Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	affection_n	heart_n	soul_n	1,196	5	4.7627	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45720	The firebrand taken out of the fire, or, The wonderfull history, case, and cure of Mis Drake, sometimes the wife of Francis Drake of Esher in the county of Surrey, Esq., who was under the power and severe discipline of Satan for the space of ten yeares, and was redeemed from his tyranny in a wonderfull manner a little before her death,by the great mercy of God, and (instrumentally) by the extraordinary paines prayers, and fastings, of fource reverend divines, whose names are here subscribed, viz. B. Vsher, D. Preston, M. Hooker, M. Dod; Trodden down strength by the God of strength	Hart, John, D.D.	1654 (1654)	Wing H949; ESTC R15516	54,457	202

such as were the Scribes and Pharisees Julian the Apostate and the like who maliciously persecuted and blasphemed Christ notwithstanding that by his Doctrine and Miracles they were convinced of his Diety of this he shewed her shee could not be guilty of All sbe could alleadge against her selfe consisting only in a matter of thoughts which could not without action and former qualification bee that sinne or within the compasse thereof Which were only things wrapt up in that we call tentatio Foeda strange injected thoughts of God as Rom. 1.23 representing him to the fancy in abominable similitudes likening him unto the vilest and basest things which were only Satans wild fire tentations for which seeing shee even then and since abominated them being sorry for them Satan must answer for they being hers no further then as shee entertained and allowed of them And also that these thoughts being thought of and injected betwixt the top and bottome of the hill whereupon her Fathers house stood never breaking forth into any speech or action which shee was sorry for could not be any such sinne as shee imagined and therfore prayed her to content her selfe and the rest satisfied and not suffer the Devill to delude and torment her any more in this kinde All this discourse shee heard willingly without replication untill he had finished what he would say when shee being very rationall and convinced of the truth of what hee had delivered acknowledged her error and Satans delusion promising no more to entertaine any such like thoughts of that sinne A further complaint But withall shee told him that it was no matter for this though shee were free thereof yet she had other sinnes enough to damne her and was assuredly a Reprobate and cast away being shee could not love God nor any other creature being devoid of all naturall affection and given over to a Reprobate sense so as shee was most certaine that the Decree of God against her was past being that shee had no heart or power to performe any holy duty but was like a creature starke dead ye a twice dead good for nothing but for hell fire wherewith shee sometimes would laugh and smile but wee must conceive that even in the midst of this laughter the heart was sad for in private not long after shee would have sore fits of weeping Knowledge of Gods Decree denyed unto any one In vaine it was now to dispute with her or perswade her in any thing untill her judgment was convinced rectified in that matter of the Decree of God For shee flung off all with seeming assurance of her knowledge being sure that the Decree of her reprobation was past of her rejection whereof she was sure and certaine Therefore this being the next strong hold to be battered down he bent in the next place all his strength this way Denying unto her that it was possible either for the Devill or any other creature to know the Decree of God either for salvation or reprobation but that this revelation came in the use of meanes God blessing the same for which cause all must use the meanes who would bee saved not medling with the Decree of God nor prying into his secrets for which then was alledged that excellent Scripture Deut. 30.12 That what they were to performe and know Was not in heaven that we should say Who shall goe up for us to heaven and bring it unto us that we may heare it and doe it Neither is it beyond the sea that thou shouldest say Who shall goe over the sea for us c. But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest doe it Further hee urged that if thus much were certainly know by her he shewed her Argu ∣ ment it must he by a Spirit of revelation demanding of her what spirit had revealed thus much unto her If the spirit of the Devill as it could bee no other then he was a liar and the father of lies as Christ Ioh. 8.44 speaks hee speaking of his own and not from God therefore not to believed And as the for the Spirit of God he shewed who only searches knowes and reveales unto us the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.10 none but hee knowing the things of God not any creature This holy Spirit he shewed her had no such office assigned him of Christ in the word to be a spirit of discouragement to reveale reprobation being the Comforter appointed to lead the Saints in all Truth to reveale and tell things to come and teach us all things Ioh. 14.36 This were directly against his nature mission Argu ∣ ment and office and the Decree of God Thus to beat men off the use of meanes discouraging them in the good way who must wait and lie at the doore of mercy still untill the Lords good time and pleasure were revealed and known in the use of meanes And this also was press'd unto her further Argu ∣ ment 3 horrible blasphemy and impiety it were either to honour the Devill so farre or assume unto her selfe by his meanes the knowledge of things to come this being th●● which was only proper unto Iob vah himselfe by his spirit to shee and reveale advising her to beware in this kinde not to encreas● the wrath of God against her seeing God Isa 44.7 46.10 diff●rencing himselfe from Idols an● all their discoveries is to knew things that are come and a comming declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times th● things that were not yet done From all which issued this deduction that shee was infinitly abused in this strange conception and that the Devill or shee from him were not certaine of any things to come unlesse revealed by the Spirit of God shee having from thence no such revelation that therefore she was by Satan utterly cozened and abused in the matter of Gods Decree and so was bound to use the meanes trust and wait upon God therein shee being his creature to let him do what he pleased with her either in life or death This strong fiery dart thus repulsed and quenched shee became also convinced in this point that only God not the Devill could reveale his owne Counsels and Decrees and therefore that per●●ps shee might bee deceived in this her strong confidence in that ●inde But still retaining the third That her indisposition unto all man●●● of goodnesse Satan holds hard having 〈…〉 pronenesse unto all manner of evill her naturall temper and composition of minde not able to use any meanes or take any paines for heaven too evidently demonstrated that shee had no part or ●●●tion there and therefore that she ●●d better leave off all then labor in vaine Answ 1 Hereunto answer w●● made That God though he h●● Decreed to save mankinde by th●● meanes of a Mediator yet in h●● good wise Providence had so on The use of meanes is strongly pressed upon her to bee saved

