Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	wrong_a	wrong_n	wrong_v	50	3	9.2079	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58047	Solitude improved by divine meditation, or, A treatise proving the duty and demonstrating the necessity, excellency, usefulness, natures, kinds and requisites of divine meditation first intended for a person of honour, and now published for general use by Nathanael Ranew.	Ranew, Nathanael, 1602?-1678.	1670 (1670)	Wing R248; ESTC R30539	209,120	405

out of thy deep security so long and so dangerously rested in Eph. 5. Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead c. For this thou must gather all awakening considerations the Scrpitures furnish thee with concerning the inconceivable misery every sinner is in But consider things spoken in general in Scripture and not brought and set home on thy self in particular will not work to an awakening Neither will thy saying and acknowledging thy sinfulness and misery in general serve Generals humble not Generals hit not home A single Arrow or Bullet will not serve against a whole flock of fowls but scattering shot must be used Take therefore all the warmest considerations thou canst and heap them as coals of fire on thy own head bring them home to thy own heart to melt down thy frozen frame of sinful security Do all thou canst by the light of the Scripture and beg beg most earnestly the light of the Holy Spirit to convince thee of thy extreme misery It is he Joh. 16.9 That convinces of sin and misery Endeavour to thy utmost to rightly found this work by most industrious striving to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin Rom. 7. the abounding evil in it Rom. 5. And do this by fullest possible pondering the great transcending evil of the lesser sins or such as are comparatively small and we count not great see it in examples as Vzzas dying by an immediate stroke for but touching once the Ark 1 Chro. 13.10 The Bethshemites for an only looking but into the Ark fifty thousand and seventy persons were slain by an hand from Heaven 1 Sam. 6.19 Adam and all his posterity with him were undone by his eating of a fruit because forbidden which in the nature was no immortal thing as idolatry murder c. but sinful by a peculiar precept of tryal broken Yea if Adam when he was the representative of all had sinned the least imaginable sin in one commission sin'd in one sinful one vain thought it had been his own and all his succeeding posterities ruine nay in the least omission Though there be many sorts of sins with sundry measures and aggravations yet there 's none so small but is crimen laesae majestatis infinitae is high Treason against an infinite Majesty This is a grand intent of God in the whole Bible and in also his punitive Providences to demonstrate Gods heart in his dislike and loathing all sin that it might blot out our mistakes and reduce us stamp our judgments and hearts with a suitable impression a sense of all sin or whatsoever is but near to it Therefore among others that 's very remarkable Num. 6.9 10 11. The Nazarite not only by purposely touching a dead body or coming to it was unclean But if any dyed suddenly by him he was to bring his sin-offering and burnt-offering to make atonement which was to manifest by the Type the purity God requires and his distaste of any the least likeness or nearness to any defilement of sin Dwell and dive deep as ever thou canst into the abounding sinfulness of every the least sin Thence reason and ponder with thy self what is thy unspeakable misery that art guilty of a whole life-time sins such an innumerable company of sins in thoughts affectings purposings speakings doings in acts ways habits and all thy heart evil that hath ever dwelt in thee And if thou wilt overlook them and not consider them thou shalt be judged one day for them all To methodize this grand Inquiry and Soul-search and to have the kindly issue in a due awakening strive to avoid all confusion of thoughts and to do it distinctly and in the best affecting manner thou canst Rules of Art are not here necessary to be used but the way of thy best skill by Gods assisting thou canst take to set an edge and give more efficacy to this undertaking thou mayst single out first that sin or lust which dares and pinches thy spirit most touch first where thou art tenderest and sorest on that which items thee most flashes fullest like Lightning in thy face makes thy heart oftenest ake It 's the counsel of some great Divines to pitch upon some gross sin first seek ease first where thou art disquieted most or that is likely to give the first blow The Scriptures set sinners to consider their doings especially their ways which are continued doings These should more humble than meer particular acts but both acts and ways should be viewed as they can be recalled and brought to mind and then put all into the scale to make down weight and contribute to fuller awaking But above all sinning any or divers sins into ways and then walking these ways into wonts those worst defilings and soul-enslavings of cursed habits such as habits of sensualness and intemperance