Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	action_n	good_a	life_n	2,683	5	4.5961	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09967	The fulnesse of Christ for vs A sermon preached at the court before King James of blessed memory. By Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1639 (1639)	STC 20224; ESTC S111967	15,862	70

lie in no knowne sinne that God bearing witnesse to our consciences we have a full and resolute purpose not to doe the least evill nor to omit the least good in a word that we make our hearts perfect with God in all things for without this there is no remission of sinnes then they are not beyond the price that was paide for them nor beyond the grace of him with whom we have to doe because there is fulnesse in him Now I beseech you take not this exhortation in vaine For there is nothing more effectuall to heale a rebellious heart to instill soveraigne saving grace to cause a sinner to change his course then to be perswaded that he shall be taken to mercy and that his sinnes shall bee forgiven in Christ. Even as the thiefe while the Hue and Cry pursues him never returnes willingly Rebels and Pyrats while the Proclamation of rebellion is against them never come in but if there be a Proclamation of pardon yea of some great advancement if that be beleeved once truly that and nothing but that causeth them to lay downe their courses and become loyall and loving subjects so is it with poore sinners upon the apprehension of Christs willing supply Therfore let the fulnesse of the mercy of Christ moove us to lay downe our armes of rebellion and to chuse God for our God and to give our selves wholly unto him And thus I passe the fulnesse given to Christ. Now next view for whom it is It is for us That we may receive grace for grace Note that as there is a fulnesse of grace in Christ so is it for this use that all grace may be received As all starres shine in the light of the Sunne so doe all the Saints through grace received The Scripture is evident for this It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure Wee are not sufficient of our selves to thinke any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God So that all grace and all preparations to grace and all ability to accept grace is all from God and not of our selves whatsoever men dreame and that for these reasons Because nothing can work beyond the Spheare of it's owne reach the effect exceedeth not the cause Therefore it is impossible for corrupt nature to get supernaturall grace or to doe any action preparing inclining or bending the will unto it For as the water cannot heate which is an action above the nature of it untill an higher principle of nature be infused into it no more can meere nature doe any thing tending to saving grace having no principle in it selfe whereby it can raise it Indeed to will is naturall but to will good is supernaturall and must needs arise from an higher Wels head then nature is For as an Hatchet will cut when it is handled but with a common hand but to make a Chaire or Stoole or like artificiall thing except it have the influence of an Artificer it cannot so though to will be natural yet to wil well to doe a supernaturall work in a supernaturall and holy way it cannot except it have the influence of a supernaturall agent to guide and direct it From this consideration arise two Corollaries to direct our judgments and practises First for our judgements this part shewes the errour of the Pelagians who ascribe the beginnings preparations and abilities of our accepting of grace to our selves and our owne free-will although the complement be of God But you see by that which hath been said that not onely the full streames but that every drop of grace hath beene received from his fulnesse This errour of theirs proceeds from their not distinguishing aright betwixt acquisite habits and those that are infused Indeed in acquisite habits the acts goe before the habits prepare for it But in infused habits it is clean contrary It is with them as with the naturall powers of the soul. We have first the faculty of seeing before we see and of hearing before wee heare so have we first the infused habitts before wee exercise the operations of it For as the wheele doth not runne that it may be made round so the heart doth not first doe the action whereby it may be set in a good frame but it is first fashioned and made a new creature by grace then it doth performe actions and bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life For that which is said of the soule it doth frame an house for it selfe and frame it selfe a roome is as truely said of grace it useth no harbenger for nothing can prepare for grace but grace If it be objected that such as Seneca and Socrates were much enlightened and did also approve the Law in the Inner man and had not onely an offer some way but had a certaine kind of universall and common grace This priviledge cannot be denyed to many of the heathen who