in h●● most untoward crosse carriages this got much ground upon h●● spirit and brought her to do many things which no harsh crossnesse could possibly effect with he● And therefore this couse was no● taken not to vex her any more o● urge her with perswasions to go to Church ' or to doe any thing ●o displeasing unto her but to goe ●long with her spirit with patience ●bounding with love mercy good words and the like untill ●hee were convinced in judgement when they needed not to hale or pull her Duties would then come off freely For indeed this is the undoing of many poore souls in the like or any distempers to chide rate and urge them to much which is a crosse way displeasing and unprosperous yea disproportionable unto that course Christ takes whom wee should imitate not to break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax and a crosse way To make judgement return unto victory In wich Case Iacobs pace with his flocks with such is the best and safest way to drive them gently especially those who are with young in who Christ is now b●● a breeding and forming that so● may as the Prophet speaks Isa 〈◊〉 see of the travell of his soule 〈◊〉 be satisfied And indeed such har●● spirits who are too quick with su●● poor souls being too nimble wi●● them before they know their d●●● ease are but like rude Surgions 〈◊〉 unskilfull Physitians who venter 〈◊〉 give physick before they know th●●● ground of the disease who man times in place of curing doe ●●ther kill or so much the mo●●● ulcer their wounds Hitherto we have seen Sata● malicious A change on her occasions violent subtile various in his temptations changing shapes by all meanes striving 〈◊〉 have overthrown this good souls abuse her judgement affections fancy and best reason to fight against her selfe notwithstanding all which the Lord miraculously preserved her was with her in and brought her through this ●●●ery affliction to wonder and admiration Wherefore if the ●eader will have a little more patience he shall see how the Lord overthrew all those strong holds which the enemy had by his wild-fire unresisted temptions and fiery darts injected in this good creature which being not presently cast forth againe as wild-fire should be thus enflamed her affections and endeavours against her selfe as in part hath been and God willing shall be related For first he fastned this temptation upon her Temptation as his great maine Bulwork That she had sinned that great unpardonable sinne against the holy Ghost and therefore that it was in vaine for her either to use any meanes for salvation or ho● for it and therefore that it w●● fruitlesse and in vaine for her 〈◊〉 heare the word read pray and t●● like which hee wonderfull fas● had radicated in her Hereupon hee inferred that 〈◊〉 Gods Decree shee was a Reprobate a cast away Temptation appointed for damnation being shee was such a bar●● hearted impenitent sinner not being able to repent and therefore w●● a treasurer up in all shee did 〈◊〉 wrath against the day of wrat●● and the revelation of Gods ju●●● Judgements againsts her and therefore seeing that shee mu●● eternally perish living for heaping up sin only for aggravation of her punishments therefore to make herselfe away the sooner the better which temptation a long time stuck fast seeming unremovable From whence Satan made this third deduction like a Sophisticall Logitian Temptation begging the Question that therefore now it was in vaine to use any meanes at all but seeing her portion was now only in this life therefore to deny her selfe no manner of pleasures or jollity and mirth but to cast off all these sad and soure things of holy duties performing which were to no purpose now that the irrevocable Decree was past which was unchangeable And therefore if shee should bee saved shee should bee saved howsoever and that God would soften her heart and give her grace to use the meanes But that the fearefulnesse of her estate did shew hee suggested the contrary that all her endeavors would prove in vaine this stuck hard a long time Now against any of these no thing could bee fastned upon he against them which was not presently shook off again But especially in that first mentioned of th● Sin against the Holy Ghost here in shee kept close the Devils cou●●● sell revealing the same at fir●●● unto none but unto Mr Dod though afterwards of her selfe three years after being in a good humor shee acquainted the Relator herewith and more also the●● he hath thought fit to vent abroad as unnecessary giving him leave to publish and make known after her death so much of her Case a● might in some such misery be usefull unto others After this Mr Dod at his appointed time returned having seriously pondered all her business digested the same and was joyfully welcomed of her friends though by her in a muddy strange way former tentations by that time having againe growne somewhat strong upon her when yet hee in his usuall mercifull way cheared her up encouraging her what possibly he could And so in some few dayes after fell flatly upon the businesse how to beat down and convince her erroneous opinions wherein shee was so setled and wherein shee thought her selfe most secure in her owne judgement unremoveably setled The maine grand matter troubling her The sinne against the Holy Ghost discussed and stated and quite unhooking her off from all manner of duties as hath been said was That she had sinned that unpardonable sin against the holy Ghost which shee firmly believed Whereunto Master Dod thus replyed directly crossing all her thoughts herein in the negative affirming that she neither had sinned this sinne nor was ever hitherto so qualified as to be guilty thereof which seemed unto her very strange to prove but was easily done For he shewed unto her out of Heb. 6.4 That those who commit that sin fight against their convinced enlighting having tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come having also tasted of the heavenly gift being made partakers of the holy Ghost who in their practise crucifie to themselves the Sonne of God afresh and put him to an open shame and trample upon the blood of the Covenant maliciously opposing the known truth in a constant course remorselesse unto the end having lived thriven under powerfull means which yet they slight maliciously and purposly oppose and persecute But that shee being still in her naturall estate A strong assumption by her own confession being farre from this enlightning never having tasted of this heavenly gift nor of the powers of the world to come was never thus qualified and so had never neither could have committed this sinne so that her temptations and feares in this kinde were but meer delusions onely And for that other sort who committed this sinne without the former inward illumination and taste