Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	abound_v	lord_n	zion_n	21	3	8.6918	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09950	The breast-plate of faith and love. A treatise, wherein the ground and exercise of faith and love, as they are set upon Christ their object, and as they are expressed in good workes, is explained. / Delivered in 18 sermons upon three severall texts, by the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635, ed.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670, ed.	1630 (1630)	STC 20208; ESTC S105956	328,230	606

desire they care for their Wiues no longer so in this case when men looke at nothing but simply at heauen disjoyned from Christ or when they looke at some other aduantages when they looke at an earthly Kingdome as many of the Disciples did when they looke for great matters by Christ in this world when they finde it quite otherwise when they lose in the world and all that they haue is in hope it is in things spirituall that are not seene with the eye things that are not sensible then they are ready to slip from Christ againe So it is vsually among vs many take Christ for aduantages as Christ tels them plainely Ioh. 6. saith he you seeke me not for the Miracles which I did but for the loaues That is to say not out of loue to the worke not because you iudge aright of the things of the spirit not because you loue grace but because you loue some aduantage that you haue by religion some profit that it brings you for the present and because you would be freed from Hell for the future such things as carnall men may see and be affected with but this will not hold out The manner of these men is to seeke mercie and not grace If they can be but assured that it shall goe well with them that they shall be freed from the feares they might haue of Hell that they may haue some hope of being in a better condition this is that they looke for but as for grace for repayring the Image of GOD in their hearts to be enabled to obey Christ in all things this is a thing that they desire not this is a thing they long not for therefore the secret inquisition of their heart is What good shall wee get by it They enquire not what excellencie and what beauty there is in CHRIST what manner of one hee is that they may loue him but what good shall wee get by him what aduantage will it bee to vs Contrarie to that in Cant. 5.12 when the Spouse is there asked what the reason was that she followed her Beloued so much and that shee magnified him so much Shee doth not tell them because I shall haue such things by him or hee is thus wealthie or I shall haue this honour by matching with him but marke her answer My beloued is white and ruddy the chiefe among tenne thousand his head is as the most fine Gold his lookes are blacke as a Rauen his eyes are as the eyes of Doues by the riuers of waters washed with milke and fitly set and so she goes along in a holy delectaction This is my beloued oh ye Daughters of Ierusalem I say so it is with those that take CHRIST in good earnest that looke vpon the excellencies of CHRIST as hee is considered in himselfe not that the other is excluded for we may looke at the aduantages and commodities that we haue by him but not vpon that alone but marke in her answer shee describeth what a one he was and therefore she loued him My Beloued is white and ruddy the fairest of tenne thousand such a one is my Beloued therefore Chap. 1. Vers. 2. she describes him to be such a one as hee is and saith she therefore the Virgins loue thee as if shee had said there is a Harlots loue that lookes only what they shall haue by him but none but Virgins that is those that haue chaste and good affections those that haue holy and right affections indeed the Virgins loue thee but the others doe not for they haue adulterous and Harlot-like affections as we may call them when a man lookes not vnto GOD himselfe but to his owne aduantage and profit And this is the third cause that makes faith prooue vneffectuall Fourthly faith proues ineffectuall for want of preparation and humiliation that should goe before it because the heart is not circumcised the heart is not broken yet it is not emptyed of those things that it must be emptyed of before a man can take CHRIST and therefore in Deut. 30.6 saith Moses The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and then you shall loue him with all your soule and with all your strength As if hee should haue said It is impossible you should cleaue to GOD to loue him indeed to take him in good earnest vnfeignedly with all your hearts except first your hearts be circumcised therefore the Lord your God will circumcise your hearts that is hee will humble you hee will breake your hearts that your lusts shall be mortified in you he will take away those strong violent those carnall and sinfull desires that abounded in your hearts before and when that is done then you shall loue the Lord in good earnest not feignedly but with all your hearts Now if a man come to take Christ before he be thus circumcised he takes him in vaine he takes him so as that hee cannot hold him nor continue with him Now this circumcision is done by a certaine worke of preparation or humiliation by which these