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
A12099	Five pious and learned discourses 1. A sermon shewing how we ought to behave our selves in Gods house. 2. A sermon preferring holy charity before faith, hope, and knowledge. 3. A treatise shewing that Gods law, now qualified by the Gospel of Christ, is possible, and ought to be fulfilled of us in this life. 4. A treatise of the divine attributes. 5. A treatise shewing the Antichrist not to be yet come. By Robert Shelford of Ringsfield in Suffolk priest.	Shelford, Robert, 1562 or 3-1627.	1635 (1635)	STC 22400; ESTC S117202	172,818	340

Cyprian to which S. Augustine Absit autem ut sanctum Cyprianum aut avarum existimemus fuisse quia cum avaritia aut impudicum quia cum impudicitia aut irae subditum quia cum ira c. confligebat God forbid we should think S. Cyprian covetous because he strove with covetousnesse or unchaste because with unchastitie or subjected to anger ambition carnall delights worldly vanities lust pride and the like because he was therewith hourely molested Imò verò ideo nihil corum erat quia his malis motibus partim de origine partim de consuetudine venientibus fortiter resistebat non acquiescens esse quod eum esse cogebant Yea verily saith he he was none of these because he valiantly resisted these evil motions partly arising from nature partly from custome not yeelding to that they would have compelled him Furthermore if it had been possible for Adam in his puritie to have had these sudden ictus or blows of concupiscence in his soul yet had he not consented without question he should never have been turned out of paradise for not to consent to evil suggestions is so farre from the least demerit that by this means rather merit is highly increased for Ubi maxima pugna ibi maxima est victoria Lastly it may be objected that the very best works of the saints are unclean impure menstruous and mortall sinnes therefore it is impossible for any man to keep the law I answer They that say so cannot in my judgement be excused from extream blasphemie yet seeing it is out of ignorance they may happily obtain pardon as the Jews did that crucified our Saviour as S. Peter told them Can the works and fruits of the holy Ghost be impure Hath Christ purchased to himself nought but a filthy and impure generation which can do nothing but sinne and that mortally How can this but derogate from the grace and wisdome of God from grace in that it cannot purifie the heart from filthines from his wisdome and justice to reward menstruous rags for so they term them with heaven Can he reward sinnes how then shall he judge the world secundum judicium veritatem Now the least addition of evil we know in a good act makes it sinfull because bonum est ex integra causa malum ex quolibet defectu Seventhly King James upon the Lords prayer affirmeth it to be blasphemie to say that any of Christs precepts are impossible because this is to give him the lie who out of his own mouth told us that his yoke is easie and his burden light And his inward disciple S. John saith His commandments are not grievous From whence S. Basil the great averreth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Impious it is to say the precepts of Gods Spirit are impossible S. Augustine likewise thus Nunquam imperaret hoc Deus ut faceremus si impossibile judicaret ut hoc ab homine fieret Si considerans infirmitatem tuam deficis sub praecepto confortare exemplo utpote adest ille qui praebuit exemplum ut praebeat auxilium God would never command us to do this thing if he judged it impossible to be done of man If thou therefore considering thine infirmitie faintest under the precept be comforted by example for he that gave his example is at hand that he may also afford his aid Moreover this holy father abhorreth this doctrine as accursed in the hereticks of his time Execramur eorum blasphemiam qui dicunt impossibile aliquid homini à Deo esse praeceptum Dei mandata non à singulis sed ab omnibus in communi posse servari We detest their blasphemie that affirm God commanded any thing impossible to man and that Gods commandments cannot be kept of any man in particular but of all men taken together which erroneous doctrine is there much faulted Farre be it therefore from us to attribute that impietie to our heavenly Father which we cannot justifie to be in a tyrant or cruell governour Secondly in this doctrine of impossibilitie all exhortations to vertue and comminations against vice must needs be overthrown Cùm nemo ad impossibilia teneatur as the lawgivers have exprest it Thirdly if Gods law must be broken of us necessarily how shall God come to judge the world in righteousnesse and the people with his truth as holy David saith Psalme 96. 13. But this blessed Patriarch was doubtlesse of another minde when he said I will runne the way of thy commandments when thou hast set my heart at libertie I love them above gold and precious stones yea all the day long is my delight in them c. How then can these precepts be insupportable which are so easie lovely and delightfull And although as S. Augustine truely lex jubere novit cui succumbit infirmitas gratia tamen juvare quâ infunditur charitas For the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart good conscience and faith unfeigned And thus S. Leo is most true Justè instat praecepto qui praecurrit auxilio He may command what he will that makes man able to obey and not by enforcing the will but by infusing grace aids and elevates its actions to a higher end So where nature cometh short there grace supplies the defect Gods enemies and the unregenerate cannot possibly fulfill the law because S. Paul saith The naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned But Gods sonnes and servants are able not onely to discern and know them but also to observe and fulfill them because S. John saith Whosoever is born of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him neither can he sinne because he is born of God Again Love cometh of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God This is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous or heavie To the unregenerate they are very heavy and grievous unsupportable but to sonnes and friends they are easie and light because Gods Spirit comes in to their aid Wherefore get to be friends with God and then you cannot stand out for any aid obtain to be his not in name but in deed and then you shall want nothing that is good O that the world knew how good and rich God is then every one would strive to be toward him for all things work together for the best to them that love him Again in the regenerate there are two men the old and the new the flesh and the spirit According to this we affirm that the old man cannot fulfill Gods law because S. Paul saith I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Again I see another law in my members warring against the law of my minde and leading me

