Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	put_v	spirit_n	stony_a	3,973	5	11.7036	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85988	A soveraign antidote against sinful errors, the epidemical plague of these latter dayes. Extracted out of divine records, the dispensatory of Christianity: for the prevention and cure of our spiritual distempers. By Claudius Gilbert, B.D. and minister of the Gospel at Limrick in Ireland.	Gilbert, Claudius, d. 1696?	1658 (1658)	Wing G704; Thomason E939_4; ESTC R202212	152,383	185

vain Answ How knowest thou that Who hath told thee so Findest thou thy self excluded by Name No no such matter Secret things belongs to God revealed things to us Come and thou shalt know thou wast elected Exclude not thy self before he excludes thee Object But all are not saved Many do perish May not I be of them Ans What then Should it not quicken thy pace to Christ that thou maist be saved Dost thou not see how many as bad as thou canst be possibly have been welcom to him what thinkst thou of Mary of Paul of Manasseh Object But if I be a Reprobate I cannot be saved the labour is lost Answ Were thou a Reprobate thou wouldst not be so inquisitive after Christ and Heaven their heart never yields unfeignedly to Christ as thine seems to do Thou canst not be sure thou art such a one Yea thou maist quickly be sure thou art not such by coming to him But if thou refuse stil and harden thy heart thy case then will be very suspicious Object But is it possible that such a wretch as I should obtain mercy Answ Yea it s possible its probable it may be certain quickly if thy heart be but yielded to him Object But this is but A may be Answ A may be is sufficient Inducement to put thee on trial Remember the Leprous men about Samaria A may be saved them Mind the Syrian Ambassadors and the Jewish case If thou try not thou art certainly lost Object I have often tried but to little purpose Answ Thou didst not try aright blame thy self not God Is it not well worth the trial again Observe wherein thou missest to amend the fault Possibly thou wast too cold and formal too hasty and unmannerly too self-conceited and not throughly humbled Thou didst not know the worst of thy self Thou wentest in thy own strength Thou wast not wholly taken off from self and weaned from every creature The Lord hath been preparing of thee by all his put-offs to spur on thy desire pace Try once again come to better purpose Object Alas I cannot come my heart is dead and hard Answ That 's bad indeed but hath he not a quickning Spirit Is not his Word a word of Life Power and Salvation Hath not he promised a heart of flesh in taking away of the stony heart Is it not he that quickens the dead Is not he come to give Life to that world whom he cals his sheep and to give it them more abundantly Object I am not sure I am one of them Answ Neither art thou sure thou art none of them His sheep hear his voyce with attention and affection with submission and application dost thou not desire and delight dost thou not design and labour to do so Is not the hour come wherein such a dead Lazarus as thou shouldst hear the voyce of the Son of God and live Object But I have no free will of mine own to spiritual good Answ Thou hast a moral will capable of the means and doing thy duty though in a weak manner Bestir thy self therefore and whilst thou art making use of that Christs Renewing Grace thou maist meet with to spiritualize it and make it free from its sinful Bondage His Truth will make thee free Object But none comes to the So●● but such as the Father draws Answ Is not the Father drawing of thee now Are not his Ordinances Mercies and Offers strong cords of Love and the Bands of Man to fetch thee home Is not he drawing thee internally also by the motions of his Holy Spirit upon thy conscience Resist no longer burst not his Divine Tresses but yield and follow Object But I. Answ No more Buts against God and thine own Good thou must yield now Christ is resolved on it He will have thee home thou must come it s in vain to struggle All sufficient Grace will be all-efficient Dost thou not feel him turning of thy heart silencing thy doubts stirring in thy Bowels opening thine eyes and drawing thy will to embrace his own terms Are not these sure signes of his saving Grace Come on then come home to thy Christ Quest How shall I come that I may be welcom Answ 1. Come instantly without any delay demurs are dangerous This may be thy last moment of Life and his last word to thee Strike whilst th' Iron is hot come whilst there is hope Seek now the Lord whilst he may be found cast in thy mettle whilst hot into his mould Yield thy softned wax to the Seal of his Spirit His spirit will not alwayes strive with man 2. Come self denyingly not in thy strength but in his follow his effectual drawing from the sence of thine unability Let thy heart still say with the Spouse Draw me and we will run after thee Know still thy