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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	word_n	wound_a	wound_n	16	3	7.4299	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23734	The government of the thoughts a prefatory discourse to The government of the tongue / by the author of The whole duty of man.	Allestree, Richard, 1619-1681.; Pakington, Dorothy Coventry, Lady, d. 1679.; Fell, John, 1625-1686.; Sterne, Richard, 1596?-1683.	1694 (1694)	Wing A1131; ESTC R16378	90,774	192

that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth Rom. 14.22 Lastly In all thy undertakings beseech and humbly implore the Almighty to Direct Counsel and Bless thee and according to the Apostle's Direction In every thing by Prayer and Supplication let your requests be made known unto God Phil. 4.6 For he is unworthy to receive a Blessing who omits the duty of Asking A Prayer for Directions in all our Actions MOST Merciful Father who hast promised that if the Wicked turns from his Sins that he hath committed and doth that which is lawful and right he shall live and his Transgressions shall not be remembred In humble acknowledgment of our manifold sins the equity of thy Judgments to give us over to our own unhappy Ways who have so long refused to be guided by thy holy Word and our own helpless Impotency to stay our selves turn unto thee or fix our selves in any good way to Serve and Please thee 2. WE humbly beseech thee O Father for the sake of thy dear Son to pardon all our Offences and to vouchsafe to lead us in thy Paths and the way thou appointest us to walk in We have long gone astray like lost Sheep and thou best knowest O our God how dangerous Satan's Snares are to us how many the Distractions of a deceitful vain World how frail and infirm sinful Flesh and Blood and how many our Errors But O Lord thy Wisdom cannot Err which is immutable therefore renouncing our own Conduct we render our selves into thy Gracious Hands humbly beseeching thee who freely givest Wisdom to all that ask and upbraidest no Man hold thou up our goings in thy Paths that our Footsteps slide not direct all our ways that we neither incline to the right nor to the left hand to offend thee but give us the Shield of our Salvation and let thy Right hand uphold us 3. O thou that hearest the Prayers of them that call upon thee hear us for our Souls wait on thee direct and guide us keep us and counsel us in all our Actions that we neither design nor perform any thing but that which is pleasing to thee and which thou wilt bless unto us that we may walk unblamably and prudently towards all Men and in Sanctity before thee And grant that in all our actions we may Glorifie thee and adorn the Gospel of Christ by our holy Conversations give good Examples to our Neighbours and stop the Mouths of all malicious Adversaries so that when these days of Sin are ended that we rest from our Labours we may enter into that promised Rest which remaineth for thy People where shall be no more Sin Error nor Curse Hear us O Lord in these and all other things necessary for our Bodies or Souls for Jesus Christ his sake Amen CHAP. XXV Of a Wounded Spirit what it is SOLOMON tells you Prov. 18.14 The Spirit of a Man will sustain his Infirmities but a wounded Spirit who can bear The word signifies a smitten contrite or broken Spirit It is a kind of Speech borrowed from corporal Affliction by Stripes Contusions Bruises or Wounds wherein by Incision and Launcing the Sinews and Veins the Body is debilitated and endangered to Death and Disabled so that it is void of Supportation it is liable to Inflamations and Distempers that every slight touch prejudices it It depriveth a Man of Rest so that he is impatient of this present Posture and more perplexed at a Mutation To express it further it is the intense sorrow of the Soul a weak Confidence and an infeebled life of the Spirit so that God may well nominate it A wounded Spirit 2. THIS Affliction is of that Magnitude that it exceeds all other Temporal Sorrows And none can truly give their Verdict of it but they who can join and say with David The sorrows of Death compassed me and the pains of Hell gat hold upon me Psal. 116.3 Other Sorrows may be Mitigated by administring to the Afflicted something equivalent to the loss sustained as where one Treasure is lost another may be found or by some compensation or repair may be Retaliated as Job had a second Posterity and encrease of Wealth And Elkanah declared such a Medium of Consolation to Afflicted Hannah when he said to her Am I not better to thee than ten Sons Sam. 1 1.8 3. BUT these Comforts are no ways conducive to an afflicted Spirit for furnish him with Riches the company of the dearest Friends or that which might afford Relief Refreshment and Delight to others yet to him it procures no Ease no more than if you put on a rich Purple Robe upon broken Bones No no the Grief is internal and no external means can Cure it In other Crosses time will asswage by Prudence and persuasive Arguments excellent lenitives of Sorrow In some cases to divert Wine merry Society Musick or the like means may bear some part which the Wise Man accords to Give strong Drink to him that is ready to perish and Wine to those that be of heavy Heart Let him drink and forget his Poverty and remember his Misery no more Prov. 31.6 7. 