strong lusts are broken in vs therefore when men come to Christ before the Law hath beene a sufficient Schoolmaster to them before it hath indited them before it haue put them in prison and told them that they must pay euery farthing when a man comes to this hee seeth that hee cannot doe it then he goeth to Christ and beseecheth him to pay his debt before the Lawe haue done this men care not for Christ they take him negligently and therefore they hold him not And for this it was that before Christ came into the World he would make way before him so before he will come into a mans heart the Mountaines must bee brought downe the spirit of Elias must make way that is there must be a sharpe ministry to shew men their sinnes that they may bee throughly humbled and prepared or else they will neuer take Christ so as to keepe close to him A man must be brought to haue a present apprehension of death and of the wrath of GOD and damnation or else he will not lay hold on the Hornes of the Altar as Ioab when he saw that Salomon would slay him indeed and take away his life then hee layes hold on the Hornes of the Altar and would not let goe so when a man sees present death he will keepe close to Christ and till this bee wrought a man may take Christ but his faith will be vneffectuall because indeed till a man be soundly humbled he neuer accounts and reckons sinne to be the greatest euill and till he doe that he neuer accounts CHRIST to bee the greatest good and if a man doe not reckon CHRIST to bee the chiefe good of all other there will be somewhat propounded which will bee esteemed before him and when that comes he lets goe CHRIST But when there is a sound humiliation which makes a man prize CHRIST aboue all other things

Christ to live with him for ever to be in his presence continually although there may be some reluctancie by reason of the flesh that is there Take a man that hath sore eyes you ynow to the eye the light is exceeding pleasant but look how much sorenesse and defect there is in the eye so much the light is burdensome to it but so farre as the eye is right so farre as it is perfect so farre is the light pleasing and delightfull to it so it is with the heart of the regenerate man looke how much faith looke how much spirit there is so much desire there is of the presence of Christ and it is most pleasing and acceptable to him as the light of the Sunne is to the eye but looke how much sorenesse that is looke how much flesh there is in him so much reluctancie so much unwillingnes there is in him and that hee must strive against But still the rule holdeth good that wheresoever the heart is right there is alwayes an earnest desire and longing to be with Christ. And indeede this is only found in the Saints for evil mē if they knew what heaven were they would never desire it for they desire heaven in another notion they would be well they would be freed from misery and discontent which they mette with in the world they would have whatsoever the flesh desireth and that is it they looke after but to desire heaven as it is that is to desire an excellency in grace to be alway praising God to be continually in his presence to be freed from the practise of sinne this is a thing that if men aske their owne hearts they doe not desire in this manner for they desire it not here upon earth when they are in the communion of Saints When they are in places where there are holy speeches and holy exercises it is burthensome to them they are out of their element they are as men that are not upon their proper center these men desire to be in heaven but they desire another kinde of happinesse than there is in heaven the felicity there is presented unto them under another Idea they desire no more than the flesh desires but to desire heaven indeed as it is heaven to desire God there in his purenesse and holinesse to desire it so as thereby to be sequestred from all worldly carnall and sensuall delights this a carnall man desires not Therefore this is a distinguishing note and signe that he that loves the Lord will love his appearance Fourthly you shall finde this to be the property of love hee that loveth is very readie to speake of the party loved love is full of loquacitie it is readie to fall into the praises of the party beloved and to keepe no measure in it to abound in it that is the disposition of every man that loveth So is it in this love to the Lord Iesus You may see it in David as he abounded in love to the Lord so hee could never satisfie himselfe in praising the Lord in Psal. 105. which is repeated 2 Chron. 