Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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A97266
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Self-examination with the likeliest means of conversion and salvation, or, haypy [sic] and welcome advice, if it meets with a soul ingenious : the which being thought (by many) worth the transcribing, at no small charge, is now published for the good of all / by R. Junius.
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Younge, Richard.
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1663
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Wing Y181A; ESTC R43839
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23,147
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32
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Jews Joh. 8. thought we may put away our wives we may swear we may hate our enemies we may kill the Prophets subject the Word of God to our traditions and follow our own lusts and yet they most confidently believed and stiffly maintained that God was their Father vers 41. Though by their leave Christ calls them bastards and finds out another Father for them ver 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil and the lusts of your Father ye will do As indeed they did not long after 〈◊〉 they murthered the same Christ who was the onely Son of God which proved it sufficiently Even so will the worst of men in these days boast themselves Christians Such as do nothing but sin and make others to sin such as glory in and maintain their sins CHAP. VI. ONe minds nothing but his cups another nothing but his coine a third nothing but his Courtizan yet all these promise to meet in Heaven Yea there is scarce a man on earth but he thinks to go to Heaven Which yet is no wonder if you consider all For what the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 3. is appliable to all that are in their natural condition Their minds were blinded for until this day remaineth the same Vail upon their hearts untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament which Vail when they shall turn to the Lord shall be taken away in Christ v. 14 15 16. Neither do they speak other than they think in this case as being of and holding that reprobate and yet common error of Unomius That faith without works will serve Onely believe and thou shalt be saved no matter how men live Whence it is they do not in the least doubt but to have benefit by the Gospel when yet they will not be tied to the least tittle of the Law Whence it is that most men walk in the broad way and yet every man thinks to enter in at the strait gate They will boldly do what God forbids and yet confidently hope to escape what he threatens But let all such read these two Scriptures and tremble The first is Deut. 29.19 20. where the Lord tells us exprefly that he will not be merciful to such as flatter themselves in an evil way but that his wrath and jealousie shall smoak against them and every curse that is written in his Book shall light upon them c. And the second is Prov. I. That if we will not regard nor hearken unto God when he calls upon us for repentance he will not hear nor râ—â—â—rd us when in our distress and anguish we shall call upon him for mercy but even laugh at our destruction and mock when our fear cometh v. 24 to 33. See other places to this purpose Heb. 12.29 Deut. 4.24 Matth. 25.30 41 to 64. and 3.10 These are Scriptures that would startle them were they not stark dead but all is one God they may hear but the Devil will they believe as it fared with our First Parents when they eat the forbidden fruit at the price of death eternal Sin like Opium brings them into a dead sleep and in sleeping they dream and suppose themselves good Christians Even as a Beggar may dream he is a King or a Traytor that he shall be crowned when he is to be beheaded and for the time be as much pleased therewith And so in this case whereof we have three most remarkable instances in the New Testament the one Rev. 3.17 another Luke 18.11.12 the third Mark 10.19 20. Which examples sufficiently declare that these mens saith is but a dream their hope but a dream their obedience but a dream their whole religion but a dream and so their assurance of salvation is but a dream They have Regeneration in conceit Repentance and righteousness in conceit they serve God well in conceit and they shall go to Heaven onely in conceit or in a dream and never wake until they feel themselves in the flames of Hell And the truth is were it not for Pride and Ignorance a world of men would be ashamed to have their faces seen abroad As but take away from mens minds vain opinions flattering hopes false valuations imaginations and the like you will leave the minds of most men and women but poor shrunken things full of melancholly indisposition and unpleasing to themselves O my brethren take heed of sinning away your reason lest by loss of conscience you become Atheists and by loss of reason beasts As what are these better than beasts for matter of reason For suppose they are as wicked as Devils in their lives yet this shall serve to blind conscience They have good hearts and mean well whatever their lives be When every wise man knows that the outward actions declare the inward intentions A good conversion is proved by a good conversation Nor is there any evil in the mouth or hand which was not in the heart first of all as the stream is first in the Fountain Out of the heart saith our Saviour proceed evil thoughts murthers adulteries fornications thefts false witness blasphemies Matth. 15.19 Yet we have good hearts and mean well Alas poor ignorant souls for every drop of wickedness that appears in the life there is an Ocean in the heart The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked Jer. 17.9 and when a man thinks there is no deceit in it even in that he is most of all deceived Insomuch that every man hath need to pray O God defend me from my self for a mans own heart is as arch a traytor as any he shall meet withal we trust it too much and know it too little as it fared with Hazael 2 King 8.12 13. and Peter Matth. 26.33 and those Jews Act. 2.36 But though they know not their own hearts yet God knows them and others may know them For words and actions express our hearts to men as thoughts to God Why else does our Saviour say by their fruits ye shall know them Matth. 7.16 20. And again more expresly Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Matth. 12. verse 34. Yea yet more fully A good man out of the good treasury of his heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things ver 35. But besides out warrant from Gods Word the tongue is the bewrayer of the heart says Pythagoras A man is by nothing better known then by his communication says Seneca The habit of the mind is best perceived by a mans talking saith Diogenes He who cannot rule his Tongue can much less rule his lusts says Socrates And another Evil speaking discovers an evil heart as the striking of the clapper does a broken Bell. Yea it were senseless to think the Fountain pure when the streams that flow from it are corrupt that Garlick should grow out of a Vine-stock That Wine should be in the Vessel when onely Vinegar comes forth Away than with
