Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	eternal_a	good_a	life_n	4,162	5	5.3241	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53271	Sincerity, or, The upright mans walk to heaven in two parts shewing I. that sincerity is the true way to happiness, II. that the keeping of our selves from our own iniquity is the true way to sincerity / delivered in several sermons in the parish church of St. Michael in Long-Stratton Norfolk by James Oldfield, late minister there.	Oldfield, James.	1687 (1687)	Wing O218; ESTC R28747	141,831	348

not endure them every carnal natural man carries his worst enemy in his own bosom and that is his own heart we may say of our hearts in the language of David 55. Ps 11. O who knows the abundance of wickedness that is in his own heart nay not only wickedness deceit and guile that 's that that ruines many Souls and we may go on with the Psalmist v. 12 13. our own hearts are such enemies that we cannot hide our selves from them they are our guides and if our very guides deceive us O how great must needs be our misery how many are there now in Hell that may thank their own hearts for bringing them thither 2. How little we ought to trust our own hearts alass if we once trust them they will deceive us O Brethren trust not your deceitful wretched hearts they will betray you into the hands of sin Do you not know there is a league between sin and your hearts 44. Is 20. a deceived heart hath turned him aside sin deceives the heart and the heart deceives us O let us not trust to it Learn Brethren to be most afraid of your own hearts they will do you the most mischief when we have prayed or heard a Sermon or kept a Sabbath our hearts will be telling us we have done well O believe them not when we have committed a sin our hearts will be apt to tell us there is no hurt in it we need never be troubled for it O believe them not O brethren this is a sad thing that a man must not believe his own heart you will say 't is a strange World when we can trust no body nay I tell you worse yet you cannot trust your own hearts oh how carefull how watchfull ought we to be Many a man will say I am tied altogether at home I dare not go abroad because I have no body at home but Servants Children none that I can trust Brethren every one of us had need be much at home much in looking to himself and looking to his duties and looking to his ways because he hath none that he can trust 3. Prov. 5. a man that trusts his own heart or his own understanding ruins himself But what shall we do then Answ 1. Cross thy heart in all its desires this was that which did almost ruin Solomon he did gratifye his heart too much whatever his heart desired presently he consented to it 2. Eccles 10. when Solomon gave his heart so much liberty he did not think what will come of it he little thought his heart would have cozened him so far as to have brought him to Idolatry 2. Labour to know your own hearts better look into them into the windings and turnings that are in your hearts and then perhaps you will believe what we say of your hearts saith Bernard nihil recte existimat qui seipsum ignorat he that knows not his own heart is a man of no judgment at all 'T is not all the learning of the World will make a man a wise man but the learning of his own heart you may read more there than in all the Books that ever were Printed and when you once come to know your own hearts better you will trust them less 3. Endeavour to get Christ into your hearts he will be a faithful steward a diligent overseer there he will not suffer your hearts to deceive you This is that which Paul prays for the Ephesians 3. Eph. 17. read the policy of Darius 6. Dan. 1 2. O Brethren set Christ over the affairs of your hearts and you shall be sure to receive no damage 3. How needful it is for us to have our hearts renewed 4. Prov. 23. expurga cor Jun. Tremel The Romans by the Law of the twelve Tables were bound to purge and keep clean all fountains of water O Brethren let us get our hearts cleansed they are fountains a poysoned fountain is very dangerous a deceitful heart is far more dangerous Motives 1. Because 't is thine own heart and here are 3 Motives 1. 'T is thy duty God commands every man to keep and to cleanse his own heart to this end God hath entrusted us with them At the day of Judgment God will call us to an account for our hearts as well as our lives 2. 'T is thy benefit when a man fies a pond or scoures a ditch he himself hath the benefit of it O Brethren 't will be your great profit to have clean hearts what do you think is it not more profitable to have a faithful than an unfaithful steward 16. Luk. 1. O so may we complain to many men of their hearts look to your hearts they will bring you to Hell. 3. 'T is a sign of sincerity he that is careful of his own heart will be the more careful of another man's heart he that regards his own Soul and Salvation will the better regard his Brothers Soul and Salvation but he that is regardless of himself certainly will less regard others 2. Out of it are the issues of life ex eo prodeunt actiones vitae As a man's heart is so is his life if his heart be for God his life will be to God's Glory if thou give thy heart to sin thou wilt give thy life to sin and as thou livest so shalt thou dye and as thou dyest so shall thy Estate be to all Eternity so that life that flows from the heart death follows life and Eternity follows all It is a matter then you see of great concernment to have your hearts renewed A good heart makes a good life and a good life ends in an happy death and an happy death brings the Soul to Eternal Happiness 3. The great danger that follows from the two former considerations sins subtlety and our own hearts deceitfulness This will appear more plainly in these following particulars wherein you shall see what cause every one of us have to look about our selves and the wisdom of the People of God in being so careful to keep themselves from their own Iniquities The men of the World they do not understand these things and therefore they think it a needless scrupulosity in the Saints in being so much afraid of sin they call it only an humour and a fancy and I know not what but learn but to know the danger of sin especially of your own sins and you shall find there is cause enough for it The danger lyes in these following particulars 1. Here is very great odds against us two against one sin without and our own hearts within us sin battering and our own hearts betraying of us Each of these singly is too hard for us but when both combine together against us in what a case are we sin that corrupts our hearts to betray us and our hearts they conspire with sin to destroy us O sirs look in what a dangerous condition we are in That Garrison is not like to hold out long when there