Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	faith_n	pure_a	purify_v	2,905	5	11.3265	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09999	The saints daily exercise A treatise concerning the whole dutie of prayer. Delivered in fiue sermons vpon I Thess. 5.17. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Davenport, John, 1597-1670.	1629 (1629)	STC 20251; ESTC S105990	87,396	182

coniugall affection vpon it that should be wholly the Lords this man is an vnholy man his heart is not holy ●…or it is not sequestred from other things and consecrated to him alone for that is to be holy And as the heart must be holy so must the prayer be holy When a man prayes to the Lord with respect vnto him and hath an eye vpon him and nothing else comes in to take away part of this prayer if by respect and worldly and carnall thoughts come in and set you on work to pray now these haue a portion and interest in your prayers they make your prayers pro●…e and common they are not peculiar to the Lord they are vnholy So that is the holinesse then in seeking the Lord when we are knit and wedded to him when one takes this resolution to him selfe I am the Lords servant and him will I serue I am not the servant of man nor of any creature I am married to the Lord and his will I be alone I will withdraw my heart from all things else So likewise when a man prayes so that his soule is intent vpon the Lord and vpon nothing besides when the whole streame of his affections are carried to him this is to seeke to him i●… holinesse this is to sanctifie the Lord in our hearts And lastly if there be any conscience of 〈◊〉 that phrase I finde vsed in Heb. 10 that is if there be an evill conscience if a man be conscious to himselfe of any sinne that is vnrepented of such a man cannot pray that makes him vnholy if there be any sinfull lust yet living in him that is vnmortified in him which is not washed away such a man is vnholy yea my Beloved the Saints themselues when they sin against God as you heard heretofore they are suspended from the covenant though they be within the covenant yet they are suspended from receiving the benefit by it that otherwise they might have till that sinne be washed away they are not holy A priest or one that was holy if hee touched any uncleane thing he remained vnholy till he was washed though otherwise he were holy habitualy vvholy dedicated to Gods service so it may be with those that are within the covenant though thou be a holy ●…an yet if thou touch pitch that is if thy heart be polluted with any sinne of one kinde or other as long as that remaines thou art vnholy If thou come now and seeke to the Lord you know wha●… the iudgement was in the olde law such a one was to be cut off from his people And therefore you shall finde this was the constant practise of the Saints when they sought the Lord for any speciall mercie they began with taking paines with their owne hearts with humbling themselues for their owne sinnes and the sinnes of the people as we know Daniel and Ezra and Davia in their prayers I neede not stand to giue you instances and indeed so should we alwayes when we come with any request and petition to the Lord. First let a man examine his heart and his life diligently looke backe to all his former wayes consider and goe through all the particulars see if there be any thing amisse if there bee any tincture of vncleannesse yet lying vpon him that is not yet washed away if there be any pollution any defilement of flesh or spirit and let him know that it is but labour lost it is but a provoking of the Lord to come as a man vnprepared to draw neere to him except hee be cleansed But you will say how shall we be clensed I answere you are clensed by renewing your repentance and sprinkling the blood of Christ when a man humbles himselfe for his sinne and entreth into covenant with God not to returne vnto it when hee makes his heart perfect and sincere with the Lord in that particular And secondly when he shall w●…thall belieue that it i●… forgiven through Christ when hee is sprinkled in his blood to wash ●…t away though thy sinne be great yet this will make thee pure now thou art washed as it is in the 1 Cor. 6. 9. Now you are washed now you are sanctified now you are iustified therefore let a man not be d●…scouraged in this case for I confesse there is nothing that giues such a checke to our prayers that giues so many stabb●…o them as it were that hinders vs in that duty as the conscience of sinne when a man remembers such and such a sinne he hath committed yet be not discouraged for the blood of Iesus Christ is able to wash them away Though a mans face be very fowle yet you know a basen of cleare water will wash it cleane and all the filth is gone now the blood of Christ is more effectuall to rench thy conscience and to purge it from dead workes to take away both the guilt of sinne and likewise the power and staine of it And therefore if thou haue any sinne labour to be washed from that that then thou maist come to the Lord having thy heart sprinkled from an evill conscience and thy body washed in pure water as it is Heb. 10. 