unworthiness and insufficiency laying thy self with recumbency upon his merits not on any thing else 3. Come self-resigningly on conjugal terms to be wholly given up to him Make no capitulations no Reservations of any sin of any creature though as dear to thee as thy right eye right hand or right foot Be content to be wholly his as he is content to be wholly thine Thy skil and power thy will and comforts thy time and credit thy soul and body thy Interest and friends must be wholly given up to him Nothing is his if all be not his a ●eart and a heart he cannot endure 4. Come sincerely and cordially without dissembling without base designs Come for his Person first out of Love to him not meerly to his goods Come chiefly to partake of himself and to enjoy him though he should seem to withold all things else Come to a Husband not to a Fair. Come for marriage not for a Bargain Chuse him for himself and all his goodness must needs be thine too 5. Come understandingly not in a blind manner Know what thou art about and be well advised Consult and reason the case to the full Cast up thy accounts what it may cost thee Canst thou be willing to live and die with him and for him View him throughly in all his Perfections and in all his Precepts too Be well acquainted with his marriage Covenant engaging to Duty by engaging Mercy He is a jealous God as he is Gracious 6. Come fiducially not distrusting him Study and apply this Promise of marriage so variously and so frequently expressed to thee That Promise is set out both absolutely and conditionally Suck those Breasts still and draw with comfort the water of life out of those saving Wels by the Bucket of faith let out by the cords of thine Affections when thou canst not find in thee the Condition required then press that word upon him and thy self which freely promises to give that Condition Do as David begging for a new heart from him that

Life a Turning of men from darkness to Light and from the power of Satan to God by opening of their eyes and renewing their Will It s expressed by taking away the heart of stone and giving a heart of flesh in putting his Spirit within us and giving a new heart and a new spirit in our special effectual Calling It s said to be our Regeneration and being born again absolutely needful to open an entrance into Gods Kingdom Though there be some Reliques of natural and moral Endowments left in men since the fall in their powers and parts as appears by the Heathens Improvements yet these only testifie the wofulness of mans desperate fall in ruining so glorious a Fabrick Thence the blindness and perversness of his mind and will are so aggravated the crooked distortions of his Affections the searedness and corruption of his Conscience with the disorder of every part are set forth so Emphatically to convince every man Thence men are said before Conversion to be Godless and hopeless because Christless Thence is the wonderful operation of Renewing Grace so extolled still in this new creation bringing forth Light out of darkness in making man partaker of the Divine Nature This supernatural Work is carried on rationally by the Spirit of Christ in a way suitable to mans rational Being He works strongly yet sweetly he opens their heart-springs with a special Key of his own framing This Renewing Grace runs parallel with the Fathers Electing and the Sons Redeeming Grace whom God did foreknow and predestinate those he calls effectually seasonably savingly Their corrupt nature doth much resist it till Grace prevails and conquers all its Forts The outworks of the Mind and Judgement Christs Spirit conquers first thence breaking through the Iron Gate of mans Will into the possession of all the powers and parts of the soul Many sins remain still in every part like so many Cananites and Tories to be gradually subdued These Rebels being broken in their Head and Reign Grace doth orderly dispatch by mortifying exercise The Spirit of Christ carries on his work in supporting and supplying still those gracious Beginnings which are weak at first By the Gospel Light he communicates his gracious Life Thus he perswades enables his people to embrace Jesus Christ upon Gospel terms by a Covenant of Marriage and Adoption Thus is mans dunghil heart by Renewing Grace broken up and dressed into a spiritual Garden sown and set with the fruits of his holy Spirit It differs exceedingly from common convictions and external Reformations as earth differs from Heaven That difference is still morally-specifical though it seems to be Physically but Numerical and gradual It s the same Spirit that works conviction on the Reprobate and on the Elect but not in the same manner He knocks at both and is resisted He leaves the Reprobate justly he opens the Elects heart mercifully and prevailingly The Reprobate may be externally and professedly sanctified in a partial superficial way Gods Elect are specially sanctified universally in every part and gradually