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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	evil_a	great_a	sin_n	2,789	5	5.0653	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81043	A briefe discourse touching a broken heart In which the nature, causes, and signes of it are solidly treated of; as also, its acceptablenesse to God; together with many other motives pressing us to labour after the procurement of it, and the means leading thereunto: Being the summe and substance of certain sermons preached by Mr. Daniel Carwardine, late minister of Eling in the county of Middlesex. And since his death put forth by S.R. a friend of his. Whereunto is annexed, a confession of faith by Mr. Samuel Rowles, late fellow of Trinity-Colledge in Cambridge. And now minister of Thistleworth in the county of Middlesex.	Carwardine, Daniel, b. 1600 or 1601.; Rowles, Samuel, fl. 1652.	1652 (1652)	Wing C720; ESTC R230173	37,786	142

as we sometimes say of children they are spoyled with kindnesse It is not so apt to be puffed up with mercies and to turne them into wantonnesse as others are 3. It receiveth mercy most thankfully and in that respect is most fit for mercy Beggars by how much lower they are brought thorough want by so much more thankefull will they be for any small almes that is given them whereas those that are not sensible of much want begin to looke bigge if you offer them a small matter 4. Broken hearted Christians make the best use and improvements of their mercies and therefore are most fit for mercy They who thinke themselves most unworthy to receive are alwayes most carefull what and how to render c. 5. The fifth benefit of a soft heart is a soft heart is most fit to doe any thing that is good as to pray heare receive the Lords supper or performe any other duty acceptably Indeed no heart but a soft heart is fit for duties or can performe them as they ought to be performed Prayer that proceedes not from a broken and contrite heart though it be joyned with fasting is as no prayer no fast in the sight of God If we be frequent in hearing the word and have not our hearts broken and humbled thereby we lose the benefit of that duty So likewise if we come to the Lords Table and then behold the body of Christ brokē with unbroken hearts we shall goe away as empty as we came and do God as little service in coming as if we had staid away And it must needs be so that a soft heart should be most fit for duty because an humble self abasing temper is the best posture for the soule to draw nigh to God and not onely so but this is further observable namely that humility and brokennesse of soule fills men with zeal and activity for God an humble heart thus thinkes with it selfe I have hitherto beene very unprofitable it is little service scarce worth speaking of that God hath had from me as yet Oh how shall I redeeme time for God how shall I make amends for my former basenesse and uselesnesse If God will but honour my utmost endeavour to be any wayes instrumentall for his glory how happy shall I account my selfe c. 6. The sixth and last benefit of a soft heart is that it doth fit for a Kingdome for Heaven and happinesse We read of being made meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light now brokennesse of a heart is a thing greatly conducing to the meetnesse for an inheritance in light there spoken of And that it is so will appeare if we shall but consider what is the worke and employment of Saints and Angels in Heaven Is it not to admire and adore God and to sing everlasting Hallelujahs Now who so fit to praise and to admire God as broken hearted humble men I can but thinke how poore humble hearted Christians will stand amazed and astonished at the day of judgement when God shall call them to his right hand when Christ shall bid them sit downe together with him and judge the world Do you thinke they will not be full of such thoughts as these Alas what were we or what are we that God should thus delight to honour us that we should be made Kings and Queenes unto God when thousands of the great ones of the world are cast downe to hell Surely they will cry out Not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy name be all the Praise and Glory For by grace we are saved by free grace alone are we saved Hallelujah Thus have we set before you the severall benefits of a soft heart so much shall suffice by way of motives to put us upon endeavouring after the getting of soft hearts Qu. But peradventure some will be ready to aske How may we come by soft hearts which we have heard to be sacrifices so acceptable to God By what meanes may we attaine thereunto Ans That it may be attained in the use of meanes such Scriptures seeme to signifie wherein God cals upon us to rend our hearts and to plow up the fallow ground of our hearts c. Now the meanes to be used are as follow 1. Meanes We must attend upon the word of God For that is Gods hammer to breake the heart and we must heare it with reverence faith and diligence else it will harden our hearts