15. you shall finde that hee hath never done with it but is alwayes singing praises to the Lord Sing praise to the Lord and be alway talking of his wondrous workes And againe Remember his marva●lous workes that hee hath done of olde and all the wonders c. As if he should say if you love the Lord shew it in praising of him Doe you professe to love the Lord and yet never delight to speake of him nor delight to heare others speake of him My Beloved this backwardnesse that is amongst us to holie and gracious speech to speeches that tend to the setting forth of the Lords praise shewes that love to the Lord Iesus is wanting among us You know it is naturall for every man to abound in the speeches of the things they love of what nature soever they be Mariners are delighted to talke of their voyages and souldiers of their battells and huntsmen of their games If you delight in the Lord certainly your tongues will be much in speaking of him you will be ready to doe it upon all occasions Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and if love to the Lord doe abound in your hearts this love will be expressed in your tongues upon all occasions and therefore at the least you may judge of the measure of your love by this Hee that speakes much of loving God and yet hath his speeches empty vaine and unprofitable surely we may guesse that he loves him not at all and this is a marke that will not deceive us And now what will you say for your selves that you speake no more upon those severall occasions that you meete withall in the world is it because you are ashamed because you are bashfull and fearefull to expresse your selves and to make an open profession of that holinesse that is in your hearts Certainly it is a signe that you love not the Lord Iesus for hee that loveth is never ashamed because whom a man loveth he magnifieth hee prizeth much hee hath a high esteeme of and therefore that bashfulnesse and fearfulnesse that you object will not keepe you backe if you did love the Lord in truth and sincerity Or else why is it that you speake of him no more is it because you cannot speake is it because your understandings are weake and dull because you are not able to doe it as well as others and therefore you are loath to expresse your selves You know when you love any that love will teach you to speake it will quicken the dullest wit and invention love sharpeneth and maketh the rudest tongue eloquent It is the nature of love to set the heart on worke and when the heart is set on worke the tongue will be as the pen of a ready writer You know how the Apostle setts it forth Our heart is enlarged to you love openeth the heart wide and the heart openeth the tongue wide therefore if you love the Lord much you will bee much in speaking of him Consider therefore what your speeches are concerning God whether you your selues are ready to speak much and to delight to heare others speake also whether you be glad of any occasion as those that love are glad to heare those that they love to be spoken of Fifthly love will doe much and suffer much for the party loved Paul as he was abundant in love so he was abundant in labour likewise whosoever aboundeth in love will abound in workes also Therefore see what you doe for the Lord Iesus see what you suffer for his sake When Christ came to Peter and asked him that question Peter l●vest thou me hee puts him upon the try●ll by this fruit of his love Feede my Lambes As if he should say Peter if thou wilt shew that thou lovest me expresse it in doing something for my sake Feede my Lambes herein thy love

children and loath to rise but you must knocke and knocke againe and as it was with the vniust Iudge importunity must doe it though your desire be strong yet for a time in his ordinary course he withholds and turnes a deafe eare to try if thou hast an eager desire for if it ceases quickly he should haue lost his labour in bestowing Christ on thee But if nothing will make thee giue ouer if thou wilt beseech him and giue him no rest I 'le assure thee GOD cannot deny thee and the longer he holdeth thee off the better answer thou shalt haue at the end And when thou hast CHRIST thou hast that that cannot be expressed for with him thou hast all things When you haue him you may goe to him for Justification and say LORD giue me remission of sinnes I haue CHRIST and thou hast promised that all that are in CHRIST shall haue pardon that they shall haue thy Spirit and be made new creatures now LORD fulfill these promises If say It is a condition beyond expression next to that we shall haue in heauen and farre aboue that which any Prince or Potentate in the World hath farre beyond that which any man that swims in pleasures and abundance of wealth hath which if it were knowne would by all the World be sought after Therefore when you heare of such a condition offered take heede of refusing it for if you doe your sinne is haynous and your condemnation will be iust The second Vse I will onely name Consider what it is to refuse yea what it is to deferre your acceptance of it GOD may take your deferring for a denyall you that thinke Well I will take it but not yet take heede lest you neuer haue such an opportunity againe I say be exhorted be moued be besought to take it This I speake to you that be humble to so many among you as haue broken hearts others may take him if they will but they will not they mind not this Doctrine they regard not things of this nature they will when they lye a dying but now they haue something else to doe But you that mourne in Sion you that haue broken hearts that know the bitternesse of sinne to such as you is this Word of Saluation sent The others haue nothing to doe with it and let them not thinke much to be excluded for CHRIST excludes them Come to me all ye that are heauy laden and ye shall finde rest Not but the others shall haue him if they will come but they