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
A28643	Precepts and practical rules for a truly Christian life being a summary of excellent directions to follow the narrow way to bliss : in two parts / written originally in Latin by John Bona ; Englished by L.B.; Principia et documenta vitae Christianae. English	Bona, Giovanni, 1609-1674.; Beaulieu, Luke, 1644 or 5-1723.	1678 (1678)	Wing B3553; ESTC R17339	106,101	291

and well-being hath set these bounds to our affections that we should love him with all our heart and with all our Soul that we should consecrate to the service of that Love our understanding our life and all our powers and that if we love any thing else it be in reference and in subordination to him that deserves all our Love and should be the master and disposer of it The love of God must therefore lead the way to what else we should love it must always prevail and be the rule of all our affections and then we cannot love nor do amiss CHAP. XXXV Of the Necessity and Measures of Loving our Neighbour 1. WE cannot love God as we should without we love our Neighbour neither can we love our Neighbour except we love God If any man saith I love God and hateth his Brother he is a liar for he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen and this commandment have we from him that he who loveth God loveth his Brother also 1 Joh. 4.20 The Commandment makes no exception though the man be poor though he be a stranger nay though he be vicious and thine enemy yet he is thy Neighbour and thy Brother and he must be lov'd The expressions of thy love may vary according to his needs and thine opportunities Yet they must be hearty real and effective for The End of the Commandment is Charity out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfained 1 Tim. 1.5 And we must not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth 1 Joh. 3.18 2. As Christ loved us and gave himself for us not that we deserv'd any love but because he lov'd God and us in God to whom he purchast us so must we love all men not for ours or their sakes but for God's sake having no further regard to what is good in them than only as it relates to God True Christians are so strictly united together by love that what one hath not in himself he with joy finds it in others and what one hath more than the rest he willingly imparts it to all As by our love to God we are united and in some manner become one spirit with him so by the mutual love of men of Christians especially they become one among themselves so that what one hath to himself is for the good of all and what one hath not in himself he hath and enjoys in others Thus love is the fulfilling of the Law and the fulfilling of all Righteousness According as is the mans Charity in the beginning progress or perfection so is his goodness and his righteousness and then most perfect in this life when even life it self is parted with for love 3. The modus or measure of love to our Neighbour is twofold positive and negative First To do to him as we would he should do to us Secondly And not to deal with him any otherwise than as we would he should deal with us Every one therefore in the sight of God to whom all things are known must consider seriously what he would others should do or not do to him and if he desires others should he patient towards him and bear with his faults and infirmities and speak well of him c. Then let him be careful to do so to others 'T is a sure indication of a perverse heart for a man in a private capacity to do that to another which he should be sorry to suffer himself A good Christian doth not inquire into the manners and faults of others but leaves them to his view and correction to whom all judgment is given He examines judgeth and punisheth himself and makes self-reformation his serious and constant business Whatever he sees or hears his mind is undisturb'd and abides in peace for if it be good he praiseth God if evil he turns it to good by turning his mind from it towards God in Prayers and Resignation 4. If his Office and Charity obligeth him to reprove and to correct others he doth it with a zeal sweet and benign and compassionate to his Brothers infirmity for roughness and ungovern'd passion cannot consist with Charity If the ill actions of others are capable of an excuse he excuseth them however he censures not knowing that nothing human is so perfect and holy but may be ill interpreted and at the best may be some way defectuous enough to be liable to reprehension if carping men let loose their censorious humors Whilst men are men they will have some imperfections and to be zealous against them is under pretence of preciseness to give way to peevish impatience or proud censoriousness He that is too busie to tax and judge others will never grow better himself CHAP. XXXVI True Friendship and the true Offices of it 1. FRiendship is the communion of good things and therefore it follows the nature of those things which friends have common Now there being nothing truly good but things supernatural and eternal true friendship must consist in the communication of these mutually Hence it is that carnal friendship is soon dissolved because things of sense cannot last nor always confine the spirit whereas spiritual friendship is never broken for though it may seem to be interrupted by little angers and contentions yet true piety and the love of God sweetens the harshness of them and keeps the knot indissoluble As for that friendship which too much sets our hearts upon any person and may be called Doting it should be stifled and avoided as being mischievous and it is to be known by these tokens when the party belov'd is always in our thoughts and we can never be well without him when we fear his displeasure above all things when in him we rest as in our center and we sacrifice to him all our actions and most important concerns And let none flatter themselves that this is pure innocent friendship without any self-interest for it is altogether sensual it depraves the heart and affections it is an enemy to all wisdom and true Religion and it begins and ends in the flesh and 't is to be observ'd that this kind of friendship is never betwixt persons truly good and vertuous 2. Men of real worth are always well composed grave and of a sweet deportment they are courteous to all but they are familiar to few and they flatter none in their conversation modesty discretion an exact justice and an unaffected severity is to be observed They seek not to make a shew outwardly their life is inward and secret they live to God and to their own conscience They fairly converse with men outwardly when it is fitting but their heart cleaves to God and they will not disturb themselves with the silly impertinencies or petty concerns of the world Their designs and affections differ much from the vulgar multitude and therefore their words and actions are guided with