and encrease our condemnation It had wont to be no strange thing to heare of hard hearts broken by the power of Gods word sometimes severall in some one towne or village and that within the space of a few years There is the same efficacy in the word now as was then were it not that the prejudice which is in the minds of men against it and great neglect and contempt of it did intercept the benefit which they might otherwise receive by it That it is the proper worke of the word of God to soften mens hearts I meane as an instrument in the hand of the spirit I may make appeare from this experiment you see when the word of God doth not soften mens hearts usually nothing else doth the worke remaines undone Men ordinarily carry hard hearts with them to their graves when they will not make use of the word of God wherewith to breake them See Heb. 4 12. The word of God is quick and powerfull and sharper then any two edged sword piersing even to the dividing of soul spirit and of the joynts and marrow c. David prayes that God would sanctifie him by his truth his word is truth Now brokennesse of heart is a great part of sanctification c. 2. Meane we must take away that or those sins which doe harden our hearts Sin is the great cause of hardnesse of heart It is like some evill humour which is got to a head and causeth a great swelling and hardnesse There is no mollifying the place until such time as the evill humour which is in it be either dissolved or dissipated There are some kinde of sins which doe more especially conduce to hardning of mens hearts as for example scandalous sins sins against knowledge sins which have much of a mans understanding and will in them deliberate sins sins committed upon very slender temptations delightfull sins customary sins sins which begin to justifie themselves and to put men upon pleading their cause or at leastwise extenuating and making light of them It is impossible for a man to keepe a tender conscience if he will entertaine any one sinne as his constant welcome guest I might shew you severall wayes whereby sinne doth harden mens hearts One is this any sinne that a man doth allow himself doth as it were shade his soule that is keepe off the warme beames of the light of Gods countenance which would otherwise shine upon it you see how it is with the high wayes such as lye open

us good and which is worst of all it shuts Heaven gate against it which three things are most true concerning it if by a hard heart you understand a heart not in the least truly broken for sinne c. Come we to the second sort of motives which we promised to speake of namely such as are taken from the benefit and usefulnesse of a broken heart The benefits of a soft heart are as follow 1. A soft heart is fit to receive any Grace as soft wax is fit to receive any impression Metal being softned by fire is fit to be wrought in such manner as the artificer doth desire to have it When God is about to stampe his image upon the soule of a man the worke of grace I meane his manner is to prepare the heart thereunto by breaking and softning of it with the power of spirituall conviction As those we read of in the Acts who were pricked at heart which is the first good we heare of them It is said of the spirit that he shall convince first of sinne and then of righteousnesse As ground is prepared to receive the seed by being first ploughed and broken up so likewise is it with the hearts of men It is said That the humble God will teach God makes men teachable by humbling them and then he teacheth them Thou bindest man in cords of affliction and sealest up instruction to him why then namely because men are usually most humble and broken in a time of affliction and therefore most teachable at such a time Now it is a great matter to have our hearts fit to receive good as Scripture counts fitnesse because such a heart is neare unto good good doth as it were lye at the doore of such a heart Many mercies are long comming because the heart is long in fitting to receive them And it is the manner of God in dispensing of mercies first to look that the heart be made fit to receive them as a wise Physitian will not give strong physick till he have prepared the body of his patient for it A smith will not strike his iron till he have first made it hot and so capable of impression from his blow Though God could perfect severall kinds of worke in an instant yet it is his manner to doe things gradually as first to fit men for mercies and then to bestow mercies upon them humble your selves under the mighty hand of God that he may lift you up in due time If God give men good things before such time as they are fit for them he gives them usually in wrath and not in mercy for their hurt and not for their good It is therefore a great benefit to have our hearts fit to receive good So much of the first motive 2. God will take up his abode in thy heart if it be an humble heart yea Christ will come and the spirit will come and take up their abode in thy heart if it be a soft heart Isa 57.15 Thus