Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	according_a	good_a	law_n	2,693	5	4.9932	4	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09436	A graine of musterd-seede or, the least measure of grace that is or can be effectuall to saluation. Corrected and amended by W. Perkins.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.	1611 (1611)	STC 19725; ESTC S113662	16,143	72

spirituall exercises of inuocation faith and repentance and thereby also quicken and reuiue the seeds and beginnings of grace 1. In what place soeuer thou art whether alone or abroad by day or by night and whatsoeuer thou art doing set thy selfe in the preseÌ„ce of God let this perswasion alwaies take place in thy hart that thou are before the liuiÌ„g God and do thy endeauour that this perswasion may smite thy heart with awe and reuerence and make thee afraid to sin This councell the Lord gaue Abraham Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me and be vpright This thing also was practised by Enoch who for this cause is said to walke with God 2. Esteeme of euery present day as of the day of thy death and therefore liue as though thou were dying and doe those good duties euery day that thou wouldest doe if thou were dying This is Christian watchfulnesse and remember it 3. Make catalogues and bills of thine owne sinnes specially of those sinnes that haue most dishonoured God and wounded thine owne conscience set them before thee ofteÌ„ specially then wheÌ„ thou hast any particular occasion of renewing thy repentance that thy heart by this dolefull sight may bee further humbled This was Dauids practise when hee considered his waies and turned his feet to Gods commandements Psal. 119. 57. And when he confessed the sinnes of his youth Psal. 25 This was Iobs practise when he said he was not able to answer one of a thousand of his sinnes vnto God Iob. 9. 1. 4. When thou first openest thine eyes in a morning pray to God and giue him thankes heartily God then shall haue his honour and thy heart shall be the better for it the whole day following For we see in experience that vessels keepe long the taste of that liquor wherwith they are first seasoned And when thou liest downe let that be the last also for thou knowest not whether fallen a sleepe thou shalt euer rise againe aliue Good therefore it is that thou shouldest giue vp thy selfe into the hands of God whilst thou art waking 5. Labour to see and feele thy spirituall pouerty that is to see the want of grace in thy selfe specially those inward corruptions of vnbeliefe pride selfe-loue c. Labour to be displeased with thy self and labour to feele that by reason of them thou standest in neede of euery drop of the blood of Christ to heale and clense thee from those wants and let this practise take such place with thee that if thou be demaunded what in thine estimation is the vilest of the creatures vpon earth thine heart and conscience may answer with a loud voice I euen I by reason of mine owne sinnes and againe if thou be demaunded what is the best thing in the world for thee thy heart and conscience may answer againe with a strong and loud crie One drop of the blood of Christ to wash away my sinnes 6. Shew thy selfe to bee a member of Christ and a seruant of God not only in the generall calling of a Christian but also in the particular calling in which thou art placed It is nothing for a magistrate to be a ChristiaÌ„ man but he must also be a Christian magistrate it is not inough for a master of a family to be a ChristiaÌ„ man or a ChristiaÌ„ in the Church but the must also be a ChristiaÌ„ in the family in the trade which he followeth daily Not euery one that is a common hearer of the word and a frequenter of the Lords table is therefore a good Christian vnlesse his conuersation in his priuate house and in his priuate affaires dealings be sutable There is a man to be seene what he is 7. Search the scriptures to see what is sinne and what is not sinne in euery action this done carry in thy heart a constant and resolute purpose not to sin in any thing for faith and the purpose of sinning can neuer stand together 8. Let thine endeauour be sutable to thy purpose and therefore doe nothing at any time against thy conscience ritely enformed by the word exercise thy selfe to eschew euery sinne and to obey God in euery one of his commandements that pertaine either to the generall calling of a Christian or thy particular calling Thus did good Iosias who turned vnto God with all his heart according to all the lawe of Moses 1. King 25. 25. and thus did Zacharie and Elizabeth that walked in all the commandements of God without reproofe Luk. 1. 6. 9. If at any time against thy purpose and resolution thou bee ouertaken with any sinne little or great lie not in it but speedily recouer thy selfe by repentance humble thy selfe confessing thine offence and by praier intreat the Lord to pardon the same and that earnestly till such time as thou findest thy conscience truly pacified and thy care to eschew the same sinne increased 10. Consider often of the right and proper ende of thy life in this world which is not to seeke profit honour pleasure but that in seruing of men wee might serue God in our callings God could if it so pleased him preserue man without the ministry of man but his pleasure is to fulfil his worke and will in the preseruation of our bodies and saluation of our soules by the imploiment of men in his seruice euery one according to his vocation Neither is there so much as a bond slaue but he must in and by his faithful seruice to his master serue the Lord. Men therefore doe commonly profane their labours and liues by aiming at a wrong ende when all their care consisteth onely in getting sufficient maintenance for them and theirs for the obtaining of credit riches carnall coÌ„modities For thus men serue themselves not God or men much lesse doe they serue God in seruing of men 11. Giue all diligence to make thy election sure and to gather manifold tokens thereof For this cause obserue the worke of Gods prouidence loue and mercy both in thee and vpon thee from time to time for the serious consideration of them and the laying of them together when they are many and seuerall minister much direction assurance of Gods fauour and comfort This was the practise of Dauid 1. Sam. 17 14. Psal. 23. all 12. Thinke euermore thy present estate whatsoeuer it bee to bee the best estate for thee because whatsoeuer befalls thee though it bee sicknes or any other affliction or death befals thee of the good prouidence of God That this may the better bee done labour to see and acknowledge a prouidence of God as wel in pouertie as in abundance as well in disgrace as good report as well in sickenes as in health as well in life as in death 13. Pray continually I meane not by solemne set praier but by secret and inward eiaculatioÌ„s of the heart that is by a continuall eleuation of minde vnto Christ sitting at the right hand of God the Father and that either by prayer or giuing of

