Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	let_v	lord_n	pharaoh_n	2,368	5	10.5791	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01025	Four sermons which doe manifest the true sence of the 1. Epistle to Timothie 6. Chaper 13. 14. 15. [and] 16. verses of that chapter. Preached by the reverend divine Mr. Iohn Forbes late preacher to the Companie of Merchant-Adventurers in Delft. Published by S.O.	Forbes, John, 1568?-1634.	1635 (1635)	STC 11129; ESTC S114866	51,274	78

the Apostle so well approved is this to shew that it is not an easy matter to performe this charge but that all the grace that was in Timothie was litle enough to inable him with constancie and courage to keepe it inviolably the reason of it is this because there is nothing in this world which Sathan more opposeth nor that men set themselves against neither any thing so contrary to flesh and blood as the trueth of Gods worship and the sincerity of Preaching it the Divell laboureth to corrupt the purity of doctrine and the service of God in his Church above all things in the world Now seing it is so much opposed by Sathan and the world who labour to deprive us of salvation that wee might perish with them therefore the Apostle knowing how the world and Sathan would oppose it hee seing by the spirit of revelation the great temptations his servants must undergoe that would keepe Gods worship pure therefore hee gives this strait charge unto his Church that they should lay before their eyes God and Christ continually for otherwise the terrours of men and the world will shake them and cause them to corrupt the waies of God otherwayes men stand allwayes in danger of being overcome either by entisements of riches or by the terrour of persecutiō and of imprisonment therefore the spirit gives us this strayt charge to bind us more strongly to this doctrine and thus we see the reasons which moved the Apostle to set downe this weightie charge unto his Church Now let us come and consider this more particularly first hee chargeth him before God and secondly before Iesus Christ the Lord the generall consideration of the manner of this charge serves for to let us see there is nothing cā stay the miserable heart of man in the wayes of God except the consideration of God and Christ Take these two out of his sight and he is in darknesse for if his heart be not set to see God and Christ hee will soone turne from the trueth to vanitie the very sight of men will make us to stoup and change our mindes if God be out of our sight this made Moses so couragious before Pharaoh The Apostle saith of him selfe to the Corinths that hee was not as other teachers who adulterated the word of God he giveth this to be the reason why he was not such an one because hee spake as in the sight of God and this kept him that he could not adulterate the word of God it is his sight onely that stayes us and keepeth the heart of man and that keepes our hearts upright in the worke of God See the trueth of this spoken of Moses it is said that Moses by faith forsooke Egypt and despised the wrath of the King by seeing him which is Invisible hee had such a sight of God which stayed his heart that no threatnings of Pharaoh could make him to alter his mind and that wee may see this lesson belongeth generally unto us yea every Christian as well as unto every Pastour it doth appeare in the Hebrewes where it is said wee are compassed about with a cloud of witnesses Let us cast off every thing that presseth downe and the sinne which hangeth so fast on fixing our eyes upon Iesus the authour fimisher of our faith who for the glory that was set before him despised the shame or crosse If our eyes be fixed upon Iesus the authour and finisher of our faith we shall goe thtough honour and dishonour so as nothing can hinder us till wee have attained unto the price of our calling God having in Iesus Christ chosen us unto himselfe thus we see how necessary it is to have God continually in our sight And this is that which made David reioyce that God was with him at his right hand to uphold him which made him not to be afraid of death and to the same end the Apostle saieth if God be on our side who can be against us This generall sight of God and of Christ is the onely thing which will stay a miserable conscience and unconstant heart against the feare of man we see Ioseph was stayed by this not to yeeld to his wicked Mistris where hee said how shall I do this great wickednesse and sinne against God We have need to set God and Christ before us and that will keepe us from falling into evills against God or against our Neighbour and it will establish our hearts in goodnesse againe it may be demanded why the Apostle joynes God and Christ is not the sight of God sufficient to stay our hearts Now here may be 2 reasons given for it in giving this charge to joyne God and Christ togeaher first because there is no fruit to us in the sight of God alone except the sight we have of God we have it in and through Christ that except we know God in Christ our Saviour the sight of God will never allure thee unto obedience for there is no sight of God that will establish thy heart in obedience except thou see God as the Father of Christ that gave his sonne unto the death for our transgressions and this sight makes us to love God with all our hearts and to preferre this God before all the world which causeth us wee dare do nothing that shall offend him for to please men Secondly the distinct consideration of these two is of great force to further and provoke mans heart unto obedience First in consideration of God who is the judge of all the world before whose face all the world shall appeare to receive according as they have done in their bodies whether it be good or evill the consideration 2of God as my judge as the Apostle calleth him and Abraham calls him so likewise this is a great stay to restraine men from sinne when I do know that hee who is my judge is before mee and hee sees me and hee doth observe all my waies and this if I do mind is of mightie force to keepe mee from sinning against him Moreover if there be any safety from Gods judgments it is by the mediation of Christ alone Now seeing that God and Christ are perpetually joyned togeather in judgment so that what the one approves the other approves therefore I must see God as my judge and Christ as my mediatour as a meanes to keepe mee from sinne and for both these reasons it is that the Apostle joynes them together God and Christ in this his charge to let us see wee have God and Christ for our enemies to convince us and to condemne us in that great day seeing in both their names we were charged to keepe this commandement without spot and thus we are taught the reasons wherefore hee joyneth God and Christ together in this great Charge Now we are to come to the particular consideration of this Charge first he laieh God before us to be considered in this particular that hee quicke neth

