Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	pharisee_n	righteousness_n	scribe_n	3,209	5	11.4035	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41355	The marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the Old Testament, and in the time of the New : wherein every one may cleerly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserverh the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of Antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by Iesus Christ leadeth to eternall life : in a dialogue, betwixt Evangelista, a minister of the Gospel, Nomista, a legalist, Antinomista, an Antinomian, and Neophytus, a young Christian / by the author, E.F. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the citie of London ; whereunto is also added, the substance of a	Fisher, Edward, fl. 1627-1655.; Hamilton, Patrick, 1504?-1528. Patricks places.	1646 (1646)	Wing F997; ESTC R1839	130,516	286

heaven and happinesse whereupon I concluded that I had as yet done no more then they and withall I considered that our Saviour sayth Except your righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees you cannot enter into the Kingdome of God yea and I also considered that the Apostle sayth Hee is not a Jew that is one outward but he that is one within whose praise is not of men but of God Then did I conclude that I was not yet a true Christian for sayd I in my heart I have contented my selfe with the praise of men and so have lost all my labour and pains in performing duties for they have been no better then outside performances and therefore they must all fall down in a moment I have not served God with all my heart and therefore I see I must either goe farther or else I shall never be happie whereupon I set about the keeping of the Law in good earnest and laboured to performe duties not onely outwardly but also inwardly from my heart I heard and read and praid and laboured to bring my heart and force my soule to every duty I called upon the Lord in good earnest and told him that whatsoever hee would have mee to doe I would doe it with all my heart if hee would but save my soule and then I also tooke notice of the inward corruptions of my heart the which I had not formerly done and was carefull to govern my thoughts to modeate my passions and to suppresse the motions and risings of lusts to banish privie pride and speculative wantonnesse and all vain and sinfull desires of my heart and then I thought my selfe not onely an out-side Christian but also an in-side Christian and therefore a true Christian indeed and so I went on comfortably a good while till I considered that the Law of God requires passive obedience as well as active and therefore I must bee a sufferer as well as a doer or else I could not bee a Christian indeed whereupon I began to bee troubled at my impatience under Gods correcting hand and at those inward murmurings and discontents which I found in my spirit in time of any outward calamity that befell mee and then I laboured to bridle my passions and to submit my selfe quietly to the will of God in every condition and then did I also as it were begin to take penance upon my selfe by abstinence fasting and afflicting my soule and made pittifull lamentations in my prayers which were somtimes also accompanied with tears the which I was perswaded the Lord did take notice of and would reward me for it and then I was perswaded that I did keepe the Law in yielding obedience both actively and passively and then was I confident I was a true Christian untill I considered tha● those Jewes of whom the LORD complaynes Esay 58. did as much as I and that caused mee to feare that all was not right with mee as yet whereupon I went to another Minister and told him that though I had done thus and thus and suffered thus and thus yet I was perswaded that I was in no better a condition then those Jewes ô yes sayd hee you are in a better condition then they for they were Hypocrites and served not GOD with all their hearts as you doe Then I went home contentedly and so went on in my wonted course of doing and suffering and thought all was well with mee untill I bethought my selfe that before the time of my conversion I had beene a transgressour from the wombe yea in the wombe in that I was guilty of Adams transgression so then I considered that although I kept even with GOD for the time present and to come yet that would not free m● from the guiltinesse of that which wa● done before whereupon I was much troubled and disquieted in my minde then I went to a third Minister of Gods holy word and told him how the case stood with mee and what I thought of my state and condition he cheered me up bidding mee be of good comfort for howsoever my obedience since my Conversion would not satisfie for my former sinnes yet in as much as at my Conversion I had confessed lamented deplored bewayled and forsaken them God according to his rich mercy and gracious promise had mercifully pardoned and forgiving them Then I returned home to my house againe and went to God by earnest Prayer and supplication and besought him to give mee assurance of the pardon and forgivenesse of my guiltinesse of Adams sinne and all my actuall transgressions before my Conversion and as I had endeavoured my self to be a good servant before so I would still continue in doing my duty most exactly and so being assured that the Lord had granted this my request I fell to my businesse according to my promise I heard I read I prayed I fasted I mourned I sighed and groned and watched over my heart my tongue and wayes in all my doings actions and dealings both with God and man But after a while I growing better acquainted with the spiritualnesse of the Law and with inward corruptions of mine owne heart I perceived that I had deceived my selfe in thinking that I had kept the Law perfectly for doe what I could I found many imperfections in my obedience for I had been and was still subject to sleepinesse drousinesse and heavinesse in prayer and hearing and so in other duties I failed in the manner of performance of them and in the end why I performed them seeking my selfe in every thing I did and my conscience told me I failed in my duty to God in this and in my duty to my neighbour in that and then I was much troubled again for I considered that the Law of God requireth and is not satisfied without an exact and perfect obedience and then I went to the same Minister again and told him how I had purposed promised striven and endeavoured as much as possibly I could to keepe the Law of Ged perfectly and yet by wofull experience I had found that I had and did still transgresse it many ways and therefore I feared hell and damation O! but sayd hee doe not feare for the best Christians have their failings and no man keepeth the Law of God perfectly and therefore goe on and doe as you have done in striving to keepe the Law perfectly in what you cannot doe God will accept the will for the deed and wherein you come short Christ will help you out and this satisfied and contented mee very much so I returned home againe and fell to prayer and told the Lord that now I saw I could not yield a perfect obedience to his Law and yet I would not despaire because I did believe that what I could not doe Christ would doe for mee and then I did certainly conclude that I was a Christian indeede and not before and so have I beene perswaded ever since And thus Sir you see I have dcclared

