Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	abundance_n	bring_v	evil_a	2,273	5	7.2270	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70306	The true Catholicks tenure, or, A good Christians certainty which he ought to have of his religion, and may have of his salvation by Edvvard Hyde ...	Hyde, Edward, 1607-1659.; Hyde, Edward, 1607-1659. Allegiance and conscience not fled out of England.	1662 (1662)	Wing H3868; ESTC R19770	227,584	548

dragged them to Babylon He that can make light of an Oath not onely God but also the Heathen that know not God will expose him to shame because he hath exposed himself to all manner of wickedness And this much or rather this little for in this argument non tam copia quàm modus quaerendus est concerning the positive Act of Allegiance To keep the Kings commandment and the reason of it Because of the Oath of God Come we next to the privative act thereof which is Not to be guilty of Disallegiance vers 3. Be not hasty to go out of his sight stand not in an evil thing c. wherein is forbidden all manner of Disallegiance and disloyalty not onely in the Action but also in the Affection Be not not hasty to go out of his sight there 's forbidden Disallegiance in the Affection and stand not in an evil thing there 't is forbidden in the Action and the reason of both For he doeth whatsoever pleaseth Him First here is forbidden Disloyalty in the Affection Be not hasty to go out of his sight 1 Be not easily induced to take dislike or distaste against Him by undervaluing his Person and misjudging or misrendring his Actions for either of these will bring thee in time to undervalue if not to undermine his Authoritie therefore saith God himself Exod. 22. 28. Thou shalt not revile the Gods nor curse the Ruler of the people 't is in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deos nè vili pendas Thou shalt not think or speak lightly of the Gods that is of Princes and Governours who are called Gods because they are his Vice-gerents Deos Dei ipsius agentes vicem so Tremellius He calleth those Gods who are Governours in Gods stead and S. Paul acknowledgeth this Text to be a part not of the Judicial but of the Moral Law saying for himself and all after him It is written Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy people Act. 23. 5. The same command which is more particularly expounded by our Preacher Eccles 10. 20. where the very same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that was used Exod. 22. 28. indefinitely concerning any Governour is particularly joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the King as the chiefest for 't is said Curse not the King no not in thy thought Be not hasty to think amiss of Him for suspicion is a diminution of reverence and therefore 't is not safe if it be lawfull to suspect them whom we are bound to honour But Tremellius gives us another gloss Nè perturbatè à facie ejus abito most significantly to the Hebrew Do not turn away from Him as if thou wert angred or troubled Thus Sheba and the Israelites turned away from King David after their expostulations 2 Sam. 19. 41 43. And more then thus they turned away from Him in the next chapter 2 Sam. 20. 1 2. At first it was why have our brethren the men of Judah stollen thee away 2 Sam. 19 41. A meer groundless surmise of the Kings being addicted to a private partie if not of his being misled by it but at last the trumpet is blown and they say shame upon them Miscreants for so saying We have no part in David neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse and to speak Gods truth in Gods cause It is very difficult if not impossible for any man to have the least tincture of disloyaltie in his affections and not to shew it in his words and actions since out of the abundance of the heart both the mouth speaketh and the hand acteth which brings me to the second part of this prohibition that forbids all disloyaltie in the action Stand not in an evil thing For who is it that is not too hasty in his affection to err there sometimes by hatred sometimes by anger Let such a one be far better then a man let him be an Angel but he that without consideration or conscience can put all his hasty affections of hatred or anger into actions let him be worse then the worst of men let him be a Devil Humanum est errare diabolicum perseverare 'T is the part of a man to fallinto errour but 't is the part of a Devil to persist in it hasty affections of evil may go for errours or infirmities common to man of which Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Prov. 20. 9. But premeditated consultations and actions of mischief have too long a continuance in the soul not to defile the heart and too great a sway there not to harden it wherefore if thou think an evil thing yet abide not in that thought however do not so think it as to do it and if thou hast done an evil thing yet abide not in that doing do not so do it as to stand in it Stand not in an evil thing It should not get into thy mind to think it nor into thy affection to desire it much less into thy action to perform and least of all into thy resolution to approve it and all these do more particularly concern that evil thing of Disloyaltie for it is much to be observed that amongst all the affections no one is reciprocal betwixt God and man but onely Love not Fear for we must fear him but he cannot fear us not hatred for he may hate us but we may not hate him but love so proceeds from God to man as that it may lawfully or rather must dutifully be returned back again from man to God and just so is it with Kings and Princes we may safely return them love for love both in our affections and in our actions but we must take heed of making other returns suppose hatred for hatred because they are called Gods And it is a most remarkable historie that is recorded concerning Saul a wicked King the same Samuel that saith unto Him God hath rejected thee durst not himself reject Him He that tells Him God hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day had not withall rent his own Allegiance from his King For though he came no more to see Saul till the day of his death nevertheless he heartily mourned for him 1 Sam. 15. 35. Nay observe yet more David himself after He was anointed King yet waits Gods time and way to be actually invested in the kingdom and is very tender concerning the point of Disallegiance to his yet surviving Sovereign His heart smote him because he had cut off Sauls skirt 1 Sam. 24. 5. what would it have done if He had cut off His head Nay he would not let any of his servants touch Him vers 6 and 7. and gives the reason of it vers 10. I said I will not put forth mine hand against my Lord for He is the Lords Anointed Nay yet further He refuseth not to swear Fealtie and Allegiance to Him and kindness to his posterity after him v. 21 22. and did exactly

