Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	good_a	sin_n	transgression_n	4,384	5	10.5404	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31893	The art of divine meditation, or, A discourse of the nature, necessity, and excellency thereof with motives to, and rules for the better performance of that most important Christian duty : in several sermons on Gen. 24:63 / by Edmund Calamy ...	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1680 (1680)	Wing C227; ESTC R952	107,034	224

imputation but of Original sin by propagation thou wert conceived in sin and thou art born in iniquity thou hast a nature which thou carriest about with thee which makes thee prone to all sin and indisposed to all good thou hast a nature that defiles all thy holy duties and thou art guilty of many actual transgressions of heart-heart-sins of lip-lip-sins of life-life-sins of sins of omission how many good duties have I omitted of sins of commission how many evil actions have I committed and thou art guilty of sins against the Law and sins against the Gospel then would I reckon up soms sins and then thou art guilty of fleshly and outward and visible sins and thou art especially Oh my soul guilty of inward spiritual and invisible sins of heart-adultery though not outward adultery of heart-murder of heart-idolatry of pride vain-glory hypocrisie self-seeking There is the second head the division of sin 3. I would come to the third head and consider the original and cause of sin and I would say thus Oh my soul surely God is not the author of all these sins that I am guilty of it is the greatest blasphemy in the world to charge God with our sins God cannot be the author of that of which he is the punisher Iudas did not betray Christ because it was determined he should do it but it was out of covetousness and the brethren of Iudah did not fell Ioseph because it was decreed they should do it but out of envy Oh! it is my wicked heart that is the root of all my sin it is not the Devil that is the original of my sin for the Devil cannot force me to sin the Devil perswades me to sin tempts me to sin but he cannot compel me to sin sin came into the world by Adam's disobedience Rom. 5. 12. By one man sin came into the world And my wicked heart is the root of all my sin Oh my soul why shouldest not thou abhor thy self because of thy sin 4. I would have you consider the cursed fruits and effects of sin and I would say thus Oh my soul be thou humbled for thy sins Oh lye in the dust because of thy sin for it is sin that is the cause of all evil both Temporal Spiritual and Eternal sin brings spiritual temporal and eternal curses it was sin put devilishness into the Angels and made the Angels in Heaven to become Devils in Hell it was sin that brought the flood upon the old world it was sin that turned Heaven into Hell and made God rain down fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorah it is sin that kindles the fire in Hell the fire of Hell would go out were it not for sin sin is worse than Hell because it is the cause of Hell and I would meditate thus Surely sin is more opposite to God than Hell for God is the author of Hell God made Hell for sinners but God is not the author of sin and therefore Oh my soul do thou hate sin more than affliction nay more than Hell it self 5. I would proceed to consider the adjuncts and properties of sin in general and of my sin in particular and I would thus meditate upon this common-place head Oh that the Lord would work in my heart a further abhorrency of all sin Oh that sin might be more loathed for sin is of a defiling nature of a destructive nature sin is of a defiling nature it defiles my person it defiles my Sacraments my Prayers the Sermons I hear it makes me like a dog like a swine nay it makes me like a Devil I have chosen twelve and one of you is a Devil Sin makes you nasty and loathsome in Gods sight sin defiles your civil actions The plowing of a wicked man is sin sin defiles the land in which you live Ezek. 14. The land is defiled by your idolatry sin defiles the whole Creation Oh my soul wilt thou make a sport of that which defiles the whole Creation And then I would say sin is of a destructive nature it destroys the body it destroys the soul for evermore And then I would consider the properties of my sin in particular I would say thus Oh my soul how great is thy guilt I have sinned not only against God but against light my sins have bloody aggravations I have sinned against the heart-blood-mercy of Jesus Christ. I have sinned against many Sacrament-vows that I have made I have sinned against knowledg against conscience 6. I would consider the opposites to the thing I meditate on what is opposite to sin why Grace Then I would meditate of the excellency of Grace and I would say Oh my soul how beautiful is that soul that is endued with Grace sin makes me like a Devil sin stamps the Devils image upon my soul but Grace makes me