we doe not faint under the difficulties that we shall find in keeping this commandement untill Christs second coming which in his due time he will accomplish God hath reserved this time in his owne hands and in his owne time hee will shew it Now that we may be assured that God will performe this he setts downe a glorious description of this God that wee may see in God wonderfull and undoubted reasons that God will in his time shewe the Lord Iesus againe This description of God is one of the most magnificent descriptions that is sett downe of God in all the scriptures to let us see what need wee have to take to heart this precept First he setts downe God that he is the most blessed one which in his time will shew that hee is the blessed Secondly that he is the onely potentate and this he illustrateth by more particular demonstrations in this that he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords his blessednesse is further expounded in these particulars 1. that he hath onely immortality 2. that hee is inaccessible dwelling in that light which no man hath seene nor can see This description he concludes with ascribing to God two things honour and power everlasting thus wee see how the Apostle in most divine manner high stile doth still propound this charge to all those that are ministers of his word that all the world may see the necessity that lyeth upon Pastours teachers to doe their duetye seing they are so straytlye charged before this God of might majestie and blessednes to whom belonges all power and glorye so that wee must not dallye in this point of keeping this commandement here charged upon us therefore it stands us upon under no lesse payne then the wrath of God to keepe this charge against all the world that shall oppose it Now let us come to the words in particular the first thing that all Pastours are Charged with all is the keeping of these commandents and that is not onely charged upon them but the keeping it without spot and unrebukeable the time how long they must keepe it is set downe till the appearing of the Lord Iesus So we have 3. things in this precept which the Apostle lays upon all Ministers to be considered by us First wee must consider what is the matter we must keepe without spot unrebukeable and that untill the appearing againe of Christ The matter is this commandement What means the Apostle by this commandement by this he means all the dutyes that he hath in this Epistle charged upon all Pastours and Teachers this he calls a commandement to let us see and understand that the office of Pastours so described as we have heard is this straite commandement of the liveing God and it is the Law of God himselfe that is laid upon us to keepe Now he calls it a commandement that we might understand what is the thing that we must obey and practise and it is a great incouragement for us to doe this since it is the charge of the liveing God and the precepts which Pastours must lay to heart that these are the things which God hath commanded Therefore those which make no conscience to transgresse this charge but they will make all the order of Gods howse to be indifferent and will make all the precepts of this Epistle to be alterable and changeable as some cursed divines have written to prove that this commandement of God may be changed whereas we see the Apostle doth charge us in the sight of God and of Christ to keepe this commandement of God without spot and that till Christ come Againe is then this a changeable commandement can any power of flesh or bloud alter or change this when we are charged under paine of damnation to keepe this as inviolable and unchangeable an ordinance I say the curse of God must light upon him that takes upon him to alter any of these ordinances seing in so streit a maner we are charged and commanded to hould them Well then these things are commandements I marke this for another end and not onely to shew that these things are not indifferēt things for men to doe or to leave undone but this doth likewise let us see that these are of the nature of such things which are absolutely necessary and therefore are not onely councells as the Papists speake when they make distinctions betwixt precepts and councels and they make these things not necessary but voluntary And in nothing under the Tunne hath the Church of Rome gone more against Gods ordinances and commandements then in this yea they have wholy troden this precept under their feete which here the Apostle commands them to keepe so straitly that neither the function it self may be abolished nor any particulars of them may be neglected of any Bishop nor the duty he should performe in preaching or in Governing but long since all is changed among them and a new fashion is set up in the ordring of Gods house which God never commanded Wee have the more need to looke unto our selfs in this seeing there is no precept of God which hath beene more adulterated and violated then this precept of the Apostle yea not onely in popery is this so but this violation of it remaines in the reformed Churches themselvs our duty is therefore in this respect to looke to our selvs and see how short we come of performing this commandement and how we shall answer in the day of Iudgment for our abuse thereof Next observe upon whom this charge is laid it is laid upon Timothy and in his person upon all Pastours by which we may see who are cheifely to keepe this order in Gods house which are the Pastours in Gods house most and Cheifely here charged on us it is not on the Magistrate so much laid to keepe at it is charged on us judgmēts shall light upon us if wee keep not this charge we are they that are commanded of God to looke to this the ordering of Gods house is not so much committed to any as to us therefore we must looke to it Let the world rage as they will against pastours yet they may not neglect to keepe this If the Apostle had not knowne that this was a difficult thing to practice and that there would be mighty opposition against it he would not have laid the necessity of doeing it with such waighty charge as hee hath done but he knew that the world would not endure to worship God as they are here commanded therefore hee had great care to back this commandment with the waightyer authority of the liveing God now we see who it is that is cheifely charged for the ordering of Gods house namely his ministers It is a wofull thing and the Lord in mercy forgive this iniquity for now every mann wil have a law for Pastours and Teachers hee must not preach but as they will neither must he administer the sacraments but as