Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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A26689
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Divers practical cases of conscience satisfactorily resolved ... to which are added some counsels & cordials / by Joseph Alleine ...
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Alleine, Joseph, 1634-1668.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing A969; ESTC R170093
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56,044
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102
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must speak with him face to face as a man with his friend His word shall be as it were a Law with God Speak for whom he will they shal be spared though they seemed to be devoted to destruction But speak against him who durst he shall be sure to bear his iniquity Numb 12. 8. Forget self Renounce thine own wisdom thine own worthiness thine own will Bite in thy passions Curb thine appetite Bridle thy tongue This do and thou shalt be greatly accepted and shalt find that Gods favour will infinitely reward thee for all the murmuring oppositions and discontents of thy flesh which will be ready to be impatient to have the reins held so hard VII Maintain a spirit of resolution and constancy in the ways of God Heb. 10. 38. This was the renown of the three Worthies Dan. 3. They feared not the fierceness of Nebuchadnezzars rage nor the fire of the furnace all the world could not make them bow and how gloriously did God own them and miraculously evidence his pleasure in them Stand your ground Resolve to live and die by substantial godliness cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart Let no difficulties make you change your station then shall you be an honour and a pleasure to the God that made you Well then would you know what frame of heart is pleasing to God why this humble sincere zealous active frame this believing meek self-denying resolved frame this is the frame that is well pleasing in the sight of God Secondly As to your performances more briefly that those may please God you must heedfully look to these five things 1. That they be done by the right Rule which is Gods Word You must not follow the imaginations of your own hearts Numb 15. 39. you must not do that which is right in your own eyes In all sacred actions you must have Gods command to warrant you you may not offer to God of that of which you are not able to say Thou requirest these things at our hands Isa. 1. 12. In all civil actions you must have Gods allowance Be sure he will never accept that which his Word condemns under pains of Gods displeasure dare not to set your hands to what the Word forbids 2. That they be done to the right end which is Gods glory How damnably did the Pharisees erre How miserably did Iehu miscarry and both in acts for the matter commanded for want of aiming at this end 3. That they proceed from right Principles 1. Faith without which it is impossible to please God Prayer will not avail except it be the prayer of Faith Heb. 11. 6. We beleeve and therefore we speak 2. Love If we should give our goods to the poor and bodies to the fire and not from Love it would profit us nothing Where the slavish fear of hell only or of the lashes of conscience or the love of mans praise carries men to duties or where any other carnal principle is predominant in the act it cannot please God 3. Fear we cannot serve God acceptably without reverence and godly fear not slavish fear The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him in them that hope in his mercy Observe the happy mixture where these two are conjoyned that is a true filial fear and faith Saith David I will come into thy House in the multitude of thy mercy Behold his faith and in thy fear will I worship towards thy holy Temple there is his fear with faith Faith without fear were bold presumption Fear without faith is sinful despair joyn them together and God is well-pleased 4. That they be done in a right manner Preparedly not rashly and inconsiderately in the presence of so dreadful a Majesty prudently for lawful acts may be spoiled and be done unlawfully without consideration had to the offence that may in some cases attend them yea holy Duties as well as common Actions may be turned into sins by being ill-timed and for want of a due attending the present circumstances Holily not rashly uttering any thing with our mouths before God but behaving our selves as in his sight Heartily not feignedly with our lips going when our minds are gadding 5. That they be directed through the right means that is Iesus Christ the only way to the Father Bring all thy Sacrifices to the High Priest offer all upon this Altar else all is lost not that it is enough to say Through our Lord Iesus Christ Amen at the end but in every duty you must come with lively dependance on him for righteousness and strength for assistance and acceptance Remember to do all in the name of the Lord Iesus to come leaning upon his hand without this all your services will be rejected at last CHAP. II. A third Case of Conscience grounded upon the words of our Saviour John 8. 29. For I do alwayes those things that please him Qu. I. Is any man able in this life to come up to the Example of Christ in this To do alwayes those things that please God Ans. In regard there is none that doth good and finneth not and God is not nor can be pleased with sin no not in his own people but most of all hates it in them it cannot be that any man in this life should fully come up to Christs Example in this yet may we come so far on towards it as that not only in our immediate addresses to God but in the general course of our lives we may come to please God Thus Enoch and Noah walked with God i. e. in their general course they walked so as to please God and approve themselves in his sight Thus the meanest of actions if done by us as unto the Lord as the Servants of Christ have a promise of acceptance and reward Col. 3. 22 23 24. Q. II. How may we come in our measure to be followers of Christ in this to do always those things that please God Answ. In order to this there is something necessary with reference 1. To our Persons 2. To our Principles 3. To our Practices with reference to our Persons and here it is necessary 1. That there be an alteration of our natures by renewing grace for they that are in the flesh cannot please God Rom. 8. 8. These wild Vines must needs bring forth sowre grapes Isa. 5. 4. The fruit that they bear how specious and fair soever to the eye is evil fruit Matth. 7. 17. Where there is not a good treasure of grace in the heart a man cannot in his actions bring forth good things Matth. 12. 36. Many enlightned sinners think by reading and praying forsaking some conscience-wasting sins to pacifie God and set all right Mistaken souls let me undeceive you you begin at the wrong end your first and greatest care must be to get your hearts and natures changed and renewed by the power of converting grace you labour in vain at the streams while the fountain of corruption in the heart remains in