22. Let vs draw neere saith the Apostle in assurance of faith but how having our hearts sprinkled from an evill conscience as if he should say otherwise your drawing neere vvill be to no purpose you shall but provoke the Lord in dravving neere except you bee thus sprinkled and thus washed and thus purified I but you will say to me if this be required who shall be heard in his prayers for who can say his heart is pure and his hands are innocent and if this be required that we must lift vp holy and pure hearts or else we shall not be accepted what comfort shall we haue in calling vpon the Lord at any time To this I answere that to haue a pure heart is not to be free from sin and from da●…y failings for so indeed none should haue a pure heart but purenesse of heart holinesse of heart is to haue our hearts sprinkled from ●…n evill conscience and to haue our bo●…tes wash●…d with pure water that is to be purified before the Lord is nothing else but to haue such an habituall disposition which makes a man ready to wash himselfe still though hee be still spotted with sinne So that this is the disposition of a holy man if a man that drawes neere to the Lord with a pure heart though hee bee still spotted and polluted and defiled yet hee hath an habituall disposition hee hath a principle within hee hath a new nature within that is still working out that impurity and washing it away though still he he●…e opposed and assaulted tempted and sometimes foiled yet still hee resists it and fights against it as the Israelites had a charge never to make peace with Amalek such a disposition is in such a man he never makes peace with any

him but your selues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those arguments that you vse are not so much to perswade him to be ●…e you as to perswade your hearts to more faith to more loue to more obedience to more humilitie and thankfulnesse and that indeed is the reason why prayer prevailes with God not that the verie sending vp is that that prevailes with him but because a faithfull and a spirituall prayer puts the heart in a better disposition so that a man is now made readie to receiue a blessing at Gods hands that before hee vvas not So that when you thinke you draw God to you with your arguments in truth you draw your selues neerer to him as when a man in a ship pluckes a rocke it seemeth as as if he plucked the rocke neerer to the shippe when as the shippe is plucked neerer the rocke so I say wee draw our selues neerer to the Lord and when wee draw neerer to the Lord in prayer and there is a spirituall disposition wrought in our hearts by the exercise of this dutie then indeede the Lord drawes neere to vs to send vs helpe and to grant our requests that wee put vp to him and therefore that you should marke by the way that any prayer as it hath a higher pitch of holinesse in affection and as it hath stronger arguments in it so it is a better prayer not because this prayer shall prevayle with God more or that the excellencie of this prayer should moove him but because this pitch of holie affection and strength of argument workes vpon your hearts for the strength of arguments mooues your vnderstanding and the holinesse of affection puts your will in a frame and so disposeth your hearts and fits you as the 〈◊〉 we spake of before is 〈◊〉 when the Physition is willing to giue the thing hee desired But the last obiection which indeed is more then all the rest is this A man is ready to say we see there are many men that doe not call vpon God and yet enioy many mercies it may be a man can say with himselfe when he did not vse to pray hee had health and sleepe and protection Againe on the other side he hath prayed for such and such things and yet they haue not bin granted so this obiection hath two parts that a man hath obtained blessings without prayer and againe he hath prayed and yet hath not obtained the blessings he sought for at the Lords hands For answer to the first that men doe obtaine many blessings that doe not pray as how many young men are there and old men too that haue health and wealth and peace and libertie and abundance of all things and yet eyther they 〈◊〉 not to God or if they doe yet not in a holy and spirituall manner and therefore this obiection had need to be answered and therfore I answer brieflie First though they haue these blessings yet they haue them 〈◊〉 they haue no promise of them they cannot build vpon them whereas they are sure mercies to the righteous man he can build vpon these blessings for hee hath a father to goe too whose loue he knowes and hee hath sure promises to build on the other though he hath them yet he is in a slipperie place when hee inioyes them it is an accidentall thing he hath them from the hand of an enemie and he knowes not how long he shall enioy them But I answer again which is the chiefe answer to this obiection that there is a great deale of difference betweene hauing blessings through the providence of God and betweene hauing them from the mercie of God and by vertue of his promise and out of his loue to vs in Christ Iesus A naturall man may haue many blessings of God so God said that he made Ieroboam a King he gaue him a Kingdome and many such passages we shall find when men come vniustly to them as he did to the Kingdome yet God saith he did it that is it was by his providence and yet he hath them not in mercie for if thou hast these blessings health and sleepe and successe in the enterprises from day to day and yet thy hart tells thee within that thou hast not sought them at the Lords hands as thou oughtest I