known unto them the doctrine of the Covenant of grace yet after his departure through the seducement of false teachers they were soon turned to the Covenant of works and sought to be justified either in whole or in part by it as you may see if you doe seriously consider that Epistle nay what sayth Luther it is sayth he the generall opinion of mans reason throughout the whole world That righteousnesse is gotten by the works of the Law and the reason is because the Covenant of works was ingendred in the mindes of men in the very creation so that man naturally can judge no otherwise of the law then as of a Covenant of works which was given to make righteous and to give life and salvation this pernitious opinion of the Law that it justifieth and maketh righteous before God sayth Luther again is so deeply rooted in mans reason and all mankinde are so wrapped in it that they can hardly get out yea I my selfe sayth hee have now preached the Gospell almost twenty years and have been exercised in the same daily by reading and writing so that I may well seeme to bee rid of this wicked opinion yet notwithstanding I now and then feele this old filth cleave to my heart whereby it commeth to passe that I would willingly so have to doe with God that I would bring somthing with my selfe because of which hee should give me his grace nay it is to bee feared that as you sayd many amongst us who have more means of light ordinarily then ever Luther or any before him had who yet notwithstanding doe either wholy or partly expect justification and acceptation by the works of the Law Ant. Sir I am verily perswaded that there be very many in this City of London that are carryed with a blinde preposterous zeale after their own good works and well doings secretly seeking to become holy just and righteous before God by their diligent keeping and carefull walking in all Gods Commandements and yet no man can perswade them that they doe so and truly Sir I am verily perswaded that this our neighbour and friend Nomista is one of them Evan. Alas there is a thousand in the world that make a Christ of their works and here is their undoing c. They looke for righteousnesse and acceptation more in the precept then in the promise in the law then in the Gospel in working then in believing and miscarry many poor ignorant souls amongst us when we bid them obey and doe duties they can thinke of nothing but working themselves to life when they are troubled they must lick thēselves whole when wounded they must run to the salve of duties and stream of performances and neglect Christ. Nay it is to be feared that there bee divers who in words are able to distinguish between the Law and the Gospel and in their judgements hold and maintain that man is justified by faith without the works of the Law and yet in effect and practise that is to say in heart and conscience doe otherwise rhere is some touch of this in us all otherwise we should not be so up and down in our comforts and believing as we are still and cast down with every weaknesse as we are But what say you neighbour Nomista are you guilty of these things thinke you Nom. Truly Sir I must needs confesse I begin to be somwhat jealous of my selfe that I am so and because I desire your judgement touching my condition I would intreat you to give me leave to relate it unto you Evan. With a very good will Nom. Sir I having bin born brought up in a Countrey where there was very little preaching the Lord he knoweth I lived a great while in ignorance and blindnesse and yet because I did often repeat the Lords Prayer the Apostles Creed and the ten Commandements and in that I came sometimes to Divine Service as they call it and at Easter receive the Communion I thought my condition to bee good but at last by means of hearing a zealous and godly Minister in this City not long after my comming hither I was convinced that my present condition was not good and therefore I went to the same Minister and told him what I thought of my selfe So hee told mee that I must frequent the hearing of Sermons and keepe the Sabbath very strictly and leave off swearing by my faith and troth and such like oaths and beware of lying and all idle words and communication yea and sayd hee you must get good books to read on as Master Dod on the Commandements M. Boultons directions for comfortable walking with God Mast●● Brinsleys true Watch and such like and many such like exhortations and directions he gave me the which I liked very well of and therefore endeavoured my selfe to follow them so I fell to the hearing of the most godly zealous and powerfull Preachers that were in this City and wrote their Sermons after them and when God gave mee a Family I did pray with them and instructed them and repeated Sermons to them and spent the Lords day in publique and private exercises and left off my swearing and lying and idle talking according to his exhortation in few wordes I did so reforme my selfe and my life that whereas before I had been onely carefull to performe the duties of the second Table of the Law and that to the end I might gain favour and respect from civill honest men and to avoid the penalty of mans law or temporall punishment now I was also carefull to performe the duties required in the first Table of the Law and that to gaine favour and respect from religious honest men and to avoid the penalty of Gods Law even eternall torments in hell Now when professors of Religion observe this change in me they ca●● to my house and gave unto mee the right hand of fellowship counted me one of that number And then I invited godly Ministers to my table and made much of them then with that same Mica mentioned in the book of Judges I was perswaded the Lord would be mercifull unto me because I had gotten a Levite to be my Priest in a word I did now yield such an outward obedience and conformity to both Tables of the Law that all godly Ministers and religious honest men that knew me did thinke very well of mee counting me to be a very honest man and a good Christian and indeed I thought so of my selfe especially because I had their approbation and thus I went on bravely a great while even untill I read in Master Boultons works that the outward righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees was famous in those times for besides their forbearing and protesting against grosse sins as murther theft adultery idolatry and the like they were frequent and constant in prayer fasting and almes deeds so that without question many of them were perswaded that their doings would purchase