Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	worth_n	worthy_a	yield_v	13	3	6.7587	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31085	Sermons preached upon several occasions by Isaac Barrow ...	Barrow, Isaac, 1630-1677.; Loggan, David, 1635-1700?	1679 (1679)	Wing B958; ESTC R36644	220,889	535

behoveth us abide under a continual sense of our natural impotency and penury of our dependence upon God and obligation to him for the free collation of those best gifts that by some difficulty of procuring them we may be minded of their worth and induced the more to prize them that by earnestly seeking them we may improve our spiritual appetites and excite holy affections that by much conversing with Heaven our minds may be raised above earthly things and our hearts purified from sordid desires that we may have a constant employment answerable to the best capacities of our Souls worthy our care and pain yielding most solid profit and pure delight unto us that in fine by our greater endeavour in religious practice we may obtain a more ample reward thereof For the same reason indeed that we pray at all we should pray thus with continued instance We do not pray to instruct or advise God not to tell him news or inform him of our wants He knows them as our Saviour telleth us before we ask nor do we pray by dint of argument to persuade God and bring him to our bent nor that by fair speech we may cajoul him or move his affections toward us by pathetical orations not for any such purpose are we obliged to pray But for that it becometh and it behoveth us so to doe because it is a proper instrument of bettering ennobling and perfecting our Souls because it breedeth most holy affections and pure satisfactions and worthy resolutions because it fitteth us for the enjoyment of happiness and leadeth us thither for such ends Devotion is prescribed and constant perseverance therein being needfull to those purposes praying by fits and starts not sufficing to accomplish them therefore such perseverance is required of us Farther V. Praying incessantly may import that we do with all our occupations and all occurrences interlace devout ejaculations of prayer and praise lifting up our hearts to God and breathing forth expressions of devotion sutable to the objects and occasions which present themselves This as it nearly doth approach to the punctual accomplishment of what our Text prescribeth so it seemeth required by S. Paul when he biddeth us pray always 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in spirit and to sing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the heart that is with very frequent elevations of spirit in holy thoughts and desires toward Heaven with opportune resentments of heart directing thanks and praise to God We cannot ever be framing or venting long Prayers with our lips but almost ever our mind can throw pious glances our heart may dart good wishes upwards so that hardly any moment any considerable space of time shall pass without some lightsome flashes of Devotion As bodily respiration without intermission or impediment doth concurr with all our actions so may that breathing of Soul which preserveth our spiritual life and ventilateth that holy flame within us well conspire with all other occupations For Devotion is of a nature so spiritual so subtile and penetrant that no matter can exclude or obstruct it Our Minds are so exceedingly nimble and active that no business can hold pace with them or exhaust their attention and activity We can never be so fully possessed by any employment but that divers vacuities of time do intercurr wherein our thoughts and affections will be diverted to other matters As a Covetous man what-ever beside he is doing will be carking about his bags and treasures an Ambitious man will be devising on his plots and projects a Voluptuous man will have his mind in his dishes a Lascivious man will be doting on his amours a Studious man will be musing on his notions every man according to his particular inclination will lard his business and besprinkle all his actions with cares and wishes tending to the enjoyment of what he most esteemeth and affecteth so may a good Christian through all his undertakings wind in devout reflexions and pious motions of Soul toward the chief object of his mind and affection Most businesses have wide gaps all have some chinks at which Devotion may slip in Be we never so urgently set or closely intent upon any work be we feeding be we travelling be we trading be we studying nothing yet can forbid but that we may together wedge in a thought concerning God's Goodness and bolt forth a word of praise for it but that we may reflect on our sins and spend a penitential sigh on them but that we may descry our need of God's help and dispatch a brief petition for it a God be praised a Lord have mercy a God bless or God help me will nowise interrupt or disturb our proceedings As worldly cares and desires do often intrude and creep into our Devotions distracting and defiling them so may spiritual thoughts and holy affections insinuate themselves into and hallow our secular transactions This practice is very possible and it is no less expedient for that if our employments be not thus seasoned they can have no true life or savour in them they will in themselves be dead and putrid they will be foul and noisome or at least flat and insipid unto us There are some other good meanings of this Precept according to which Holy Scripture back'd with good Reason obligeth us to observe it but those together with the general Inducements to the practice of this Duty that I may not farther now trespass on your patience I shall reserve to another opportunity The Seventh Sermon 1 THES 5. 17. Pray without ceasing WHAT the Prayer here injoyned by S. Paul doth import and how by it universally all sorts of Devotion should be understood we did formerly discourse How also according to divers senses grounded in Holy Scripture and enforced by good Reason we may perform this duty incessantly we did then declare five such senses we did mention and prosecute I shall now adde two or three more and press them VI. Praying then incessantly may imply that we do appoint certain times conveniently distant for the practice of Devotion and carefully observe them To keep the Jews in a constant exercise of Divine worship God did constitute a Sacrifice which was called Tamidh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the continual sacrifice And as that Sacrifice being constantly offered at set times was thence denominated continual so may we by punctually observing fit returns of Devotion be said to pray incessantly And great reason there is that we should doe so For we know that all persons who would not lead a loose and slattering life but design with good assurance and advantage to prosecute an orderly course of action are wont to distribute their time into several parcells assigning some part thereof to the necessary refection of their bodies some to the convenient relaxation of their minds some to the dispatch of their ordinary affairs some also to familiar conversation and interchanging good offices with their friends considering that otherwise they