say to such a man and marke it it were better for him that he should want them for certainely when hee hath them in this manner he hath them without a blessing yea he hath them with a curse and so were better be without them as it had been better for Ab●b to haue been without his vineyard and as it had beene better for 〈◊〉 to haue gone without his reward that hee had of N●●man the 〈◊〉 for you know hee had the ●…eprosie with it it had beene better for the children of Israel to haue gone without their 〈◊〉 for you know the curse that followed death wet along with them so when a man shal haue peace and prosperiti●… and abundance of all things without seeking them at the Lords hand●… from day to day I say he were better to haue wanted them for there goes death together with them It is said plainely that case 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 that is to say this very prosperitie this ●…riuing notwithstanding a neglecting of prayer and of holy duties I say it carries death along with it as the obtaining of the vineyard brought death to Achab the getting of the Kingdome was the destruction of I●…roboam and therefore men haue little cause to comfort themselues with this that they enioy many blessings and neuer pray for them But to answer this point more fully I say many blessings are bestowed vpon men not for their owne sakes but for the Churches sake A man may haue strength of bodie hee may haue great gifts of mind he may haue great successe i●… vsing those gifts he may bring great enterprizes to passe so that you may truely say the hand of God is with him all this may bee done not for his sake but for the sake of the Church and glory of God some other way that hee might doe some service as you see it is plaine lie said of Cyrus Isa. 45. 4. speaking there of Cyrus saith the Lord there For 〈◊〉 my seruants sake and for Israel mine elect sake I haue called thee by name and haue giue 〈◊〉 thee this great power and all this great successe although then thy selfe haue not knowne me Marke Cyrus was a most prosperous man Gods hand was mightie with him and yet all this was not for his owne sake but for the Churches sake so you may thinke it is when men prosper many times it is not for their owne sakes but to fulfill some other end of Gods providence and therefore marke this and keepe it for a rule if thou prosper in thy enterprizes if thou inioy wealth and peace aboundance of all things and know that thou doest not seek to God

and by such wayes we would attribute too much to the meanes therefore we see when 〈◊〉 had a great army the Lord would not doe it it was too great for him and therefore we see to what a small number he brought it so oft times men thinke oh if I had such a mans helpe or if I had such a meanes it would doe the thing it vvould bring the enterprise to passe when we make too much account of it the Lord it may be casts away that which seemed most probable and even as hee doth most of his workes as he builds his owne Kingdome by the most foolish and improbable meanes of all other so often hee doth our businesse by such meanes that we least dreame of therefore be not discouraged Suppose we pray that such a great Prince should raise the Churches that such a wa●…e that such an enterprise and proiect may doe it put the case the Lord will not doe it so are vvee then presently vndone and is there no helpe because such a battaile is overthrowne because such a King did not succeede because such a Generall had not successe acc●…ng to our expectation It may be that is not the way the Lord will helpe the Church after another manner that vvee dreame not of and so for a mans selfe hee hath businesse to bee done or hee is in distresse and would haue deliverance and hee thinkes this is the vvay or none and therefore hee is earnest to haue it done novv it is good in this case to leaue it to the Lord to make our requests knowne to him and when wee haue done that to bee no further carefull but leaue it to the Lord to doe it his owne way he is skilfull If you take a skilfull workeman and say no more to him but thus Sir I pray you doe mee such a thing if it were the bringing of water or the setting vp of a building it may bee hee will goe away to worke that thou knowest not what it meanes and yet thou wilt trust him why then wilt thou not trust God and suffer him to goe his owne way and when thou art crossed in that thing wherein it may be of all others thou wouldest not bee crossed it may bee it is the best way of all other to bring the thing to passe that thou desirest Againe as wee are deceived in the manner and the meanes so likewise wee mistake the time it may bee the Lord is willing to doe the thing but not in that time that thou wouldest haue him when a man prayes to bee delivered from such a trouble and such a distresse and affliction hee thinkes the time very long and saith he●… is not heard because hee is not delivered presently wee would all haue the smarting plaister presently tooke off but the Lord is wiser then wee as the phisitian knowes what belongs to the patient better then himselfe though hee doe it not presently yet hee will doe it therefore say not thou art not heard thou must take heede of taking delayes for denialls the Lord will deferre to doe the thing yet hee will doe it and doe it in the best season for this is a generall rule Gods time is