through every part Mans free will by sin subjected to Satan is through this Renewing Grace set at liberty so far as Grace prevails The unregenerate is free only to spiritual evil being an enemy to spiritual good The Regenerate soul is so far free to spiritual good as it s renewed When Grace is compleated in Glory the soul like good Angels shall be free only to good The Nature of mans will is thus bettered by Grace which was made a slave by sin The Devils and damned do freely will sin so do unregenerate souls on earth yet necessarily Thus necessity man stand with freedom both to good and evil By this Renewing Grace the regenerate soul is made conformable to Gods Image and is so far called the new man and gradually learns to be holy as God is Holy That Seed and Root of Grace cast into it at first grows up by degrees as the grain of mustard seed as the corn as the Light as the living Child Thereby the soul is enabled to believe and Repent and further to actuate every sort of Grace being excited corroborated and directed still by the same Spirit Thence is the conflict so continuall between the spirit and flesh the Law in the members and the Law in the Mind Grace and sin which ends not till the death of sin in bodily death Thus acti agimus Implanted Grace then co-works still with the Lords gracious Spirit who works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure This Grace appears also most free and full most choice sure to the glorifying of all Divine Attributes Man could not be conceived to have any skil power or will to procure the same By Grace the Lord cals unto Grace and so to Glory By Grace are we saved through Faith and that not of our selves it s the gift of God not of works least any man should boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works so that it s not in him that wills nor in him that runs but in God who shews mercy Of his own will begat he us by the Word of Truth that we might be to the praise of his Glory Object But why then is man commanded to believe and repent to change his heart c Answ Because as we hinted before God deals with men by men rationally orderly to convince all of their Duty and insufficiency to humble and awaken them to put them upon all due means to render the most inexcusable and moralize many to convey his Grace into his Elect through those very means peculiarly sanctified to the spiritualizing of their heart Object But is not God partial in so doing Answ No. For he is not bound to any further then he pleases neither is he led by any sinful respects which render men partial Object But why doth he yet complain of the Reprobates if he give them not sufficient Grace as to others how can they help it Ans God justly complains of the wicked for insolvency and squandring away his goods wilfully and rebelliously both in their first Father and by themselves They smart not but for their fault their being Bankrupts is no payment nor discharge of their debts to him He gives them more then they could expect or make right use of Though they cannot change their own heart yet they might use the means better then they do they are still wilfully negligent and selfish in all they do and suffer justly for their demerits Can the wicked say they sin not wilfully Will not their own conscience condemn them Are they not all corruptly estranged from the womb and speaking Lyes by time Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Can the

warfare against spiritual evils Doth your profiting in this Knowledge of Christ appear unto all in all occasions Vse 4. Be we stirred up to obey this divine Charge of growing in Grace and in the Knowledge of Christ Are not we all nearly concern'd therein Doth not our profit delight and credit challenge this from us Is not Gods Interest of greater moment to prevail with us Should not our Relations to others put as upon it Are not Christians spiritual Merchants Shall we not improve then such a precious Jewel Should not we still be trading with Christ in the great Commodities of Heaven Strong encouragements we have from all parts thereof if but duly weighed The Trade the Factor the Commodity the Venture and Gain are beyond compare Men improve their grounds and manage their state to the best advantage that they may live well Should not we then improve this stock and husband this portion upon better ground It is a field that will never fail the more we till it the more it will yield As Christ himself so the knowledg of him are richest Mines still full of Treasure springs of all good still inexhaustible The more you draw the more will follow it like the womans Oil that will never stop but for want of Vessels This improvement will improve all things else and without it nothing will do well This speak to dead and living 1. Death Christians should be excited that they may get Life else they cannot grow You must get the stock before you can trade Your heart must be renewed that it may be bettered Former