will not take him on the precedent conditions named before It may be they would haue redemption and freedome and saluation by him but they will not take him for their King They that bee humble that haue their hearts wounded with the sense of sinne are willing to take him on his owne termes to keepe his Commandements and not thinke them grieuous to beare his burden and thinke it light to take his yoke and count it easie to giue all they haue for him and to thinke all too little to suffer persecution for his sake and to reioyce in it to bee content to be scoffed at and hated of men to doe to suffer any thing for his sake and when all this is done to regard it as nothing to reckon themselues vnprofitable seruants to account of all as not worthy of him Therefore be not thou shye in taking of him for you haue free liberty But before I dismisse you let me speake a word to you that be not yet humble let mee beseech you to consider 3. things to mooue you First the great danger that is in not taking of him If you could be well without him you might sit still as you are but you shall dye for want of him If a Wife can liue without a Husband she may stay vnmarried But when a mans case is this I see without CHRIST I must perish I must lose my life that is the penalty such is the danger if I refuse him me thinkes this should moue him Secondly as the danger of refusing him so consider the benefit of taking him if you will haue him you shall with him haue a Kingdome you shall change for the better for whatsoeuer you part withall you shall haue an hundred fold in this life if you forgoe any pleasure or lust you shall haue for it the ioy of the Holy Ghost farre exceeding them If you part with riches you shall be truely rich in another world yea you shall there haue a Treasure If you lose friends you shall haue GOD for your friend and shall be a Fauourite in the Court of Heauen In a word you shall haue an hundred fold 3. You shall bee sure to haue it you shall not be deceiued for God hath put out his word he hath declared that to be his will and it stands now with his Iustice as well as with his mercie to giue Christ his Word is a corner stone and you may build on it Nay by 2. immutable things he hath confirm'd it his Word and his Oath and Heauen and Earth may passe but they shall not passe you may build on them to haue Christ and saluation by him When Paul had deliuered Gods minde if an Angell from Heauen should tell them the foundation is sandy nay if he himselfe should preach another doctrine they were not to beleeue him Therefore if you will take him and haue him trust perfectly in the grace that is reuealed by Iesus Christ doe it not by halues It may be I shall be saued it may be not thou maist build on it thou maist venture thy life on it All these things considered the greatnesse of the danger in refusing of the benefit in accepting and if it be thus sure if wee will take him then put it to venture why doe you stand off What can wee say more to perswade you If you will take him and this righteousnesse you may haue it GOD hath committed this to vs what we loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heauen He hath giuen vs the Keyes of Heauen and Hell and if we open the Gates of Heauen to any they shall stand open but now in the preaching of the Word the Gates of Heauen stand open to euery one of you Therefore come in while it is called to day before the Sunne set on you as you know not how soone it may Indeed if wee had not made the offer the danger had beene ours and wee should haue perished for your sakes but seeing we haue made manifest the whole Councell of GOD wee are now free from the blood of euery one of you for wee haue made knowne the will of GOD to the full you know what is offered to you and if you take him not your blood shall be on your owne heads Therefore consider whether you will take him or refuse him that is the question Will you take him or not take him You that now refuse and slight this

that is not argument enough Thou wilt say because they doe not answer that which in their profession they make shew to be If that be the reason why doest thou not pitch thy hatred upon those that are found to be so And to conclude this you must know that no man speakes against religion or hates religion under its owne notions under its owne name but something else must be put upon it the name of hypocrisie or the like And it is the common condition of men whose hearts are not upright that they are not able to judge aright of the wayes of God a man that hath not grace himselfe cannot possibly judge aright of grace in others but I hasten I must now proceede in the point I formerly began to insist on namely in shewing you the meanes of getting this love and of increasing it I shewed formerly somes meanes to get this love and to increase it As first prayer for it is the gift of the Spirit Secondly to beseech the Lord to shew himselfe to you We will add but one now at this time to shew you the way more fully to obtaine this love If you would love the Lord remove the impediments What are those They are two Strangenes and uncircumcision of heart or worldly mindednesse First strangenesse is agreat impediment to love It is an observation that the