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	speak_v	word_n	2,380	5	4.2301	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29178	A minister's counsel to the youth of his parish when arriv'd to years of discretion : recommended to the societies in and about London / by Francis Bragge ...	Bragge, Francis, 1664-1728.	1699 (1699)	Wing B4199; ESTC R32860	70,334	248

cases and humbly and thankfully to be directed by it in making due use of those Opportunities that are put into their Power to Improve And 't is as true that what a Man may lawfully and honourable receive he may innocently ask for and to be Above making any Applications towards the bettering ones Circumstances when there is just occasion for it is a Spice of that Haughtiness of Temper we but now condemn'd But to be eager and restless and always upon the Hunt in things of this nature no Man can justify And those Alterations in a Man's Condition tho' seemingly for the better which look like the Effect of his own Bustling and Importunity rather than the Designation of Providence which carries sufficient Marks along with it whereby it may be known seldom prove well in the Conclusion as being too often not right in the Principle at least they are not so thoroughly happy as those in which Providence is more remarkable than any thing besides and which are therefore quite throughout Innocent A steady Belief of God's disposing all things with Infinite Wisdom and Goodness and a full Perswasion that what Additions of Worldly Good in any Instance whatever are fit for us to have we shall in due time have 'em together with an Innocent Diligence in the Station we are in at present This is the true Temper of a Christian and that alone which can render Worldly Greatness Safe and Easy Thus may we be advanc'd without Ambition and in the midst of growing Honours preserve that Calmness and Indifferency of Soul which will insure to us Happiness let things go how they will Whereas on the contrary a Mind High and Aspiring will make it impossible for us to Taste it even in the most Flourishing Condition and render the Straits and Neglects of Low Circumstances utterly intolerable Now who would not Infinitely value that Temper of Mind and earnestly endeavour after it especially in so sickle a World as this which will make him happy in any Condition teach him how to abound and how to suffer want Phil. 4.11 12. and in every state therewith to be content The Eighth Advice IN the next Place Young Persons would be advis'd to preserve their Minds free from unclean Thoughts and a too quick Resentment of things as Injuries and Affronts How very inclinable to both these young People are is too well known and therefore their Care and Watchfulness ought to be equal to the Danger They both proceed from that Warmth and Spirit which is in vigorous Youth and are consequently the harder to be avoided having Nature so much of their side which will make it necessary to use the more Diligence and begin betimes that better Affections may have the first Possession and Nature become mended by Religion As for the first of these the keeping the Mind chaste and pure from the Defilement of unclean Thoughts besides that 't is the greatest Security against Speaking Filthily the most unbecoming thing in Nature to a young Mouth especially that of a Gentleman and Acting so too for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and from the heart proceed adulteries and fornications Besides this unclean Desires should they proceed no further must needs be an unspeakeable Plague and Disquiet to the Soul This Impure Passion is express'd in Scripture and in our common way of speaking by Burning because of the uncontroulableness of it when suffer'd to get Head and Impatience of Resistance And therefore whoever Indulges to Thoughts of Uncleaness sets his Soul on a Flame and must either suffer himself to be consum'd in the Fire and fall a shameful Victim to his Lusts or else with great Disquietude resist 'em and strive against an almost Remediless Evil which often grows the stronger for being oppos'd and rages the more for want of being satisfy'd And so besides the guilt of entertaining those Impure Desires at first the wretched Creature has brought himself to this uncomfortable Streight either to yeild to 'em and suffer himself to be carry'd on whither the Torrent drives which he can't but know will upon all Accounts bring him to certain Ruine or else must spend his time in the most uneasy Employment of checking Impatiently strong Desires But now he that has begun to Purify his Soul betimes and nipp'd unchaste Thoughts in their very first rise and planted Pious Meditations in their Room and is warm'd with the Fires of an Affectionate Religion besides the Quiet and Serenity that attends Innocence and a Conversation with the most full and satisfying Objects there is this over and above that in this Case there is no need of curbing and restraining our Desires Devotion and Heavenly Love can never burn too bright nor flame too high the more vigorous they grow the Soul is still the Happier and Happiest of all is she when quite overcome with the Divine Flame and made a whole Burnt-offering to God And as for the too quick Resentment of things as Affronts and Injuries he that is of this Temper and indulges himself in it must bid Adieu to all Repose and Quiet It cannot reasonably be Expected that every one we converse with should think as we think and Act as we Act and make our Interest theirs and jump with us exactly in Disposition and Humour and in all things observe the Rules of Decency and good Breeding towards us Innumerable things do what we can will fall out cross and untowardly and the most Inoffensive Persons partly thro' Mistake partly thro' Imprudence and want of Consideration may make such Trips as if Men are resolv'd to catch at every thing may be construed in an ill Sense and made the Occasion of a Falling out But then the Question is Whether 't is not better either by taking things by the best handle and putting a favourable Interpretation upon 'em or else quite overlooking and passing them by to live in Peace and Quietness than by every such Accident to be blown up into Passion and Fury and great Indecencies and it may be so far transported as to commit what we shall have Reason to repent of as long as we Live For no Man can say before hand how far his Passion shall proceed Prov. 17.14 The beginnings of strife as Solomon says being like the letting out of Water very difficult to be stop'd again and from a small Rill at first growing into an Inundation that bears down all before it It can't be deny'd indeed but that sometimes there will be Just Occasion for Resentment and when there is so neither Reason nor Religion does forbid it But even then some bounds must be set to it as Prudence would tell us if there were no such thing as Christianity For really a Man can't give his Adversary a greater advantage over him than to heat himself out of the use of his Reason he thereby laying himself quite open to him and perfectly betraying himself into his power And I 'd fain know

