Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	law_n	sin_n	transgression_n	2,243	5	10.5323	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20173	The new creature A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse, Ianuary 17. 1619. By Stephen Denison, minister of Gods word, at Katherine Kree Church, in the citie of London.	Denison, Stephen, d. 1649 or 50.	1619 (1619)	STC 6607; ESTC S120525	30,181	101

THE NEW CREATVRE A SERMON PREACHED AT PAVLS CROSSE IANVARY 17. 1619. By Stephen Denison Minister of Gods word at Katherine Kree Church in the Citie of London 2. COR. 5. 17. Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature GAL. 6. 15. For in Christ Iesus neither circumcision auaileth any thing nor vncircumcision but a new creature LONDON Printed by Richard Field dwelling in great Woodstreete 1619. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR SEBASTIAN HARVEY Knight Lord Maior of the honorable Citie of London STEPHEN DENISON wisheth increase of all sauing grace in this world and eternall glorie and happinesse in the world to come Right Honorable THE doctrine of Repentance and of the new Creature is very necessarie in all places and for all assemblies This doctrine is fit for all persons it is fit for men of high degree to cause them to bethinke thēselues It is fit for men of low degree to cause them to know thēselues It is fit for the true iudicious hearer to cause him to adde practise to his knowledge And it is fit for the itching care or curious hearer to teach him the true vse of hearing Sermons which is not to haue his vncircumcised eare carnally pleased but rather to haue his poore soule regenerated edified and refreshed With this doctrine was Ioel sent vnto the old men and to all the inhabitants of the land With this doctrine was Ionas sent vnto Nineue Fortie dayes and Nineue shall be destroyed With this doctrine was Christ himselfe sent vnto the lost sheepe of the house of Israel Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God And with this doctrine is this weake messenger or smal Treatise sent into the world at this time I desire that it might do much good vnto the soules of Gods elect which if it do I do vnfainedly confesse it is not in respect of any worth or sufficiency that is in the author but meerly by Gods free blessing following my poore and weake endeuours The reasons which haue moued me to make this doctrine and Sermon publicke are these viz. First the consideration of the necessitie of it for what is more necessarie then to vnderstand the mysterie of regeneration without which no flesh can be saued Secondly the consideration of the generall extent of this doctrine for it concerneth not onely them which heard the Sermon but also all others for God exhorteth all men to repent Thirdly the desire of diuers holy Christians whose earnest and godly request I desire to fulfill to my power And in that I do commend vnto your Honour these my poore endeuours contained in this booke it is First because your Honour was an eare-witnesse of this Sermon enduring the coldnesse of the season to heare it with much attention Secondly because your Honour hath purchased to your selfe a good report among men by your inst and vpright cariage in that worthy place and calling whereunto you are called Thirdly because your Honour hath had and I hope will haue vnto the end a singular care of Gods Sabbath that it may not be profaned by the leudnesse of men which are more set vpon their own gaine and pleasure then in any sort vpon Gods glorie which desire not onely to sinne themselues but also to make Christian magistrates partakers of their sinnes by giuing licence and libertie vnto them Fourthly that I might hereby testifie my loue vnfained vnto this famous Citie for the which I will alwayes pray that God would turne his iudgements from it and preuent it with his liberall blessings especially in heauenly things in Christ I beseech your Honour to accept this Treatise which I offer as the widowes mite to be cast into Gods treasurie And so I will pray the very God of peace to sanctifie you wholly and that your whole spirit and soule and bodie may be preserued blamelesse vnto the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ Amen Your Honours in all things in the Lord Stephen Denison THE NEW CREATVRE EZEKIEL 18. 31. Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye haue transgressed and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will ye die ô house of Israel AT the fiue and twentieth verse of this present Chapter the Prophet Ezekiel tells vs that the house of Israel had complained against the Lord that his wayes were not equall Vnto the which impudent sawcie and blasphemous complaint the Lord in his owne most iust defence giueth a double answer first in the 26 and 27 verses in these words If a righteous man for saketh his righteousnesse and committeth iniquitie and dieth in them for the iniquitie that he hath done shall he die Againe when the wicked man turneth away from his wickednesse that he hath committed and doth that which is equall and right he shall saue his soule aliue As though the Lord should say He that condemneth the impenitent though formerly neuer so righteous in shew and he that iustifieth the penitent though formerly neuer so wretched in deed his wayes must needs be equall But God doth all this Therefore his wayes must needs be equall The second answer which the Lord giueth to the former vniust complaint is contained in the words of my text Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye haue transgressed c. As though it were said He which offereth you life and saluation vpon condition of repentance and amendment for the time to come his wayes must needs be equall But God offereth you this offer Therfore his wayes must needs be equall Cast away all your transgressions c. The parts of this text are two to wit an exhortation and an expostulatiō or a counsell and a reason In the exhortation or counsell the Church of God is taught first what to auoid in these words Cast away all your transgressions whereby ye haue transgressed Secondly what to labour fot in the words following And make you a new heart and a new spirit And the expostulation or reason is taken from the danger that will ensue if the counsell be reiected in these words For why will ye die ô house of Israel Cast away frō you all your transgressions Cast away by this is meant a finall forsaking of sin yea such a forsaking is here vnderstood as is with an holy detestation or indignation much like vnto that speech of the Prophet Isaiah Ye shall defile also the couering of thy grauen images of siluer and the ornament of thy moulten images of gold thou 〈…〉 a st them away as a polluted cloth thou shalt say vnto it Get thee bence All your transgressions The word in the originall signifieth properly slips or failings or lesser sins Whereby is not meant that the Church must onely cast away or forsake her smaller sinnes and retaine her greater for that were with the Pharises to straine out a gnat and to swallow a Camell but by transgressions in this text by a Synecdoche part being