saith the high and holy one I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of an humble and contrite heart to revive the heart of the contrite ones Now this is an expression which speakes much intimacy and nearnesse for God to say that he dwells with them that are of an humble spirit It is a steppe towards familiarity to dwell in the same towne a further steppe to dwel the next doore to any neighbour but beyond either of these to dwell in the same house with any friend how happy would a sick man think himselfe if he had an able Physitian dwelling constantly in the house with him so as to be alwayes at hand when he hath any occasion to make use of him God dwels with broken hearted sinners for that very end that he may revive them If any friend in whose company you take great delight so much indeed that you are not well without him should say well rather then you shall be melancholly for want of my company I will even come dwell with you for altogether would you not count it a great priviledge how much greater priviledge is it to have God and Christ and the spirit dwel with us Oh! who would lose such a priviledge rather then be at the paines to breake a hard heart 3. An humble a soft heart is in the best capacity to be freed from sinne Looke how it is with the ground whilest it is hard and fast bound with frost there is no getting up the weedes if you would ever so faine but when the raine descends upon it and softens it then you may pluck them up with ease Sinne is bound up in the hearts of men whose hearts are hard as weedes are bound in the ground in frosty weather but when it waxeth soft it may be plucked up by the rootes God doth sometimes suffer sinne to continue in greater strength and vigour in the hearts of his people then it otherwise should on purpose to humble them as knowing that nothing can be matter of greater humiliation to a gracious heart then the power and strength of sin within it Some thinke that by the messenger of Sathan which was sent to buffet Paul that he might not be puffed up with revelations we are to understand some sinne whereunto he was tempted as a meanes to keep him humble seeing then it is the manner of God sometimes to break the hearts of good men by suffering their sinnes to remaine in a great measure unsubdued as some good men that are subject to violent passion pensivenesse and discontent of spirit broken heartednesse must needes make way for the delivering men from the Tyranny of their sins for if you take away the cause of sins continuance in good men which is oftimes the want of due humiliation and brokennesse of heart the effect will follow 4. A soft heart is fit to receive all sorts of good things John the Baptist is said to have prepared the way of Christ now you know the great Doctrine which John insisted upon was repentance or broken heartednesse as being very preparatory to the great worke of Christ which was to binde up the broken hearted and to proclaime liberty to the captives to bring the glad tidings of salvation into the world Tidings of pardoning grace is most acceptable and welcome to a broken heart A broken heart is fit for comfort counsell mercy grace and indeed what not that is truely good If you would know in what respect a broken heart is most fit for any kinde of good take this briefe account of it 1. A broken heart stands in the most need of mercy as comfort c. A man is then most fit for meate and drinke when he is most hungry and thirsty and so stands in the greatest neede of it He that hath not so good an appetite is not so fit to eate 2. A soft heart is in the least danger of getting hurt by mercies of being spoiled with kindnesse

I will never leave thee nor forsake thee There are two considerations Which may put us upon praying for soft hearts besides the promise of God whereof we have spoken already as first we cannot glorifie God with hard hearts Men of hard hearts do sinne the greatest honour and service that is possible for men to doe it and God the greatest dishonour and disservice I shall make it out to you thus He that commits sin and is never troubled for it or layeth it to heart doth upon the matter justifie it and say in effect that he hath no cause to be ashamed that sinne is no such ugly abominable thing as the Scripture represents it and hereby he doth sin as much credit and service as in him lieth and on the other hand he dishonoureth God as much in that he makes light of breaking his righteous law as if it were a smal thing so to doe You cannot slight any man more then in making nothing of offending him as if it were not a pin matter whether he were pleased or displeased Now this were a very good argument for a man to plead with God in relation to the obtaining a soft heart Lord thou knowest I cannot but dishonour thee and honour sinne thy great enemy in a high degree so long as my heart continueth thus hard wherefore I beseech thee to soften it 2. Men of soft and tender hearts are most like to be continued in the enjoyment of those good things which God hath