habitual covetousness and worldliness habitual pride and presumption self-exalting self-seeking habitual vanity of thinkings and such like These great chains thou art bound with and enslaved by Tit. 3.3 Serving divers lusts Lusts served are sins formed into habits These old rooted soul-diseases these heart-gangrenes should well be eyed and much awaken thee O it 's sad to find thy self going to Hell in a custom and by a habit binding thee and haling thee thither To all as highest aggravations add the consideration of that sin of thy Nature that emptiness and deprivation of all spiritual life power image of God and his glory conjunction and communion with God and all happiness with cursed inclinedness to all the sin in kinds and aggravations that the whole World Hell and all ever acted or can act for ever And that blackest piece of Hell dropt into thy heart the worst very worst thing in Satans heart that enmity and borrid repugnancy crossness and contrariety to all the extensiveness and dimensions of whatsoever is good is holy and righteous yea that highest monstrosity and transcendency of impiety enmity to that God that gave at first and ever keeps up thy being and which is the height of that height the utmost venom Hell could hatch and heart can breed that horrid enmity to the very Being of God himself Before Grace no guilty sinner but wishes God were not and if he could would dethrone and destroy God utterly And above all yet intimated take in the superabounding sins against the Gospel neglectings and refusings of the only remedy and relief of an undone soul which is the greatest possible soul-wronging Prov. 8.36 wisdom affirms it Sinning against me saith Wisdom he wrongs his own soul All sin wrongs but the meaning is more he wrongs with the greatest possible wrong the highest can be done to refuse Christs Salvation And which is yet far exceeding all self-wronging there sin so touches the very apple of God eye strikes so provokingly at his very heart and dashes down his most darling design the utmost and highest that he ever went or will go the highest exalting of the riches of infinite free Love and

when he was to be Crowned 2 Chr. 23.7 so when this Duty is endangered and ready to be hindred from having the Crown of a right performance set upon it The Scripture Rules impose Circumspection great Caution in all our Concernments but more peculiarly in things pertaining to God and his Worship Eccles 5.1 Take heed to thy foot c. so Take heed what you hear Aud Take heed how you hear So there must be heed and a great take heed how we Meditate The strongest Guard is little enough yea too deficient and weak for the holiest heart and the best exercised in this part of Godliness O how inconceivably evil is every heart in its leakings and runnings out in its rovings and wandrings in its slipperiness and inconstancies and likewise in its sinkings and fallings instead of keepings up in its heat and heavenly vivacity and keepings on in any evenness and equality No Sieve is more unapt to hold water no hand more unable to hold Sand or Oyl poured into it no bone which often hath been out of joint is more apt to dislocate and slip out of place than is the best heart to slip off rove and range from this Duty in Diversions and Admissions of Impertinencies When we are most serious and intent suddenly our carnal Spirits give us the slip and are gone Like the Bird if the Cage be but open Or the Prisoner if the Doors be not fast and watcht Or if the heart get not out in Diversions it falls flat in Deadness and sudden Coolings Like the Iron in forging no longer hot than the Workman keeps blowing like melted Metal which cools as it runs and is pouring forth This made David in the Psalms so often and earnestly to call for Quicknings from the sense of his frequent heart-coolings and sinkings The Acting of Meditation must not be going up a Hill of Ice where footing is both slippery and cold but like the going up the Burning Mount Etna where the footing if not firm yet is that which the Travellers as they say feel warm Or like Moses Going up the Mount to God which was steady and earnest till he came to the top Still a due Guard must be kept about our hearts in this so important soul affair An Intense care must be used and a holy fear against all Diversions all heart-sinkings and against all Disappointments also that we lofe not the real benefit and comfort of this work These three now Explained Particulars are as Requisites or Attendants of Meditation The next four are the special things wherein the Nature and Notion of it consists CHAP. IX Meditation in applying the Mind to a proper Object 4. MEditation stands in an Application and bringing the thinking power of the Soul upon the Object or Thing to be Meditated of Taking that Great Engine of the Spirit and setting it to act upon some fit subject The thinking faculty is a rare Endowment an Engine whereby the reasonable Creature can draw up and take in any Object and act or exercise it self about it for that use or end we aim at in our thinking In all Meditation there must be an Applying and Conjunction of the mind and