Philosophers hath that strangenes when we doe not salute and converse one with another is a meanes of dissolving friendship so in this case when there growes a strangenesse betweene God and vs it unties and loosens that love and communion that should be betweene us Therefore if you would preserve your love to the Lord suffer not your hearts to sit loose from him suffer not a strangenes to grow betweene God and you For strangenesse breeds fearfulnesse and fearefulnesse looseneth love as boldnesse is the parent and nurse of love and that which increaseth it Besides when there growes a strangenesse betweene God and us wee begin not to know the Lord there growes an ignorance and so there is an intermission of those reciprocall offices of love betweene us that even as it is among the Saints the forsaking of their fellowship looseneth their love and so stoppeth the intercourse of good duties that should be among them so it is with the Lord. And therefore if you would maintaine love with the Lord draw neare to him and he will draw neare to you How shall we doe that By speaking much to him by hearing him speake to us by retiring to him upon all occasions for consolation and comfort If thou receive any injurie from men wrangle not with them but doe as David did betake thy selfe to prayer take heede of sinne for that of all other things will breede a strangenesse betweene God and thee and if you doe fall out seeke to be reconciled againe as soone as may be labour to entertaine a continuall commerce betweene God and thy selfe observe constantly his dealing with thee and observe againe thy carriage towards hm this will breede a familiarity betweene God and thee And above all be much in prayer for that in a speciall manner maintaines and increaseth this communion and familiaritie betweene the Lord and thee Againe the other thing that hinders is uncircumcision of heart or worldly-mindednesse in Deut. 30.6 I will circumcise your hearts and you shall love me with all your soules and with all your hearts As if he should say that which keepes you from loving me from delighting in mee is the uncircumcision of your hearts that is your worldly lusts and worldly cares and worldly desires when these abound in our hearts they keepe us from loving the Lord Therefore in 1 Iohn 2. If you love the world the love of the Father is not in you Come to any particular and you shall finde it so if you love wealth you cannot love the Lord if you love pleasures if you love praise with men if you love honours c. you cannot love the Lord the love of God and vaine glorie the love of God and covetousnesse will not stand together Therefore if you will love the Lord you must have your hearts circumcised that is you must have these sinfull lusts cut off for nothing quencheth love so much as these You know the love of an adulterer quencheth the conjugall love of the wife to the husband your love of the world is adulterie the Scripture calls it so therefore if you love that it will quench your love to the Lord. You will say May we not love the things of the world Yes my brethren onely take heede that it be not an adulterous love How shall we know that You shall know it by this if it doe lessen your love to God You may know whether your love to any creature to any sport or recreation be adulterous or no. A chast wife may love many men besides her husband but if it once begin to lessen her love to her husband that is an adulterous love Therefore if you would love the Lord aright be sure to cut off this for it breedes a distance betweene God and you As it is said of Absolom when the hearts of the people went with Absolom they fell from David the King so when our hearts are stollen away with the love of earthlie things our love to the Lord is lessened with it Therefore I say if you will love the Lord aright you must be carefull to remove this for the cares of the world the lusts and diverse pleasures these choake the love of the Lord they are the greatest quench-coales of any other Loue you know is of an uniting qualitie when any thing lieth betweene God and us that you may be sure will hinder our love Now there are many things that lye betweene God and us Some things lie in our understandings temptations to atheisme temptations to thinke that the Scriptures are not true temptations to judge amisse of God in any thing temptations to doubt of the favour of God These lie in the understanding betweene God and us and are contrary to love for love uniteth But in the will there lyeth much more sometimes vaine hopes sometimes vaine feares sometimes one thing sometimes another If there be any inordinate lust after any creature after any thing in the world it lieth betweene God and us and makes a separation betweene us and till that be removed God and we cannot come together till there be an union wee cannot fully love Therefore if you would love the Lord have your hearts circumcised that is have those things removed out of your understanding and out of your will Take away those obstacles that lie betweene God and you And if you cannot doe it your selves goe to Christ it is he that circumciseth us with the circumcision made without hands Againe when you have done this that you may grow in love to the Lord