Solomon translateth thus The righteous is more excellent then his neighbour He is dignified by the most illustrious titles a Son of God a Friend and Favourite to the Sovereign King of the World an Heir of Heaven a Denizon of the Jerusalem above Titles far surpassing all those which worldly state doth assume He is approved by the best and most infallible judgments wherein true Honour resideth He is respected by God himself by the H. Angels by the blessed Saints by all good and all wise persons yea commonly by all men for the effects of genuine Piety are so venerable and amiable that scarce any man can doe otherwise then in his heart much esteem him that worketh them The Pious man is also the most potent man he hath a kind of omnipotency because he can doe what-ever he will that is what he ought to doe and because the Divine Power is ever ready to assist him in his pious enterprises so that He can doe all things by Christ that strengtheneth him He is able to combat and vanquish him that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the stout and might one to wage war with happy success against principalities and powers He conquereth and commandeth himself which is the bravest victory and noblest empire he quelleth fleshly lusts subdueth inordinate passions and repelleth strong temptations He by his faith overcometh the world with a conquest far more glorious then ever any Alexander or Caesar could do He in sine doth perform the most worthy exploits and deserveth the most honourable triumphs that man can do The Pious man also doth enjoy the onely true Pleasures hearty pure solid durable Pleasures such Pleasures as those of which the divine Psalmist singeth In thy presence is fulness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore That all joy in believing that gayety of hope that incessant rejoycing in the Lord and greatly delighting in his Law that continual feast of a good Conscience that serving the Lord with gladness that exceeding gladness with God's countenance that comfort of the Holy Spirit that joy unspeakable and full of glory the satisfaction resulting from the contemplation of Heavenly truth from the sense of God's favour and the pardon of his sins from the influence of God's grace from the hopes and anticipation of everlasting bliss these are Pleasures indeed in comparison whereto all other pleasures are no more then brutish sensualitys sordid impurities superficial touches transient flashes of delight such as should be insipid and unsavoury to a rational appetite such as are tinctured with sourness and bitterness have painfull remorses or qualms consequent All the Pious man's performances of duty and of devotion are full of pure satisfaction and delight here they shall be rewarded with perfect and endless joy hereafter As for Safety the Pious man hath it most absolute and sure he being guarded by Almighty power and wisedom resting under the shadow of God's wings God upholding him with his hand ordering his steps so that none of them shall slide holding his soul in life and suffering not his feet to be moved he being by the grace and mercy of God secured from the assaults and impressions of all enemies from sin and guilt from the Devil world and flesh from death and hell which are our most formidable and in effect onely dangerous enemies As for Liberty the Pious man most entirely and truly doth enjoy that he alone is free from captivity to that cruel Tyrant Satan from the miserable slavery to Sin from the grievous dominion of lust and passion He can doe what he pleaseth having a mind to doe onely what is good and fit The Law he observeth is worthily called the perfect law of liberty the Lord he serveth pretendeth onely to command free-men and friends Ye are my friends said he if you doe what-ever I command you and If the Son set you free then are you free indeed And for Ease 't is he onely that knoweth it having his mind exempted from the distraction of care from disorder of passion from anguish of Conscience from the drudgeries and troubles of the world from the vexations and disquiets which sin produceth He findeth it made good to him which our Lord inviting him did promise Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest he feeleth the truth of those Divine assertions Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee and Great peace have they which love thy Law and nothing shall offend them As for Knowledge the Pious man alone doth attain it considerably so as to become truly wise and learned to purpose Evil men saith the Wise man himself who knew well understand not judgment but they that seek the Lord understand all things It is the Pious man that employeth his mind upon the most proper and worthy objects that knoweth things which certainly best deserve to be known that hath his Soul enriched with the choicest notions he skilleth to aim at the best ends and to compass them by the fittest means he can assign to each thing its due worth and value he can prosecute things by the best methods and order his affairs in the best manner so that he is sure not to be defeated or disappointed in his endeavours nor to mis-spend his care and pains without answerable fruit He hath the best Master to instruct him in his studies and the best rules to direct him in his proceedings he cannot be mistaken seeing in his judgment and choice of things he conspireth with infallible Wisedom Therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the pious man is the exquisite philosopher The fear of the Lord that is wisedom and to depart from evil is understanding The fear of the Lord as is said again and again in Scripture is the head or top of wisedom A good understanding have all they that keep his commandments Farther the Pious man is enabled and disposed hath the power and the heart most to benefit and oblige others He doeth it by his succour and assistence by his instruction and advice which he is ever ready to yield to any man upon fit occasion he doeth it by the direction and encouragement of his good Example he doeth it by his constant and earnest Prayers for all men he doeth it by drawing down Blessings from Heaven on the place where he resideth He is upon all accounts the most true the most common benefactour to mankind all his neighbours his Country the World are in some way or other obliged to him at least he doeth all the good he can and in wish doth benefit all men Thus all the fruits and consequences of Profit the which engage men so eagerly to pursue it do in the best kind and highest degree result from Piety and indeed onely from it All the Philosophical Bravado's concerning a Wise man being onely rich