4. DAVID'S Harp did for the time refresh Saul and Charm the Evil Spirit But this grief admits of no Efficacy in such Comforts In other Pressures we may receive Ease or be conducted from the Evil as St. Paul was from the Jews Conspiracy Acts 23.31 and David from Saul 1 Sam. 19.12 But there is no flying from a wounded Spirit Where ever we go our Affliction attends us even our secret Tormentor in our own Bosoms In short as it is in one sense a Separation from God so no Creature in Heaven or Earth can Cure it There is no Sanctuary for a troubled Soul but only Gods favourable Presence No other Expedient can be used till he return and Comfort it 5. SO Horrid in the mean time is this Affliction that the desperate Traytor Judas took Death for his Sanctuary as an Antidote against his guilty Conscience ● but with what ponderosity it sits upon the Hearts of God's Servants may appear by the Complaints of Job and others Wherefore is light given to him that is in Misery and Life unto the bitter in Soul which long for Death but it cometh not and dig for it more than for hid Treasures which rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they can find the Grave Job 3 2O 21 22. This was Job's Complaint And the Prophet complained of his Birth Jer. 20.14 15 16 17 18. And the Prophet Elijah being threatned by Jezebel at Beer-sheba poured out himself It is enough now O Lord take away my Life for I am not better than my Fathers 1 Kings 19.4 And Jonah at the loss of his Gourd expressed himself saying It is better for me to die than live Jonah 4.8 CHAP. XXVI What the Conscience is and the Tranquility of it THE Conscience is the Cognition of the Heart and is a divine internal Light which we cannot Extinguish a

thereof 2. JOY and Rejoicing in God in things Divine and Spiritual we are secure and happy The end of Temporal Rejoicing is many times clouded in sudden and unexpected Sorrow Such was Belshazzar's Feast with a thousand of his Princes Dan. 5.1 5 6. The scene of Joy was changed into sudden Astonishment at the sight of that dreadful Hand which decypher'd his doom upon the Palace Wall Secular Joy entertaineth deluded Men as that old lying Prophet of Bethel did the Man of God first feeding then afflicting with the sad Intimation of ensuing Destruction 1 Kings 13.11 22. Acquaint thy self with true good that thou mayst rejoice securely They most delight in Secular things who are ignorant of Eternal 3. LET not thy Heart be too much transported with Secular Joy they that superabound in Mirth and Joy in Prosperity are too much cast down and dejected in Adversity For both Extreams proceed from impotency of Mind In every Exultation look with a thankful Heart on the Lord that gave it and with a prudent Heart on that which may quickly change this Scene of Mirth into Heaviness Taste thy Joy as the Israelites did their Passover with bitter Herbs and prepared to be gone Exod. 12.8 Let the thoughts of Sorrow season all thy Mirth lest a sudden Surprizal astonish and vanquish thee For foreseen Dangers least prejudice the Wise. 4. KEEP Innocency and a good Conscience These shall Comfort thee as Lamech said of his Son Noah Gen. 5.29 The Wise Man tells you Prov. 15.15 All the days of the afflicted are Evil but he that is of a Merry heart that is a good Conscience hath a continual Feast Wicked Mirth Sardonick Laughter and foolish Jesting as they demonstrate much Levity so do they dangerous Uncomposedness Vanity and weakness of Mind In such Laughter the heart is Sorrowful says Solomon Prov. 14.13 And the end of that mirth is heaviness And Eccl. 2.1 Behold this also is Vanity Again The heart of the wise is in the House of Moorning But the Heart of Fools is in the House of Mirth Eccl. 7.4 5. WE read that Christ Wept over Jerusalem Luke 19.41 and over Lazarus John 11.35 But we never read of his Laughter 'T is a rare Government of the Mind to have Mirth season'd with Wisdom wherein a prudent Cheerfulness commendeth Mirth well regulated in an holy thankful use of that we enjoy as the best of things meerly Secular To imitate the Austerity of Cato or the Sullenness of Crassus who is reported to have Laughed but once in his Life or to be an ever Weeping Heraclite or an ever Laughing Democritus is to launch out into vain and unsafe Extreams Indeed of the two Tears are to be preferred before excessive Laughter For too much Mirth is a symptom of Folly which fluctuates from the Heart and a true Signet of Forgetfulness or ignorance of this mutable Life 6. AND indeed Voluptuousness is Satan's Hook which produces to Destruction it is the Mother of Sin and the Nurse of the never dying Worm And as Oil killeth Insects but Vinegar restores them so Joy and Pleasure destroy incautious Sinners but sharp Afflictions safely Cure them So that they at last arrive to that apprehensive sense of understanding That it is good for them to be Afflicted Psal. 119.71 Never rejoice