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
A66816	Eremicus theologus, or, A sequestred divine his aphorisms, or, breviats of speculations, in two centuries / by Theophilus Wodenote ...	Wodenote, Theophilus, d. 1662.	1654 (1654)	Wing W3241; ESTC R39130	60,438	192

things for the salvation of thy soul Almighty God hath from everlasting ordained both the ends and the means not the ends without the means nor the means without the ends but both of them All lawfull means may well stand with Gods providence and faith therein yea by not divorcing the means from the end we both declare our sincere obedience in using such weak means as are subordinate thereunto and decline security and presumption two main enemies of our most holy faith 45. BY daily prayer and practice stir up the gifts of the Holy Ghost in thee lest in the end thou lose thy store with stock and all constantly keep on rowing against the stream of thy naturall corruption against which if thou do not strive continually but stand at a stay it will carry thee away and all thy merchandize as a boat standing loose upon the river is carryed backward if it be not wafted forward is by the sway of the water driven downward unless it be stil labouring to go upwards 46. OBserve diligently what adversaries be abroad and warily watch that there be no traitours at home All that hurt thee are not without thee there are enemies too within thee and such as may do thee more harm than all the rest look upon thy outward senses and reflect upon thy inward affections lest by the former evills enter and lest by the later evills conquer 47. TAke heed to thy mouth that thou speak not unadvisedly and to thy hands that they act not unpreparedly but especially and above all things look to the inward affections of thy heart for as the fountain is such is the river that runneth from it If the fountain be sweet the river that floweth from it will not be sowre as the Wood is so the Fire will be unsavoury wood will make unwholsome fire but pure Frankincense or dry Juniper will yield a pleasant perfume so if the soul be sanctified the lips will be seasoned but if the thoughts and affections be ungodly they will bring forth lewd words and wicked actions for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh said the God of Truth who knew the heart [h] Matth. 12.34 what the heart readeth the mouth repeateth 48. COnsider thy proper and personall sins whereunto by the corruption of thy nature thou art most inclined from which thou can'st hardliest abstain as beeing more strong and more working in thee than some others are and against them make thy spiritual compacts and barricadoes most durable and most guard thy walls with Redoubts and outworks where the hedge is lowest every beast will seek to enter and where we are weakest Sathan that beast will be strongest his temptations will be thickest where our defence is slenderest 49. STand to thy watch looke to thy wayes keep a continuall guard over thy self in all occurrences and not only beware of personall sins towards which thy nature most bends but of those also which are incident to thy present estate whatsoever it is In wealth beware of high-mindedness in health of wantoness in mirth of forgetfulnes in want to distrustfulness in loss of pensiveness and in death of fearfulness 50. ABstain as farr as thou canst not only from every sin but also from every baite that may be a means to bring thee unto it Look not thou upon the wine saith the Holy Ghost by the mouth of Salomon when it is red when it giveth his colour in the cup when it mooveth it self aright [i] Prov. 23.31 and accordingly look not upon the meat that may betray thy appetite and then thy affections young Daniel refused the meat that was allotted unto him by Nebuchadnezzar which of it self was lawfull to be received with thanksgiving because the King should not intice him thereby to forsake his own God or to leane to the others Religion [k] Dan. 1.8 51. CHeck not Gods Word with the licentious Antinomian give not Gods Spirit the lie who in every place warneth us that the Morall Law is not abolished by the Law of faith but established [l] Marth 5.17 18 19 20. In the uprightness integrity of thy heart endeavour to walk still in the old way of Gods Commandements if ever thou mean to come to Heaven by the new and living way Christ Jesus For every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure [m] 1 Joh. 3.3 Examin and proove thou still and fashion thy works by the Law as by a right levell which God hath left to be a rule of righteousnes to remain in full strength power and vertue for ever Although thou canst not fulfill it yet put it not out of thy sight or care stray from it as little as thou canst though thou canst not obey it so fully as thou wouldst 52. HOwsoever thou fall through infirmity or human frailty into sin as who is free from falling It is not possible for any meer man to be without all offence [n] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostom Howsoever being surprized by