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
A42391	A sermon preached at the visitation held at High Wickham in the county of Bucks. May 16. 1671 Wherein the ministers duty is remembred. Their dignity asserted. Man's reconciliation with God, urged. By Samuel Gardner M.A. and chaplain to His Majesty.	Gardner, Samuel, chaplain in Ordinary.	1672 (1672)	Wing G248A; ESTC R202272	31,540	43

as Luther observes for a man to have the Word and pure Doctrine but he must also be assured of his Calling and he that entreth without this certainty entreth to no other end but to kill and destroy For God never prospereth the labour of them that are not called And although they may teach some good and profitable matter yet they edifie not A Minister must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 3.3 given to Hospitality a lover or user of Hospitality according to the Apostles exhortaion as we have therefore opportunity let us do good unto all men especially unto them who are of the Houshold of Faith And also after the Example of our heavenly Father who maketh his sun to shine on the evil and on the good Matth. 5.45 And for that the common sort approve of friendship by profit Non ex benedictis sed ex benefactis But especially a Minister must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apt to teach ready to teach ever ready prest to do any thing which the Lord hath given him in charge to feed the Peoples Souls with divine meat to approve himself a Pastor after Gods own heart ever labouring to imitate our Blessed Lord and Saviour Matt. 5.2 who so opened his mouth that he taught the People the way of life and Salvation and that with most admirable Wisdom excellent Grace singular Meekness ardent Zeal and Authority unusual not respecting any mans person so that never man spake like this man Joh. 7.46 And as God said to Moses Exod. 23.13 In all things that I have said unto you be circumspect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ye shall be wary or take heed to your selves that ye transgress not So our Saviour gave the charge unto his Disciples to be as wise as Serpents and harmless and innocent as Doves Matt. 10.16 Christ would have them Wise and Innocent The Serpent hath too much subtilty but wants simplicity and innocency therefore the simplicity of the Dove and the wisdom of the Serpent make a good mixture yet of the two it seemeth more safe to want wisdom then innocency better to erre for want of wit then to deceive with too much Nocentissimi autem qui non simplices sicut stultissimi qui non sapientes prastat minus sapere quam peius errare quam fallere Tertull. adversus Valent. Cap. 2. This must be our rejoycing according to that golden saying of the Apostle That in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world 2 Cor. 1.12 Again a Minister must be a Labourer not a loyterer in Gods harvest Whereunto I also labour striving saith the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sweating and taking great pains bearing the burden and heat of the day Col 1.29 Which may be most truly verified of him who laboured more abundantly then all as his works in the New Testament do sufficiently witness Christ never bad us pray for loyterers and lookers on such as will rather let their bodies rust away then spend and wear them away in the service of God The Ministry is a matter of Service as an Honour so a Burden None are called into Gods Harvest but Labourers And therefore what Work we have to do for God we are to put forth our strength about it our great Errand and business in this world being to save Souls we are to apply our selves unto it with all our might which is the Argument of the Holy Ghost Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave whither thou goest Eccles 9.10 Jeremiah saith Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently or deceitfully Jer. 48.10 Maledictus qui facit fraudulenter Arias Mont. If this curse do not touch them which do the chiefest business of the Lord negligently truly I know not whom the Prophet meaneth Saith Paul to Timothy Give attendance to Reading to Exhortation to Doctrine meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be in them 1 Tim. 4.13 and after the example of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he I must be about my Fathers business Luke 2.49 The Apostles professed unto the multitude of People that came about them that they would give themselves continually to Prayer and to the Ministry of the Word Acts 6.4 Many thrive not in their Studies as not calling upon God for his assistance therein and blessing thereupon by frequent servent and constant prayer which is an excellent way to make a mans ministry shine And also joyning Fasting thereunto as often as is convenient Christ excused his Disciples in not fasting while he was with them But took it for granted that they would fast so soon as he was gone from them to Heaven Matt. 9.15 This is that which seeds the Soul with the dainties of the Scripture doth refresh and comfort with Contemplation establisheth with grace and nourish with heavenly food This is also the way to true Honour and to do something in the World for the glory of God Jejunium scripturarum deliciis Pascitur contemplatione reficitur gratia stabilitur coelesti pane nutritur Quotquot vires virtutum vidimus sine jejunio non legemus ascendisse nec aliquod magnum moliti sunt nisi prius abstinentia praecessisset Cypr. de je junio tentationibus Christi That our profiting may appear to all many delivered out of ignorance many purged from their filthiness when we declare unto our People all the Counsel of God Propound the will of God out of the Word unto the Edification of our People when the end of Preaching is love out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and faith unfeigned labour to save our selves and them that hear us 1 Tim 1.5 This is the onely way to be great Blessings unto them amongst whom we live when thousands are enriched by you Many bless God that ever you came amongst them and to have many Prayers of the Saints ascending to Heaven for a Blessing upon you in your Ministry this is no small mercy To be instrumental for much good unto the Church of God this is one of the greatest happinesses in this world To have large Opportunities for God and his Church And when a Minister is a Voice he is heard Ignorance doth not silence him nor laziness nor abundance of preferment nor indiscreet and distempered zeal he is a Voice in his Habit in his Gesture and in his Life and Conversation as well as in his Doctrine Now the Peoples eyes will be taught as well as their ears who otherwise will be most unmerciful and severely Critical Noah was a Preacher of Righteousness because his Life was an actual Sermon An innocent and unrebukable life is a silent testimony of a good Minister But especially when we manifest our love to Christ by feeding his sheep Joh. 21.15 By doing all that

