Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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A77708
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The good old way: or, Perkins improved, in a plain exposition and sound application of those depths of divinity briefly comprized in his Six principles: / by that late painful and faithful minister of the Gospel, Charles Broxolme in Darby-shire.
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Broxholme, Charles.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing B5217; Thomason E1483_1; ESTC R208756
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186,652
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446
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poor soul then of an earthly Kingdome to be bestowed upon thee 3. If thou thinkest those that have true Peace of conscience and Joy in the Holy Ghost to be the happiest people under the sun 4. If thou tremble at the Word and honour the very feet of those Instruments that bring glad tydings of peace to such as thy self to wit to wounded consciences 5. If thou send up strong and uncessant cryes to God for the assurance of his favour in and through Christ 6. If thou dost pity and compassionate all such as have broken and bruised hearts Vse 3. To exhort all such as for the present have not contrite and humble spirits to labour and endeavour for that disposition Motives 1. The contrary disposition to wit hardness of heart and impenitency is a great sin and a grievous judgement A great sin Rom. 2.5 But thou after thy hard and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath A grievous judgement Exod. 9.12 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh See John 12.40 Now there be two kinds of hardness of heart 1. Sensible that which is perceived and felt and this may be in the godly as Isa 63.17 Oh Lord why hast thou made us to erre from thy wayes and heardened our hearts from thy fear 2. Insensible that which is not perceived and felt and this indeed is a great sin and plague 2. The second Motive The sooner we labour after this disposition the more easily in likelyhood we shall attain unto it when a heart hath been long hardened with the deceitfulness of sin it will not easily become a contrite and humble heart and therefore Psalm 95.7.8 To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts So Joel 2.12 13. Besides it may be hereafter we shall not enjoy the like means this way we do for the present 3. Without this contrite and humble spirit according to the Doctrine we cannot partake of Christ and his benefits this is the Messenger that Christ ever sends before him unto those of years for we do not now speak of Infants and wo be unto us if we do not partake of Christ and his benefits it had been good for us we had never been born 4. Whosoever hath this contrite and humble spirit shall certainly partake of Christ and his benefits Now this may greatly induce us to labour for this disposition when the issue undoubtedly shall be so good and so happy Suppose this business be difficult and tedious why yet such an issue must needs put us on in it These are the Motives Now we proceed to the Means of a contrite and humble spirit Means 1. Prayer to God in the best manner we can it is he that must bruise our hard and stony hearts Ezek. 36.26 I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh to wit a contrite and humble heart 2. Because the Lord doth many times make use of afflictions and judgements for the bruising of mens hearts when he sends any great affliction upon us let us not stand out against him but joyn with him when he goes a bout to humble us let us labour to humble our selves as Saul afterwards called Paul Acts 9.6 trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to do When the hand of God is upon us let us not stand murmuring and repining but fall to examination of our Spiritual estates and cases as the Wise-man adviseth us Eccles 7.14 In the day of adversity consider 3. Constant dependance upon the Ministry of the Word Jer. 23.29 Is not my word like as a fire saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaketh the Rocks in pieces Now we are to know that the Law hath a stroke in this work and so the Gospel 1. The Law by revealing of sin and the woful consequents of it and so the Spirit of God co-operating there is caused a servile fear and trembling a kind of contrition and humiliation which the Apostle Rom. 8.15 cals the spirit of bondage causing fear when the Spirit of God puts an edge upon the Law puts a sword into the hand of the Law to prick and wound the heart and to restrain it in the wayes of sin for fear of punishment Many a man and woman hears the Law opened and the threatnings of it thundringly denounced but stir not are little moved but when once the Lord by his Spirit puts an edge upon the Law then the stoutest heart trembles and quakes Now that the Law may have a kindly work upon us 1. By the Law let us labour for a distinct knowledge of sin 2. Rightly to understand what the Curse is which the Law threatneth unto sin and sinners 3. Examine our selves how guilty we are of that which the Law threatens the Curse unto to wit sin 4. Finding our selves guilty to labour our hearts to a deep contrition and humiliation Now as we have heard before as the Law hath a stroke in this work why so the Gospel more and more melting the heart by discovering Christ whom the sinner hath pierced by his sins and by supporting the heart by a secret hope of mercy and possibility of help in and through Christ even as Jonah Chap. 2. verse 4. Then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look again toward thy holy Temple Or as the Prodigal Son Luke 15.17 18. And when he came to himself he said How many hired servants of my fathers house have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him father I have sinned against heaven and before thee c. Now after the Law hath humbled us and the Gospel conveyed this glimpse of hope into our hearts it must be nourished and cherished 1. By considering of the Lords Infinite and Almighty Power how he is able more and more to bruise our souls to make us more and more capable of Christ and so to bring Christ nearer unto us that we may partake of him and his benefits Luke 1.37 With God nothing shall be unpossible And Matth. 3.9 God is able of stones to raise up children unto Abraham 2. The freeness of Gods mercy must be considered of he requires nothing of thee to procure this mercy but shewes mercy because he will shew mercy Suppose thou hast never so many exceptions to thy self why yet thou belonging unto him and his mercy being a free mercy he will proceed with thee until he hath made thee capable of Christ and bestowed Christ upon thee and his benefits Ezek. 36.26 I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And Isaiah 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake 3. For supporting of this hope consider we of the riches of Gods mercy unto the proper objects of mercy Contrite and Humble men