the best time When thou commest to pray for a thing thou wouldest haue it done presently and thou thinkest it is the best time all the controversie betweene God and thee is which is the fittest time to haue it done thou thinkest it may bee presently God it may bee will doe it a yeare hence surely hee is the best chooser and wee shall finde it so and therefore bee content to waite his leisure hee hath many ends in deferring it it may bee to trie thy faith as hee did the faith of the Canaanite and therefore hee would not heare it may bee to increase thy holinesse to put thy heart into a better temper and therefore hee deferres longer hee meant to doe that for Iacob that hee did yet he suffered Iacob to wrastle all night and yet he would not doe it till the instant of the morning appeared so it was with Daniel the answere went forth when hee began to pray yet hee would 〈◊〉 him instant and continue in prayer so I say the Lord hath many ends why hee deferres let vs bee content to take his owne time Last of all consider this when thou seekest to the Lord to haue any thing done it is possible that it may crosse some other passage of his providence and in this case thou shouldest be content to bee denied But you will say why may not both bee accommodated I answere so they shall though thou se●… not how it is not with God as it is with man if a man doe a good turne to one if two become petitioners hee must needes doe an ill turne to another but God composeth all for the best As for example David desired much to build a Temple the Lord had another end hee had resolved in his providence to make Salomon the builder of it indeede this was much better for David for what more had David gotten if hee had done it the Lord gaue him as full a reward as if hee had done it for hee tells him that for that purpose of building him a house hee would build him a house so●… David hath his end to the full though Salomon built the Temple So for Israel the Lord kept the Canaanites among them but it was for their profit there are some passages of Gods providence that if wee knew wee would yeeld to this that it were better that it should bee so then otherwise and therefore it is better in some case that wee should bee denied ' And so I conclude for this time FINIS THE THIRD SERMON 1. THES 5. 17. Pray continually NOvv vvee proceede to that vvhich remaines something more vvee might adde for the ansvvering of this for the time of Gods granting our petitions and for the measure vvee touched it the last day a little For the time wee are deceived in that vvee thinke vvhen God deferrs he denies for many times God deferrs for speciall reasons and yet he grants the request in the fittest time for vs as the phisitian knovveth the fittest time to giue the patient phisick of one kinde or another and in this wee must yeeld to God as hee doth all his workes in the fittest time so he grants our petitions in the fittest time there is an appointed time for any deliverance to be granted for any blessing for any comfort that wee neede and haue at his hands Now if our selues were iudges wee would haue things done for vs in the most convenient time we would haue the smarting plaister pulled off before the wound bee healed whereas it is i●… best for vs to haue it kept on Bel●…ved you shall finde that God divides betweene Sathan and vs in this case as we see Rev. 2. 10. Sathan shall cast some of you into prison

that brings things to passe therefore that must bee remembred vse the meanes that you vse with dependance vpon God with an eye vpon him that your hearts rest not vpon them for if they doe it is an inordinate vse of them Lastly you must take heede of sticking in any particular meanes for if you doe it is a signe trust not God as you ought to doe It is a fault commonly we pitch vpon such a particular way and we thinke that must doe it or nothing Now if God be trusted to hee hath more wayes to the wood then one he hath more meanes to bring a thing to passe then one And therefore we must leaue it to him who often doth it best by another meanes then we dreamed of As for example David had a promise of the Kingdome Now when he had the Kingdome of Iudah yet you know the Kingdome of Israel stood out for Ishbosheth had the Kingdome and Abner was his chiefe Captaine besides in his comming into his Kingdome of Iudah we see how God wrought the businesse without device by a meanes that he never thought of in that battaile when Saul was killed and so many of his sonnes there was so much way made for him when himselfe vsed no meanes to bring it to passe Afterward when the Kingdome of Israel was kept from him and he had onely Iudah we see God caused a division between Ishbosheth and Abner his chiefe Captain vpon that comes Abner and offers to David the whole Kingdome but yet he was but a reconciled enemie and what Abner might haue done he knew not Therefore God by his providence though Ioab sinned in it caused Abner to bee taken away by Ioab when this was done yet Ishbosheth was aliue still then were there two men set by the providence of God though it were a great sinne in them to take away his head and so the Kingdome came wholly to David for there were but two sonnes Mephibosheth that was lame of his seete and Ishbosheth that was lame in his minde a weake man vnable to mannage so great and weighty a businesse to purpose So God