bestowed upon them Mercies bestowed upon hard hearted men doe many times prove like the seed sown in the stony ground Mark 4.5 6. which had no deep rooting so that it soon sprung up withered Such mens mercies doe ofttimes soon wither When men doe turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and take occasion from the light of Gods countenance to waxe more hard and proud as the Clay that is hardned by the Sunbeams usually God doth quickly withdraw the light of his countenance from them and leave them in darknesse but when those beames doe melt the heart and make it more and more soft God is pleased ofttimes to let them abide longer with us being improved for that end whereunto they were sent c. This may encourage us to pray for soft hearts c. 6. Vse This may serve for the comfort of all those who have broken and contrite hearts Though men despise them God will accept of them and love them St. Iames reproves those chap. 2.2 who were full of their respects towards such as came into their Assemblies with Gold rings and goodly apparell but despised the poor saying stand here or sit under my foot stoole thereby intimating that in this carriage of theirs they were altogether unlike to God who is no respecter of persons upon any of those accounts and yet he hath more respect unto some then unto others namely unto those who are of broken and contrite hearts Great persons look that it should be accounted a high respect if they vouchsafe now and then to bestow a visit upon them that are poore How much greater is the respect and condescension of the great God towards broken hearted sinners in that he vouchsafeth not onely to visit them now and then but to take up his abode with them to dwel with them Though God doe sometimes retire himselfe so that a broken hearted Christian feares he is departed as a man may think one that lodgeth in his house is not within when he keepes close not willing to be spoken with yet he alwaies dwels with the broken heart to revive the spirit of the humble and contrite Let broken hearted Christians be of good cheer they may safely call God and Christ Emanuel that is God with them c. Obj. But will God shew mercy to and accept of me who am a grievous sinner I cannot believe it Ans Yes God wil shew thee mercy if thou beest an humble soule Obj. But I have been a grievous sinner a notorious liver and therefore I am justly humbled for my sins Ans Thou must not look upon thy selfe as thou hast bin but as thou now art if thou be humbled the blood of Christ washeth thee from all thy sinnes how many and great soever they have been I doe not say that thou oughtest not to reflect upon thy former conversation upon any account whatsoever For you know that the Apostle Paul did call to mind what he had been namely a blasphemer a persecutor an injurious person c. This he did in reference to the magnifying of Gods grace in making him such as he was by grace but I say that in a time of trouble and perplexity of spirit we ought to look upon the present humiliation of our souls and brokennesse of our hearts as a ground of joy and comfort Obj. But I am not worthy that God should shew me so much mercy as to accept of me Ans No nor ever wilt be worthy in thy selfe of any mercy but God looks upon thee in Christ and in him doth account thee worthy Therefore goe to God in the name of Christ that is the way to finde acceptance For God is very ready to heare his peoples prayers to grant their requests and he hath promised to heare when they call and he takes delight to heare his people pray Therefore this may encourage us to pray for God wil hear Obj. But will God heare and grant the prayers of all Ans No. They must be godly which do prevaile with God They must be such as doe not allow themselves in any sin whatsoever If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare my prayers c. Psal 66.18 Again They that would prevaile with God must pray in faith and with earnestnesse Again They must be constant in prayer and not give over praying Again they must put up their requests in the name of Christ with thankfulnesse for such mercies as they have already received Obj. I hope I am Gods child and I have prayed but God heares not me Ans God may have heard thee though not at the same time that thou desirest not in the same thing There may be good reason for that Thou must not tie God to thy time nor to thy means For God is wise he doth delay the granting of our requests for severall holy ends and purposes as for example To try our faith to humble us to make us see the want of a mercy that we may the better prize it when it comes be more thankfull for it and use it more to his glory c. FINIS A Short CONFESSION OF FAITH BY Mr. SAMUEL ROWLES Master of Arts LATE Fellow of Trinity Colledge in Cambridge And now Minister of Thistleworth in the County of Middlesex LONDON Printed for John Rothwell 1652. To the Reader Good Reader THe ensuing confession of faith which was delivered by me some years since at my Ordination in Kent was not then intended or calculated for