Gods picture Grace is the portraiture of the Holy Ghost Grace ennobles the soul it legitimates the soul it elevates the soul. Oh the beauty of a soul enriched with grace Oh the Heavenly excellency of a gracious soul Now by how much Grace is more excellent by so much is sin more odious for sin destroys Grace 7. I would consider the comparisons to which sin is compared and I would say thus Oh my soul wilt thou not abhor sin sin is compared to bruises sores putrefaction a leprosie a plague the excrements of a man And it is called in Scripture an abominable thing it is compared to the filth under a mans nails and to the putrefactions of sores and the dung the excrements of man and wilt thou love that which is loathsom to God shall sin be so abominable in the sight of God and shall it not be so in my sight 8. I would consider the titles that are given to sin and I would say thus Sin is called a robbing of God Mal. 3. shall I rob God of his glory by my sin Oh! God forbid Sin is called an injury to God shall I injure my Saviour by my sins It is called a striking thorough the name of God so the Hebrew word signifies which we translate to swear it is a Deicidium the killing the murdering of God and Oh my soul wilt thou do as much as in thee lies to murder thy Saviour to crucifie Christ afresh by thy sins 9. I would consider all that the Scripture saith concerning sin I would consider the wrath of God against sin I would consider all the Threatnings of God against sin and especially I would study what Christ suffered to free us from sin and I would behold the odiousness of sin upon Christ's Cross sin made Christ sweat drops of blood and shall it not make me shed tears Sin made Christ cry My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and shall it not make me cry out Oh miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin And then I would consider what hope there is of pardon through Christ and what promises there are made

You must meditate of the fourfold state of man man may be considered in a fourfold state 1. Either in the state of innocency as he was before the fall a spotless picture of God that is a rare meditation study the happiness of man before he fell when he was made after Gods own image 2. The state of man when fallen when corrupted study the cursed condition of man in his natural condition 3. The estate of man when restored by Christ when regenerated when renew'd when made a picture of God 4. The estate of man in Heaven 1. What thou wert in Adam 2. What thou art when fallen 3. What thou art in Christ. 4. What thou shalt be in Heaven You must meditate of your sins of your good duties of your evidences and of your comforts 1. You must meditate of your sins that is a large field to walk in you must meditate of the sins you have committed against God of your sins of omission of your sins of commission your sins against the Law your sins against the Gospel your Sermon-sins your Sacrament-sins your spiritual sins your fleshly sins You must meditate of sin to be humbled for it that is a rare meditation to fit you for the Sacrament And oh that we had hearts seriously to meditate of our sins 2. You must meditate of your good duties that is how many good duties we omit how many good duties we sinfully perform whether we perform duties so as to please God in the performance of them 3. You must meditate of your Evidences for Heaven whether they are right or no whether you have gotten Tribunal-proof assurance for Heaven whether thy Evidences for Heaven are death-enduring whether they will hold out at the day of Judgment 4. You must meditate of your comforts whether those comforts that you have be the consolations of the Spirit or the delusions of the Devil There are many men will tell you that they have comforts but their comforts are Diabolical delusions not Divine consolations You must meditate of the frailty of your body the immortality of your soul the dependance you have upon God and the advantage God hath you at 1. The frailty of your body the body of man is made of dust and will quickly crumble to dust it is an earthly Tabernacle that is easily dissolved What a rare thing will it be to take the Scripture and study all the comparisons to which the life of man is compared to set out the shortness of it it is compared to grass to hay to stubble to dry stubble to a dry leaf to a swift post to a vapour to a hands-breadth meditate of the frailty of thy vile body that will quickly go down to the house of rottenness 2. Meditate of the immortality of thy soul thy precious soul which is a picture of God made by God and made for God There is no man but hath a heavenly tapour within him which can never be blown out there is no man but he hath that within him that he cannot kill himself there is no man but he hath that within him that must live for ever as blessed as an Angel or as cursed as a Devil Meditate upon the dependance you have upon God Oh this will