Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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A20549
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A plaine and familiar exposition of the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of the Prouerbs of Salomon
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Dod, John, 1549?-1645.; Cleaver, Robert, 1561 or 2-ca. 1625.
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1608
(1608)
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STC 6959.5; ESTC S4611
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122,696
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160
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how to be sanctified and after what manner the other commandements are to be obserued their ministery is not of credit ynough to be regarded but if false Prophets tell them that the Sabbath is abrogated and all the old testament abolished or broach any other pestilent points for a licentious course of life they are presently esteemed worthy and comfortable teachers And so Jusuiâ—es and Seminaries intising them to idolatry and disloyalty yea some of them many times to shamefull impurity are deuout and reuerend fathers And so stage-players and minstrels are teachers of good lessons and more edifie with their interludes and songs thaÌ„ the ministers doe with their sermons and preaching We wil not speake here of vncharitable persons which are prompt and ready to traffique with any that carrieth a pack of malitious reports against such as vnfainedly feare God those we shall deale with when we come to the seuenteenth chapter v. 4. where it is set as a note of the wicked to giue heede to false lippes and that a lyar harkneth to the naughtie tongue Instruction to shew our wisedome according to the direction here giuen vnto vs not to set a foot forward to follow any mans perswasion before it appeare vnto vs to be sound warrantable The Holy Ghost is frequent in exhorting vs to this heedfulnes 1. Thess 5 21. Trie all things saith S. Paul and keepe that vvhich is good Beleeue not euery spirit saith S. John but try the spirits whether they are of 1 Iohn 4. 1. God for manie false Prophets are gone out into the world VVe are not willing to be blindfolded at our meat nor to eate our supper without a light especially in strange places where we neither know well the fidelity of our host nor what dishes are set before vs and shall we be more prouident for the outward man than the inward Shall we keepe out of our bodies whatsoeuer is not wholsome and sauory and receiue into our soules such foode as will poyson vs But is it not contrary to charity to fift mens words and not to Ob. rest vpon the trueth and faithfulnes of their testimony Ans There is nothing contrarie to charity that is agreeable to Ans wisedome and no wrong is done to man by obeying the counsel and precept of God Sithence therefore he doth command it as a duty and commend it as a vertue for men to be circumspect in hearing who shall lay it to their charge as a fault VVhat iniury was done to Paul by the prudent Bereans which searched the Scriptures dailie whether those things were so as he taught VVe vse to tell siluer and to waigh gold and yet preiudge not them at whose hands we receiue them Jf the things which they speake to vs be true they shall be the more iustified and approoued after that they haue bin tried if otherwise themselues may by the discouery of their errour be better informed and others the lesse indangered by them Vers 16. A wise man feareth and departeth from euill but a foole rageth and is carelesse A Wise man he that is religious and truly godly when hee is rebuked or heareth Gods threatnings or beholdeth Gods iudgements or foreseeth plagues to come by the present view sight of sinne feareth his heart trembleth both in respect of Gods displeasure and the mischiefe like to follow and departeth from euill both purgeth his heart by humiliation and redresseth his way by reformation But the foole rageth and is carelesse a sinfull person scorneth when he is reproued and presumeth of impunity and freedom from all perils They which are in greatest safety are farthest from carnall Doct. security The godly haue not so many sinnes as the wicked and yet they feele them more and feare them more and flee from them faster And the wicked haue not more valour then the godly nor so much freedome from punishments and yet goe beyond them in audaciousnes and fleshly confidence VVhen Dauid was dealt with by Nathan he confessed his falt Psal 51. he craued pardon he set his heart to seeke helpe from heauen against his sinne but when Achab was spoken to by Micaiah he 1. Kings 22. persecuted the Prophet he proceeded in his purpose he promised himselfe a safe returne from his voyage And Amaziah also scorned and threatned the messenger that was sent to him from God 2. Chron. 25. 16. Iosiah hearing the law of the Lord read by 2 Chro. 34. 19 Saphan in regard of the threates therein contained did rent his cloaths in griefe and feare but Iehoiakim hearing the words of God read by Baruch in regard of the curses there denounced did Ier. 36 23. teare the booke and burne it in wrath and fury First the one sort haue faith seeing God in his word waies Reasons 1 and therefore tremble at his rebukes and follow his direction and the other are full of infidelity looking onely with a carnall eie and therfore despise his threatnings and contemne his counsels Secondly the one sort are of an humble spirit and that alwaies maketh the heart tender and tractable and the other of an high minâ— and that maketh it hard and obstinate Thirdly the one sort are prouident for themselues and therefore do heedfully preuent all perils that may befall them and the other negligent of their owne safety and therfore shun no mischiefe before they feele it And so he saith in another Chapter A prudent man seeth the plague and hideth himselfe but the foolish go Prou. 22 3. on still and are punished Consolation to them that attaine to this holy feare though they Vse 1 could not keepe themselues withouâ— fault that dare not persist still in their sins though they were too ventrous to fall into them at all It was their great folly to defile their soules by committing of them but it is their excellent wisedome to purge themselues by humiliation for them And albeit they had cause of feare and sorrow in respect of the daunger that insueth vpon the practise of euill yet they haue reason to take courage and comfort in regard of the pardon that followeth after the being of euill Confutation of them that take security for magnanimity and want of feare for greatnesse of faith they count it vnmanly to haue dread and a strong trust in God to doubt of no perills But be it knowne vnto them that Dauid was nothing their inferior in valiantnesse of heart and yet his heart was tender and fearfull of sinne It is to be obserued continually that none are so bold in wicked attempts as they which are most base minded Who are so ventrous to oppose themselues against God impiously to defraude him of his glory as they whose courage will not serue them to incounter with their equall in a iust cause for mainteynance of their own right Who are so fierce and violent like Lyons to oppresse their inferiours as they which are as submisse as spaniels to fawne