directions will stand you in stead if duly minded and observed You must be convinced of your spiritual death to feel the need of the Prince of Life Seek then to him as blinde Bartimeus cry hard after him let him have no rest til he give you Life and Light at once He never yet rejected any soul that unfeignedly did attend on him If you wait long at Bethesdas pool it s for your good and he will be found in the best season if he put you off as he did that famous woman of Canaan it is but for trial and to quicken you If you cannot go send your heart and friends your Prayers and Tears to give him a call Be sure to observe what he saith to you in his Word and Providence as by his Spirit As you desire Life neglect no Means helping thereto Looking stil to him for his Blessing in all Retain no sin and slight no Duty Voluntarily give him your bad heart to mend it for you Feel your deadness that he may quicken you Know the worst of your self by inspection in his Glass that you may learn to know the best of Christ Beware especially of your darling Lusts your Dalilah corruptions whether sinful pleasure profit or Pride Know your wretchedness and emptiness your insufficiency and unworthiness that Christ may be your all for Wisdom and Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 2. Living Christians must stir up themselves encrease this Life Rouz up the Grace of God that is within you Blow up those sparks and make it your work to grow stil in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ Food and Exercise Physick and Diet Temperance and Vigilance will be found special Helps as for bodily so for spiritual improvement of Life There is an Instinct in every creature for self-preservation and increase which moves stil towards proper Objects in all due means 1. Look well to your food then of a spiritual Nature to shun what is evil and improve what is good You must therein mind the quantity and quality the order and season of Receving it for due concoction The Scripture Word will afford you still the living Bread and the living Water the flesh and Blood of Christ to feed on by Faith Its milk for Babes and strong meat for adult Christians Let it not be mixed nor adulterated by humane additions or detractions Hunger and thirst stil after the Word and Righteousness of Christ Take what suits your case and observe what Rules himself gives you Plain dressing thereof will be still best for your profiting Feel the need of it and long after it cry and seek hard for it make good use of it You must feed well that you may thrive well 2. See to your exercise that it may be moderate suitable and seasonable so will it be of singular help to discuss ill humours and to augment your native heat by fit distribution of food and Spirits In all the waies of God exercise your self unto Godliness as the Apostle did for himself directing Timothy and all others to the same Such an exercise hath the Promises of this Life and of that to come being still profitable for all things Beware of straying into the devils paths and training in his military Yard You must wrastle against sin and self against spiritual enemies of all sorts Your sinful body must be kept under that you may be nimble and swift in your Race The whole Armour of God is furbished to your hands that you may put it on and use it with success Be thus strong in his strength and in the power of his might that you may prevail in all your conflicts 3. Mind seasonable Physick which you will often find the need of to purge out your peccant humors that are increasing and putrifying still Your Growth will be stopt if these sinfull stoppages and putrid matters be not duly removed Advise therefore with the best Physician for Prescripts and Medicines sorted to your case Deal very freely and fully with him without dissembling and reservation Give him exact account of what you do know that you may be dealt throughly with for good observe his directions with puncutual care in receiving good and eschewing evil His Skill Power and Will are incomparable and unquestionable His blood and Grace by his Holy Spirit he mingles in his Word to destroy your sins and to save your soul If his Pils appear bitter to your taste they are the fitter to kill your corruptions Your eure is certain if you be but ruled under his preparing purging and dressing No disease ever proved shame to him trust him obey him and your case is safe 4. Keep a due Diet as he doth instruct who orders all things to his peoples good To abstain from evil is still as needfull as to be doing and receiving good Observe then what things are most offensive to your constitution that you may avoid the first beginnings and appearance thereof Some are more bent to pride others to Passion some to vanity others to wordliness some are more lazie others more wanton some grow more secure others more foolish Error will tempt you under various shapes putting on often the Garment of Light Ignorance and Pride