Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
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A67782
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The whole duty of a Christian, or, The character of a true beleever, that walks in some measure answerable to the Gospel, his Christian profession, and the millions of mercies he hath received ... by R.Y. of Roxwell in Essex.
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Younge, Richard.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing Y195; ESTC R6055
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69,319
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64
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upright and just man Job 1. 1. Or another Ionathan 1 Sam. 23. 16 17. Or Eliâ—zer Gen. 15. 2. who could rejoice in others welfare by whom themselves were deprived of great honour and reveâ—ues Or one that does unto all others as he would have others do unto him Matth. 7. 12. CHAP. II. 1. THis Christian indeed this true Beleever is one that God of his free grace and good pleasure hath chosen and elected to eternall life before the foundation of the world and whom Christ hath redeemed with his prâ—cious bloud 2. He is effectually called and become a new Creature by regeneration being both begotten and born anew of God by the immortall sâ—ed of the Word and the Spirits powerfull working with it And without this new birth there is no being saved as our Saviour himself affirms Iohn 3. 5. 3. He is industrious after the means of grace loves to hear Christs voice and delights in it as finding a sweet rellish therein is able to know when Christ speaketh and when the tempter he receives the Word not as the word of men but as it is indeed the Word of God with all readinesse for he resists not as the wicked do but obeys Christs call which worketh in him mightily for he findes it by experience quick and powerfull and sharper then any two edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and to the discerning of the very thoughts and the most secret intents of the heart 4. His heart is circumcised or rather God takes away the stony heart out of his flesh and gives him a new heart in which he writes his Law and puts a new spirit into him â—vâ—n his own Spirit causing him to walk in his statutes and keep his ordinances so as to do them 5. God sheds his love abroad in his heart by the holy Ghost who witnesseth to his conscience that he is become the childe of God whereby he hath union and communion with Christ partakes of the divine nature and becomes like God in holinesse 6. He is brought out of darknesse into marvellous light hath his eyes opened to see the wonders of Gods Law and that vail or curtain which before was dâ—awn over his heart 2 Cor. 3. 15 16. taken away and is turned from the power of Satan unto God 7. He is ashamed of his former conversation bewailes and mourns bitterly 〈◊〉 sins actuall and originall of omission and commission secâ—et as 〈◊〉 known lesser as well as greater yea as well for the evil which cleaves to his best works as for his evil works being more grieved for offending so good a God then for that it doth or might bring him shame or punishment in this life or in hâ—ll 8. He now findes that the Law is spirituall binding the heart as well as the hands to which holy and just rule he brings all his thoughts words and actions and so sees himself out of measure sinfull as being guilty of all manner of concupiscence having broken every one of those righteous precepts Exodus 20. more times and waies then he hath haires on his head not bâ—ing able of himself to think a good thought for that all the powers of his soul and members of his body are whoâ—ly and originally corrupted 9. He sees himself as guilty of Adams sinne being in his loyns as any Heir is liable to his Fathers debt and esteems it the Mother and Nurse of all finding it like the great wheel in a clock that sets all the wheels on moving while it seems to move slowest and therefore hates and bewails it as the most foul hatefull secret deceitfull and powerfull evil CHAP. III. 1. VVHereupon finding himself in a lost condition and confessing that he hath deserved all the plagues of this life and of that which is to come and groaning under the burthen of sinne utterly dispairing of all help in himself he is solicitously carefull in the use of the means to attain faith in the promise of Gods merey made in Christ finding no rest untill he get some assurance vehemently hungring and thirsting after and earnestly praying for the pardon of sinne waiting on the Lord with patience 2. He humbly unfainedly and freely confesseth all his sins so far â—s he is able with the severall circumstances which aggravate the same to his own shame and Gods glory 3. He will take a holy revenge on himself even to the denying of his own reason and affections his credit carnall friends profits pleasures and whatever else might hinder and by restoring goods or monies evil gotten though it were long since and when he was a servant in case he be able 4. He unfainedly desires to forsake all sinne as being in some measure dead to it Christ by his Spirit having freed him from the power and dominion thereof and in part abolished it at least he so parts from all iniquity and hates every false way that no one sinne doth raigne in him for when he doth commit any evil it is full sore against his will as being led captive to it by the strength of Satans temptations and his own corruptions for he never commits it freely and willingly and with full consent he allowes not of the evil he does no he will not premeditately and in times not utterly deserted do the least evil that the greatest good may come of it neither is there any sinne he knows by himself were it formerly never so pleasing to him but he desires as heartily that he might never commit it as that God should never impute it He likewise haâ—es sinne throughly and universally and therefore is throughly grieved for the abominations that are done by others to the dishonour of God and slander of religion or the ruin of mens souls 5. Nor does he only abhor and depart from evil but he cleaves unto that which is good he is not only dead to and made free from sin but as he hath once been the servant of sin so he becomes the servant of righteousnesse and as he hath been instrumentall to Satan so he will now be as active to serve Christ and be as fruitfull in good works as he haâ—h foâ—merly been in evil works 6. He is conformed to the Image of Christ and is led by the Spirit walks in newnesse of life lives holily justly and unblameably for now he walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit and brings forth the fruits of the Spirit mentioned Gal. 5. 22. so that he is changed and renewed in every part power and faculty his understanding is enlightned his minde renewed his will changed his affections sanctified c. and he who thinks he beleeves and findes not a paâ—pable change in his judgement affections and actions does but deceive himself CHAP. IV. 1. HE goes often and upon all occasions unto God in prayer in which lies all his strength yet not as his but as it is the intercession of Gods own