and plotting For the wicked deuiseth mischiefe vpon his bed he setteth himself vpon a way that is not good c. Psal 36. 4. Secondly a sinne of infirmitie is done vnwillingly with much striuing against the flesh yea with the very hatred of the sinne committed as we see in the example of blessed Paul Rom. 7. 15. That which I do I allow not for what I would that I do not but what I hate that do I. Whereas on the contrary a sinne of presumption is committed willingly with the whole heart with great delight yea euen with greedinesse Ephes 4. 19. Who being past feeling haue giuen themselues ouer vnto lasciuiousnesse to worke all vncleanenesse with greedinesse Thirdly a sinne of infirmitie is commonly committed in things of a lower nature For few of the children of God after conuersion as I suppose do fall so grosly as did Dauid and Peter The child of God after regeneration may be assailed with euill thoughts and may be subject to like passions as others are yea idle words may sometimes slip from them at vnawares and some failings there may be in their actions and dealings and they may also come short in the well performing of holy duties and the like But a sinne of presumption is vsually committed with an high hand in grosse matters Rom. 3. 13. Their throate is an open sepulcher with their tongues they haue vsed deceit the poyson of aspes is vnder their lips whose mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse their feete are swift to shed bloud c. Fourthly a sinne of infirmitie is commonly of ignorance as was the sinne of Peter when rashly he desired that three Tabernacles might be made one for Christ one for Moses and one for Elias not knowing what he said whereas a sinne of presumption is alwayes against the light of knowledge For the wicked knowing the iudgement of God that they which do such things are worthy of death not onely do the same but haue pleasure in them that do them Rom. 1. 32. Fiftly a sinne of infirmitie when it is knowne it is presently repented of and is more carefully shunned and bewar'd of for the time to come as we see in the example of holy Iob in his fortieth chapter and fourth and fifth verses who perceiuing that he had bene too bold with God presently vpon the sight of his sinne breaketh out into these termes of repentance Behold I am vile what shall I answer thee I will lay my hand vpon my mouth once haue I spoken but I will not answer againe yea twise but I will proceed no further Whereas on the contrary a sinne of presumption is commonly made a trade of and continued in yea many times defended and boasted of The children of Israel made a trade of prouoking God vnto anger in the wildernesse and continued therein fortie yeares Psal 95. 10. The wicked idolaters offer to defend their offering of cakes to the Queene of heauen Ier. 44. 17. And the vngodly boasteth of his hearts desire Psal 10. 3. Now therefore considering what great difference there is betwixt sins of infirmitie and sinnes of presumption let no man deceiue himselfe in being encouraged to liue in his grosse sinnes of presumption because the true children of God sore against their wils are subiect to many slips and imperfections I am conuinced in my conscience may some say that I ought to liue better then I do and that I ought to breake off my best-beloued sinnes but may I not do this hereafter what necessitie is there of present amendment To this I answer It is not for thee my poore brother to put off thy repentance from day to day and that for diuerse weightie reasons First because God himselfe calleth vpon thee for present repentance To day if ye will heare his voyce harden not your hearts as in the prouocation and in the day of temptation in the wildernesse Secondly because through procrastination thine heart may be made hard and impenitent as is implied in Heb. 3. 13. Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Thirdly because thy life is fraile and vncertaine thou knowest not what a day may bring forth thou mayest be aliue and in health to day and dead and buried by to morrow therefore it behoueth thee to repent whilest thou hast yet time Fourthly there be no doubt multitudes at this instant in hell fire for deferring their repentance notwithstanding that they purposed as thou doest to repent hereafter And therefore lest thou be like such foolish virgins and lest thou also come to that place of torment thou must not onely repent and cast away all thy transgressions whereby thou hast transgressed but this thou must do to day without any minutes procrastination I am content will some haply say to part with whatsoeuer I am conuinced of to be a sinne but how shall I be conuinced of sinne or by what meanes may I come to find out my beloued sinne I answer if thou knowest not my Christian brother thy beloued sinne which euery man doth more easily know then forsake take these few directions for the finding out of thy sinne First pray vnto God but pray feruently and in the name of Christ that he would vouchsafe to discouer vnto thee thy sins For it is the Spirit of God which conuinceth the world of sinne and he is that eye-salue which must cause thee to see Secondly thou must be very conuersant in Gods word but especially in the reading of the Law of God for by the Law cometh the knowledge of sin And the Law is that true cristall glasse wherein thou mayest discerne and see thy vgly deformities Thirdly thou must carefully obserue the checkes of thy conscience For if thou hast not feared thy conscience with an hote iron it will at one time or other checke thee for thy beloued sinne and thine owne heart will smite thee as Dauids heart smote him when he had cut off the lap of Sauls garment Fourthly thou must be content to suffer the word of exhortation from thy Minister from thy friend yea from thy very enemy if thou desirest to come to the sight of thy sin Many times others see more in vs then we can see in our selues How came Dauid to the sight of his sin but by Nathan the Prophet his ministery Now hauing proued vnto you at large the truth of the doctrine namely that a true conuert must turne not from some but from all his sins the vse of the point is first to condemne the practise of grosse hypocrites vnto whom sin is sweet and they hide it vnder their tongues which with Saul spare their fat sinnes of pleasure and profit and learne of Naaman to say Lord be merciful vnto vs in these sins when in the meane time they neuer meane to forsake them But I leaue such to their iust condemnation