Sathan inveigled by slights inticed by sinners thou be taken and upon a sudden overtaken in a fault for it were a proud perswasion above mans state and against-Gods Truth to think thy self safe from sin yet be not so insolent and impudent stand not in justification of it for that sheweth less grace and more corruption while men though otherwise badly disposed blush and are touched with some bashfulness though they cannot contain themselves yet there is hope of them some signe of salvation is the acknowledgment of sin [o] Signum salut is agnitio peccati Bern. but when they justify their bad doings and boldly defend what they have done they are almost desperate and give small hope of amendment without speciall grace To sin is human weakness but to plead for it wilfull wickednes Defence of a fault doubles it and is a forerunner of obduration Thy sin perhaps was small as thou didst commit it but surely 't will be great if thou strive to maintain it for that cuts off all repentance Nay it makes thy sin grow up into a wicked height of scandall and so it may be not only a snare to thy selfe but an unhappy seducement to other warranting many more to be sinfull 53. THere are many things evill in themselves of which thou mayest speak without any evill as of stealing killing which are wicked to be practized not wicked to be published but there are other things lawfull to be done which are non dicendas unlawfull and unhonest to be plainly spoken of and therefore forbear unless it be upon good cause and with great modestie so much as to mention them Let no corrupt communication proceed out of thy mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers grieve not the Holy Spirit of God [p] Ephes 4.29 30. Neither give him occasion touching his comfortable and defensive presence to depart

of his Saviour to his soule as the medicine to the malady 53. IF the departing of others from their faith whom thou conceivedst more likely to have departed from their lives Sathans alleging and aggravating thine infirmities affronting affrighting thee with Gods Justice troubles and persecutions one after another like Job's messengers shake and stagger thee make thee question thy own faith yet if with thy faith in God thou feelest in thy self a hatred of sin and a desire of righteousness which refraineth thee from much wickedness and stirreth thee up to some works of vertue although there remain in thee the relicts of sin yea a motion unto sin contrary to the Spirit of God which also breaketh out sometimes into actuall sins yet if thy conscience shall not upbraid thee with sin wilfull and presumptuous if thy hearts delight hath always been in Gods Statutes thy study to thy strength to abandon all iniquity soundly without guile and humbly without pride It is a hand and seal unto thy soule to make it sure thou shalt be saved 54. DOst thou doubt and fear that thou truly lovest not grace and salvation and yet lovest all the ordinances of God for mans salvation and yet hungrest and thirstest after the word and Sacraments and all other Christian exercises Be not deceived be not discouraged These are sure effects of sincerity These things make it apparent that thy doubts are of no weight and thy fears frivolous Thou couldst not with so great care and circumspection seek if thou wert not willing to find Thou couldst not with so great speed and resolution travell if thou hadst not hearty mind to thy journeys end even the salvation of thy soul [d] 1 Pet. 1.9 55. DOst thou feel sometimes a dolefull change in thy mind Is thy soul cast down and disquieted within thee Doth thy faith sometimes fearfully stagger Art thou ready to give over thy hold of God Yet out of his gracious goodness will he never give over the hold that he hath of thee His anchor is so firmly setled and fixed upon the ground of thy heart that no stormes or tempests can shake or loose it Art thou prone sometimes to leave God yet is he resolved not to leave thee or to lose thee The Lord hath bought thee at too high a price to part upon such low termes from thee 56. SEest thou the wicked so forward to put evill motions in practice that they no sooner apprehend them but approve them no sooner approove them than execute them yea proceed and continue in them cheerfully and constantly Tell not them of Beares or Lyons in the way They are busy in pursuing their game and they will get it whatsoever it cost them for they have so decreed and set it down Oh be thou as ready to intertaine the good motions of Gods holy Spirit Esteem of them highly and imbrace them heartily practise them freely and faithfully and return the strength to the giver so shal God plentifully powr down his grace upon thee so shall thou never want favour after favour God will never fail to add good to him who imployes that good which he hath received Imploy all those gifts thou hast and look for more Imploy them not and look to lose what thou hast whosoever hath to him shall be given and he shall have more abundance [e] Matth. 