as Alchimists though they misse of their end yet they finde many excellent things by the way So though they fayled of the right end of the glory of God yet were they not destitute of many common and excellent gifts wherein though one did goe farre beyond another as Seneca beyond Nero yet as they say of sins that they doe all alike passe the rule of rectitude though some goe further beyond it then others so were they all destitute of originall righteousnesse though some were more inlightened from it then others all are alike dead in sinnes though some as dead bodies were putrified and corrupted more then others Now to direct our practise If all grace be received then first deferre not repentance For no repentance is acceptable to salvation but what proceeds from sanctifying grace and that you see is received and given of God as he pleaseth It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but he hath compassion on whō he will and whom he will he hardeneth As I said the spirit breatheth where and when he pleaseth Therefore we should doe as Millers and Marriners take the Gale when it commeth and make use of it because they have not the wind in a bottle Suppose a man were to passe the Seas in twenty dayes upon paine of death if the wind should blow the first second and third dayes no wise man would omit that opportunity because he knowes the windes are not in his power But if the spirit shall breath into our hearts good motions of turning to God unfainedly in our youth yeares of age or whensoever it is the greatest wisedome in the world to take the opportunity and not to put it off Who knowes whether ever it will be had againe or no How many thousands are in hell who thought to have repented and did not because they neglected the breathings of the spirit when they were offered There are certaine acceptable times after which God offereth grace

grieving the spirit God suffer his spirit to strive no longer then though ye strive to enter ye be not able because as I said God hath sworne ye shall not enter forever Secondly if all grace bee received then let us be affected as receivers First let vs be thankfull to God for all receits The most gracious are the most gratefull Secondly let us carry our selves in humility towards men For what have we that we have not received shall our purse or vessell boast it selfe against another because the owner hath put more gold and more precious liquor into it or shall the wall that glistereth with the Sun-beames exalt it selfe against another that standeth in the shadow Thirdly let us beg grace at Gods hand by prayer For in obtaining any thing meerely given and received that is the most proper meanes therefore prayer is said to be the banket of grace and it is a true observation that a man of much prayer is a man of much grace Now prayer is either publike or private Private is that whereby wee expresse our private and publike occasions to God every day wherein we renew our repentance and covenants of abstaining from the sinne we are most prone unto and doing the duties whereto we are most unapt in a word that whereby we doe every day set our hearts streight before God in all things This is the very life of Religion and in this we must be frequent and fervent binding our selves with an invincible resolution to keep a constant course in it but of this there is no doubt The next is publike prayer which because it is more questioned and not received of all with the reverence it should I will adde a word or two of it and so conclude That a set forme of prayer is lawfull much need not be said The very newnesse of the contrary opinion is enough to shew the vanity and falshood of it It is contrary to the approved judgements of approved Councels learned Fathers and the continuall practise of the Church Tertullian who lived a little above an hundred yeares of the Apostles death saith Set and ordinary prayer going before it is lawfull to build upon them other petitions This shewes that they had some ordinary set allowed prayers to which some others might be added in words of more liberty In Origens time who lived neere Tertullian it is evident that there were set formes of Prayer used in the Church For in his 11 Homily he repeateth expoundeth some passages of them Vpon which Illiricus saith Without doubt at that time they had certaine formes of prayer Saint Basil in his sixty six Epistle saith that there were used Letanies in the Neocessarian Churches And Ambrose in his time affirmeth that the use of Letanies was frequent Constantine the Great prescribed a set forme of prayer to his souldiers which is set downe by E●sc●ius in his fourth booke And Calvine in his eighty third Epistle to the Protector of England saith that he doth greatly allow a set forme of Ecclesiasticall prayer which the Minister should be bound to observe But as I said before of the lawfulnesse there is little question That which is to be reprehen̄ded is asecret dis-esteeme of publike prayers by reason of