Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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A66075
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Counsels and comforts for troubled consciences contained in a letter, lately written to a friend / by Henry Wilkinson ...
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Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing W2234; ESTC R34095
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48,680
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121
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regard your general calling as a Christian I am not ignorant that every thing is beautiful in its season sometimes retiredness and sometimes conversing with others have their peculiar season As for retiredness there is an allowable separation in some cases as the wise man informs us Through desire a man having separated Prov. 18. 1. himself seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdom For the gaining of Wisdom and improvement thereof when so gain'd we must sequester our selves from Company and hide our selves for a time in our Closets that so we may have better conveniencies for the exercise of Prayer and Meditation There is a time when God calls for retiredness for so we read Come my people enter thou into sa 26. 26 thy Chambers and shut thy dores about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Such a retiredness as this is both necessary and comfortable For a Christian to pour out his Soul in Prayer to God when no eye of man seeth him nor any ear of man heareth him and so meditate on the Word of God by such a retiredness he gains a sacred communion and acquaintance with God such a one as Eliphaz exhorts Job 22. 21. Job to get But as for any retiredness and reservedness to nourish a melancholly and dumpish humour and to sequester your self from profitable soul-friends that kind of retiredness I advise you against altogether Likewise there 's a fit season for spiritual conference This was much practised by the ancient Servants of God for we read * Propheta non tantum dicitquemque privatim tactum fuisque resipiscentia sed inter se loquutos quò significat debere studium nostrum extendi ad fratres nostros Calv. Then they that Mal. 3. 16. feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name God sometimes manifests himself in one Ordinance and sometimes he manifests himself in another though we are tyed and bound to wait on God in every Ordinance yet he is a most free Agent and as the Wind blows where it listeth so he works where he pleaseth Sometimes we may not get comfort by the Word or by Prayer or by receiving of the Lords Supper yet we may receive abundant comfort by godly conference Therefore be sure that you neglect not the Society of such who are able and willing to build you up in your holy faith and to speak a word of comfort in due season unto your Soul Sect. 14. 3d. Head In the third place in pursuance of my method I shall make it my business to exhort you to the practice of some particular Duties and they are these six especially Be frequent and serious in reading Duty 1. Be frequent and serious in reading of the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3. 5 of the holy Scriptures for they alone can make you wise unto salvation The Scriptures in some places are so plain as some observe that a Lamb may wade and in other places so deep that an Elephant may swim The Scriptures * Quae nullis non convenit annis Lacte rigans pueros pane cibans validos Prosper Psal 119. 24. Vers 50. suit all ages and all sexes and all conditions as is observed Tertullian an ancient Father saith I adore the fulness of the Scriptures The Psalmist declares Thy Testimonies also are my delight and my Counsellors And when he would raise to himself a ground of comfort he fastned upon the Word of God and there stay'd This saith he is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickened me And unless he had received comfort from the Word he was sensible that he had been utterly undone Vnless thy Law had been my Vers 92. delights I should then have perished in mine affliction Questionless all Scripture is precious and the Lord would let none of Samuel's words much less would he let any of his own words fall to the ground and every part and parcel of the Holy Scripture is of the same piece of pure Gold and more to be valued than the gold of Ophir or the gold of Parvaim yet considering your present condition I advise you to the serious perusal of these ensuing Scriptures as most suitable unto your particular case One Scripture is mentioned by the Prophet Isaiah Who is among you Isa 50. 10. that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Another Scripture is Light is sown for the Psal 97. 11. righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Between Seed-time and Harvest there is a considerable interval of time yet what hath been sown will come up in the appointed season Add hereunto a third Scripture homogeneous to the former Vnto the upright there ariseth light in Psal 112. 4. darkness To these Scriptures I shall add some others which have abundantly supported the afflicted Servants of God One is Return Psal 116. 7. unto thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee A second is of the Prophet Isaiah For Isa 57. 15. thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones A third Scripture is I came not to call the righteous Matt. 9. 13 but sinners to repentance A fourth is Come unto me all ye that labour Matt. 11. 28. 1 Tim. 1. 25. and are heavy laden and I will give you rest A fifth is This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief A sixth only which I shall mention is in the Revelations And Rev. 22. 17 the Spirit and the Bride say come And let him that is a thirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely There are peculiar Psalms which I commend to your frequent and deliberate perusal and meditation viz. Psal 16. 18. 23. 25. 27. 32. 34. 42. 61. 62 and 63. Any one of these Psalms if you ponder them in your heart and pray that God would write them in your heart O! how abundantly may you profit thereby Read frequently and to reading add prayer and meditation Christ's incomparable Sermon Preached in the mount Matt. 5 6 7. and likewise Christs farewell-Sermon contain'd in Joh. 14. 15 16 17. Add hereunto a serious reading and meditating on Rom. 8. Though I exclude not other Scriptures for all are precious yet considering that many Christians have gain'd so much good by reading of those Scriptures I commend them to your reading