Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
doctrine_n	mark_v	reason_n	use_v	2,641	5	9.6521	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65936	That great duty and comfortable evidence (keeping our selves from our iniquity) opened and applied in some sermons upon Psal. 18, 23 / by John Whitlock.	Whitlock, John, 1625-1709.	1698 (1698)	Wing W2029; ESTC R26359	57,005	130

and peculiarly against its special sins In the Souls being heartily willing and giving a full consent to have its most beloved Lust or most prevailing tyrannizing Iniquity subdued mortified killed and crucified It is to take up a firm purpose and resolution and that in the strength of God and Christ and the Holy Spirit against its special sins it is to be active in keeping from and mortifying these prevailing corruptions and not to be meerly passive The Upright Man is not only kept from his sin but keeps himself from it As it is one thing to be humbled and another to humble ones self so it 's one thing to be kept from committing the outward acts of sin and another thing for a Man to make it his design and business to set himself against his sin to keep it at an under to Watch Pray Believe against it and for the mortification of it So the word in the Text in the Voice it is used signifies a reciprocal action a Mans acting upon and towards himself using as it were an holy violence on himself towards his strong propensions and particular iniquities I was a Preserver of my self so one Version The Syriack I took heed to my self The Arabick I will take heed or beware of mine Iniquity Men may be kept from their sins yet not keep themselves and so not be upright Men may be kept from the outward acts of their sins by force fear of Punishment from Men or of displeasing of Friends or from meer legal slavish fear of God and of Hell by present checks gnawings or terrors of Conscience by Sickness or want of what may feed their Lusts their Intemperance Uncleanness or the like as in Poverty or Age it may be In such cases Mens sins leave them they do not leave or keep themselves from their sins But then Men so keep themselves from their iniquities as to evidence that they are upright when they can say as Rom. 7.15 to the end III. A Man keeps himself from his Iniquity so as to manifest his Uprightness when if he be overtaken and foiled by his iniquity he mourns and grieves for it with true Evangelical Godly sorrow and speedily renews the actings of his Repentance and Faith and Prayers for Pardon of and Power against it not suffering guilt to lye on his Conscience or the filth and power of his sin to lye quietly in his Soul but confesseth it to God and hath his Heart stirred up to an higher degree of indignation against it This is the Duty yea and Endeavour of all that would prove their Hearts Upright before God Men may forbear the outward acts of their reigning sins for a time from carnal or meerly legal grounds and principles yet not loath them but still have a liking to them and when they do fall into them not grieve aright nor groan under them You do not in the sense of the Text keep your selves from your iniquities if upon foils by them you do not speedily repent of them confess bewail them believe and pray against them and have not your Hearts filled with greater hatred of them But he doth keep himself from his iniquity so far as to approve his uprightness who tho' he may sometimes yea too often be guilty of some acts of it yet it is the constant burden of his Soul so that he groans under it and is in bitterness of Soul for it looking on Christ as pierced by it He exercises Faith on Christ wrestles with God in Prayer and his Heart is more set against this his sin so that whereas it has been peculiarly loved and delighted in before in his unregenerate state or was more tickling of and pleasing to the unregenerate part even after Conversion he now comes to have his Heart more set upon the mortification of it so as to offer an holy violence to it This is for Men to keep themselves from their iniquities for there must be an holy violence used against these special sins for tho' the Spirit in the regenerate part be willing yet the flesh is weak yea wiful and must be kept under IV. To be upright and prove that uprightness by men's keeping themselves from their iniquities it is to watch against these sins in an especial manner and all the occasions and the very appearances of these evils and to resist the very first motions and risings of them in the heart and to use all the means God hath in his Word appointed and directed to for the mortification of them to use and improve all Duties and Ordinances the Word Sacraments Prayer Fasting joyned with Prayer and Communion of Saints yea all publick private and Secret Duties to this end This is for men to keep themselves from their iniquities he doth not do so that runs upon the occasions of sin such things as he hath found to feed his special sins he that runs into that company that he hath found drawing him into sin either drinking wantonness mis-spending of time or any other sin that he is inclined to and easily foiled by he that doth not abstain from appearance of evil 1 Thes 5.22 doth not hare the garment spotted with the flesh Jude v. 23. that doth not resist the very first motions of sin but entertains them in his thoughts suffers them to conceive and breed there He doth not keep himself from his iniquity that doth not deny himself in lawful things that are not necessary when and so far as he finds them to minister occasion to his special sins such an one doth in part fail in this duty of the Text and so far in his uprightness though in the main he be upright Yea he that doth not use the means to mortifie his sins the Word Prayer and if one that hath a right to them Sacraments and improve them for this end doth at least in degree fall short of integrity and if any wholly neglect to avoid occasions of sin or to use the means to mortifie these sins he is not upright at all but he that doth these things avoids occasions of sin and duly uses and improves the instituted means for mortifying of it is upright And these particulars may seem as Marks to try your selves by V. I proceed now in the next place to give the Reasons of the Doctrine And I. One Reason why it is the duty of every one that names the Name of Christ and the Evidence of such an one's Unprightness to keep himself from his iniquity is because it is by these sins that are men's own proper iniquities whether they be beloved reigning sins in the unregenerate or prevailing and tyrannizing corruptions in the regenerate that God is most dishonoured these are they that men take occasion from to reproach Religion especially if they be outward open acts of sin that are fallen into Now certainly it is the duty of all especially of Believers to keep themselves from that which may bring dishonour to God and therefore will it be an