with us so that the best way to serve him cordially is to serve him with eye-service considering that he always looks upon us and therefore we ought always to act as in his presence Excellently the Casuist Reiginaldus Adjumenta operandi bonum in ordine ad nosipsos sunt consider are Christum ut mandantem spectantem adjuvantem The main helps that encourage any man in regard of himself to do that which is good is the consideration of Christs presence as if he were actually standing by him to command to observe and to assist him that he commands me to obey observes me in my obedience and assists me in obeying whosoever truly hath this consideration of Christ cannot but have his heart full of true Christianity and he that hath his heart full cannot have his mouth or his hand empty for out of the aboundance of the heart not onely the mouth speaketh but also the hand acteth and worketh But Gods Infinitie though it most appear to us in his Omnipresence yet is it the immediate property of his essence which being a pure act or form admits of no materiality to limit and to confine it and so also are the duties of Religion in some sort infinite in their very essence for nothing is proportionable to God but what is infinite and like himself and therefore it is said Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect St. Mat. 5. 48. God justly requires a perfection of degrees in all duties of Religion though he graciously accepts a perfection of parts it is well for us that the truth and sincerity not the measure and degree of our faith or repentance puts us in the state of salvation for else we should not onely be always doubtfull of that state but also very often come short of it and yet in truth our faith and repentance and obedience is infinite as it is in Gods acceptance though not as it is in our performance for though it be performed in much unrighteousness yet it is accepted in an infinite righteousness even the righteousness of the eternal Son of God 3. Communicatione essentiae Thirdly and lastly God may be said to be infinite in the communication of his essence which he hath communicated in an infinite variety to infinite sorts of creatures which all have their being onely from him So also Religion is infinite in this respect that it can never be enough communicated he that is truly converted himself will make it his whole work to strengthen his brethren according to that advice of our blessed Saviour St. Luke 22. 32. which having been given to St. Peter in his own person cannot but more peculiarly belong to all his successours then many things else that are more zealously claimed by most of them and how then may the Scriptures be denied to the people in a tongue they know or prayers be obtruded to them in a tongue they know not since the Scripture communicates Religion from God to man and prayer expresseth the desire of that heavenly communion Wherefore that of the Trent Council Sess. 22. cap. 8. Nè tamen oves Christi esuriant pastores frequenter aliquid in missâ exponant c. Least the flock of Christ should be hunger-starved the pri●st ought often to expound the missal is in effect a tacit Confession that though Religion ought to be effectually communicated to the people to feed their souls unto the full yet they are resolved it must not be so but that they shall still wholly depend upon the priests for a little broken bread whereas all that know good to be naturally diffusive of it self most willingly acknowledge that Religion the greatest good of this world and the onely practise of the next the more it hath of goodness the more it ought to have likewise of the diffusion The third incommunicable property of God is his Immutability for as God changeth not in his essence I AM hath sent me unto you Exo. 3. 14. so he changeth not in his government or dominion of souls I am the Lord I change not Mal. 3. 6. he changeth not as our Lord and we cannot pretend to change as his servants for Religion hath also its share in this Immutability in which sense I perswade my self Iustin Martyr called Abraham a Christian and Socrates too though a heathen yet observing some of that righteousness all which we Christians do or should observe and he proves that the Christian Religion is that whereby God was then and is now truly worshipped and glorified what the heathen had of idols they had of Paganisme what of moral duties or of reasonable service they had of Christianity for there is no reason why the martyrs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may not agree with the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 12. 1. So likewise the Iews and the Christians have the same Religion in substance though not in ceremonies or circumstance or the old Testament could not be brought so appositely to prove the doctrines of the New or Moses have been said to bear the reproach of Christ Heb. 11. 26. and so likewise all Christians have one and the same Religion though they have many different professions the Christian Religion being altogether unchangeable one and the same in all places and at all times and what is otherwise will be found either to be superstition or faction or matter of order but in no case matter of Religion it being impossible that what is truly Christian in one place or time should be made either Antichristian or Unchristian in another And this property of Immutability Religion partakes in a higher degree then the sublimest spirit in the highest order of Angels for they are all changeable by a power without them though not by a power within them but Religion is not so God himself cannot make another Religion or service of himself then that which he hath already made I mean as to the substantial and internal nature of holiness consisting in the immediate duties of Religion Aliquid dicitur mutabile dupliciter uno modo per potentiam quae in ipso est altero modo per potentiam quae est in altero Aquin. par 1. qu. 9. what is absolutely unchangeable cannot be changed by any power either within or without it self so is God so is the service of God Religion which God cannot change no more then he can change himself that is no more then he can change his truth that taught it his justice that prescribed it his excellent majesty that still requireth it his infinite mercy that still accepteth it for it was Gods own Spirit that spake those words by the mouth of Gamaliel Acts 5. 38 39. If this counsel or this work be of men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it and upon serious examination we shall finde it most true in our Christian Religion what hath been either in the doctrine or practise thereof meerly the counsel