like the needle touched with the loadstone which ever stands quivering and trembling untill it enjoyes the full and direct aspect of the Northern pole But more particularly 5. How does the assurance of the pardon of sinne alone clear and calm all storms of the mind making any condition comfortable and the worst and greatest misery to be no misery To be delivered of a Child is no small joy to the mother but to be delivered from sin is a far greater joy to the soul But to this we may adde the joy of the Holy Ghost and the peace of conscience otherwise called the peace of God which passeth all understanding These are priviledges that make Paul happier in his chain of Iron then Agrippa in his chain of gold and Peter more merry under stripes then Caiaphaâ— upon the Iudgement seat And Stephen the like under that shower of stones Pleasures are ours if we be Christs Whence those expressionâ— of the Holy Ghost The Lord hath done great things for us wheâ—â—of we rejoyce Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye Righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart Let all that put their trust in thee rejoyce let them even shout for joy Rejoyce evermore and again I say rejoyce rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience Your hearts shall rejoyce and your Ioy shall no man take from you c. So that it is a shame for the faithfull not to be joyful and they sin if they rejoyce not whatever their condition be The Eunuch no sooner felt the pardon of sin upon his being baptized into the faith of Christ but he went on his way rejoycing Act. 8. 39. He then found more sollid joy then ever he had done in his riches honours and great Places under Candises Queen of the Ethiopians At the same time when the Disciples were persecuted they are said to be filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost Act. 13. 52. And as their afflictions do abound so their consolation abounds also 2 Cor. 1. 5. For theâ—e are comforts that will support and refresh a Child of God in the veâ—y midst of the flames as the Martyrs found for mauger all their persecutors could do their peace and joy did exceed their pain as many of them manifested to all that saw them suffer 6. Now as the Priests of Mercury when they eat their figgs and honey cryed out O how sweet is truth so if the worst of a Believers life in this world be so sweet how sweet shall his life be in that Heavenly Ierusalem and holy City where God himself dwelleth And where we shall reign with Christ our Bridegroom and be the Lambs wife which City is of pure gold like unto clear glasse the walls of Iasper having twelve foundations garnished with all manner of pretious stones the first foundation being Iasper the second Saphir the third a Calsedony the fourth an Emerald the fifth a Sardonix the sixth a Sardius the seventh a Chrisolite the eight a Beril the ninth a Topas the tenth a Chrisophrasus the eleventh a Iacinth the twelâ—th an Amathist having twelve Gates of twelve pearls the street thereof of pure gold as it were transparant glasse In the midst of which City is a pure River of the water of life clear as Christal and of either side the Tree of life which bears twelve manner of fruits yeelding her fruit every moneth the leaves whereof serve to heal the Nations Where is the Throne of God and of the Lambe whom we his servants shall for ever serve and see his face and have his Name written in our foreheads And there shall be no night neither is there need of the sun neither of the noon to shine in it for the glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof Into which nothing that defileth shall enter but they alone which are written in the Lambes Book of life As is exprest Revel. 21. 22. Chapters The holy Ghost speaking after the manner of men and according to our slender capacity for otherwise no words can in any measure expresse the transcendency of that place of pleasure Only here we have a taste or earnest penny one drop of those divine dainties of those spiritual supernatural and divine pleasures reserved for the Citizens of that Heavenly Ierusalem some small smack whereof we have even in the barren desert of this perilous peregrination God letting out as it were a certain kind of Manna which in some sort refresheth his thirsty people in this wildernesse as with most sweet honey or water distilled from out the Rock As what else are those Jubilees of the heart those secret and inward joyes which proceed from a good conscience grounded upon a confident hope of future salvation As what else do these great clusters of grapes signifie but the fertility of the future Land of Promise 7. True it is none can know the spiritual joy and comfort of a Christian but he that lives the life of a Christian Joh. 7. 17. as none could learn the Virgins song but they that sang it Rev. 14. 3. No man can know the peace of a good conscience but he that keeps a good conscience no man knowes the hid manna and white stone with a new name written in it but they that receive the same Rev. 2. 17. The world can see a Christians outside but the raptures of his soul the ravishing delights of the inward man and joy of his spirit for the remission of his sins and the infusion of grace with such like spiritual priviledges more glorious then the States of Kingdomes are as a covered messe to men of the world But I may appeal to any mans conscience that hath been softned with the unction of grace and truly tasted the powers of the world to come To him that hath the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost in whose soul the light of grace shines whether his whole life be not a perpetual halelujah in comparison of his natural condition Whether he finds not his joy to be like the joy of Harvest or as men rejoyee when they divide a spoyl Isa. 9. 3. Whether he finds not more joy in goodnesse then worldlings can do when their wheat wine and oyl aboundeth Psal. 4. 7. 53. 17. Yea he can speak it out of experience that as in prophane joy even in laughter the heart is sorrowful so in godly sorrow even in weeping the heart is light and cheerful The face may be pale yet the heart may be calm and quiet So S. Paul as sorrowing and yet alwaies rejoycing 2 Cor. 6. 10. Our cheeks may run down with teaâ—es and yet our mouthes sing forth praises And so on the contrary Where O God there wants thy grace Mirth is onely in the face 2 Cor. 5. 12. Well may a carelesse worlding laugh more as what will sooner make a man laugh then a