13.12 and whosoever hath not from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have [f] Luke 8.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 57. BE not a sluggard in any good calling and much less in thy calling to Christianity notwithstanding all discouragements temptations and oppositions to the contrary that may stand up in the way to hinder thee The calling of a Christian can least of all others stand with idleness If the idle mans belly shall be pinched and starved for want of food [g] Prov. 6.11 and his back cloathed with raggs [h] Prov. 23.21 If by doing nothing he shall bring himself to nothing and having no calling poverty have a calling to arrest him How shall the idle Christians soule speed what regard what intertainment shall that have wish not only for grace and salvation but work out thy salvation with fear and trembling [i] Philip. 2.12 If every languishing and lazy flash of every wisher and woulder were enough there would be swarmes of reprobates in heaven flocks and flights of people would never fall into destruction if words and desires without religious and righteous deeds would preserve them from it Balaam that wretched covetous hypocrit wished that he might dy the death of the righteous [k] Numb 23.10 but he took no care to live the life of the righteous which might have assured him of dying well The foolish Virgins would have gladly gone in with the Bridegroom they hoped after oil of the wiser Virgins and begged hard to be let in if that might have prevailed But they bewailed their want and went to buy oil for their Lamps when it was too late but they would not be at the paines and charges to provide themselves of oil in due time but they had it not in readiness when the Lord came suddenly in the night and therefore they reaped the soure fruit of their sweet security they had the gates of the Bridegroom and the door of eternall life shut up against them and were excluded into perpetuall darknes where is weeping and gnashing of teeth [l] Matth. 25.2 3 c. 58. IN all the actions and transactions of thy life Let thy projects be pious and righteous and thy practices proportionable and allowable to aime at the best ends by by-wayes is schismaticall to walk in the most worthy wayes to wry intents is hypocriticall to desire neither lawfull works nor lawfull wayes is Atheisticall but to labour at least for the right prize by the right path is alwayes both comfortable and commendable is both the office and wisdom of a Christian 59. LEt there be in thy purpose sincerity in thy practice integrity in thy disposition diligence in thy proceeding perseverance Let thy dutyes both to God and man be without dissembling without diminishing without repining without revolting 60. BE alwayes rich in the work of the Lord [m] 1 Cor. 15.58 ready to distribute willing to communicate [n] 1 Tim. 6.18 Be ready to every work [o] Titus 3.1 which either the common duty of Christianity or thy own private calling requireth of thee or with such sacrifices God is well pleased [p] Heb. 13.16 and faith very probably prooved The historicall faith or faith of miracles may appear without good works as in the Devils who have one of them and in Judas that damned reprobate who had both of them but the true justifying faith that ingraffs thee into Christ that reconciles thee to God that quits thy sin and saves thy soul can never be known to others nor to thy self but by good works There may happily

makest a true report false witnesses do not alwayes deliver untruths but deck their fowl intents with a fair shew of verity the truth of the matter excuseth not the guilt of the slander [b] Veritas convitil non excusat convitium 63. BE not careless of thy companions carriage but exhort and edify him as far as thou mayest lest the man perish that is a friend and the Devill rejoice at it that is an enemy Be frequent in admonishing thy friend and sometimes spare not sharply to check him never rebuke him bitterly never reject him utterly 64. LIe not for thy friend or for thy self or for Almighty God God requireth me to love him but not to lie for him will you speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him saith Job [c] Job 13.7 checking in his friends a false speech although it tended to defend the Lord speak not at any time that which thou knowest to be false nor at all times that which thou knowest to be true conceal as farr as lawfully thou mayest that which may do hurt spoken Thou art not ever bound to tell all the truth but thou art ever bound that all be truth thou tellest It is not a ly when silence keepeth back something that is true but when speech utters something that is false 65. SEll not one sin to buy another amend not one errour or corruption by another but purge out the old leaven that thou mayst be a new lump [d] 1 Cor. 5.7 Forsake not riotousness to imbrace covetousness Neither leave secret repining to fall into open rebellion In avoiding superstition become not either schismaticall or prophane Neither in abhorring prophaneness fall into meere formality and hypocrify To