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	spirit_n	word_n	2,192	5	4.1799	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A55750	Plenitudo fontis, or, Christ's fulnesse and man's emptinesse a sermon / preached by Iohn Preston ...	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1645 (1645)	Wing P3304A; ESTC R21068	16,290	23

b●●●prehended is of a secret disesteem of publique prayers By 〈◊〉 of which many neglect to come to them and they 〈◊〉 doe it in a perfunctory and overly manner which is an extreame fault Better were it that men would came to this disjunction either it is lawfull to use them or 〈◊〉 if not why doe they not wholly abstaine and if they ●●lawfull why doe they not use them constantly and in a reverent and holy manner One thing there is which if it were well considered would breed in the hearts of men another esteem of our publique prayers then there is And that is that besides the end of obteyning the things we want wherein yet publique prayer hath the promise there is another end in praying and that is to worship God and to performe a service to him for preving of which there are two places of Scripture un-answerable Luke 2. 37. Hannals worshipped God by fasting and prayers the word used is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which is the proper word for worship Acts 13. 2. They ministred to the Lord and fasted the word used is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} whence the word Liturgy is derived This me thinkes should breed in the hearts of men a reverend esteeme of this duty Besides how straight is that which is objected against the lawfulnesse of it as that the Spirit is stinted when wee are fettered with words appointed Answ. The freedome of the Spirit stands not so much in the extent of the words as the intensnesse of the zeale wherewith they are uttered Besides if this argument were good it would swell against conceived prayer for if he that heareth hath a larger spirit then he that prayeth there is to him the same stinting o● restraint Againe it is objected that we cannot pray for occasionall necessities Therefore we bind not only to a set forme but men may and ought to use besides private prayer wherein we may expresse our private accidentall and particuler occasions And if they be more publique there are prayers before and after Sermon wherein the Minister is left at more liberty And if it be yet more generall belonging to the State or Church we adde it to the publike prayers as it is in the Gun-powder-treason times of War dearth c. But there needs not much be said to convince the judgement that which is chiefely to be desired is that they may be better observed and more esteemed especially seeing our publique prayers be holy and good and which should be a greater inducement the Church hath commanded them And if the Church be to be obeyed in indifferent things as it is much more in appointing of Gods owne Ordinances And if a set forme of prayer bee lawfull then the Lords Prayer must needes excell being dedicated by Christ himselfe and is therefore to bee more frequently used and withall Reverence both in minde and gesture Nor doth this want the practise and approbation of the Auncient it is Cyprians speech Quanto efficacius impetramus quod petimus Christi nominae si ipsius Oratione petamus And Saint Augustine Disce et retinete orationem Dominicam et inter omnes sanctos Consono ore proferatis Thus if we shal shew our selves affected as Receivers in using both publicke and private praier we shall find that successe which Iohn and the rest found who of his fulnesse received Grace for Grace FINIS Plin. Pr●efar Hist. Natural D. W. 2 Leaves in some places Gen. 3. 14. The first part 1. In regard of his p●●son 2. In regard of his Offices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o● his R●●hteousnesse 4. In regard of his Effect 1. Reasons from Christ 2. From our selves Q●●st Answ. Vse 4. Simile Object● Object Answ. Object Answ. Corol. 2.