at anothers Affliction for it is Odious to the Almighty and seldom evadeth such Revenge as pointeth out the Sin 7. IT is a Maxim of Wisdom to weigh the Joy which will prove an excellent Gage for thy Heart For the Prophet Jeremy tells you Chap. 17.9 That The Heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it If thou rejoicest in Evil thy Heart must be agreeable to it but if thou delightest in Goodness then a secret Power and Spirit of Sanctity ruleth in thee Observe in Musical Instruments how some Strings sound at the Moving of others and accord very Harmoniously So it is with the Strings of thy Heart which internally Assenteth to any wicked external Action The uncircumcised Heart rejoiceth at that Obscenity that vexed Righteous Lot The Holy are cheerful and glad like the wise Merchant Matt. 13.44 45 56. Who when they find the treasure of God's inestimable Mercy opened to them go away rejoicing with that happy Convert Acts 8.39 While he that hath no interest therein sitteth numbring the Minutes and thinking every Divine Exercise long goeth away either as Ahab with Indignation or with Sorrow like the rich young Man in the Gospel Matt. 19.22 8. DANGEROUS Perturbations of the Mind are in the dominion of Sorrows and there is as much occasion of prudent Rules to be used as of a Rudder in a Storm In every affliction examine well thy Heart for the Cause Wherefore is the living Man Sorrowful Man suffereth for his Sin Let us search and try our ways and turn again unto the Lord Lam 3.39 40. It is a vain attempt and a high presumption to seek for any Relief from Affliction but by this means all other Lenitives are as Draughts of Cold Water in a hectick Fit it is more Inflaming like David's Harp to a moody Saul where the vexing Spirit returneth with greater Violence 9. PLACE thy Sorrow upon Sin which is the right Object It is the vulgar Error and danger of many to be dejected for that loss which indeed cannot prejudice their Bodies but take a delight in Sin which woundeth the Soul and may make them for ever Unhappy We many times grieve for that which should occasion us to Rejoice And St. Paul tells us Rom. 8.26 That all things work together for good and whom the Lord loveth he Chasteneth Heb. 12.6 Next let us consider the comfortable effects of God's Chastisements It yieldeth the peaceable fruit of Righteousness unto them which are Exercised thereby Heb. 12.11 We are impatient and roar out as Men under the hands of a skillful Chirurgeon when he exerciseth the Lancet or Cauterie to Cure us It was David's Complaint who said I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my Heart Psal. 38.8 Yet in the issue confessed It is good for me that I have been Afflicted and declares this Experience Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy Word Psal. 119.67 71. 10. GIVE not thy Heart over to excessive Sorrow for there is a Worldly Sorrow to Death and a Sorrow to Repentance not to be Repented of 2 Cor. 7.10 Exorbitant Grief is like the immoderate Overflowing of Nilus a presager of dangerous Sterility Stand ready prepared for sharp Encounters Ships are built to endure Storms and raging Seas And prudent Minds are composed to endure and make good use of Sorrows Let every Distress awaken thy mind to fly to thy Redeemer And then Afflictions will appear like that Rain which fell on the Ark the more it poured down the more that was lifted up and saved from the fury of the Waves Or like Moses Rod to open a way through the briny Floods to

occasion to vex at the Levity and Vanity of thy own Mind If it be just what is the monstrous Object of thy Hatred and Malice Assure thy self the Adulteress is unhappy enough and there is no Creature on Earth more despicable and odious nor no Sin in this Life accompanied with so many varieties of Plagues and Judgments so that indeed they are great Objects of Pity if all these wretched Ingredients can render them to be so as a wounded Conscience the Devil 's Earnest to the Impenitent and assurance of Hell and Damnation 8. IN the next place my address shall be to those in whom there is occasion of Suspicion And first Let Man himself consider how odious Adultery is and out of all measure sinful for he sinneth against his own Body defileth the Temple of the Holy Ghost Cor. 6.18 19. and pierceth through his own Bowels with a Dart of Rottenness Prov. 7.23 And that which will render him in the end mournful But beyond all this in case of Impenitency which the stubborn Presumer may justly suspect it is that whereby he excludeth himself from the Kingdom of Heaven 1 Cor. 6.9 10. And in the Adulteresses Crime some Aggravations are appertaining to it as robbing her Husband of his Posterity obtruding a base and adulterous Issue and so stealing away his Estate and Inheritance by giving it to a Stranger and fixing on an indelible Character of Dishonor and Bastardy upon her Child who but for her impotent and ungovern'd Lust might have proved noble and legitimate An Injury which she can never expiate nor repair to the innocuous Son with Rivers of Tears and streams of her infected Blood This multiplied Sin is sometimes