Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
grace_n	according_a	good_a	sin_n	2,552	5	4.4248	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86883	A Brief receipt moral & Christian, against the passion of the heart, or sore of the mind, incident to most, and very grievous to many, in the trouble of enemies. / Being one single sermon by I. H. Minister of Froome. Published at this rate by itself, that any who need it, and have it. For the ease and benefit especially of the more tender, weak and melancholy; who feel these arrows stick in their spirits, but know not the way of plucking them out, or aswaging the pain of them.	Humfrey, John, 1621-1719.	1658 (1658)	Wing H3672; Thomason E1895_1; ESTC R209916	24,345	123

or in deeds They shoot their arrows sayes the Psalmist even bitter words Leviter volant graviter vulnerant and the poyson of Asps in another place is under their lips to shew how deeply some things do wound and how fast they stick upon many of those who have tender hearts and fain would live in peace The best of them is but as a bryar and the most upright of them sharper than a thornhedge 3. The Redresse and this lie in the applying our selves unto God or having our recourse unto him Est profectò Deus faies Plautus in his Captivi qui quae nosgerimus videt et audit bene merenti bene erit male merenti par erit O our God saies good Hezekiah wilt thou not judge them for we have no might against this great company that commeth against us neither know we what to do but our eyes are upo● thee 2 Chron. 20.12 This is more at large particularly the redresse lies in two things the taking that course that will best please God and then resting the Soul for the issue upon him The wayes or course best to please God are either Absolute as to the whole stream of our lives or Respective in reference meerly hereunto The absolute course or wayes best to please God I would thus define It is such a conversation as being grounded upon Faith in a cleansed heart and kept clean through the Spirit of grace does renounce all sin and cleave to what is good or doth deny our selves and cleave unto Christ in all things according to the wil of God Herein are 7 things 1. The foundation of such a course or holy life and that is Faith a true a sound Faith dogmatical and fiducial Heb. 11.6 Act. 15.19 2. The subject wherein this faith resides and from whence such a life must proceed that is the heart Ro. 10.10 Act. 8.37 3. The qualification of this subject It must be cleansed that is sanctified by the infusion of the habits of grace Heb. 10.22 Io. 1.13 and kept clean to wit by a dayly ridding our lusts and preparing out grace that the vessel may not be to rinse or the tools to whet when the work is to be doing Psal 57.7.2 Chron. 19.3.2 Cor. 7.1 4. The efficient by whom all is wrought that is the Spirit Rom. 8.13.2 Cor. 3.5 which as freely given I farther call the Spirit of grace 5. The matter wherein this whole conversation consists that is two things for these two comprize all Self-denyall which is a renouncing sin altogether and every thing else though it be life it self as to preparation of mind so far as it shall stand in opposition to righteousness and truth Mar. 8.34 35.2 Tim. 2.19 and the love of Christ or cleaving to him as Ruth did to Naomi that forsook all to follow her which includes the embracing and pursuing whatsoever is good and acceptable to him Mat. 22.37 38. Io. 4.15.1 Tim. 1.5 6. The extent hereof or universality the sure note of sincerity in all things Psal 18.22 Psal 119.6 Act. 24.16 7. And lastly The rule by which our whole life must be squared and that is the will of God or Law of the ten Commandements Psal 19.7 8 9. Gal. 6.16.2 Tim. 3.17 There are these particulars in this absolute course which hath been the matter of other Sermons See Mr. Rogers 7. treatises treat 2. The respective course or wayes best to please God in reference peculiarly hereunto in short are to take such a course only and do no otherwise whatsoever we suffer in seeking ease under our Enemies than we have warrant for from the word and can approve our selves therein unto God And this is the course as the first thing in the redress whereunto my discovrse is to bend which I shall therefore particularize in the Vse when I come to it One thing only is to be noted in the way here and that is that this same religious life in the main before set down whereby a man walks uprightly with God in the whole currant of his life without this peculiar regard to men whether they are Enemies or not hath the advantage of this Text to wit that among many other blessings belonging to it God will deliver such out of their troubles Psal 34.19 and give them peace or victory with their Enemies This the Text it self intends I doubt not but my discourse is not to run at that large Let it suffise to say only hereunto Job fears not God for nought The second thing then in the redresse upon this is when we do thus without any farther explicating which here needs not The resting I have said casting or rouling the Soul on the Lord as to the successe assuring our selves that he is a ready help to all such and will bring about in the end that which he sees best for us Indeed a man is to look out what God requires of him in such or such a case wherein he is and so to do it If he does not this how can he trust in God If he does what is there more on his part then but to leave the matter to him Oh! Let me tell you Friends it is a sweet thing in a difficult and vexatious busines to have that which is ones own duty in order to an effect to be done and then to stand only and see what God will do in the remaining work that is behind left in his hand And the King said whose case yet here was not so ripe carry back the Ark into the City if I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation but if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here I am let him do to me as seemeth good to him 2. Sam. 15.25 26. FOr Confirmation or Proof We may turn unto two or three Texts In Psal 112.7 8. we have the righteous man described His heart is fixed trusting on the Lord and he shall see his desire upon his Enemies Two wayes we have intimated here to have ones desire or victory over Enemies the one is to be a righteous man that is to have our wayes please God and the other to trust in him to bring it about for us Look into Psal 37.5 There is a Text not long in the words but much in the concernment of it Commit thy way to the Lord and he will bring it to passe It is pitty to see what ado many do keep in their affairs in their troubles as to the issue what will become of them when they should only commit their cause unto God and he would bring it to passe Commit thy way unto God includes two things the one is to take such wayes as we are sure are agreeable to his Will we cannot else commit them to him and the other is when we have done and do so to cast all our care and burden then as to the event upon him Commit thy wayes to the