the thing As Sensitive seeing must have some union virtual union with the thing seen so Intellectual seeing seeing by the Eye of the understanding must be by a bringing the thoughts upon that is to be thought upon The Scripture hath this Expression of setting the heart upon a thing Hag. 1.5 So it is in the Hebrew that which we Translate Consider your ways is put or set your hearts upon c. In Consideration or Musing there 's not only a taking of the heart and thoughts from foregoing minded Objects but a putting or setting it on some New thing setting that on there where it was not set before The sinful heart of it self will run any way upon Earthly things upon evil things or upon Impertinent and unseasonable things not come to or keep upon that it should intend and mind Therefore it must be taken as by strong hand and set upon spiritual things set on Musing and Meditation of heavenly things A carnal heart is like the Loadstone it cleaves to nothing but Steel or Iron and both of them easily unite but the heart must be of another property and act in a higher way And a good heart though it thinks too much Earth-ward runs often wrong yet it will set it self in its thinkings right on right Objects make it self and them to meet and unite Psal 119.112 David tells us how he did he inclined his heart to Gods Commandments both to keep them and to meditate on them He took and bent his heart as a thing bending too much to other things set his mind on Musing on it He found his Heart and the Law of God too far asunder and so would continue unless he brought them together and made them one If he had not brought his heart to the Word he had never Meditated The Object cannot apply it self to the Mind but the Mind must bring it self to the Object No Holy Duties will come to us we must come to them Many in a secret folly and sluggishness would have things do alone of themselves without their stirring or acting but they mistake 't is something like to Mahomet the Deceiver who once told the People that were met by his means to see him have a Mountain upon his call to remove and come unto him but when the Mountain would not come he boldly then tells them if the Mountain will not come to Mahomet Mahomet must or will go to the Mountain What he did attempt in pretence and act in impudence but was fain to go at last to the Mountain that would not come to him I say like to this we are ready to do in slothfulness we look that Duties should come to us that they do themselves and we do nothing But that which will not come to us we must go to it We must bring and set our hearts to this and all other Duties There must not be a letting the Mind lie still that so matter of Meditation may come to us and make us Meditate But we must bring and set our hearts to Objects of Meditation and make this Happy meeting of Excellent Objects and this excellent Musing power This is the more to be Contended for in that this work of Holy Meditating hath so many busie Adversaries but chiefly in the constant progress and carrying of it on Ah 't is extreamly against the grain of a natural heart to be broken off from its customary wildness wandrings and rangings of thoughts To cage up it self and become tame and tuned to serious Musings and Thinkings Heaven-ward In the best heart that sin that so easily besets us it will be ready quickly to interpose and cut off the Passages otherwise open O how the heart strives to beset and block up all Passages when we are beginning to enter on this Work

when he would have those come right and return that have gone wrong and such to go on that have well begun he calls them to consideration and minding their ways Hag. 1.5 Consider your own ways in your hearts and again verse 7. Isa 46.8 Bring it to mind Put your hearts upon your ways in the former here they must bring their doings upon their hearts by considering Ezek. 18.28 He considereth and turneth Consideration is the rise of returning Luke 15.17 The Prodigals returning was upon his considering common wisdom acting in consideration is the souls helm and spiritual wisdom acting in Meditation is the Christians Helm as the Word is his compass and the Gales of the holy Spirit fill his sails and make him move We cannot look for a Ship to sail well without the Helms steering well Meditations Helm must steer our course our course to the Harbour of true happiness must have its rise in due consideration as the Scripture every where shews O let me Lord keep up ever this right order and method in my walkings let Meditation be the spring that carries all the Wheels of my spirit right and even that still pondering all my paths my ways may be established This then I propound as a principal ground of the necessity of Meditation that dependance of the Will Affections and actings spiritual on the understanding sanctifi'd and furnisht with light and wisdom for salvation which wisdom and light is the guide to and stirrer up of the will affections and endeavours by the means of Divine Meditation This I have the more now insisted on in that the great failings of all sorts rise from neglect of this consideration and Meditation