Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n
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A66073
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Characters of a sincere heart and the comforts thereof collected out of the Word of God by Hen. Wilkinson.
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Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.
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1674
(1674)
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Wing W2229; ESTC R27587
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61,872
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145
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CHARACTERS OF A SINCERE HEART And the COMFORTS thereof Collected out of the. WORD OF GOD By HEN-WILKINSON D. D. Late Principal of Magdalen Hall in the University of OXFORD 1 Sam. 16. 7. Man looketh on the outward appearance but Lord looketh on the heart Psal 51. 6. Behold thou desirest truth in the inward partsâ— and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdome OXFORD Printed by L. LICHFIELD Printer 〈…〉 e University for RIC. DAVIS Anno Domini 1674. To the much Honoured and virtuous Lady HESTER HONYWOOD of Marks-Hall in the County of of Essex Grace Mercy and Peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Honoured Madame DEDICATIONS of Books to Persons of great rank and Quality are of great antiquity for St. Luke Dedicates Luke 1. 3. Act. 1. 1. two Treatises To the most excellent Theophilus And now a daies it 's usual to dedicate Books to such Personages who are probably ready to approve them by their Patronage and practice As to my own concernment I the rather prefix your name to this little Treatise not only to acknowledge with all thankfulness the many great Favours which I have received from you but especiallâ— I am encouraged to present those things to your view whereof you have had so large experience as you can give Testimony to the truth of them both as to your judgement and affections I therefore am your remembrancer of those things whereof as I doubt not you have experimental knowledge and my design is to comfort you with those comforts wherewith I my self have been comforted It 's the charge which the Angel gives unto the Church of Thyatira But that which you have already hold Rev. 2. 25. fast And the Apostle's charge is sutable unto that Let us hold fast Heb. 10. 23. the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised Likewise for self examination and tryal of our evidences for heaven we are frequently commanded More particularly St. Paul chargeth the Corinthians and us as well as them Examine your 2 Cor. 13. 5. selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates So likewise the Church after she had undergone great afflictions and sufferings makes this serious deliberate resolution Let us search and try Lam. 3. 40. our waies and turn again to the Lord. You being Madam an old Disciple and an experienced Christian cannot but know that it 's a duty of great concernment and in an especial manner incumbent upon all faithful Ministers to endeavour in their Preaching to distinguish the pretious from the vile for so saith the Lord to the Prophet Jeremiah If thou Ier. 15. 19. take forth the pretiouâ— from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth let them return unto thee but return thou not to them Our blessed Lord and Saviour the best Example and the exactest Pattern for our imitation in that incomparable Sermon which he Preached in the Mount makes mention of seven Beatitudes each of them being a rare discriminatiâ—g character whereby good and bad blessed and cursed are distinguished one from another For if the poor in spirit be blessed then the rich proud in spirit are cursed if the pure in heart be blessed then the impuâ—e in heart must be cursed c. Because of Contrarieties there are contrary consequences And Christ himself is the best Interpreter of himself for when he pronounced blessings upon such as Luke 6. 20. 21. 22. were poor and hungred and wept v. 24 25 26. he pronounced woes against such as were rich and full and of whom all men speak well Likewise our Saviour shewes the absolute and indispensible necessity of Regeneration and being born from above as may appear by Christs answer to Nichodemus Jesus answered and said unto him Verily verily Ioh. 3. 3. I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdome of God And Regeneration is a Characteristick note of distinction between the old and new birth Farther Christ puts a vast difference between a good and a bad tree For saith he A good tree cannot Matt. 7. 18 19 20. bring forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit Every tree that bringeth not good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fier wherefore by their fruits you shall know them And Christ makes Love one to another a mark Ioh. 13. 35. af his Disciples And after Christs Example his Apostles lay down marks and signes to distinguish the good from the bad For instance How frequently doth St. John press the grace of love and lays it down as an infallible sign of one that is translated from death to life We know that we have passed 1 Ioh. 3. 14. from death to life because we love the Brethren He that loveth not his Brother abideth in death Saint Peter expresly manifests what we should avoid Wherefore laying 1 Pâ—t 2. 1 2 3. aside all malice and guile and hypocusies and envies and all evil speakings c and he injoynes what we should reduce unto practice As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby And it follows by way of Character representing such who are new born babes in these words If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord 2 Cor. 5. 17. is gracious Saint Paul gives an evident sign of such who are in Christ by the new Creature wrought in them Thefore if any man be in Christ he is a new Creature old things are past away behold all things are become new And to mention only one more scripture to this purpose The Apostle discovers a great difference between the old man and the new and Eph. 4. 21. 22 23 24. thus Presseth our duty upon us If so be that ye have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus That ye put of concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts And be renewed in the spirit of your minde and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Now having such abundant warrant from the example of Christ and his Apostles I question not in the least but that in the exercise of our Ministry we obliged according to the Rule of the word of Gods to lay down Characters of a Regenerate estate and to distinguish sincere and real Professors from such who are only Nominal and Hypocritical Many there are who name the name of Christ but depart not from iniquity But it 's the express command of the word And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity Many there are that content themselves with the Angel of the Church of Sardis to have only a bare name to live But he is reproved by Christ Rev. 3 1 2. And unto the Angel of the Church in