Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	according_a	father_n	lord_n	2,116	5	3.5330	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45489	The great duty of thankfulness a sermon preach'd at St. Pauls Covent-Graden, December 2d, 1697, being the day of thanksgiving for the peace / by John Hancock, D.D., Chaplain to His Grace the Duke of Bedford ; published at the request of some of the parishioners.	Hancocke, John, d. 1728.	1698 (1698)	Wing H641; ESTC R43231	9,483	26

The Great DUTY of Thankfulness A SERMON PREACH'D at St. Pauls Covent-Garden December 2d 1697. BEING THE Day of Thanksgiving FOR THE PEACE By JOHN HANCOCK D. D. Chaplain to his Grace the Duke of Bedford Published at the Request of some of the Parishioners LONDON Printed for Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1698. A Thanksgiving Sermon ON ROM I. 21. Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became vain in their Imaginations and their foolish Hearts was darkened THESE Words as appears from the Context were spoken by the Apostle of the Antient Heathen The Apostle tells us that even They had so much Knowledge of God as would render them wholly inexcusable while they indulg'd themselves in their vain Imaginations and unnatural Lusts They knew God yet they glorified him not as God neither were thankful They knew there was a great and supream Governour that he was good and bountiful and the Author of all the good things they enjoy'd yet they gave him not the Glory of his Goodness they were unthankful for his Mercies And if Unthankfulness were so great a Crime in the Heathen who had comparatively but a dark Knowledge of God to what we have How much greater will it be to us who live under the clear light of the Gospel who have such clear and full Revelations of God's Nature and Providence as well as such large Experience of his Goodness My Design in speaking from these Words does not require I should take any further notice of the Context 'T is sufficient that the Words as they lye before us easily afford us this plain Proposition which I design to lay as the Foundation of my present Discourse That Thankfulness to God for his Mercies is one considerable Part of that Glory that is due to God from us his Creatures When as the Heathen were unthankful to God they did not glorify him as God Glorifying God in the sense of the Text is the solemn Acknowledgments we pay to the Excellencies and Perfections to the real Glory of the Divine Nature The solemn Acknowledgments we pay to these are chiefly by Praising of him and by Praying and Giving Thanks to him The first of these that of Praise respects the Excellencies and Perfections of God as they are in himself The other two respect chiefly the Goodness and Mercy of God as extended to us There are some things in which this last way of glorifying God by an unfeigned Thankfulness seems to have the advantage of both the other and therefore to be more acceptable to God and necessary for us This seems to be the most free and voluntary there is least of force upon the Spirit of Man in the exercise of it Let a Man's Disposition as to Religion be what it will if he do but consider the mighty Power and Wisdom declared in the Works of Creation and Providence he can scarce withhold himself from admiring and Praising God Thus we read that Galen could not forbear to do it when he took notice of the curious Disposition and Use of the Parts of Living Creatures So 't is no wonder if Men when they are in Want and Misery make their Applications to the Divine Mercy by earnest Prayer the Extremity of their Afflictions even forces them to it But the very occasion of Thankfulness supposes Men under no present necessity of making their Acknowledgments to God There may be a sort of Selfishness in our Prayers for what we want but 't is pure Respect to God that makes us thankfully acknowledge the Goodness of God in what we already have And therefore we see by sad experience that this is more rarely found than the other Tho' many that can be importunate enough under their Wants when things go well with them are so far from being thankful that they grow wanton and abuse the good things that God hath given them to his Dishonour And thus it appears that one of the most genuine and acceptible Ways of glorifying God is by giving Thanks to him for his Mercies In my discoursing on this Subject I shall enquire I. Into the Extent of this Thankfulness II. How it ought to be expressed III. What Motives should induce us to it And where it may be pertinent I shall conder these things with a special Respect to the Present Occasion 1. Then in general we ought according to the Apostle's Exhortation in every thing to give Thanks Thankfulness for what we have is always requisite to accompany our Prayers for what we want But on such Days and Occasions as these Thanksgiving should make up the best Part of our Devotions And our Hearts ought now particularly to be tun'd to that chearful Key We should especially indeed give Thanks for Spiritual Mercies saying with the Apostle Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all Spiritual Blessings in heavenly places in Christ But we should not forget his Temporal Favours Especially when such emergent Occasions as these call so loud upon us for our most unfeigned Thankfulness When that God who that I may use the Words of the Psalmist Ps 29. ult hath all along this War given strength unto us his People hath now a length given us the Blessing of Peace Nor should we only give Thanks for our selves but others too The Apostle exhort that Supplications and Prayers Intercessions and giving of Thanks be made for all Men for Kings and all that are in Authority Methink we cannot but upon this Occasion congratulate the Happiness of those our Neighbor Nations whose Countries are now deliver'd from being any longer the Seat of this wasting War We have indeed in this our Island 〈◊〉 a kind of continual Peace in the midst of Wa● But 't was sad with them As therefore before we could not but extend our Pity toward them now we ought to rejoyce with them And here likewise there is a particular Acknowledgment due to the good Providence of God which hath still attended His Majesty in the midst of so many great and apparent Dangers But in this we have so great and near an Interest that it is indeed to give Thanks for our selves Again As Thankfulness should be a great Part of the business of our Lives so extraordinary and remarkable Deliverances require an extraordinary more publick and solemn Thankfulness And this is the business of this Day The Occasion of it is very great When God hath made Wars to cease in all this our Part of the World When he hath given us so much beyond the Expectation of some of us an honourable advantageous and we hope a lasting Peace When after all the Toils and Hazards of this long and tedious War he bath brought Home our gracious Soveraign in Safety and with Honour In a word now we have what lately was the utmost we could wish for have we not reason at this time to give all Religious