belongeth to the office of a good Shepherd to his sheep either young and tender or strong and well grown This is also a sure argument of the Ministers love to Christ when he doth Conscionably labour to Edifie those whom Christ loveth and for whom he dyed When we labour to approve our selves abundantly to the Church of God and to the Consciences of men But not unto their humours To answer the end of our Education the Cost and expence of God Parents and School-masters the expectation of Friends and any who have shewed us kindness And now what infinite pity is it that any one way of sin should ever stand up to hinder us from serving of God in the Gospel of his Son or rob us of our Excellency and Beauty and Strength and Glory So much sin and lusts so much loss of excellency Gen. 49.4 When there is either lewdness or negligence of them that are able to do well in their Ministry and yet do contrary although your words be never so loud yet if your works be lewd though you were sons of Thunder yet a crack in the Instrument will spoil the sound Sin even in Ignorance is a talent of Lead but sin in Knowledge is a Milstone to sink a man to the lowest Bona noscere mala facere to know good and do ill makes a mans own mittimus to Hell The pleasures of sin are dear bought in any but especially in a Minister Heb. 6.6 This doth a world of mischief and hurt both in heaven and earth The Minister that spends himself like a Taper to give light unto others must not himself go out with an ill savour When such a one as David sinned he gave great occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme others may swear and swagger and they matter not nor wonder not 2 Sam. 12.4 This was the reason why the Indians refused the Gospel brought by the Spaniards because their lives were more savage then those Savages It is said of Hophni and Phinehas that although they were the Lords Priests yet they were sons of Belial they knew not the Lord and by their sinful and corrupt Sacrificing they made the People abhor the Sacrifice 1 Sam. 2.12 So many by their raw indigested slubbering of the Word for want of study and meditation do make men think that there is no more Wisdom Purity Perfection Majesty and Glory then they shew out of it And therefore they stay at home and say They know as much as the Minister could tell them When in a whole Sermon the hearer could not pick out one Note more then he could gather himself Good Matter slubbered up in rude and careless words is made lothsome to the hearer as a body mis-shapen with unhandsome Clothes B. Hall A good Minister as he maketh Conscience of Preparing his heart to serve the Lord so he will not serve God with that which cost him nothing He converses much with God that he may be holy as the Object of his Preaching is Christ and the Gospel and the Kingdom of Heaven so he labours to be heavenly also O how graciously should we deliver Gods Errand to the People and they hear it with fear and trembling Holy Duties call for holy Preparation David washed his hands in innocency before he compassed Gods Altar Psal 26.6 And Job intending to sacrifice to God in the behalf of himself and his Children sends to them solemnly to Prepare themselves And if this be not done if they sin not against more light yet certainly against greater obligations Nay the very Heathens themselves would not admit any to come to their Religious Services unless they were prepared as that of Aeneas to his Father Anchises upon his return from the Wars Tu genitor cape sacra manu Patriosque penates Me bello è tanto digressum caede recenti Virg. lib. 2. Aenead p. 176. Therefore they had one that cried out to the people Procul hinc este prophani All you that are unclean and prophane depart hence and come not near us And shall Christians who have learnt better things touch holy things with unholy hands or unholy hearts no they must not they ought not Holy Duties call for holy Preparation and in a most special manner of a Minister that cometh so near unto the Lord. Men must be sanctified within and without before they come to the performances of any holy duty It is true that the Duty sanctifies but men must be sanctified for the duty Again a Minister must be active and vigorous in the reproof of sin Preach the Word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine 2 Tim. 4.2 Young Timothy must Reprove and Rebuke Preaching the same Truths with aged Paul It is Gods Charge unto Isaiah to Cry aloud to spare not to lift up his Voice like a Trumpet shewing the People their Transgressions and sins Isa 58.1 A Minister must sometimes change his note differ from himself sharpening his speech dipping his words in gall as our Saviour himself did Ye Serpents ye generation of Vipers how can ye escape the damnation of Hell Whom yet we may find in another place Matt. 5. as it were Piping and Dancing and all melodious sweetness When Elymas the Sorcerer would have obstructed Saint Paul's Preaching and have turned the Deputy from the Faith Paul set his eyes on him and cryes out O full of all subtilty and all mischief thou child of the Devil thou enemy of all righteousness It 's true the Gospel hath not one hard and unkind word against a Child of God but always Grace and Peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ This is the Voice of the Ministers of the Gospel Peace be to you and Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy Luke 2.10 Saith the holy Apostle Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear But ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 It is never a Spirit of Bondage again in that sense and meaning as it was before But now on the contrary there is nothing but woe unto sinful and prophane ungodly wretches There is a time to reprove sinners and workers of iniquity most sharply as well as to comfort Saints God is content sometimes that we should derive from his Throne Thunderings and Lightnings and louder sounds Rev. 4.5 When Israel in Moses his absence corrupted themselves in making a molten Calf Moses did not dance after their pipe and laugh at their Idolatrous Image and superstitious merriment but with great zeal reproved their folly and with indignation confounded their Idol So if the whole Nation be grown Sermon-proof sitteth still and is at rest settled on the lees prophane Athiestical should we not be false Prophets to cry nothing but Peace Certainly we must now Cry with Isaia Wo to a sinful Nation When mens lives proclaim Wars against God must we not