which many neglect to come to them and they that doe come doe it in a perfunctory and overly manner which is an extreame madnesse Better it were that men would come to this disjunction either it is lawfull to use them or not if not why doe they not wholly abstaine if so why doe they not use them lawfully in a reverend manner One thing there is which if it were well considered would breed in our men another esteeme of publike prayer then indeed there is and that is that besides the end of attaining what wee want wherein yet publike prayer hath a promise there is another end of prayer and that is to worship God and performe a service to him For proving of which there are two places of Scripture unanswerable Anna served God with fasting and prayer night and day And the Prophets and Teachers of Antioch ministred to the Lord or observed a Liturgy to the Lord whence the word Liturgy is derived and this should breed reverence Ob. Besides how sleight is that which is objected against the lawfulnesse of it to wit that the spirit is stinted when we are fettered with words appointed Sol. I answer the freedome of the spirit stands not so much in the extent of words as in the intention of zeale wherein they are uttered Ob. It is againe objected that we cannot pray for occasionall necessities Sol. I answer that therefore we bind not onely to them but may and ought to use priuate prayer wherein we may expresse our private particular and accidentall occasions And if they be more publike there be prayers both before and after Sermons according to order wherein the Minister is left at more liberty according to fuller apprehension of the Lords prayer And if it be yet more generall belonging to the State and Church we adde to it more generall and publike prayers as in the time of publike infection warre and the Gun-powder Treason dayes But there needs not much to be said to convince the judgement that which is chiefly to be desired is that they may be better observed and more esteemed especially seeing our publike prayers are holy and good and which should be a great inducement the Church hath commanded them For if the Church be to be obeyed in indifferent things as it is then much more in Gods owne Ordinances And if a set forme be lawfull then must a set forme needs excell which is dictated by Christ him-himselfe and is therefore more frequently to be used and with all reverence both in minde and gesture Nor doth this want the practise and approbation of the ancientest It is Saint Cyprians speach by how much more effectually do we obtaine that which we aske in Christs name if we doe aske it in his owne prayer And Saint Augustine saith Learne ye and hold without booke the Lords Prayer and with all the Saints utter it with one same-sounding voyce Thus if we would shew our selves affected as good receivers both in private and publike prayers we shall finde that successe which both Iohn and the rest of 〈◊〉 Saints found who of his fulnesse received grace for grace This God grant for Iesus Christ his sake FINIS Perlegi hans Concionem dignamque judico quae typis mandetur THO. WYKES Detonare ab alto Fulnesse is given to Christ. In person Col. 2. 1. Iohn 1. In Offices In righteousnesse Col. 2. In effects Why fulnesse is given to Christ. In respect of himselfe In respect of us chiefly O● 〈◊〉 betwixt Christs fulnesse and others Sol. Ioh 3. plenitudo 1 vasis 2 fontis Igni● Ignita Application We are invited to come to Christ to take of his full heape De pleno tollere acerno We must answer the fulnes of Christ with a fulnesse of affection We must be content and satisfied with ful Christ. Col. 2. Christ is our fulnes in temporall things 〈…〉 Eccl. 1. Rom. 8. Col. 3. Psal. 37. There is a fulnesse in Christ against the fulnesse of sinne Rom. 5. All grace is received from Christ. Phil 2. 13. 2 Cor. 3. 5. Influentias artificis Application To helpe judgment Fabricare fibi domi●ilium Ob. Sol. To helpe practice Wee must not defer repentance Rom. 9. 15. Luke 19. Ioh. 5. Es. 58. 2. Pet. ● Magno conatu magn●s nugas agimus Fortunam rudentibus apt●● Ephes. 2. 1. 2 Cor 5. 17. Ego non sum ego 1 The 〈◊〉 5 Act. 7. Psal. 95. Though grace be received we must not be idle Phil. 2. Ob. Sol. 2 Cor. 6. Ephs. 4. Gen. 6. Luk. 13. 24. We must be affected to grace as receivers With thanks to God With humility to men With prayer Both in private And in publike prayer Set forms of prayer lawfull a Proemissa legitima ordinaria oratione jus est su perstruendi petitiones b Tunc temporis certas quasd●m orationis formulas proculdubio habuerunt * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse frequentem a Publike prayers are highly to be esteemed a Luke 2. 37. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 b Act. 13. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a The excellency of the Lords prayer a Quanto essicacius impeti amus quod petimus Christi 〈◊〉 si 〈◊〉 oratione petamus Discite reti●ete 〈◊〉 dominicam iater omnes sanctes conso●o ore profer●tis