witness And how could this be were it not for the foregoing Reasons Neither could men else but hate sin and love holiness For besides that any rational man would rather go to Heaven and be saved than to Hell and be damned even Plato a meer Heathen could say that vertue if it be clearly discerned moves great love and affection And that in case a vertuous soul could but be seen with corporal eyes it would ravish all men and set their hearts on fire with love and admiration of the same CHAP. IV. BUt you will ask me who are such as may properly becalled Christians Answ Those that are rightly so styled do in some measure walk according to the rules and precepts of the Gospel as these and the like though with much infirmity Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart mind and strength and thy neighbour as thy self Matth. 22.37 39. Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you even the same do ye unto them Mat. 7.12 c. He walks not according to the rudiments of the World neither does he follow the example of the greatest number nor the greatest men nor the greatest Scholars any farther then they follow Christ But he serves God in spirit according to Christs Gospel for so far forth as he can he lives and believes and hears and invocates and hopes and fears and loves and worships God in such manner as his Word prescribes without addition or diminution And having so done and performed his utmost not to deserve by it but to express his thankfulness to Christ that hath done and suffered so much for him he confesseth himself an unprofitable servant and that in all he comes far short of performing his duty Luke 17.10 If you would have a full and compleat Character of such an one for your imitation and direction or for a pattern to know believe and live by read The whole Duty of a Christian lately Printed for Mr. Crips In the mean time know that we are not born but new born Christians by the immortal seed of the Word and the Spirits powerful working with it And when any one is new born it will appear by this Regeneration or new birth is a creation of new qualities in the soul as being by nature onely evil disposed In all that are born anew is a change both in the judgement from error to truth and in the will from evill to good and in the affections from loving evill and hating good to love good and hate evil in the whole man from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God Nor is there one of that small number whom Christ hath chosen out of the World but is able to say I bless God his Word and Spirit hath wrought in me such a change and strange alteration that it hath opened mine eyes that were blind before inclined my will to obedience which before was rebellious softned my heart sanctified and quite changed my affections So that I now love that good which before I hated and hate that evil which before I loved and am delighted with those holy exercises which heretofore did most displease me and am displeased with those vain pleasures and filthy sins which in time past did most delight me and accounts the same such a mercy that no tongue is able to express it CHAP. V. BUt to bring this home to our selves Are none Christians but such as imitate Christ and endeavour to make the Gospel a rule for them to walk by then in the first place they that are in their judgments affections and actions quite contrary to Christ and the Gospel are far from being Christians And of this number are all Drunkards Swearers and Cursers and the lascivious and voluptuous all Adulterers and Fornicators all covetous unjust and unmerciful men all Seducers false Teachers and such us err in Fundamentals or hold damnable Opinions all ignorant persons that know not God nor the very first principles of Christianity which every one must of necessity know or he cannot be saved Isa 27.11 Hos 4.6 2 Thes 1.7 8. Prov. 19 2. John 3.19 and the number of these are numberless all the rebellious and disobedient all lyars flatterers and time servers who like those Chaldeans Dan. 3.7 would worship a golden Image rather then for-go their immunities all open or secret enemies to the power of godliness as scoffers at holiness and haters of the good who are not a few all Idolaters railers the fearful and unbelieving Sorcerers c. who shall every one if they repent not have their part and portion in the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death as the Holy Ghost witnesseth Rev. 21.8 1 Cor. 6.9 10. All these I say shew by their works that they serve not the Lord Jesus but their Father the Devil and therefore ought not to be owned as Christians For what saith the Apostle his servants we are to whom we yield obedience Rom. 6.16 See more Gal. 5.24 2 Pet. 2.19 Matth. 6.24 Luke 1.74 75. So that it is an infallible argument if we observe and obey Christs precepts we are his Servants if Satans commands we are his subjects and slaves Men may pretend what they will but we are bound to believe the God of truth and what saith Saint John He that pretends interest in God or Christ and keepeth not his commandments is a lyar and the truth is not in him 1 John 2.4 5. and in the third Chapter and eight verse he affirms plainly that all wilful sinners are the Devils servants And indeed let men flatter themselves or pretend what they will it cannot be denied but the fruit tells best the name of the tree The conversation above all shews who carries the bridle of the will whether God or Satan And did not men purposely shut their eyes stop their ears and harden their own hearts lest they should see and hear and so be converted as our Saviour himself speaks Matth. 13.15 they could not but know that the whole Bible beats upon this It is St. Pauls everlasting Rule Rom. 6.16 Ye are his servants to whom ye obey And St. Peters infallible Doctrine 2 Pet. 2.19 Of whom a man is overcome unto him he is in bondage And St. John In this are the children of God known and the children of the Devil Whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God but of the Devil 1 John 3.8 10. And after this manner does our Saviour reason with the Jews John 8.33 to 48. See then whose commands ye do Gods or Satans if Satans then saith St. John Let no man deceive you through vain words for he onely that doth righteousness is righteous and he that doth unrighteousness is of the Devil 1 John 3.7 8. Now what can be spoken more express or more full to the point in hand Nevertheless as the