thundring and powerful Ministry Vse 2. A call to repentance unto all such as are in the estate of nature as ignorant persons Swearers Cursers Profaners of the Sabbath Whoremasters Drunkards Oppressors Usurers Greedy Earth-worms Contemners of the Gospel Despisers of Gods Ministers who all proclaim themselves to be in the estate of nature O that such would consider the woful case they are in To be under the Curse as the unregenerate person is is no little misery To be subject to all outward calamities in this life nay to have many Spiritual plagues upon them as blindness of mind hardness of heart and many times terrors of conscience even the flashes of hell fire in their consciences and when by temporal death the soul goeth out of the body the wrath of God to press it down to the pit of hell and there to be in unspeakable nay unconceivable torment until the day of Judgment and then when the soul and body shall be again conjoined to appear and stand before 1. Such a Judge as cannot be deceived through ignorance 2. Such a Judge as cannot be forestalled by favour 3. Such a Judg as cannot be overswayed with power 4. Such a Judg as cannot be moved with pity for then the time of pity is past to such 5. Such a Judge as cannot be corrupted with gifts Lastly Such a Judg as cannot be overcome with Arguments and so the Sentence to be passed upon them Mat. 25.41 Go ye Cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel and his Angels And then to be for ever separated from Gods comfortable presence to be for ever restrained and enforced to the society of the Divel and his Angels both soul and body to be in unspeakable and unconceivable torment and that for ever every faculty of soul and member of body to be in this torment and that for evermore O consider this ye that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal 50.22 2 Cor. 5.11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we perswade men saith the Apostle So we perswade you to see and to be sensible of your condition that in the use of all good means you would labour to get out of your present estate as it is Ephes 5.14 Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Take heed of fore-slowing the time If death seize upon thee before thy Repentance and Regeneration ah wo be unto thee that ever thou wast born And know thou hast no lease of thy life remember that secure fool Luke 12.20 Thou fool this night shall thy soul be required of thee This day hear Gods voice and do not harden thy heart for to morrow thou art uncertain of it Thus far touching mans misery by nature We proceed to the third Principle PRINC III. Quest What means is there for thee to escape this damnable estate Answ Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God being made man by his death upon the Crosse and by his Righteousnesse hath perfectly alone by himselfe accomplished all things that are needful for the salvation of mankind MEMB 1. Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God HErein we have the Redeemer of mankind described by three of his Titles 1. Jesus 2. Christ 3. The Son of God this last illustrated by this Epithete eternal The eternal Son of God Of these three Titles in order and first of the Title Jesus This Title is a Title of benefits it signifying an Author of safety our Saviour as we may observe the Angel to interpret speaking to Joseph Matth. 1.21 Thov shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins Obj. But may some men say There was others called by this name besides the Redeemer of mankind Ans It is true but take notice of the difference betwixt him and them 1. They had his name imposed on them by the will of men but he had his name given him by an Angel from God 2. They were but typical Saviours he the Saviour indeed 3. They were but temporal and outward Saviours he a Spiritual Saviour 4. They were but Instrumental Saviours he the Author of all good things Temporal Spiritual and Eternal Obj. But the Father and the Holy Ghost are Saviours also Ans It is true but the difference is in their manner of saving The Father saveth by the Son the Son saveth by paying the Ransome and price of salvation the Holy Ghost saveth by a particular applying of this Ransome Two Questions following to be answered and then we come to Application 1. Whom this Jesus saves 2. From what Quest 1. Whom Ans The Angel tells us whom in the place forecited Matth. 1.21 Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people And the Apostle Paul Ephes 5.23 calls him The Saviour of his body to wit of all the Elect. Quest 2. From what Ans The Angel tells us that too in the former place He shall save his people from their sins to wit all their sins the guilt and dominion of them Vse The Application may be to inform us two wayes 1. Touching our miserable lost estate by nature for so much a Saviour implies And the truth of it is we can never rightly and comfortably acknowledg this Saviour until we be sensible this way Many speak of this Saviour as their Saviour but when were they dejected and cast down with a sight and sense of their own misery by nature The Son of man is come saith our Saviour himself Matth. 18.11 to save that which was lost that is to say those that were sensible of their lost estate and condition but divers very ignorant and insensible this way wil yet cal him their Saviour 2. To inform us touching the great mercy of God to mankind Satan and his Angels fell but have no Saviour man falls and the Lord deviseth and affordeth a Saviour Now to this Saviour seeing and feeling our misery let us fly saying and praying with the Disciples Matth. 8.25 Lord save us we perish and with David Psal 35.3 Say unto our souls Thou art our salvation Considering that comfortable Text he himself preach'd upon the truth of which he came into the world to make good Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath annointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised And in ver 21. He began to say unto them This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears Now we come to the second Title Christ which is a Title of Office and signifies Annointed There were three sorts of persons annointed in the time of the Old Testament Prophets Priests and Kings who were all types of this Annointed of this Prophet Priest and King That we may the better understand this Title we intend to answer the Questions