make use of this Doctrine by may of Examination to call on all both my self and others to examine whether we can evidence that we are upright before the Lord by this that we have been inabled to keep our selves from our iniquities for consider you can have no evidence of sincerity if you do not in some good measure keep your selves from your iniquity at least from the reigning power of it from every beloved Lust and if you do not set your selves against and use your utmost endeavours to keep your selves from your most prevailing tyrannizing Corruptions that you find by experience you are most inclined to and most easily and frequently foiled by To indulge any sin out of love to it and when convinced it is a sin is the brand of a rotten-hearted Hypocrite and the certain sign of a Mans being wholly void of a work of saving grace it argues no grace at all in truth and to be often foiled by prevailing tho' they be no reigning sins is an argument of very weak Grace and that it is at a very low ebb in the Soul If you keep your selves from some sins that you are less inclined and have fewer temptations to from constitution employment age condition or the like and yet do not keep your selves from other sins that you are more inclined to at least if you do not to the utmost endeavour so to do you can have no evidence of sincerity if with Saul you destroy the lean Cattle but spare the Fat and spare an Agas a King Lust you are but Hypocrites if you keep your selves only from lean Lusts that can bring in little or no advantage to you but even outward hurt such as will waste your Estates blast your Credit impair your Health consume your Bodies destroy your Lives or undo your Families but spare fat Lusts such whereby your gain comes in which may raise you in your Estate or in your esteem with Men or are pleasing and delightful sins this is a sign of an unsound heart if you allow your selves in the sins that your Callings lay before you Temptations to Injustice Oppression Deceit or any Unlawful Gains if there be any Delilah you lay in your Bosoms or lay your heads in the Lap of your hearts are not upright But if you regard no iniquity in your heart would not leave a Hoof behind spare no Agas has no Delilah it is a sign of an upright heart Examine therefore your selves whether you have kept your selves from your iniquity To keep from the committing some sins that you have no great inclination or temptation to is no sign of sincerity but to keep your selves from the sins your natural temper age c. leads you to this will be an evidence of grace As for instance for an old Man to keep from Wantonness from Acts of Uncleanness or Prodigality this is no sign of his sincerity when possibly he thinks or speaks of such sins with delight his sins in such a case have rather left him than he has left his sins So it 's no sign of Uprightness for the young Man to keep himself from Covetousness but now for the young Man to flee youthful Lusts Pride Vanity Disobedience to Superiours Uncleanness Intemperance Evil Companions Sins that he hath the most strong Temptations to this is a sign of Grace So for the old Man to keep himself from Covetousness Frowardness and other Sins of Age is an evidence of true Grace yea of some strength of it for the Rich or Prosperous Person to keep himself from Pride Security Trusting in Riches Honours Friends and from making them Fewel for his Lusts And for the Afflicted Person to keep himself from Discontent or using indirect Means to get out of his Straits and Troubles for the Tradesman to keep himself from Trading Sins for him that hath great dealings in the World yet to keep his heart free for God and for his Worship this will be a sign of an upright heart as keeping its self from its own iniquity You have heard in the Explication of the Doctrine what it is to keep your selves from your iniquities make use of those heads here to try your selves by Do you endeavour to break off the allowed customary practice of the sins you are most prone to is the bent of your hearts against these sins chiefly and your wills set against them can you truly say you hate them when you are foiled by any of them do you mourn and cry out under the sense of them as Paul Rom. 7.24 Oh wretched Man that I am when you have been overtaken with your special sin can you never rest till you have recovered your selves by Confession Prayer renewed Act of Faith and Repentance so that tho' sometimes you fall into your special iniquity yet you keep your self from the reigning power of it you dare not lye in it and after particular foils by your iniquity and your recovery from them do you give those iniquities of yours a more deadly wound set your selves against it endeavour more the mortification of it watch and pray and believe more against it and against all occasions of and temptations to it and make use of all means God hath appointed to keep you from it viz. all Ordinances and Providences for this end Ordinances the Word Read Preached Meditated and Conferred on Sacraments Fasting Communion of Saints your own and others Experiences and all Providences both of Mercy and Affliction to keep under sin yea this sin and keep from it in your hearts and lives so that after your falls you gain more ground against it If it be thus with you tho' you may too often be foiled by your particular corruptions yet you do keep your selves from your iniquities so far at least as to approve the uprightness of your hearts before God But on the other side if you customarily commit these sins if you indulge them and allow your selves in the Acting of them nay if your hearts be not set against them so that tho' you leave them or they leave you yet you do not loath them do not grieve when you fall into them do not act Faith and Repentance do not watch against them use not the means of mortifying them but run upon the occasions of them they are your beloved reigning sins II. Another Use I shall make of this Doctrine is by way of Exhortation earnestly to press all that they would not rest short of this evidence of Uprightness the keeping themselves from their iniquities In prosecution of which Use I shall add both Motives and Directions Be exhorted all of you to keep your selves from your iniquities the sins which by Calling Constitution Relation outward Condition or Spiritual Estate you are most prone to and may most properly be called your iniquities You must endeavour to keep your selves from all sins whatsoever as to the allow'd committing of them but especially from these iniquities And there are two branches of this Use of