Selected quad for the lemma: fire_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A67756
|
The hearts-index, or, Self-knowledg [sic] together with I. the wonderful change that the word and spirit do work upon the heart when a sinner is converted II. the excellency of grace above nature III. the safety and calm of such as have sued out their pardon in Christ / by R. Younge ...
|
Younge, Richard.
|
1667
(1667)
|
Wing Y160; ESTC R16696
|
27,579
|
32
|
a Minister especially if a godly and zealous one that spake home to my conscience and told me of my sins much more if he would not admit me to the Lords Table without trial and examination yea then like Ahab to Eliah I became his enemy and hated him ever after would impeach his credit and detain from him his dues And are not all these strong evidences that I loved and served God and my Redeemer as I ought But to make it more manifest what a rare Christian I was I thought my self a Believer yea I could boast of a strong Faith when yet I fell short of the very Devils in believing for they believe the threats and judgments contained in the Word and tremble thereat James 2.19 Whereas I thought them but Scare-crows to fright the simple withal yea I held Hell it self but a fancy not worth the fearing Because I was not notoriously wicked but had a form of godliness was civil c I was able to delude my own soul and put off all reproofs and threatnings by comparing my self with those that I presumed were worse than my self as Drunkards Adulterers Blasphemers Oppressors shedders of blood and the like counting none wicked but such Yea looking upon these I admired my own holiness and thought my moral honesty would be sufficient to save me Nor did I know wherein I had offended And whereas the Law is spiritual and binds the heart from affecting no less than the hand from acting I was so blind and ignorant that I thought the Commandment was not broken if the outward gross sin be forborn Whence these were my thoughts I never brake the first Commandment of having many gods for I was no Papist nor Idolater nor the second for I worshipped God aright Nor the third for I had been no common swearer only a few petty oaths Nor the fourth for I had every Sabbath gone duly to Church Nor the fifth for I ever honoured my parents have been a loyal subject Nor the sixth seventh eighth ninth or tenth for I never committed murder or adultery never stole ought never bare false witness nor could I call to mind that I had at any time coveted my neighbours wife servant estate c. And nothing more common with me than to brag of a good heart and meaning of the strength of my faith and hope of my just and upright dealing c. And because I abstained from notorious sins I thought my self an excellent Christian if God was not beholding to me for not wounding his Name with Oaths for not drinking playing out his sabbaths for not railing on his ministers for not oppressing persecuting his poor members c. Sect. 13. And yet had it been so as I imagined Admit I had never offended in the least all my life either in thought word or deed yet this were but one half of what I owe to God this were but to observe the negative part of his law still the affirmative part thereof I had been so far from performing that I had not so much as thought of it And to be just in the sight of God and graciously accepted of him these two things are required the satisfactory part to escape hell and the meritorious part to get heaven And the true method of grace is Cease to do evil learn to do well Isa. 1.16 17. The Fig tree was cursed not for bearing evil fruit but because it bare no good The evil servant was not bound hand and foot and cast into prison for wasting his masters goods but for not gaining with them And those reprobates at the last day shall be bid depart into everlasting fire not for wronging or robbing of any but for not giving for not comforting Christs poor members Mat. 25. So that my case was most desperate For though with that Pharisee Luk. 18.11 I was apt to thank God and brag that I was just and paid every man his due yet I never thought of being holy and of paying God his dues as his due of believing or repenting of new obedience his due of praying hearing conferring meditating on his word and works sanctifying his sabbaths and instructing my children servants teaching them to fear the Lord. His due of love fear thankfulness zeal for his glory charity and mercy to Christs poor Members and the like I should have serv'd God in spirit according to Christs Gospel as all that are wise hearted indeavour go live believe hear and invocate and hope and fear and love and worship God in such manner as his word prescribes I should have been effectually called and become a new creature by regeneration being begotten and born anew by the immortal seed of the word I should have found an apparent change wrought in my judgment affections and actions to what they were formerly The Old man should have changed with the New-man Worldly wisdom with Heavenly wisdom carnal love with spiritual love servile fear for Christian and Filial fear idle thoughts for holy thoughts vain words for holy and wholsom words fleshly works for works of righteousness even hating what I formerly loved and loving what I formerly hated But alas I have heard the Gospel day after day and year after year which is the strong arm of the Lord and the mighty power of God to salvation That is quick and powerful and sharper than any two Edged sword and yet stood it out and resisted instead of submitting to Christs call even refusing the free offer of Grace and Salvation I have heard the Word faithfully and powerfully preached for forty years yet remained in my natural condition unregenerate without which new birth there is no being saved as our Saviour affirms John 3.5 I had not trodden one step in the way to conversion for the first part of conversion is to love them that love God 1 John 3.10 11 14. I should daily have grown in grace and in the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ but I was so far from growing in grace that I had not one spark of grace or holiness without which no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 I was all for observing the second Table without respect to the first or all for outward conformity not at all for spiritual and inward holiness of the heart Sect. 14. Either what I did was not morally good for the matter or not well done for the manner nor to any right ends as out of duty and thankfulness to God and my Redeemer and out of love to my fellow members Without which the most glorious performances and the rarest vertues are but shining sins or beautiful abominations Gods glory was not my principal end nor to be saved my greatest care I was a good civil moral honest hypocrite or infidel but none of these graces grew in the garden of my heart I did not shine out as a light by a holy conversation to glorifie God and win others Now onely to refrain evil except