another without Dissimulation to be candid in our Censures and Interpretations and in all things resolve to do as we would be done by And then we shall find Society not only more Safe but really more Plesant and Endearing than all the Address and Modish Courtships possibly can make it Nothing does sweeten a Disposition more than True Religion and which is All in all it makes a Man Sincere in his Civilities and from the Heart as obliging both in Words and Actions as Truth and Innocence will Permit This is true Christian Good Breeding and whatever is more or less than this cometh of Evil. More is but Fawning and Flattery and as we have seen of very Dangerous Consequence and Less is Salvage and Brutish and unbecoming a Man and a Christian He only that keeps the Middle Way is a Man of Temper and fit to be a Friend The Tenth Advice AND now because the Happiest of us all Young as well as Old can't but think it very possible for the Scene to be chang'd and it may be suddenly and a sad Alteration made in our Circumstances and the best of us all must Acknowledge and the better we are the more readily shall we do it that such a Change would be no more than we Deserve It will not be amiss sometimes to remind our selves of it and Arm our selves before-hand with such Considerations as may Enable us to bear what Trouble may come upon us as becomes Men and Christians When we are easy and happy our Thoughts are our own and we can without Disturbance weigh and compare things together but when Affliction is either actually upon us or very near approaching the Surprize and Confusion of Thought that is caus'd by it is apt to make us very uncapable of thorough Reasoning and Consideration The proper Time therefore to lay in Arguments against immoderate Trouble and which by our often revolving 'em in our Thoughts may make so lasting an Impression as to become our own and serviceable to us upon Occasion the Time for this so Necessary a Provision is before the Evil Days come And this is so far from being an unsuitable Employment for Young Persons that nothing can be more needful upon all Accounts 'T will be a good Allay sometimes to that Levity of Temper which very often proceeds too far and Transports 'em to great Irregularities and hastens Misfortunes sooner than otherwise they would come and 't will quiet and settle their Spirits and induce that Seriousness of Mind which is necessary to their successful Management of any of their Affairs and that Good Counsel in any Instance may take place and be effectual And besides if we consider how very apt Trouble is to rise to excessive degrees and get too great a Head to be master'd by us no doubt but 't is our Wisdom to make early Provision against it such as both Reason and Religion will plentifully furnish us withal that so those fatal Excesses of Trouble may be prevented which have prov'd to very many the Ruine both of Body and Soul And in order to this let us first consider how unreasonable a thing it is to indulge and give way to Trouble and lay Afflictions so extreamly to Heart as we are apt to do when from easie and prosperous Circumstances we fall into them The proper business of Reason is so to regulate the Passions as to make them serviceable but by no means suffer them to be prejudicial to us Now all the Good that Trouble can do a Man when he sees an Evil approaching or feels the present Weight and Pressure of it is that 't will rouse and excite his Endeavours to prevent and remove it or at least to alleviate and make it more supportable But when instead of this we suffer it to grow so much upon us as either in that degree to sink our Spirits as to make us lie down under our Burthen as utterly without Hope or else to raise 'em to the pitch of Frenzy and engage us in Courses that are desperate and wicked This certainly is no likely way to bring our Troubles to an end unless it be a very fatal one Because a Man has lost one or a few Blessings therefore to take no notice of those many others that remain because in some respects he is less happy than he was therefore to resolve not to be happy at all and give way to a Passion which he knows will make him very miserable Because his Troubles are great therefore to refuse to be comforted and muse continually upon the Dark side of his Condition and make it doubly Afflicting by Impatience because the Weight is heavy therefore to add to it still more and more by all the Aggravations he can think of To indulge and cherish what we complain of and groan under and to hug Misery so close that neither Reason nor Religion God nor Man shall perswade us to part with it and let it go to suffer neither Time nor Sleep to do their proper Offices and calm the Boilings of our Spirits but incessantly add Fuel to that Flame under the Scorchings of which we at the same time cry out and which we can't but know will at length consume and burn us up Let any Man in his Senses say whether this which is but too much the way of People in Affliction is not against all the Reason in the World Nor is it less contrary to Religion which consists in nothing more than a firm Belief and Trust in Divine Providence patient Submission to God's Will Contempt of the World and careful Imitation of our Lord's Example with each of which immoderate Trouble is utterly inconsistent For First Who that has a lively strong Perswasion that a Being infinitely Wise and Good does constantly take Care of him and order all things relating to him but will check rather than cherish the Uneasiness of his Mind under any of his Disposals And however irksom it may be to him at first make it his Business to reconcile himself to it and fully acquiesce in it as being the Result of Infinite Wisdom and Goodness and therefore for the best tho' he can't at all discern perhaps at present how it should be so And this he will find still greater Reason to do when he considers That as he believes God to be Infinitely Wise and Good so by constant sad Experience he finds that Himself is very short-sighted and ignorant foolish and wicked can see but a little way into the Consequences of Things is very much mistaken and corrupted in his Choices and would be very miserable should God bestow upon him every thing that he desires And therefore tho' such a Loss or such and such an Infliction may at first touch him to the very quick yet he quiets all again by considering that taking all things together 't is what ought to be and will be for the best and that Time will evidently demonstrate it to be so and that it cannot