thou hast loosed thy sinne And Ambrose saith If he said I will confesse and obtained pardon before he confessed how much more when he had confessed saying I know mine iniquitie was his sinne pardoned Gregorie on this Psal. saith Marke how speedily pardon comes and how great is the commendation of Gods mercie in that pardon comes together with the desire of confession and remission comes to the heart before confession breake forth in speech II. Conclusion The first materiall beginnings of the conuersion of a sinner ar the smallest measure ofrenewing grace haue the promises of this life and the life to come The Exposition THe beginnings of conuersion must be distinguished Some are beginnings of preparation some beginnings of composition Beginnings of preparation are such as bring vnder tame subdue the stubbernes of mans nature without making any change at all of this sort are the accusations of the conscience by the ministerie of the law feares and terrours arising thence compunction of heart which is the apprehension of Gods anger against sinne Nowe these and the like I exclude in the conclusion for though they goe before to prepare a sinner to his conuersion following yet are they no graces of God but fruits both of the law being the ministery of death as also of an accusing conscience Beginnings of composition I tearme all those inward motions and inclinations of Gods spirit that follow after the worke of the law vpon the conscience and rise vpon the meditation of the Gospell that promiseth righteousnes and life euerlasting by Christ out of which motions the conuersion of a sinner ariseth and of which it consisteth what these are it shall afterward appeare Againe grace must be distinguished it is two-fold restraining grace or renuing grace Restraining grace I tearme certaine common gifts of God seruing onely to order and frame the outward conuersation of men to the Law of God or seruing to bereaue men of excuse in the day of iudgement By this kind of grace heathen men haue bin liberall iust sober valiant mercifull By it men liuing in the Church of God haue beene inlightned and hauing tasted of the good word of God haue reioyced therein and for a time outwardly conformed themselues therto Renewing grace is not common to al men but proper to the elect it is a gift of Gods spirit whereby the corruption of a sinner is not only restrained but also mortified and the decaied image of God restored in righteousnes and true holines Now then the conclusioÌ„ must only be vnderstoode of the second and not of the first for though a man haue neuer so much of this restraining grace yet vnlesse he haue the spirit of Christ to create faith in the heart and to sanctifie him he is as farre from saluation as another Thus then the sense and meaning of the conclusion is that the verie lest measure of sauing grace and the verie beginning or seedes of regeneration doe declare and after a sort giue title to men of all the mercifull promises of God whether they concern this life or the life to come are therefore approoued of God if they be in truth and accepted as greater measures of grace That which our Sauiour Christ saith of the worke of miracles Math. 17. 20. If ye haue faith as a graine of Musterd-seede ye shall say vnto this mountaine remooue hence to yonder place and it shall remooue must by the law of equall proportion be applied to sauing faith repentance the feare of God and all other graces if they be truly wrought in the heart though they be but as smal as one little graine of Musterd-seede they shall be sufficiently effectuall to bring forth good workes for which they are ordained The prophet Esay 42. 3. saith that Christ shall not quench the smoking flaxe nor breake the bruised reede Let the comparison be marked fire in flaxe must be both little and weake in quaÌ„titie as a sparke or twain that cannot cause a flame but only a smoke specially in a matter so easie to burne Here theÌ„ is signified that the gifts and graces of Gods spirit that are both for measure strength as a sparke or twaine of fire shal not be neglected but rather accepted and cherished by Christ. When our Sauiour Christ heard the young man make a confession of a practise but of outward and ciuill righteousnesse he looked vpon him and loued him Mark 10. 21. and when he heard the scribe to speake discreetely but one good speech that to loue god with all the heart is aboue all sacrifices he said vnto him That he was not for from the kingdome of heauen Therefore no doubt he will loue with a more speciall loue and accept as the good subiects of his kingdome those that haue receiued a further mercie of God to be borne a new of water and the spirit III. Conclusion A constant and earnest desire to be reconciled to God to beleeue and to repent if it be in a touched heart is in acceptation with God as reconciliation faith repentance it selfe The Exposition LVst or desire is two folde naturall supernaturall Naturall is that whose beginnings and obiect is in nature that is which ariseth of the naturall will of man and affecteth such things as are thought to be good according to the light of nature And this kind of desire hath his degrees yet so as they are all limited within the compasse of nature Some desire riches honours pleasures some learning knowledge because it is the light and perfection of the minde some go further seeke after the vertues of iustice temperaÌ„ce liberality c. and thus many heathen men haue excelled Some againe desire true happinesse as Balaam did who wished to die the death of the righteous because it is the propertie of nature to seeke the preseruation of it selfe But here nature staies it selfe for where the mind reueales not the will affects not Supernaturall desires are such as both for their beginning and obiect are aboue nature For their beginning is from the holy Ghost and the obiect or matter about which they are coÌ„uersant are things diuine and spirituall which concerne the kingdome of heauen and of this kinde are the desires of which I speake in this place Againe that we may not be deceiued in our desires but may the better discerne theÌ„ from flittering and fleeting motions I adde three restraints First of all the desire of reconciliation the desire to beleeue or the desire to repent c. must be constant and haue continuance otherwise it may iustly be suspected SecoÌ„dly it must be earnest serious though not alwaies yet at somtimes that we may be able to say with Dauid My soule desireth after thee O Lord as the thirsty land And as the hart braieth after the riuers of water so panteth my soule after thee O God my soule thirsteth for God euen the liuing God Thirdly it must be in a touched heart for when a

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