with shame and confusion of face to be ready to make all satisfaction and amends possible for past offences to restrain and mortify all sinful appetites carefully to avoid all the ways and allurements to sin to humble our selves and willingly to bear contempt frequently to examine our conscience and search the secrets of our hearts to root out as much as is possible all vicious desires and inclinations and to set in their stead all virtuous and holy affections 2. They that make this their serious and constant employment have their own sins before their eyes but have no eyes for the sins of others they grieve for their own offences and punish their own follies but they pass by or excuse the faults of others they see their own danger and are always afraid of falling and always watchful not to fall For our necessary converse with the World our ill customs and our dwelling with baits and temptations exposeth us to sin and yet takes the sense of it from us especially our evil inclinations which being born with us have a strong party in our hearts and begin by times to deprave or harden Conscience that it shall hardly have any feeling of sins daily committed And then this is the unhappiness of contracting ill habits that the oftner we act by them the more we confirm them and the less we observe our faults and errors CHAP. XXXIX Remedies against ordinary failings and greater sins 1. TO fall into those sins which some call Venial or sins of daily incursion is hardly to be avoided and yet even those sins cannot be said to be little that are committed against a great God and for which we must suffer Eternal Torments if we our selves were to make expiation for them But though there is pardon for those unavoidable errors which without a special grace we cannot but commit at some time yet ought we to endeavour with all our power daily to lessen the number of them and to prevent them by acts of contrary virtues one by one To that end we should be as careful as men are in contagious times who not only avoid infected persons but also all that hath toucht and been about them so should we in the case of those sins that are counted light avoid and stop all the ways and avenues that lead to them Lest we falling frequently at last fall into the pit of death 2. Every moment almost we have some temptation to vain talk or vain inquisitiveness to anger or unseemly jesting to contention or impatience to idle thoughts and distraction or to such like sins which are the more difficult to be avoided that being mixt with all our worldly affairs they are hardly to be discern'd Therefore we must at least secure this that however our nature stands affected to any of those lesser sins yet our hearts may not entertain any love for them lest our own affections hinder us carefully to watch and strive against them Without this our after-Repentance and our Sacramental vow will signifie little to obtain remission of them or victory against them I know that 't is said of these failings that the just man falls seven times a day but yet certain it is that the just man endeavours against it and that he never falls but by frailty or by sudden surprise 3. Likewise for vices or greater sins to conquer them you must stifle them in the birth suppress the first motion to them and meet the temptation with an act of virtue contrary to it As for example if you be abused and provok'd refrain the first stirring of Anger and then busie your mind with some act of Patience and Humility considering that you suffer that and less than that you deserve praying for him that doth you wrong and resolving to do him any kindness you can For thus we best avoid evil by studying to do that which is good and the last is as much our duty as the first and that servant deserves no great reward who doth not strike and revile his master if he doth not withal faithfully serve and obey him In this many deceive themselves who think to have made sure work of their Salvation because they have not been wicked when yet they have neglected positive duties and have not done those good works which God requir'd from them Cease to do evil learn to do good both are equally commanded not to transgress by omission no more than commission CHAP. XL. Clergy-men have some especial obligations though all are bound to endeavour after perfection 1. THough the same institutes of Christian perfection be delivered to all and all are to walk by the same rule as has been shew'd before Chap. 7. Yet it cannot be denyed but that Clergy-mens obligations to a strict devout life are much inforced upon them by their particular calling For they are not only oblig'd to be holy themselves but also by their life and doctrine to set forth the glory of God and set forward the Salvation of all men In order to which they must be very careful so to follow after virtue and all things that are honest and of good report so to live and so to converse with men that their words and actions may speak them and others may acknowledge them to be indeed the sons of God and ministers of Christ and to this the least neglect and remissness will be very prejudicial because they are observ'd by all and men generally are apt to judge and to follow the worst 2. They must remember that as all Christians are but Stewards and have nothing of their own and must use the World as not possessing it and as being ready to part with it so they more especially are to count nothing their own and that little they have as well as themselves must be subservient to the design of their function They must remember that they are not only as others oblig'd to live by the Gospel-Rules but that besides they have devoted themselves to the service of the Church and have vow'd obedience to its constitutions and so far are barr'd from their own will which must comply with that order and commission they have taken And most of all let them remember that Christ himself whose servant they are humbled himself came in the form of a servant became of no reputation became poor for us though he were Lord of all and became obedient to the death Professing he was not come do his own will but the will of him that sent him 3. What will it avail to read the instructions and examples of Christ and his Saints if we follow them not those things were written for our learning and are set before us for our imitation It hath been said by some that no Christian comes to Heaven that is not a Martyr we must all be prepar'd for it and indeed that mortification and self-denyal which all Christians especially spiritual guides are oblig'd to use is a kind of Martyrdom without bloud is