their faces VVhat bitter sorrow is in their soules when dainty morsels are in their mouthes and pleasant musick in their eares and merry sonnettes in their lippes But what life is more delightfull and what state more desireable then theirs which continually follow their sports pleasures which alwaies conuerse with merry companions which euery day at euery meale do eate and drinke of the best fairest But what life is more loathsome what state more miserable then theirs who are driuen continually to vse those exercises for phisicke without which the heart would be oppressed with fittes of feares and wast away with the consumption of the spirits Reproofe of their folly which purchase the vncomfortable delights at so deere a rate by forfeiting their saluation for them The price that they pay is of greater valew then Esaus birthright and the wares that they buy are farre lesse worth then Esaus pottage They are short and vaine and paineful and passing hurtful and dangerous Knowest thou not this saith Zophar to Iob of old euer since God placed man vpon the earth that the reioicing of the wicked is short and that the ioy of the hypocrites is but for a moment Iob 20 4 5. Eccl 7 8. Like the noise of thornes vnder a pot so is the laughter of the foole this also is vanity saith Salomon His great blase of merriment wil quickly be extinguished for want of fewell to feed it But this were a smal matter if the end of their pleasures were the end of their being and not the beginning of their torment But Luk 6 25. our text saith that the end of that mirth is heanines And our Sauiour saith woe be to yee that now laugh for you shall waile and weepe How vnwise then are they to delight so much in the rellish of such a deadly poyson Why do men so violently follow their fleshly desires No man can disswade them from vnholly recreations on the Lords day no man can disswade them from quaffing and drunkennesse no man can disswade them from vnlawfull pastimes and gaming manifold are the sinnes great are the mischiefes from which no man can disswade them in farre better case are they that refuse as Moyses did these moment any pleasures of sin though they fall into many afflictions for they are not without great comfort in the middes of theire troubles and how happy will their state be then when they shall be deliuered from them all And how vnutterably shall they be blessed beyond all the reach of thought and meditation when the fulnesse of ioy and glory shall be conferred vpon them for euer Vers 14. He that is of a froward heart shall be satiate with his own waies and a good man with that which is in him HE that is of a froward heart which setteth his heart vppon lewdnes and euill and declineth euery day waxing worse and worse shal be satiate with his owne waies euen sated and filled full with the plagues and iudgements which his own deserts shal draw vpon him And a good man with that which is in him shall abundantly inioy both inward comforts and outward happines for his constant vprightnesse and holy behauiour Euery man both good and bad shall feele himselfe sufficiently Doct. recompenced for his seruice They that serue the flesh and increase their labours to fulfill the lusts thereof shall at length receiue their pay and haue more wages than euer they looked for or wished for And they that seeke the Lord and shew themselues diligent in doing his will shall in the end be fully requited and their will far exceed theyr hope Both shall reape the crop which they haue sown neither of their seed shall faile of growth or ripening See the same point in effect prosecuted in the eleuenth chapter v. 18. where he saith that the vvicked worketh a deceitfull worke but he that seweth righteousnesse shall receiue a sure reward Verse 15. The foolish beleeueth euerie thing but he that is prudent taketh heede to his steppes THe foole he that is silly for his own soule and ignorant without vnderstanding of the matters of God beleeueth euerie thing rashly giuing credit to euery vaine tale that is told him hearkning to euery deceiuer that misleadeth him But a prudent man he that is of a setled iudgement and prouident for his owne safety taketh heede to his steppes examineth first what waight and soundnes there is in that which is spoken before hee consent to it either in perswasion or practise Doct. They which are least carefull to learn the trueth are most credulous to hearken to lies They could not but attaine to wisedome if they would giue ear to their instructions of knowledge truth imbraced would preserue them from listening to errors VVe haue a common prouerb that faire words make fools faine when we see by coÌ„mon practise on the contrary side that â—aithful words do make fooles to frette The counsell of God which Ezechiel and Ieremy deliuered to the people of their time were no more regarded of the most than blasts of wind but the lying diuinatioÌ„s which the false prophets vttered were of as great force with theÌ„ as oracles those they hoped would be confirmed And our Ezech. 13. 6. Sauiour himselfe speaketh of the maner of his entertainement among Ioh. 5. 43. those of his time saying I am come in my fathers name and ye receiue me not if an other shall come in his owne name him will ye receiue Reasons 1 First in the things of God and matters which concerne eternall life they are as much voide of iudgement good affection as little children which can hardly brooke the nurture which is most wholesoÌ„e for theÌ„ as hardly forgo the liberty that is most pernitious vnto theÌ„ Euery precept that tendeth to the informing of their minds the amending of their maners is like to gall in their stomacks but euery perswasion that infecteth their harts peruerteth their behauiour is like to hony in their mouthes Secondly Satan raigneth and ruleth in them hee hath power ouer their senses he stoppeth their eares froÌ„ harkning to words of truth whereby their soules should be sanctified and openeth them to deceiueable errors whereby their hearts are corrupted Thirdlie the heauie stroke of God is vpon them in sending them strong delusion that they should beleeue lyes because they receiued not the loue of the trueth and so he giueth them ouer to misbeleefe for a punishment of their vnbeleefe Reproofe of many sorts of people which may iustly be charged Vse 1 with this rash and vnaduised credulity VVhen God offered mercies or threatneth iudgements by the ministerie of his word they are nothing at all mooued with it but when the diuell promiseth helpe by sorcerers or speaketh of hurt by propheciers they vndoubtedly expect the accomplishment thereof When faithfull preachers by warrant out of the word declare what conscience is to be made of the Sabbaoth and