brought the businesse to passe by a way that David thought not off Therefore though wee may vse means yet after the vse of them wee must depend vpon God and leaue it to God to take one meanes or other We must doe in this case as we doe when wee goe to a man that is very skilfull to doe a worke for vs If we goe to a Carpenter and tell him we haue such a thing to bee done or if we goe to those that we call 〈◊〉 that bring water from place to place we tell him this is our desire but how he will worke and which way he will bring it to passe we know not and yet we trust such a one for we say he is an honest man of his word and if hee haue vndertaken it it is enough Why will you not trust God that goes so much beyond vs that hath an infinite wisedome and an infinite power And therefore we should so vse the meanes that withall we keep our dependance vpon him that we leaue it to him to vse this or that meanes as it pleaseth him For sometimes it may be he ta●…s away that which we are about sometimes he leaues vs partly destitute and findes●… way of his owne that we might trust to him and consider his power and his wisdome what he is able to doe So much likewise shall serue for this Case Another Case is what it is to pray in faith You know that is required Now there is a common errour in this point for a man may say if I pray for the salvation of another I ●…ue no promise how can I pray in faith when a man prayes to bee guided in such a businesse to haue such an enterprise to bee brought to p●…sse to h●…ue 〈◊〉 from suc●… a tro●…ble facts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nesse from such a calamity that he lyes vnder he findes no particular promise and for ought he knowes it shall never be granted How can hee bee said to pray in faith for to pray in faith is to beleeue that the thing shall bee done I answere that to pray in faith is to goe as farre as the promise goes Now no particular man hath any particular promise that hee shall haue such a deliverance that he shall haue such a particular mercie granted him and therefore it is not required to belieue that particular thing should be done But you will say what faith is it then that is required I say it is enough to beleeue that God is a father that hee is readie to heare and not onely that hee is readie to heare but that hee is readie to doe that which is best for mee in such a particular for both are required that you beleeue him to bee well affected towards you as a father as one that tenders your good and not onely so but that hee will doe that in that particular that shall bee most for his owne glory and for your good and if you doe so you pray in faith though for the particular you know not whether it shall be granted or no. Indeed if we had a particular promise as Elias had that it should not raine c. in that case we were bound to beleeue in particular but not having that wee are not tyed vnto it for the promise is the obiect of faith and the habit is not to worke beyond the obiect for the obiect is the rule and the limit of the habit therefore you may pray in faith when yet you haue no ground to belieue and to thinke that that particular thing should be granted For example if a father pray that his sonne may haue grace wrought in his heart that his soule may be saved it may be the Lord will never doe it or if one friend pray for another to the same purpose though the thing be not done yet the prayer returnes into his bosome hee is no looser by it there is a reward belongs to him for seeking to God in sinceritie it is his duty that he should doe so The like I may say for every particular case And this incouragement you may haue that there is never any particular prayer put vp wherein you seeke things that are not granted but you mistake in it for if you believe thus farre as I said to you be sure that your prayers are accepted God will doe that which is best for you and your prayers shall not be lost So much also for that The last case is how shall a man know whether his prayer be heard or not For answere to this we will giue you this one rule and that is as farre as wee can goe that those prayers that are made by the ●…ssistance of Gods holy spirit it is certaine they are alwayes heard If you finde that at any time you neede make no question but that

sinne though he be led captiue sometimes by it yet he yeelds not to that captivity This is to haue a pure heart though his heart be defiled sometimes as a vessell will be fowle yet hee washeth and renseth his heart he never suffers it to continue muddy and vncleane and in a filthy disposition but he hath a fountaine a spring of grace within that will worke out all impurity as a spring workes out mudde he that thus purifies himselfe still though the fountaine be muddy though there be many iniections many temptations many lusts and sinnes yet if he be purified himselfe that hee will suffer no sinne to mingle with his heart as it were to rest there and to abide and dwell there to lye and continue there such a man hath a pure heart We say that is pure that is full of it selfe and will haue no heterogenea no other thing mingled with it such a thing is pure as pure oyle is nothing else but oyle Now hee that hath a pure heart is not he that hath simply nothing else that hath no sinne mingled that hath no drosse mingled with his wine but hee that suffers it not