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
A47326	Convivium cœleste a plain and familiar discourse concerning the Lords Supper, shewing at once the nature of that sacrament : as also the right way of preparing our selves for the receiving of it : in which are also considered those exceptions which men usually bring to excuse their not partaking of it.	Kidder, Richard, 1633-1703.	1684 (1684)	Wing K401; ESTC R218778	114,952	274

whatever the sinner may plead for himself Certain it is a man may as easily bless God as take his name in vain To speak well of our neighbour is as soon done as to speak amiss A good word costs us no more pains than a bad one And what wretched sinners are we who chuse to do amiss when it is as easie for us to do well and certainly so it is in many cases 9. Another aggravation of our sin is when we have not only sinned our selves but caused others to sin too This brand was upon Jeroboam that he did not only sin himself but also caused Israel to sin Certainly our own scores will be great enough we shall not need have the sins of others to account for besides It will well become us to consider of this when we search into our hearts and lives whether we have not by our counsel or example by our neglect and unfaithfulness caused others to go astray who might have been preserved from the errour of their way had we been faithful to them in our reproofs and exhortations 10. Lastly another degree of our sin is when it is come to an habit or custom And this does still make our sin the greater for now our sin is grown up to a full measure and to the highest stature and pitch and then we may well reckon our selves to be not only sinners but workers of iniquity It is very advisable that we should consider of these Agrravations of our sins in order to the more full humiliation of our Souls before God It is very needful that those things which do greatly encrease our guilt should be particularly confessed and lamented in the sight of God Now it is very evident that the particular above-named do very much heighten and increase our guilt Indeed every sinner does transgress the Law of God that Law which is holy just and good for sin is the Transgression of the Law But then he that sins against the clear dictates of his own Conscience also contracts a double guilt he that sins after his solemn vows of obedience adds treachery to his other guilt and he that sins after many mercies adds ingratitude to his other sins every sin makes us obnoxious to Gods displeasure but yet are there many degrees in our sins which do greatly aggravate our fault and introduce a new and greater guilt upon us And certainly to abound in sin under the greatest means of grace to continue in our folly when the rod of God lies heavy upon us to commit the sin which it is so very easie to avoid to repeat our sin when we have confessed and bewailed it to sin and to cause others to sin also to contract habits and customs of evil doing these are things which are by no means to be forgotten in our search because they do import so much of guilt and so great a degree of wickedness But all that hath been said is but relative to something else we are not fit to receive the Sacrament as soon as we have found out our sins The Jews were not only obliged to search for their Leaven at the Passover but also to purge it out And their search was in order to their putting it away They might not leave it where they found it but were obliged to put it from them we must do so by our sins too and therefore we must now consider what we are obliged to do in the next place CHAP. VI. WHen we are gone thus far and have found out our sins we must then put them away by a true and hearty Repentance Unless we do this we shall eat and drink Damnation to our selves Now because though Repentance be very commonly pretended to yet we do often mistake our selves in it and take that for it which comes far short of it therefore it is very necessary we should examine our Repentance and very carefully try whether it be such as is never to be repented of For as it is very common with men to think they have not sinned when they have so it is very common with men to think they have not sinned when they have so it is also as usual a thing with them to conceit that they have repented when indeed they have not For we are too apt to think Repentance no more but a calling to God for mercy or a general confession that we are sinners or some sudden purposes of amendment of Life or at most the actual abstaining from our sin Therefore it will be worth our while that we examine our Repentance and that we may do by the following Rules 1. He that Repents is greatly sorrowful for his sin He is inwardly grieved that he should offend God by his sins and would rather chuse any loss or trouble than commit his sin again His sorrow is very hearty and unfained he is grieved in earnest and his grief is great according to the measure and proportion of his sin and folly He is vile and base in his own eyes and is greatly afflicted for his wickedness Indeed the sincerity of his sorrow is not altogether to be measured by his tears which he sheds For though tears be reputed the expression of our grief yet are they but the expression of it Grief does many times break out this way But yet a man may be greatly forrowful when the greatness of his grief cannot be gathered from the multitude of his tears Some there are who do easily weep a very trifling matter will draw forth plenty of tears But there are others who grieve more and yet weep less But then it is still an ill sign if when we have tears for every little trouble we have none for ou● sins We read of one Alexander Pheraeus that he was ready to weep at the acting a Tragedy Plutarch Pelopidas and that he left the Stage that the Spectators might not behold his tears But then we also read of the same man that he shed the blood of many Thessalian Nobles with dry cheeks Such false tears had that Tyrant at his command Certainly we may well suspect our selves when we can find none at all for our hainous offences against God For it may be reasonably thought that if our grief were hearty and pungent which we have for our sins it would break out at the same vent which it is wont to find upon all other occasions Certain it is however that the true Penitent is a very sorrowful man and though his temper may not give way to plenty of tears yet his real grief is not the less Though he do not weep so plentifully yet he grieves as heartily as he that doth He does afflict himself for his sin he judges and condemns himself and feels as much pain in his Soul and as cordial a sorrow as he that weeps bitterly 2. He that truly repents does confess his sins unto God And this he must do in order to his pardon If we confess our sins he is faithful