abandon Epicurisme admire not Stoicisme Neither run into Anarchy to shun Tyrannie but seek and turn to and keep the golden mean prescribed by the Lord in his Word From the which the wider thou walkest the worser thou wanderest and the further off from thy journeys end 66. BE fervent and zealous but not fierce and violent Be diligent for the increase of thy wealth but not a slave to the world Be neither remisse in thy vocation nor yet too severe a taskmaster over thy self to the oppressing of thy mind or body soon changeable is thy life with rest and recreation but without recreation or rest it cannot be long durable 67. ABhor hast and love leisure when thou art to undertake any serious business lest if thou go on with little heed thou come off with less honour Many circumstances belong to things of substance Matters of moment are not to be managed but with much deliberation It is safer and easier in such eases to practise when thou hast pondered than to ponder when thou hast practised 68. APproximate none to thy secrets neither willingly make choice of any to serve thee in any office though of never so serviceable qualities or usefull indowments otherwise but such as are careful to serve God according to their apprehension and ability but such as are religious and vertuous and adorned with true worthyness but such as are more willing at least to heavenly causes than quick in worldly matters He who hath freely sanctified their hearts with grace will surely direct their ways with judgment They will not faulter in their business nor will God fail in his blessing They will be faithfull and prudent in the managing and God will be gracious and merciful in the prospering of all those imployments which they take in hand 69. HOwsoever thou art before others in prerogative of birth and blood and in many other things there be a great difference between thee and thy neighbour Howsoever God hath invested thee with right unto titles and revenews and in worldly matters perhaps too hath nothing whereas thou hast all things and wantest nothing yet in the mainest matters and things of most worth acknowledge him and account him thy equal The lowest have as good a title to salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven as the highest and the poorest as the richest There is neither Jew nor Greek There is neither bound nor free There is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (e) Gal. 3.28 quantum ad sidei Statum dignitatem Diony Carth. in locum quantum ad justificationem attinet Nicolaus Hemingius in locum It is not the meaning of Gods mercy to countermand any civil respects In the world there must be differences and degrees it must be so for policy and order but in Christ Jesus all are one All have one Redeemer All are members of one body Christ hath redeemed all of all sorts that believe in him 70 THere is an excellent wisedom beyond the rules of Physick beyond all soveraign medicines whatsoever in the weakness of our bodyes for their restauration and in the good estate of our bodyes for the continuation and strengthning of life to send to heaven by prayer for the increase of faith and fear of God and that increase will make the heart better and that beterness will procure more true cheerfulness and that cheerfulness will stir up more found health comforting natural heat and dispersing it all over the body and that health will multiply our dayes and augment the years of our life whereas raging hopeless heartless sorrow like a devouring Harpye consumes our blood and spirits drieth our bones and suddenly dissolves and destroyes us 71. SEest thou a man smitten with diseases and lying in extremity and anguish his heart panting his strength failing his flesh and bones tormenting and which is yet more lamentable dost thou perceive that Sathan as he commonly useth uppon such occasions endeavoureth now especially to breed no small troubles and terrours in his soul send up thankfull thoughts unto thy most gracious Lord God for holding his hands and not laying the like upon thee for not dealing with thee severely as he might justly God is alwayes to be glorified of us both in our bodyes and in our souls not only for his proceeding to profit us but also for his forbearing to punish us 72. AS it is a great fault not to put up a small wrong So it may be no small fault to suffer a great injurie thou art bound in such a case not to make thy self a prey but to make thy cause known not to whet on others to lay on load upon thee but as Gods servants have done from time to time to crave and call for the help of the Magistrate and seek remedy from his hands whom God hath left as his Lieutenant and set to supply his place either for the preventing of further wrong or for the punishment of the doer of wrong God bindeth our hands from unjust revenge but he shutteth not our mouths from just complaint God is offended as sure when lawfull means are not used as when unlawfull means are practised 73. NOt only labour to serve God thy self but stir up and inflame others to