Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	conscience_n	faith_n	unfeigned_a	2,594	5	11.1136	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09386	A C[hristian] and [plain]e treatise of the manner and order of predestination and of the largenes of Gods grace. First written in Latine by that reuerend and faithfull seruant of God, Master William Perkins, late preacher of the word in Cambridge. And carefully translated into English by Francis Cacot, and Thomas Tuke.; De prædestinationis modo et ordine. English	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Cacot, Francis.; Tuke, Thomas, d. 1657.	1606 (1606)	STC 19683; ESTC S103581	116,285	285

hope we expect and wait for that saluation Rom. 8. 24. which by faith we apprehend and assure our selues of for the ●●ualuable merits of Christ. Now this grace is not giuen to any besides the Elect. For how can the Reprobate hope to be saued seeing they are appointed for the day of euill and are reserued to the day Prou. 16. 4. Iob. 21. 30. 〈◊〉 Tim. 1 5 of destruction and shall be brought foorth to the day of wrath Thirdly Loue which springeth out of a pure heart and floweth from a good conscience and faith vnfeigned is giuen only to Gods Elect. For it is not possible for the Reprobate to loue God to that end and in that manner which God requireth seeing he hath cast them off from all eternity and purposed not to giue them any sauing grace considering also that they are by nature voyd of pu●itie and do liue and dye in sinne Now this priuiledge is the greater because this grace is very rare and excellent Loue is as it were a knife wherewith faith shareth and cutteth out the duties which we doe owe vnto God and man in some good and acceptable manner Loue is the cock which letteth out the water of Gods graces out of the cisterne of our hearts Loue is the nurse of humanitie the mother of equitie the maintainer of vertue the daughter of faith the preseruer of pietie the mistresse of modestie the badge of Christianitie the bane of discord the staffe of concord Col. 3. 14. Iob. 13. 35. 1. Cor. 1● 13. the keeper of the Crowne the bond of perfection and the note of a true disciple Saint Paul in some sort prefers it to faith and hope when he saith Now abideth faith hope and loue but the chiesest of these is Loue. By which we see that the Lord hath highly honoured vs in that hee conferreth this glorious grace vnto none but vs. Lastly that filiall Prou. 9. 10. Prou. 1● 27. feare which is the beginning of wisdome and the well-spring of life to auoyd the snares of death and which makes a man to keepe the golden rule of mediocritie is giuen onely to Gods Elect. For how can the Reprobate who doe loue sinne and doe not loue God how I say can they feare to displease him because they hate sinne and loue him or how can the Reprobate who are all ordeined to ineuitable and eternall perdition be sayd to feare God as a Sonne feareth his louing Father seeing they be slaues and considering that the word of God pronounceth him happy and blessed who standeth Psa. 112 〈◊〉 in awe of GOD and feareth to offend him If the Reprobate be blessed then of all men the Elect are most accursed But wee shall say that those are blessed whom the Lord hath accursed if we shall say that the Reprobate doe feare God with that feare whereof I now speake Priuil 14. 〈◊〉 Chron. 14. 11. Nahum 1. 9. Act. 〈◊〉 4 GOD accounteth those iniuries as done vnto himselfe which the wicked offer vnto his faithfull seruants Saul persecuted the true professors of Christ yet Christ told him from heauen that he persecuted him The afflictions of Gods children are called in the Scriptures Col. 1. 24 Christs afflictions For such is the vnion and communion betwixt the head and the members that if any of Reuel 11 8. them smart the head is partaker of the griefe If any part be crazed or annoyed the heart is ready to mourne the head to consult the tongue to bewayle and vtter it the foot to run to the Surgeon and the hand is ready to do her duety Euen so it is betweene Christ and his members If any of them bee iniuriously vexed and troubled hee takes the wrong as done vnto himselfe And so Christ may be sayd to be crucified in that great city which is mystically called Sodom and Babylon that is Rome because hee is there put to death in his members and is in them as it were slayne continually by * Romish authority is either heathenish or Popish Christ died by the former but in hi● members he hath died by both and yet doth by the latter Zach. 