keep thee humble and make thee comply with Gods will thou dependest upon God for thy being thy well-being thy eternal being thou dependest upon God every minute thou livest by Gods upholding thee study the dependance thou hast upon God for thy soul thy body thy wise thy children thy all 4. Meditate of the advantage God hath thee at God hath all the world between his hands as the Prophet saith and he can easily crush us as we do a moth as we are creatures he can annihilate us if he please and as we are sinners he can throw us into hell if he please Study the relations in which God hath placed thee study thy calling thy company thy heart 1. Study thy relations in which God hath placed thee there is none of us all but we are under many relations art thou a Minister art thou a Magistrate art thou a Father art thou a Master study the duties of every relation study how to honour God in every relation study to keep a good conscience in every relation 2. Study thy calling how to honour God in thy calling how to keep a good conscience in thy calling how to keep thy self unspotted from the sins of thy calling for there is no calling but hath some sin or other attending it Oh meditate that thy Shop do not destroy thy soul meditate to keep a good conscience in thy Shop that thou dost not lose in thy own house what thou gainest in Gods house 3. Study thy company what company to keep that is a great matter for I know a man by his company more than any thing whatsoever I mean by the company he useth to keep Study to keep a good conscience in all company study to keep thy self from the sins of thy company 4. Study thy heart meditate often of thine own heart the deceitfulness of thy heart the heart is deceitful above all things it is the greatest cheater in the world and there are thousands whose hearts do cozen them into Hell thy heart will tell thee thou lovest God when thou dost not love him at all that thou art upright when thou art an hypocrite Study thy Thoughts thy Affections thy Words and thy Actions 1. Meditate of thy Thoughts the vanity of thy thoughts the vileness of thy thoughts the Hell shall I say that is in thy thoughts if all the thoughts that we think were written upon our foreheads how would we be ashamed that the world should see us Oh meditate of thy covetous thoughts of thy lustful thoughts thy vile and vain thoughts to be humbled for them 2. Meditate of thy Affections God doth especially look to our affections he hates any service that is not mixed with affection There are several Affections meditate of thy love whether thou lovest God or the world most Meditate where thy love is whether thou servest God out of love whether the world doth not lye nearer thy heart than Christ Meditate of thy desire whether thou hast larger desires after the creature than after God Meditate of thy joy whether thou dost not delight more in vanity than in Christ Jesus And meditate of thy sorrow whether thou dost not mourn more for outward losses than for thy sins Meditate of thy anger whether thy anger be rightly placed And meditate of thy trust and hopes whether thou dost trust in God at all times 3. You must meditate of your Words Oh what a world of sin is in our tongues and if we would meditate of the sins of our tongues Oh what a black catalogue would there be the tongue is a world of iniquity set on fire of hell saith the Apostle Iames. 4. Meditate of thy Actions whether thy actions be agreeable to the will of God or no

for his sinful plottings and sinful contrivances though they never come to light Isa. 29. 5. Wo unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord and their works are in the dark and they say who seeth us and who knoweth us The Lord will send us to hell for all our sinful contrivances and vain projects though they prove abortive 2. There are some that meditate upon the evil they have done as an old Adulterer will with delight tell stories of his youthful wantonness and an old wicked man will delight to tell tales of the sins that he hath formerly committed this is to act over your sins again in Gods account this is to lick up the old vomit this is to sin anew I would to God you would consider of it a man may go to hell for contemplative wickedness for spiritual wickedness for heart-adultery and heart-murder as well as for actual wickedness a man may go to hell for thinking evil as well as for speaking evil and doing evil for God is a Spirit and he looks into the frame of your spirits and he will send you to hell for the inward lust of sin as well as for the act of sin and that man that repeats over the sins of his youth with delight this man acts them over again in Gods account But I will not spend more time in the use of reprehension But I come to that which I especially aim at an Vse of Exhortation to beseech you all that you would subscribe to the obedience of this Text that you would conform your selves to this Text that you would accustom your