this he would look no further but the sincere Christian though satisfied that his state is safe will rest in no attainments in grace but reaches forward and presses on if it were possible to attain to the resurrection of the dead He that doth not desire and design and endeavour perfection never yet came up to sincerity A true believer desires holiness for holiness sake and therefore is set upon perfecting holiness Others desire it only for heavens sake and therefore are only for so much as will bear their charges thither others make use of holiness only as a bridge to Heaven and therefore are for no more then will just serve their turn The true believer hath a holy nature and therefore holiness is his element and natural employment and he must needs desire holiness in its height because every nature reaches after perfection in its kind The godly desires not holiness only because it is the way to Heaven but he loves Heaven the better for the holy way that leads to it and for the perfect holiness which is there Q. VII When others are all for the Salvation of Christ are you as truly for Sanctification by Christ Do you take Christ as God offers him with all his offices and benefits to be both a Prince and a Saviour to give you repentance as well as remission of sins Are you willing of the dominion of Christ as well as deliverance by Christ Do you close with his burden as well as his benefits do you count his laws your liberty his government not your bondage but your priviledge his service your freedom Do you go in Christs ways as in jives or fetters or do you run with inlargement of heart delight or real willingness Q. VIII When others do make self their end do you set up God above all as your highest end The hypocrite doth the same duties with the godly but with different ends He eats for himself and fasts for himself and prays with no better then self ends and therefore is rejected Now is it your great design in your whole course to glorifie God and enjoy God Do you count this your whole business and blessedness do you make other business to stoop to this other interest to yield to this Do your souls breath after this above all worldly good that Christ may be magnified in you Do you count your name and your estate as loss and the delights of sense but puddle-water in comparison of Christ If conscience give in a comfortable and clear answer to these Questions Go in peace Blessed are you of the Lord God is your Friend Heaven is your Heritage The Promises are your Portion Christ is yours all is yours For he that doth these things shall never be moved Psal. 15. 5. A Necessary Case on 1 Thess. 4. 1. Q. WHat may and must a Christian be and do that he may please God A. To your pleasing of God something is necessary as to your persons or estates and something as to your performances and acts First As to your persons or estates it is necessary in general that you be in a state of reconciliation with God If you would walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing you must first be friends with him for how can two walk together except they be agreed Get the controversie taken up between God and thee and then shalt thou with Levi walk with God in peace Labour to get the breaches made up to have the enmity slain to have divine displeasure removed till thy pardon be obtained and thy peace made nothing thou canst do will please God he will be angry with thy person and angry with thy prayers What a tart Message is that to impenitent sinners Malach. 1. 10. God cannot take pleasure in their persons I have no pleasure in you saith the Lord of Hosts nor in any of their performances neither will I accept an offering at your hand He professeth that his soul had no delight in them and tells them they are unto him as a Vessel wherein there is no pleasure Gen. 22. 28. It 's the modest expression of that Vessel into which Nature empties it self Come in then and touch the golden Scepter yield to mercy kiss the Son resign to Christ accept of the peace tendred you in the Word of Reconciliation and then God will be friends More particularly that you may be in a state of reconciliation and so in a capacity of pleasing God you must follow these directions 1. Put off every sin It is your iniquity that separateth between you and your God this is the make-bate If thou wouldst have God pleased turn every sin out of doors pluck it out cast it from thee If thou regard iniquity in thy heart God will not hear thee nor regard thee Psal. 66. 8. If thou art of them that have pleasure in unrighteousness the Lord hath no pleasure in thee He is not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness evil shall not dwell with him the foolish shall not stand in his sight he hateth all the workers of iniquity See that thou abandon every sin that thou knowest spare not one Agag not a right eye not an Herodias for then God will not spare thee Give the Darling of thy bosom a Bill of divorce say to all thy Idols get thee hence God will not look to that man that looks pleasantly upon any sin The Jealous God will not endure to see thee hankering on the Harlots lips embracing any sin with delight He will not bear it to see thee smile upon any sin He holds thee for a Traytor to his Crown if thou willingly harbour his Enemy Though thou be very diligent in Gods Service and presentest him with multitude of Sacrifices and many Prayers he will be pleased with nothing but hide his Face and stop his Ears whilst thou keepest thine iniquities in thine hands Isa. 1. 16 17 18. God will not amicably treat with them that will not put away the evil of their doings O look into thy hands look into thy heart look into thy house into thy shop thy trade thy calling see if there be not some way of wickedness that thou art found in Thou canst not have peace with God nor he pleasure in thee till this be removed put off therefore the old Man with his deeds 2. Put on the Lord Iesus Christ Rom. 13. First The red Robe of his Righteousness for Iustification The Lord will never give thee a good look nor a good word but in Christ He is a revenging a consuming fire out of Christ but get on his robes he will be well pleased Enoch had this testimony that he pleased God but Christ had much more that God was well-pleased with sinners in and for him Away with these rags and with these fig-leaves How can the righteous soul of God but abhor you whilst in the menstruous cloaths of your own righteousness Dare not to come to God but with Christ in your Arms