selves for our wickednesse Between sin prevailing as a Tyrant and sinne raining as a lawfull Soveraigne Against the intention and with full resolution Between being hunted by sinne and Satan untill we be overborne by the violence and strength of his temptations and our owne corruptions and so led captive against our wils and besides our purpose and contrary to our resolution and yeelding full consent yea hunting after sinne and the occasions thereof Yea drawing sinne unto us as with cart-ropes and committing it even with greedinesse Between being better and more carefull afterward as Peter after his deniall and being hardned through the custome of sinne growing worse and worse because iudgement is deferred and thou hast hitherto scaped punishment Between yeelding to one sinne and entertaining all that offer themselves So adding sinne unto sin and heaping up wrath against the day of wrath Between being surprised on the suddaine when Satan hath us at some extraordinary advantage of time place company c. and committing it upon deliberation advisedly and of set purpose Yea studdying plotting and devising how to make others joyne with us in the same sin Between rising up againe by true and unfained repentance being sensible of our owne weaknesse bewailing the same carefully looking to our feet striving to ●un●● more swiftly in the way of righteousnesse flying ●●to God by fervent prayer desiring the assistance of his spirit whereby we may be able to mortefie our flesh and the corruptions thereof never resting untill we have throughly washed our poluted soules with the blood of Christ applyed unto us by a lively faith and willfull impenitencie joyned with hardnes of heart Even blessing thy selfe in thine owne heart saying J shall have peace although J walke according to the stubbornenesse of mine owne heart Yea the difference is such that the Holy Ghost in favour of the sinceere and upright will not vouchsafe to the one the name of sin As see 1 John 3. 9. Who so is borne of God sinneth not that is with full consent of will and what saith the Law it selfe If violence be offered to a virgin if she cry ●ut shee shall not dye but if she cry not out she shall be punished with death Deut 22. 25. 26. 27. Sect. 29. Which being so may make thee of another mind that is to thinke much better of them whom thou condemnest and far worse of thy selfe 1. Better of them for no mortall creature can be so vigilant or Argus eyed but sometimes he may be surprised by an enemie Sometimes grace is asleep in the holiest and wariest breasts while they are miscaried by their passions to their cost To be alwaies and unchangeably good is proper only to the glorified spirits in Heaven For in the Church militant here below a man may be a good Archer though he doe not alwayes hit the marke Yea it hath ever been held that a few times hitting countervailes often times missing 2. Worse of thy selfe For have they committed such and such sinnes and so broken their promise and vow made unto God in baptisme It was full sore against their wils but thou never hadst the least desire to performe thine Yea it hath ever been thy whole delight to breake the same And certainly he is an honester man that owing a great sum of money and promising payment thereof payes what he is able though he fall never so short of it then he who owing the like sum making the like promise is so far from paying what he should that he squanders away what he hath and never intends to pay a farthing Are their sins in them great sinnes as great in them as in thee what then There is sinne in the regenerate there is nothing but sinne in the unregenerate Even the Spouse in the Caticles justly complaines of her blacknesse yet she is faire among other women Cant. 5. Though the Publican was not simply and sufficienrly justified yet he was rather justified then the Pharisee Our good actions cannot iustifie us because in them the flesh lusteth against the spirit Nor yet can our ill actions condemne us because in them the spirit lusteth against the flesh Wee are all bound to keep the Law and might have kept it perfectly had it not been our own fault But since the Fall we cannot keep one tittle of it so sinne we mu●t of necessity and the wages of every sin is death by that law yet no necessity of dying the death except we love death more then life For God in his infinite wisedome and goodnesse hath not only found out a way to satisfie his justice and the law but given his only begotten sonne to dye for us and to redeeme us that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Iohn 3. 16. A mercy offered and a way found out that may astonish all the sons of men on earth and Angels in Heaven But are we beleevers or unbeleevers this is the maine of all for First God esteemes of faith above all other graces deeds or acts of ours John 6. 28. 29. Secondly If we are beleevers we have Chri●t for our sur ety and he hath redeemed and delivered us from the rigor and curse of the Law Gal. 3. 13. and 5. 1. Rom. 7. 6. and 10. 4. Neither are we any longer under the law but under grace Rom 6. 14. and shall be iudged by the perfect law of liberty Gal. 5 1. James ● 25. Because Christ hath sufficiently satisfied his fathers justice for all the sinnes of the faithfull and paid our debt even to the utmost farthing Isay 53. 4. 5. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Heb. 9. 26. 1 Pet. 2. 24. Rom. 3. 25. 26 1 John 1. 7 9. Yea if we lay hold on him by a lively faith our sins are his sinnes and his righteousuesse our righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. Psal 4. 1. Not that we may sinne the more freely for even to beleevers the Law is given that grace may be required and grace is given that the law may be fulfilled by us evangelically for us by Christ whose righteousnesse is ours perfectly The Law is a glasse to shew us our spots the Gospel a fountaine to wash them away Wee looke upon the Law to keepe us from presumption and upon the Gospel to keep us from dispaire True every sinne a beleever commits deserves damnation but no sinne shall condemne but the lying and continuing in it Secondly so our failings be not willfull though they be manyand great yet they cannot hinder our interest in the promises of God For God that worketh in us both the will and the worke Will accept the will for the worke and that which is wanting in us Christ will supply with his owne righteousnesse He respecteth not what we● can doe so much as what we would do● and that which we would performe and cannot he esteemeeth as though it were performed Sect. 30. Heare this