Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	act_n	sin_n	thought_n	2,232	5	7.4706	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31245	The truth and excellence of the Christian religion, with the corruptions and additions of the Romish Church a discourse, wherein the pre-eminence of Christianity is demonstrated above the religion of Jews or heathens, and the contradiction of popery to its main articles : and that religion prov'd in many instances to be a mixture of heathenish superstitions, and Jewish ceremonies : with a short vindication of Christian loyalty, and a brief historical account of Romish treasons and usurpations, since the Reformation / by a hearty professor of Reformed Catholick Christianity.	S. C.	1685 (1685)	Wing C126; ESTC R22983	60,383	154

hardly possible to subsist The immortality of the Soul and a future State Another Sect the Herodians were Court-Flatterers and State-Politicians who made it an act of their Religion to comply with the humours of their Prince Those who pretended most to Sanctity and Piety the Pharisees had found an easie Religion which they fanci'd would please God and themselves too consisting mostly in trifles and shadows and very defective in the grear Duties of Religion they had put corrupt glosses on the Law of Moses and because the Magistrate could only punish the outward act they fondly presum'd God as indulgent and never imagin'd that their vain thoughts or idle words would be imputed to them as their sins They were indeed very careful to have a saint-like outside tho devillish Lusts dwelt within and hop'd to be justifi'd and sav'd tho their hearts were never purifi'd or amended All their Religion lay in the Observations of some Traditions and Customs handed down from their forefathers The Duties of Piety were suppli'd only by Ceremonious Services and Rites they were abominably guilty of Deceit and Injustice Cozenage and Over-reaching one another and neglected the Rules of Justice and common Honesty among men they knew no such thing as a Spirit of Divine unbounded Charity but were of very rugged sowr Dispositions they were swoln big with an high conceit of themselves and look'd with contempt and disdain on the rest of mankind their Charity was contracted within the consines of Judea and they would not so much as eat with an uncircumcis'd Gentile or Samaritan nor pay them the common Offices of Civilty In a word their righteousness was so lam'd and wofully imperfect that our Saviour tells us it could qualifie no man for Heaven Matt. 5. 20. Thus did the whole World lye in wickedness and therefore no wonder that the strictness of the Christian Doctrine was so disturbing to those who were unwilling to be freed from their pleasing mistakes A Doctrine that requires we should inwardly reverence and adore the Divine Majesty and express our Adoration by solemn Prayers and Praises and acts of Devotion A Doctrine that requires a flaming Love an humble Dependence an awful Fear and careful imitation of every imitable Perfection That we should give him the Supremacy of our Affections without any corrival or competitor That we should Worship him only in such a manner as is agreeable to the Dignity of his Nature and Revelation of his Will That we should never use his Name in a prophane irreverent manner but always with that becomingawe that is due to so Sovereign a Majesty That we should sanctifie that time he hath set a part for his Service and then Worship him with sincere devout Affections That we should be Pure and Chast and Sober and Temperate and Humble tame our Flesh subdue our Lusts be moderate in our pursuit of worldly Injoyments contemn the World entertain a mean Opinion of our selves and all things here below Sacrifice our secular Interests and even life it self for the sake of God and a good Conscience and always behave our selves as the Citizens of Heaven That we should love our Neighbour as our selves and not be so narrow-soul'd as to contain our Affections in smaller bounds than those of the Universe That we should follow Peace with all men forgive our Enemies pray for our Persecutors and be kind and obliging to all with whom we converse That we should subdue all angry Resentments and quench all revengeful desires and carefully abstain from every thing that is injurious to our Neighbour and do to others as we should reasonably desire they should do to us were we in their circumstances That we should in order to these ends repent of our Sins believe in the Lord Jesus and depend upon the aids of Divine Grace to enable us to purifie our thoughts and words and purge our actions and ●it us for Heaven These are the chief heads of the Christian Doctrine These are the excellent Rules which our Saviour commanded by his word and blessed example These were the Precepts that startled the World and inflam'd the hearts of guilty Sinners with such hatred and malice against the Apostles This was the chief cause of their enmity against the Preachers of this new Faith even because they would have reclaim'd them from their vicious courses and invited to the utmost heights of holiness because they endeavour'd to pull down the Devils throne and establish the Empire of Christ to root up those Weeds and Briars that had over-run the Garden of God and plant those Seeds of Grace that might bring forth fruit unto righteousness Their design was to work in the hearts of men an holy conformity to the Divine Nature and because the Philosophy of the Heathens and Law of Moses was not so clear and perfect as was necessary to bring men to happiness therefore did God send his Son to give this last and most perfect Revelation of his Will which for clearness and certainty and perfection far exceeds all the Volumes of Morality compil'd by Heathens and even that Law which was given from Heaven to the Jews In these particulars 't is confessed the Apostles did turn the world upside down but they were so far from deserving a reproof that for this very Cause the highest veneration of them as the most noble Benefactors to mankind is their due The error of the men of Lystra who took them for gods in the shape of men Acts 14. 11. was much more excusable than the dangerous mistake of these who accused them for disturbing a vicious World For they testi●ied God's approbation to their Doctrines wherever they came 1 By their intrinsick Worth and Excellence they maintained none of the absurd Articles of the Gentile Faith and imposed none of the burthensom Ceremonies of the Jewish Worship but their Doctrines were all suited to the Reasons of men and commended themselves to their approbation by their intrinsick Excellence To go over the former particulars 1. Their conceptions of God and the manner how he will be Worshipp'd Reason tells us that he who gave to all their Beings and Perfections must be himself infinitely perfect Must injoy all excellencies in himself in an eminent degree and be divested of every Imperfection The works of Nature declare that he must be Infinite in Power who created the vast Fabrick of Heaven and Earth incomprehensible in Wisdom who order'd every thing with such admirable harmony and agreement and boundless in his Goodness who gave such comely Perfections to every creature and made them so useful and serviceable one to another the whole World is a Map to represent these several excellencles and every Creature a Herald to proclaim these glorious Perfections his works of Providence discover his Justice whereby he Thunders against obstinate Sinners his Holiness whereby he shows his delight in the sincerely Obedient and his Truth whereby he makes good his Promises and Threatnings Indeed the Nature of God