over them as here or a heart over them which is best And the sweetness of Satisfaction when he does not bring up their conditions to their minds but does bring their minds to their conditions which is as good and more Christian so that though the cup does not the bitterness of it passes from them and they find it in the bottom but the sweeter to them I put these together the last I intend most 2ly Then By pity spiritual mercy compassion I mean not that towards our selves the bemoaning our own case How do I suffer which though in hath some ease is too feminine but that which is towards our enemies Alas thinkest thou how do these people sin against God and wound their own Souls They think to spite me and malice me but do but even cruelly torment themselves Poor Souls I pity them How does God as it were make sin righteous whiles envy and wickedness does thus punish it self Maleficus suam quisque effert crucem Now as soon as thou findest thy heart but begin to give relent or yearn thus press it pursue the vein that is sprung follow it upon thy spirit while it comes let me tel thee once for all thou must be at pains and in earnest with thy soul in the things as we go along or else thou art but like to lose their effect and then when thou hast gotten up thy self unto this that indeed thou dost thus all that anguish thou didst feel before in thy sufferings under thy Adversaries spends it self herein I say this thy compassion on or here rather over them which their very sin it self their present torment their vengeance to come or perhaps something else as their vain rage folly deadly exasperation that hitches more does excite swallows the same up quite and sets thy spirit as it were above them and all their hurt For these affections or passions of ours I perceive like the Elements when they will not be annihilated will yet melt and resolve or go into one another 3ly By a search and reflection on our innocency Guilt indeed will make the least scratch to rankle but Innocence soon heals Preserve me O Lord sayes David for I am holy It is spoken in reference to his enemies and is not a justification of the person but of the cause Judge me try me if there be any such iniquity in me O it is sweet to be able to say thus Plead my cause for me They pursue me wrongfully They that hate me without a cause are multiplyed they are my adversaries because I follow the thing that good is These and the like expressions are the pantings of a soul that is wounded by enemies and fetching salve from its own integrity It is the time of Jacobs trouble but he shall be saved out of it 4ly By consideration of our own dealings with God And this methinks I feel while I am speaking to enter touch and go to the quick Thou art one happily that carriest thy self fairly and not only innocently but kindly to such a person yet the more thou seekest to win him he is exasperated and becomes thy enemy Well now Here Lord sayest thou here is a looking-glasse of my dealings towards thee Thou hast been gracious towards me folowedst me dayly with thy mercy yet do I stand out against thee and go on in my stubborn wayes Oh that as I see my own perversness in his which is grievous unto me I may cease both to be offended with him and my offence towards thee And David said Let Semei curse let him alone for the Lord hath bidden him 2 Sam. 16.11 The Lord certainly had dealt very kindly with David all along but David had fallen very fouly from God and God had justly brought him into his present condition for it and now when he sees this man unto whom he had happily never done and hurt in all his life fall thus foul on him he reflects upon his own carriage towards the Lord and that rebukes and quiets him Truly Sirs a Christian many times may even be beholding to you for your injuries when they are but made through grace an admonition to him of his sin and return unto the Lord. 5ly By lowliness or humility which is a most Christian grace and excellent vertue Who am I that am but Dust and what is my fathers house Am I not nothing and worse than nothing and why should I take it ill to be vilified and counted as nothing These people reproach me and speak evil of me but should they know all my self know by me Alas they do not speak of me half so bad as I am I will yet be more vile and base in my own sight 2 Sam. 6.22 Let a Christian surely get his spirit once to this pitch and he may perhaps hear the noyse of reproach and injury like bullets whizzing over his head but he shall never feel any wound at heart or be hit by them They have said to thy soul Bow down that we may go over and thou hast laid thy body as the ground and as the street to them that went over 6ly By magnanimity or Christian courage joyned with this spirit of meekness in the discharge of our duty The heart must be unbroken humility else is an afflicting thing This consists in a free reproof or rebuke of our neighbour before commended And it is a sweet Text to this same effect which I would not have out of the Bible for any thing Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy Neighbour and not suffer sin upon him It may fare sometimes with a Christian that the bitterness of some men hath sunk so deep in his thoughts that he cann't get it off and finds no ease Now it pleases God to give him a heart to go to them as a Christian upon the score of this Text and tell them of their doings and this presently empties his breast even as it were from one Vessel to another Such is the bofome and design God towards us in many of his commands that our duty becomes our cure and that even when nothing else will do it As if the Lord had first thought in such and such cases what were best for us to do for our good and them appointed that to be done to serve him by it 7ly By forgivenes or condonation Christians I will tell you one thing how you shall have the pleasure of revenge as to your enemies without the evill of it that is forgive them Forgiveness indeed is a thing which may proceed from generousness or height of Spirit which puts the injuries we receive from others quite beneath us and so hath this effect I mention Or it is such as proceeds from a patient submission of the Soul to the will of God in long suffering and forbearance towards them which hath in it more feeling and more comfort as also much more of a Christian Thou mayest say