〈◊〉 8. Math. 25 Romish authority as hee was by it if wee speake properly crucifyed and put to death So in lyke manner the Lord sayeth He which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye And as Christ esteemeth of those good deeds which men do vnto them as done vnto himselfe euen so hee accounteth the bare neglecting and the not relieuing of them in their wants as if the wicked had been in this kind of duety faultie vnto himselfe God will shorten the World and hasten the comming of his Sonne for the Priui 15 Elect. And so that speach of Christ may be vnderstood For the Elects sake those Math. 24 22. euill dayes shall be shortened Moreouer such is the patience and good wil of God vnto his Elect as that hee stayeth his comming for a time because he would as Peter affirmeth haue none of them to perish but come vnto repentance 2. Pet. 3. 9. that when hee commeth they may bee welcome vnto him and hee to them God doth effectually call the Elect and none besides them and they alone Priui 16 are iustifyed in his sight For hee doth pardon them alone and they only are Rom. 8. 30. clothed with the spotlesse roabes of Christs perfect righteousnes Therefore the Prophet saith The ch●stisement of our Isa. 53. 5 6. peace was vpon him The Lord hath layed vpon him the iniquitie of vs all For the 〈◊〉 transgression of my people was he plagued By his knowledge shall my righteous seruant 11. 12. Math. 1. 21. Iohn 17. 9. iustifie many He bare the sinne of many He doth not say all For he came to saue his owne people only from their sinnes He did not so much as pray for the Reprobate Now this is a very great and admirable priuiledge and honour that God should send his only Sonne to dye for vs few despicable wretches and that Christ should lose his life and shead his heart blood for vs only whereas it was in Act 20. 28. it selfe being the blood of God sufficiēt to haue redeemed a thousand thousand worlds of sinners If a man had a medicine able to cure all diseases and would not giue it any sauing some few they were wonderfully indebted to him The blood of Christ is able to heale all our soule-sicknesses and to deliuer vs from all our sinnes and it hath pleased him to wash vs alone in it and to withhold it from the far greater part of mankind By which we see how highly hee hath honoured vs and how deep we are in his debt If three men were in danger of drowning or burning and a man should come and deliuer one of them and leaue the other two to the danger all men might well say that he fauoured him more then the other By our sinnes we

his kingdome so as that he should not want a man to be a Ruler in Israel And albeit in that place he requireth that he should do according to all his commandements whereby he may seeme to exact perfect and therefore impossible obedience yet if we consider all things well it will plainely appeare that hee meaneth no other thing then that hee should labour and seeke to please him in all things because hee setteth his father Dauid before his eyes as a patterne to follow and because else-where we reade that hee maketh the same promise vnto him onely requiring of him To indeuour himselfe to doe hi● commandements 2 Chron. 28. 7. as hee had begun Now this is a very comfortable doctrine For when a man considereth that GOD respects his weake obedience and honest heart and accounteth the will to doe for the deed done his heart is eased his conscience is appeased his mind is setled and beholding the infinite loue of God he is rauished with ioy and prouoked to magnifie his mercy and to struggle against the corruption of his heart to please him in doing all things which are pleasing in his sight Now lest we should beguile our selues for mans heart is a mine of subtilty in thinking we desire will to beleeue repent obey whē as we either do not at al or do but as a reprobate may doe I will set downe some rules which as the touch-stone trieth gold and as Salomons sword found out the right mother so these may serue to discouer the truth of our desires and to deserte the goodnes of our wils First of all if we be grieued that we can desire and will no better then we do secondly if we do desire and will to do these things for the glory of God and because we are perswaded that both these things and the willing of them are pleasing vnto God thirdly if we striue to increase in willing and desiring and if we feed● them with the diligent hearing of Gods word with holy meditations with often prayers and with setting before vs the ensamples of excellent men as the Priests kept the fire vpon the altar and fed it continually and suffered it not to Leuit. 