is thy preacher And to prove this see 1 John 2. 27. where it is written But that anointing which ye have received of him dwelleth in you and ye need not that any teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things c. This anointing is nothing els but Gods Spirit and grace bestowed upon Christians in their Baptisme And of this Spirit and grace speaketh S. Paul 1. Cor. 2. 10. God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God Then if Gods word be true the Spirit of grace which he hath given to his children is another of thy preachers Sixthly thy conscience is thy preacher For assoon as thou hast done any thing amisse or left any thing undone that ought to be done that will by and by tell thee of it Thus Adam and Eves conscience when they had eaten of the forbidden fruit preached unto them that they had offended God and therefore they hid themselves and made them breeches of fig-leaves Who told thee said God that thou wast naked oh his conscience the first preacher had made a sermon unto him So again when David had cut off but a lap of Sauls garment privily his heart smote him for it and told him that he had wronged the Lords anointed And again when he had numbred the people his heart touched him for it Thus every mans conscience is his tutour to teach and govern him not onely after but before he hath done amisse Wouldest thou be thus dealt withall will it say Thou mayst bribe thy preacher with a gift and thou mayst stop the mouth of the parish-priest with a good tithe but nothing will stop the mouth of thy conscience that is a continuall preacher within thee And of this preacher the prophet Isaiah saith further in his 30 chapter vers 21. And thine eares shall heare a word behinde thee saying This is the way walk ye in it when thou turnest to the right hand and when thou turnest to the left This word behinde thee is the word of thy conscience thou canst turn thy self no way but that will speak unto thee If thou goest on thy left hand when thou shouldest go on thy right it will call to thee and tell thee Thou art out of thy way and when thou art in the way if thou goest too much to the right hand or too much to the left it will say to thee with the Preacher in the book of the Preacher Be not thou just overmuch neither make thy self over-wise play not the hypocrite nor the proud fellow for vertue is ever in the midst But how comes thy conscience to preach thus to thee from the law that is written in thine heart by the finger of Gods own hand as S. Paul teacheth Rom. 2. 15. Which shew the effect of the law written in their hearts their conscience bearing witnesse and their thoughts accusing one another or excusing If thou dost ill thy conscience will preach nothing to thee but the Law judgement but if thou dost well then nothing but the Gospel and mercie then thy conscience will be to thee a continuall feast as Solomon saith Besides thy conscience hath another law to inform thee and this is the new covenant of the Gospel spoken of Jer. 31. 33 34. This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those dayes saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest saith the Lord. Is this word of God true then how canst thou complain for want of teaching except thou wilt make Gods word a liar And here you shall further understand that there be two kindes of teaching the one outward the other inward The outward is that which comes from the mouth of man the inward is that which comes from the mouth of the conscience And this inward teaching because it is next to the heart worketh farre more strongly upon it then the outward doth When men had more of this inward teaching and lesse of the outward then was there farre better living for then they lived alwayes in fear of offending and assoon as they had done any thing amisse their conscience by and by gave them a nip and a memento for it Then they confessed their sinnes to God and their Minister for spirituall comfort and counsell then they endeavoured to make the best temporall satisfaction they could by almes prayer and fasting and other good works of humiliation but now outward teaching being not rightly understood hath beaten away this Faith onely justifieth saith the vulgar preacher Then saith the Solifidian and loose liver what need I care how I live no sinne can hurt me so long as I beleeve Thy preacher and thou are both in an errour because Gods word no where teacheth this but the contrary Ye see saith S. James how a man is justified by works and not by faith onely Thou wilt say The Fathers taught this doctrine and our own Church too But how and in what sense to shut out works before faith be come and to acknowledge faith to be the onely beginning in the preparations of our justification but our young preachers and hearers shut up all in faith onely and stay at the beginning and thus verbo tenus they prove but half-Christians Thine own conscience will preach better to thee for that will exclude no vertue and admit no vice And as for thee which art an hearer though thy principles be good yet thy apprehension cannot well digest them because they be somewhat above thy reach Therefore the Church in all ages hath provided that the common people should be content with the common faith as S. Paul calleth it Titus 1. 4. and that deep mysteries should be reserved for the learned who have their wits exercised to discern both good and evil Seventhly good life and conversation of Christians is thy preacher by which very heathens may be wonne and converted to God But you will say How prove you that Turn to 1. Pet. 3. 1. where you shall finde it thus written Let wives be subject to their husbands that even they which obey not the word may without the word be wonne by the conversation of the wives while they behold your pure conversation coupled with fear Here see the force of this preaching when the preaching of the word cannot prevail then men may be wonne by good conversation without the word preached while they behold your pure conversation coupled with fear Good life my brethren is better then a good sermon for that with many goes in at one eare and out at the other but a good life is a sermon in print it