conceal'd from Men but never from the All-seeing God who is a severe Revenger of all Iniquity 9 OTHER Sins are grievous and pernicious yet neither Lying Stealing Idolatry Murder nor Witchcraft can of it self dissolve the Sacred Bond of Wedlock as this only base act of Adultery doth Therefore our Saviour admits of no Divorce but upon that occasion And it is remarkable that when God would display the loathsomness of Idolatry which most displeased him he styl'd it Whoredom and himself a jealous God and certainly though that be abolished of the bitter Water causing the Curse and rotting of the Thigh with swelling which attended that antiquated Ceremony yet the bitter Moral and Substance are not quite extinguish'd Numb 5.18 10. AVOID what you are sensible of hath created your Suspicion otherwise you are guilty if not of Adultery yet of a just Cause of Jealousie Lysander punished one of his Soldiers for going out of his Quarters resolving that he would have none of his look or go out like a Plunderer Dinah's idle visits Gen. 34.1 2. proved her dishonor effusion of guiltless Blood her Father's Trouble and her Brother's Curse The wisest of Men recordeth it as the mark of an Harlot Prov. 7.11 12. Her feet abide not in the house now she is without now in the streets lying in wait at every corner 11. IT was an Italian Severity in Sulpitius and a Diposition to part with his Wife who divorced her for going out of doors bare-headed The Law said he confined thee to mine Eyes and Approbation and not to please others The common Law noted any going out unvail'd with the odious brand of Adultery So careful were they to avoid all occasions or suspicions of that Sin However foolishly strict they were I am sure Jerom's Rules fore-noted is good Whatsoever saith he may probably be feigned be thou cautious it may not be feigned Thou owest this to thy Husband's Love thine own Indemnity and Honor and the Right and Credit of thy Children The PRAYER O Eternal and Almighty God Father of Lights and of the First-born who are written in Heaven and of the Spirits of Just Men made Perfect Thou art the Searcher of all Hearts and Reins to whose All-seeing Eye every Creature is manifest and every thought of the Heart naked and open We humbly beseech thee to take from us our stony Hearts and to give us Hearts of flesh to subdue in us by thy omnipotent Spirit the miserable remainders of the First Adam that native inclination to Sin which continually carrieth us away Captive to the Laws thereof even to that Evil which we would not commit but utterly detest and in bitterness of Soul repent of 2. LORD create clean Hearts and renew right Spirits within us root out that raging Spirit of Jealousie that infernal Fire which lies scorching in our bosoms and enlighten our Vnderstandings with a sound Knowledge of all the Mysteries of Eternal Life and Salvation Sanctifie our Wills and Affections and according to thine own gracious promise six thy Law in our inward Parts and write it deeply in our Hearts that we may know thee from the least to the greatest Heal up those Wounds which our Sins have made so wide that none but thine own Hands can close them and forgive our Iniquity and remember our Sins no more 3. O Lord thou didst by thy holy Word so heal the fountains that death and barrenness was no more therein heal we humbly beseech thee the wretched Corruptions of our hearts cleanse and sanctifie all the thoughts thereof by the sweet and blessed influence of thy Holy Spirit and so quide govern and direct us in the way which thou wilt have us to walk in as that we may in all our Thoughts Words and Actions be acceptable to thee Mortifie and subdue all our evil Desires and Thoughts and bring them all into Subjection to thy Holy Will and Pleasure that we may constantly resist all Temptations to Sin and Wickedness 4. KEEP us and Counsel us in all our Affairs Spiritual and Temporal that we may be filled with the holy Fruits of the Spirit of Sanctification appearing in new and hallowed Thoughts Words and Actions to thy glory and our farther assurance before thee so that in our Bodies and in our Spirits we may be kept blameless in this sinful and miserable World unto the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ To whom with thee O Father of Mercy and the Holy Spirit the Comforter of the Elect be rendred all Honor and Glory in Heaven and in Earth from this time forth and to all Eternity Amen CHAP. XXIII Of External Actions THE External Actions of Men are the product and fruit of their Thoughts and as we owe Sanctimony to God and our own Consciences within so do we good Examples to our Neighbors in things External And our blessed Saviour in his Sermon on the Mount excites us with this Doctrin Mat. 5.16 Let your Light so shine before Men that they may see your good Works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven 2. GOOD Actions proceed from a sound Credence without which they cannot be good nor pleasing in the Sight of Heaven For whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin Rom. 14.23 For Faith apprehending Christ to our Justification renders our Works