6. 12. go out fourthly if to our wills and desires we ioyne reformation of our liues and in our seuerall callings labour accordingly to serue God fiftly if in our hearts we prefer eternall seruing of God in heauen before all momentany profits and pleasures whatsoeuer Sixtly if we had rather liue in a continuall crosse all our life long but yet pleasing God and being in his fauour then spend the same in sinfull pleasures continually displeasing his Maiesty Seuenthly if we desire and will to s●rue him and to returne home vnto him from 〈◊〉 sins though wee were verily perswaded that there were no hell Lastly if 〈◊〉 had rather please God his rod of correction being alwayes exercised vpon vs then liue without remorse of conscience against our knowledge in profitable and pleasant sinnes continu●lly 〈◊〉 ing and displeasing GOD our gr●cious Father though wee were certainely as it were by oracle from heauen assured that we should at the last gasp repent and be saued notwithstanding our former rebellion and horrible disloyaltie If we desire and will to beleeue repent and obey and find these things in vs then our desires will goe for currant God will accept of them and approoue them The Lord indeed suffereth his children Pri 〈◊〉 28. to fall but it is to let them see that their standing is by his grace and to shew them that he is not obliged with any bond of their merit● which are iust none to sust●ine and vphold them he dot● it also to make thē cling the closer about him and to seeke more earnestly for his assistance as the little child skrec●●th one for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is falne lieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wling vpon the ground be doth it to hi● 〈◊〉 the and to abate their natura●l ●rid●●nd as 〈◊〉 lets thē ral●●● loue so by their f●l● he mani●esteth his wisdome ●●tegrity and sheweth his admirable cōp 〈◊〉 humanity in forgiuing and in raising them vp againe But the fals of the reprobate kindle the coales of Gods weath against them and further their full finall perdition they serue to increase their 〈◊〉 and consequently their paines they serue for punishments sometimes of former offences and by committing one sinne in the neck of an other they put out the light of nature they harden their hearts and sit themselues for further wickednes euen as the stithy becomes the harder by striking I graunt indeed that oftentimes they are greuously galled perplexed with their sins But it is not a sorow that causeth repentance vnto saluation neuer to be repented of And vsually it ●areth with them 〈◊〉 it doth with yong Hat-makers or such as vse to play at Stoole-ball In the beginning their fingers may blister and their hands may ake but after a while their hands become ●ard and brawny and are well armed for such works and the more they practise the lesse paine they feele so the custome of sinning takes away the sense of the sin And as y ● dropsy mā the more he drinks the drierhe is so the reprobate the more he falleth the more he ●●nsieth falling It is not possible that any of the Elect Pri●i 29 should be damned or that any of them being soundly conuerted should ●holly for a time much lesse for euer fall away from God and perish For Gods decree of a 2. Tim. 2. 19. Election is constant and his b Isa. 46. 10. counsell shall stand c Iohn 6. 37. Him that commeth vnto me saith Christ I cast not away that is I do not cast off or eiect him that embraceth me with the hand and armes of a liuely faith and testifieth the same with the fruites thereof And whom God hath predestin●ted called and iustified them d Rom. 8. 30. he will also glorifie For his couenant with them is an e Iere. 32 40. euerlasting couenant and his gifts are w●●hout f Rom. 11. 29. repentance g Cant. 8 6. Loue is strong as death much water can not q 〈◊〉 h loue neither can the floods drowne i● Prety which 〈◊〉 was neuer prety And true faith though as small as a graine of must●●d seed cannot altogether vanish and bee extinguished For God will 〈◊〉 it hee will not h Isa. 4● 3. breake the bru●ed reed nor quench the smoking flexe Indeed faith may be shaken but it can not be shiuered in peeces it may be mooued but it can not be remooued it may 〈◊〉 and wax dry but it can not weare away quite and die Sathan may si●t and towze it he may lay siege against it but he cannot sack it he shall neuer destroy it The Sunne may set and for a time lye hid but it remayneth in the heauen and faith may be couered as fire with