selves to his most necessary and excellent and long neglected duty of Divine meditation Let me with all earnestness commend unto you the consciencious practise of this duty of Divine Meditation because it is an universal remedy against all sin it is a help to all goodness it is a preservative of all godliness it is armour of proof against all the Devils temptations and the want of it is the cause of all iniquity as you have heard Let me commend this to all sorts of Christians If it be necessary for you to reform your lives it is necessary for you to meditate for what saith David I considered my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies What made Peter when he had denied Christ repent and weep bitterly for what he had done the Text saith when he meditated upon what he had done he went out and wept bitterly it was the meditation of his sin made him do so What is the reason that men repent no more of their sins because they do not meditate of the bitterness of them Ier. 8. 6. No man repenteth because no man saith what have I done If it be necessary for you to love God to trust in God to contemn the world it is necessary for you to practise this duty of meditation what is the reason all the Sermons you hear do you no more good it is for want of meditation we do not meditate upon what we hear Let me commend this duty of meditation 1. Unto all Ministers There are four things saith Luther make a Minister reading praying temptation and meditation It is not reading makes a Scholar without prayer nor reading and prayer without temptation how can he comfort others that was never tempted himself and then meditation and therefore Paul perswadeth Timothy to be much in meditation 1 Tim. 4. 15. 2. Let me commend this to great persons to Lords and Earls and Kings David professeth of himself Psal. 119. 148. Mine eyes prevent the night-watchings that I might meditate on thy word v. 15. I will meditate on thy precepts v. 23. Princes also did sit and speak against me but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes 3. Let me commend this to you that are Captains and Soldiers and men that belong unto the C Ioshua the great Captain-General of the people of Israel is commanded by God to meditate in the Law of God day and night Iosh. 1. 8. 4. Let me commend this to young Gentlemen from the example of Isaac in the Text that went out as his custom was to meditate of God and the things of God Isaac was heir to Abraham who was a very rich man he was very rich in cattel and very rich in silver and gold and Isaac was the heir of all he had and at even-tide he went out and walked in the fields and meditated upon the things of God meditated upon the works of God the things of Heaven 5. Let me commend this to you that are Merchants to you that are Tradesmen that you would spare some time for meditation 6. Let me commend this to all Women according to the example of Hanna and the Virgin Mary she kept all these things and pondered them in her heart Luk. 2. 19 51. But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart Oh let me commend this to young maids when they are at their work that they would have some heavenly ejaculations and meditation of the works of God I remember I have read of Solon who was a great Law-giver saith he There are many good Laws made but there wants one Law to teach people how to practise all the other Laws such a Law were worth making So give me leave to tell you there are many excellent Sermons preached in this Nation in this City never better preaching I dare say in London but there is one Sermon yet to preach and that is to teach you to practise all the other Sermons Now if I be not mistaken this Sermon will help you to practise all the Sermons you ever heard for meditation is nothing else but a concocting of the mercies of God a digesting of the Promises and the Sermons we hear it is a Sermon to teach you to digest all the Sermons that ever you have heard Some men have a great appetite but have no digestion I do not complain of you that are greedy to hear Sermons but let me tell you if you have not a good digestion your Sermons will do no good that which a man is eating half an hour requires six or seven hours to digest I have heard of many men that eat too much but I never heard of any that digested too much you that eat much and do not digest it that which you eat will turn to bad nourishment therefore let me commend this duty to you as one of the choicest duties of a Christian. Now because of the excellency of this Subject I shall desire to speak to six Particulars about this Doctrine of Meditation 1. The place where we are to meditate 2. The time when we are to meditate 3. The ingredients and properties of Divine Meditation 4. The companions of it 5. The materials of it 6. Some helps to help us to the better practise of this duty 1. Concerning the place where we are to exercise this duty of Divine Meditation it is said of Isaac in