whereby it is put into a right frame but it is first fa shioned and made a new Creature by grace and then it doth actions and brings forth fruits wo●thy amendment of life for what is said of the soule is as truly said of Grace it doth Fabrica●● Sibi Domicilium prepareth a room for it selfe useth no Harb●nger for nothing can prepare for grace but grace And if it be objected as Arminius doth in his book upon the 7. to the Romans that such as Seneca and Socrates were much enlightned did approve the law of God according to the inward man and had a kind of universall common grace I answer that this priviledg cannot be denyed to many among the Heathen that as Alch●mists though they misse the end yet they finde many excellent things by the way So though they failed of the right end the glory of God yet they were not destitute of many excellent common gifts wherein though one did go faire beyond another as Seneca beyond Nero and so others yet as they say of sins they do all alike passe the●rule of rectitute though some goe further beyond than others so were they al alike destitute of or●ginal Righteousnesse although some more elongated from ●t than others al are alike dead in sins though some as dead bodies more corrupted and putrified than others And if it be objected as it is by Arminius to what end then are Exhortations and Threatnings the propounding of Punishments and Rewards if it be not in our power to accept Grace refuse it as we wil I answer that as the raine although it fal aswel upon Rockes and Heathes as upon V●●●●●● and Fruitfull places yet no man asketh to what end is the first and latter raine So Exhortations Admonitions though they fal aswel upon the Reprobates and those that are desperately wicked as u●on those that are docible and capable of better things it is to no se●●e folly to aske to what end they are seeing as the raine so they are to many beneficial and useful So much for the first Corollary which serves to rectifie Judgements The next is for Practise If al grace be received then deferre not repentance for no repentance is accepted but what proceeds from a Sanctifying grace and that as you see is received that is given by God as he wil It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but he hath compassion on whom he wil have compassion and whom he wil he hardeneth Rom. 9. 15. As I said before the Spirit breatheth where and when it listeth Therefore we should as Millers and Mariners are wont to doe who take the Gale when it commeth because they know the winds are not at their command Suppose a man were to passe the Seas within 20 da●s upon pain of death if the wind should blow the second day third day or fourth day no wise man would omit the opportunity because he knowes the winds are not in his power So if the spirit shal breath into our hearts good motions of turning to God unfainedly in our youth at 16. 17. or when over it is the greatest wisedome in the world to take the opportunity and not to put it off who knoweth whether they wil be had againe 〈◊〉 no How many thousand are now in Hel who tho●ght to ha● repented and did not because they neglected those breathings 〈◊〉 the Spirit where they were offered For there are certaine acceptable times after which God offers Grace no more happy he that knowes that day of his visitation and as our Saviour speaketh the things which belong to his Peace in that his day which Ierusalem did not which made Christ to weep over it and which Saul did not and the Jewes in Ieremiah's time did not when God forbad Ieremy to pray for them For as there were certaine times when the Angell moved the waters in the poole of Bethesda and he that then stepped in was healed so there are certaine acceptable times wherein God troubles the hearts of men by his spirit Happy is he who then steps into a good course that he may be healed to Salvation I say there are certaine times wherein God doth as it were thaw and soften the frozen hearts of men And it is wisedome then with the husband-man to put in the plough while the ground is soft for the heart in such a case is like iron in the furnace easily fashioned but stay till it be cold and it will not be wrought upon I beseech you therefore let us be exhorted to take the opportunity and not be like to those whom Isayah complaines of who like bulrushes how down their heads for a day while some storme of inward or outward trouble is upon them but when a faire Sun-shine day comes to dry it up againe lift up their heads as upright as ever before If a man would sit downe and call his thoughts together but for one half hour and consider this seriously I have but a little time to live here it is another place where I must live for all eternity and it shall be with ●●e for all this etern●ty as I spend this short time I say if this were thoroughly considered I wonder that any thing else should take up the intentions and thoughts of a mans heart but only how to make sure his salvation But alas we are robbed of our selves through worldly delights and doe magno conat● magnas ●●gas agere and so we spend our lives But if we would not have with the Merchant Forturam rudentibus ap●am that is an estate hanging upon ropes and depending upon uncertaineties especially seeing grace whence repentance proceedeth is as you see received and not in our power But wee mistake repentance and that is the cav●e we defer it it is not as it is commonly thought a sorrow for our sinnes onely nor a ●●cere leaving of sinnes out of feare of hell and desire to be saved which a man may doe out of the strength of naturall wisedome providing for his owne safety but it is a much different thing viz. putting life into a dead man Ephesians 2. 1. Making a man a new Creature 2 Corinthtant 5. 17. A change of the whole frame of the heart As if another soule dwelt in the same body as he saith Ego non ego In a word when a man is cleane another man then he was serving of God out of an inward propensnesse and having the whole bent of his disposition turn'd to delight in the Law of God without these by-respects And that this may yet be made clearer and put out of all doubt I would aske but this question That repentance which men take up in age or in times of extreamity whence proceedeth it if from selfe love as it usually doth in such cases because the soule is then strongly possessed with an apprehension of death and hell and another life then there is no more then nature in it for