because this consideration is no more considered All Christians that would have the Will purpose the Affections move the executing power endeavour well must use the grace of spiritual wisdom that is the first wheel in the heavenly frame of spirit and wisdom by the way of Meditation to set on going all the wheels of other graces disperst through the heart The Graces planted as principles of spiritual life strength and motion and given to animate all operation CHAP. XXVI Of the second ground of this so necessary Duty of Meditation HEavenly things should have not only a meer seeing and knowing but a minding and meditating from their obliging and challenging excellencies Prov. 8.6 and 22.20 Excellent things have I not written to thee excellent things saith Solomon Phil. 3.8 For the excellency of the knowledge of Christ c. their so far transcending excellencies their rare objective excellencies give me leave to call them so that is they are not only excellent things in themselves though never known or shewn to us but they are made to be excellent objects for our observation and minding All made to be minded but some of them more peculiarly made and prepared made great made high deep and large fil'd brim full yea running over with both native excellency and likewise sutableness for us sutableness for our spirits to act and make their chief abode of seriousest thoughts upon for a spiritual and holy eye to fix upon and be pleased in As in Philosophy they reason if there be objectum sensibile an object of the outward sense and that which especially is excellent if there be Odours and rich Scents if sounds excellent sounds or if there be rare Colour Feature Motion and that so excellent object Light especially such glorious Lights as the several Stars the Moon and the most glorious Sun there must be those Senses of smelling hearing seeing which may perceive their objects and receive the pleasure and benefit of them otherwise they must be all in vain If there were no Creatures with any Senses to perceive these Objects of Colour Light and the rest to what end were any of them What use would Colour or Light be of without any eye to behold it The omniscient God he cannot need it The Angels and Spirits being without bodies they do not need it Creatures blind and Creatures made without sense Elements as Earth Water and the other Elementaries such as Stones Metals Trees and such like insensitive things they need it not neither need any smells sounds or tastes only the sense is suted to the Object and the Object to the sense The Object is made or manifested and shewn for the sense So if there be spiritual Objects and no spiritual eye fitted for them and if spiritual Objects be held forth and shewn and there were never any eying of them they then in that respect as to their holding forth would be in vain And the spiritual eye would be in vain as if the eye had no Object to behold it would be in vain and as no eye at all Therefore doth God in Scripture call so oft for a beholding of the things of Heaven because of their excellencies purposely shewn for that end Joh Behold the Lamb of God 1 Joh. 3.1 Behold what love the c. Therefore when there are such abundance of spiritual and heavenly things set out in such rare Colours and proportions shining in such high splendour and glory When so many most bright and beauteous when so great and extensive rarities and excellencies beam forth and shine so gloriously in heavenly and spiritual things there then needs must be an Eye a spiritual Eye for these so excellent Objects to behold them and be exercised about them Yea when there is such a height depth latitude and length and vastness every way of dimensions of excellency shining in them and this purposely that they may be viewed and admired and also improved therefore there must be an answerable eying and considering 1. A real sincere acting of minding and meditating to answer their most real worth 2. A deep searching of thoughts to answer their height and depth of excellency 3. An abode and dwelling and enlarging of thoughts to answer the latitude and extensiveness of excellency in them that all their glory and excellency so near as can be may be known and tasted The excellencies therefore of spiritual things are for eying and pondering the greatness of their excellencies for great eying and earnest Meditating Therefore we find that great Artist in Meditation the holy Psalmist so busying his thoughts and meditating in several things as about God and his Glory Greatness Holiness Righteousness Truth Mercy Severity and Power Psal 104. Psal 12.6 About the Word of God in those shining rays of its infallible Truth Purity Perfection mighty efficacy and glorious excellencies Psal 19.7 8. Psal 119. And so about the works and ways of God 2 Tim. 3.16 The blessed Apostle Paul was so acted in his thoughts about the Word of God and the Gospel Christ and Free Grace the fullness of Christ Ephes 2.4 7. the workings of his Spirit and the whole mystery of godliness 1 Tim. 3.16 Thus other Saints in Scripture Prophets Apostles and divers else The wise hearted will have their eyes thus exercised