our unbridled fury and of motives more then enough to make us restrain it that he who hath purchased all this mercy for us hath taught us not to pray for it and therefore not to hope for the blessing of it upon other terms but onely upon this very condition if we practise it Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us as if he had said make us to forgive as we desire to be forgiven no less then make us desire to be forgiven as we stood in need of forgiveness and this is agreeable with S. Chrysostome's gloss of the words not upon the place but in his 27 Sermon upon Genesis for it was his way of preaching to explain many Texts as he quoted them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us not think that in forgiving others we do a courtesie to them for indeed we do the courtesie onely to our selves who by this means do reap the benefit of that forgiveness which God hath promised and our Saviour Christ hath purchased but without forgiving can have no hopes to be forgiven and this lesson are we taught all along throughout our Saviours whole life and doctrine examine we his doctrine 't is for the greatest part nothing else but so many several instructions and injunctions of mercy I will make but one instance and that in his Sermon upon the mount S. Mat. 5 39. But I say unto you that ye resist not evil and v. 44. But I say unto you Love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despightfully use you and persecute you as if he had said what ever others have said before it matters not if you will be my disciples you must observe and obey what I say unto you and I say unto you that all your labour and zeal must be to overcome one another in goodness and in mercy Again examine we our Saviours whole life we shall finde it nothing else but one continued practise and president of mercy sometimes we find him preaching and praying to cure the souls sometimes working miracles to cure or relieve the body sometimes helping the body sometimes helping the soul but always doing some good either to body or soul so that we can have no truer touchstone to discover and discern gold from dross true Christianity from vain Hypocrisie then is this of shewing mercy nor may we object That many and great injuries have provoked us to wrath and that solicites us to revenge for though it cannot be denied but this last and worst age of the world hath silled our mouths with too many such objections yet our hearts may in no case be full of them but herein also we must imitate our blessed Saviour who though he were the party offended yet came himself to make the atonement and reconciliation and hath left not onely his example but also his blessing behinde him to encourage us to do so to saying Blessed are the peace-makers S. Matth. 5. 9. If thine enemy come first to thee he will get this blessing and thou wilt lose it and if thou lose this blessing how wilt thou keep thy Saviour that pronounced it It is a mere madness in any man to break down that bridge over which himself is to pass the bridge over which we hope to pass in our journey from earth to heaven is mercy he that breaks down this bridge breaks off his own passage into eternal rest Hypocrites may pretend zeal for an occasion of cruelty but true Christians will be sure to follow the example of Christ to be always doing some act of mercy and wheresoever we find massacres and outrages we may safely say there is the pretence but there is not the power of the true Christian Religion that looks after no bloud but the bloud of Christ to contemplate the merit of it with admiration to congratulate the mercy of it with thankfulness that bloud never baths but it likewise supples whether the bloud of a goat will soften the Adamant or no let the naturalist dispute but that the bloud of the immaculate Lamb doth soften the most stony hearts the divine must determine Therefore if the heart be still in its hardness 't is still in its uncleanness for it cannot be cleansed but by the bloud of Christ and that bloud never cleanseth but where it softens 'T is the part of salvages to overcome good with evil but 't is the part of Christians to overcome evil with good Rom. 12. 21. Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good every Christian must look for this fight and strive for this victorie the fight is to encounter with evil the victory is to overcome it the fight is against a twofold enemie the one without the malice of the devil and his instruments the other within our own weakness and impatience and the victorie is likewise twofold one is over our enemies for we overcome evil another is over our selves for we overcome evil with good this is the way to be more then conquerours and to get the victory over the greatest Potentates even while they trample us under their feet not by resisting much less returning their outrages but by forgiving them Father forgive them they know not what they do was a voice of our dying Saviour and therefore perchance weak in its noise but sure strong in its power for if it did not shake the foundations of hell to conquer the devils tyrannie yet it did pierce the battlements of heaven to open Gods kingdom insomuch that those thousands which were afterwards converted at two several sermons Acts 2. 14. Acts 4. 4. did ow their conversion more to this one voice then to those very sermons which converted them And as the Head himself declared his Almighty power most chiefly in shewing mercie and pitie so hath he given the same priviledge to his members to conquer more by their mercy then by their power by their praying then by their fighting by their tears then by their swords Saul was the man at whose feet the witnesses laid down their clothes whiles they stoned S. Stephen so that he seems to have had the chiefest hand in that Protomartyrs bloud Omnium lapidantium vestimenta servabat ut omnium manibus lapidaret saith S. Aug. in Psal. 147. He kept the clothes of those that stoned Stephen that he might stone him with all their hands Was there ever a more bloudy persecutour then this Saul that embrued not onely his hands but also his heart with bloud That breathed out threatnings and slaughters against the disciples of the Lord andcunningly acted his threatnings by others hands that he might not put himself out of breath yet even this persecutour is presently after made a convert and the text intimateth in the history no other reason of his conversion but this prayer of S. Stephen immediately before the stones had beaten his soul out of his body Lord lay not