to rest there but as oyle and water when you iumble them together as you know when they are shaken together they mingle yet the oyle workes out puifies it selfe it will not suffer it selfe to abide with the water a man that is regenerate a man that is borne of God hath a seed remaining in him though he doe sin yet saith the Apostle he cannot sin that is he doth not agree hee doth not mingle with that sinne it hath no rest in his heart but he workes it out in a passion when he is shaken as it were when he is transported when he is not himselfe there may be a mixture and the fountaine the spring may be made muddy yet let him come to himselfe still he workes it out that is to haue a pure heart So that a man thus affected may come with boldnesse to the throne of grace and not be discouraged what though thy sinnes be many and very great and often repeated yet if thou finde in thy selfe such a disposition of purenesse and holinesse still to clense thy selfe though thou be still polluted and defiled I can assure thee thy heart is pure thou maist go with confidence to the throne of grace But now you will say this to me that may be obiected why but may not any carnall man say as much hee sinnes against God and comes and askes mercie he comes and cries for forgiuenes and saith he will sin no more and yet he sinnes againe the next day and addes drunkennesse to thirst that is his sinne and his repentance they runne in a circle as drunkennes and thirst how shall wee distinguish then betweene these two that purifying disposition in the Saints and those vanishing purposes that carnall men may haue that never had experience of the worke of grace of that purity of heart that wee speake of To this I answer briefly you shall know the difference by this 〈◊〉 godly man when hee falls into sinne and is defiled with it hee washeth himselfe from day to day you shall find alwayes this that he gets ground of the sinne of the lust that manifests it selfe in any actuall transgression still it looseth by it it gathers not strength but looseth strength in a carnall man it is quite contrary his sinne still increaseth and intends the habit and the lust growes stronger and stronger it gets ground of him and those good things that he hath they are more and more worne out and so they grow worse and worse from day to day and that is the property of an evill man of vnregeneracie wheresoever it is apt to grow worse and worse and the more fal●…s they haue the more sinne gets ground and the more they lose but it is not so w●…th a holy man the more hee falls the more strength he gathers hee is the more holy by it the more wary and watchfull and the more hee is emptied of himselfe and drawes neerer to the Lord and is the more inflamed with loue to him hee is strengthened in faith and repentance and in every grace so that here the rule now hold●… not true that acts increase habits but the contrary acts lessen the habits which is a paradox i●… philosophy but here it is so If you aske how it can be I 〈◊〉 in its owne nature every act intends 〈◊〉 habit as well in 〈◊〉 ●…odly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 man but it comes to passe by accident as 〈◊〉 say because ●…he grace in him 〈◊〉 stirred vp 〈◊〉 those foiles and slipps and those falls and infirmities to which he is subiect I say grace is stirred vp in him more and more and more and receiues more vigour and strength As we say of true valour it is increased more by opposition so it comes to passe that the more the childe of God falls into sinne the more grace is intended Sathan gets lesse ground as Hez●…kiah when hee fell into pride the pride of his heart was lessened more by it then when he shewed his treasure to the Ambassadour of the King of Babell he knew not before the pride of his heart that sinne that fall did manifest his corruption which hee did not see before So that when the heart is sincere when it is pure when there is a right principle within grace is set more on worke to resist sinne So David when he had numbred the people that made him more humble and therefore the Lord shewed him more mercy afterwards then ever he did before hee shewed him where the Temple should bee built and vsed him in that worke and never shewed him such mercie and kindnesse before I cannot stand to expresse particulars so it is with all the Saints their hearts are never better nor in more holy temper nor more fearefull to offend and in a more gratious disposition then after their falls and therefore consider that that thou bee not deceived that thou maist distinguish betweene this falling into sinne and washing your selues and that relapse to which evill men are subiect and keepe that for a rule that wheresoever there is true grace still it stirres it selfe more and more as it findes more resistance even as the winde and the water and the fire doth you know the water when it findes a stop it growes more vio lent and so the winde of the same nature is grace where it findes a stop and findes resistance it growes more strong and intent The heathen had a little glimpse of this truth when they said of vertue that it growes more fresh and vigrous by being wounded that is true of grace and holinesse the true vertue the more it is opposed the more it growes even as you see in opposition in the disputes of schollers and all kind of contentions in law or any thing