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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47400	A discovery of some troublesome thoughts Wherewith many godly precious souls are burthened, and extreamly pressed: that like a canker eats out all their comforts, and keeps their souls under continuall fears and distractions. Together with a compound of some Scripture and experimentall cordials, for the refreshing of those who are sick of such a disease; and through the blessing of God, may prove medicinall, to the cure of some, and the comforting of others. By Daniel King, preacher of the Word.	King, Daniel, preacher near Coventry.	1651 (1651)	Wing K489; ESTC R216092	52,316	69

souls All their offices are exercised for the effecting and carrying on of grace 3. It is against Gods Covenant For God undertakes our part of the Covenant for us where we are short Isa 48.17 I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit and leadeth thee in the way that thou shalt go Jerem. 32.40 I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Hebr. 8. I will write my law in their hearts and put it in their inward parts And I WILL be to them a God and they shall be to me a people And they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest for I WILL be merciful to your transgressions and your sins and iniquities I will remember no more 4. It is against Gods glory take things rightly He hath pronounced the glory of his justice against the unbelieving world already John 3.18 He that beleeveth not is condemned already And hath reserved the glory of his grace for his elect people he cannot have the glory of his grace from Reprobates It is the glory of his grace to save poor humbled sinners I came not to call the righteous but sinners to Repentance For righteous men grace cannot act upon them It is no grace to give a righteous man his wages Again to take a rebellious Sinner into grace and let him remain rebellious is not grace for Gods countenance cannot look upon iniquity to approve of it Hab. 1. But grace is to shew mercy to sinners That is poor humble repenting beleiving sinners such as stoop for mercy Now here it is grace So that God must either glorifie his grace in poor humbled sinners or have no glory of his grace Therefore it is against God 5. It is against the work of God his work of creation in thee and for thee Isa 65. But be you glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy Man God never gave thee a new heart that thou shouldest alwaies let it lie bleeding with distracting thoughts and discouragements but to rejoyce I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy 2. Use of reproof of those that discourage themselves The 2. Vse is of Reproof And it is of those that discourage themselves by harbouring and entertaining discouraging heart-breaking thoughts as Christ disciples here why do thoughts arise in your hearts And herein I shall endeavour to propound cases that are troubles and discouragements to the hearts of many And to answer to them both by way of reproof and discovery of the mistakes which are the ground of such troubles and also to lay down some grounds of incouragement for troubled souls So that this use will be both of reproof of instruction and incouragement And herein I shall mention some of those thoughts that do distract and distemper the people of God for it is impossible to speak to them all particularly they are so various according to the various manner of Sathans working and laying his snares and engines to intangle poor souls This tree of discouraging complaints hath multitudes of branches and appearances which would be an endles work to go about to cut and prune them off one by one Therefore I shall speak to the root of them and endeavour to cut of those spurs that spreading into and fastning upon a poor soul feed all the branches of this bitter tree that makes the soul cry out there is death in the pot The first discouraging thought The first discouraging thought that troubleth a godly soul Oh saith the soul I am none of Christs none of Gods I have no interest in him am not in covenant with him cannot call him mine as others can do I cannot find the witness in me testifying to my heart as others have done God seals not to my spirit as he hath done to others I pray for it and long for it but cannot come by it Therefore how can my heart choose but be troubled and thoughts arise in it To this case let me speak a word or two Who told thee that thou wast none of Gods did God ever say so in his word or did the spirit of God ever witness such a thing to thee No thou canst not say so The Spirit of God witnesseth Adoption and not destruction And if Satan or thy own heart tell thee so they are both deceitfull And therefore A necessary observation First know that to know ye are Gods children or interested in him is not the first round in the Ladder of Christianity The Prodigals course was not first to know whether his father would receive him and entertain him as a Son or a servant but he resolves to go and confess his sin and unworthiness and cast himself upon his fathers mercy The Apostles in planting Churches first preached faith in Christ simply But to beleevers they prest them on to further assurance 2 Pet. 1. vers 10. Strive to make your calling and election sure A direction Therefore this do If you know not your selves to be Gods go and present your selves as objects of the grace of Christ 2 Cor. 1. For all the promises are in Christ as spokes fitted in the wheel Therefore saith the Apostle Rom. 8.32 If God have given us Christ how shall he not with him also freely give us all things I say present your selves before God as objects to be wrought upon that God would make you sensible of sin and give you a longing desire after Christ Rom. 8. For God hath his spirit of bondage to rough-hew you as well as his Spirit of Adoption to pollish you Now when God hath thus fitted thee go offer thy self to Christ and the promise with Assurance But what assurance Not of thy person as if thou wert already Gods for it may be thou hast not yet the Seal but assurance of the promise made to thy condition Mat. 5.6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be filled So that if thou canst not present thy self before God as a Son present thy self before the promise of God as a lost man And so presenting thy self before God with relation to the truth and sweetness of the Promise it may be thou shalt find Faith flow out of thy heart to imbrace the promise for when the heart is emptied it is best fitted to receive free grace for first God gives the Faith of the promise and then the good of the promise must be received by the faith of the promise I mean it redounds to a man by vertue of that To the point then You say you are none of Gods To be Gods and know it I answ The best state is for a man or Woman to be Gods and know it 2. The best next is to be Gods

God You that have been so intimate with Christ that have had so much experience of Christ did not I tell you that after three dayes I should rise again have not you formerly had sweet Communion with me strange Why are ye troubled But I take it to be a gentle reproof Again consider whence those thoughts arose from themselvs not from Christ from a principle of their own hearts for it was in their hearts that they rose and from their hearts Christ said peace be unto you but they arose from their own suppositions and mistakes as appeareth from vers 37. They were terrified and affrighted and supposed they had seen a spirit The words shew also the certainty of these beleevers or Disciples trouble of mind by the Ingemination of the Question Why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts he doth not say are ye troubled and do thoughts arise but why is it so Implying a certainty I hope the words are cleared up I come now to the observations Doctrinall observations And first from the Interrogation Why are ye troubled c. Whence observe a truth implicitely infolded in the words that is this That the Saints of God the Disciples of Christ even in Gospel times are subject to trouble of mind distemper of spirit 2. Why are ye troubled and why c. Christ asketh them the reason of it shewing it was not from him Whence observe again That it is not from Christ but principally from a beleever himself and his own heart that he is so much troubled as he is 3. From the ground of their trouble Thoughts or doubtings that arose in their hearts I observe again There is corruption enough in the heart of every beleever if it did but shew it self to trouble him and mightily distemper him Rom. 7. Paul telleth us sin dwelled in him and when he would do good evil was present and the Law in his members rebelled against the Law of his mind and now see how it troubled him vers 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Many wonder that beleevers should be troubled in Gospel times Why so Are beleevers free from the stirring and moving of corruption and so long as unbelief opposeth faith and the flesh lusteth against the spirit is it any wonder to see them troubled 4. From the Ingemination or doubling of the Question Why and why I note That it behoveth a Christian in trouble of spirit to observe the ground whence it riseth 5. Why are ye troubled Why see vers 37. It was a mistake for they had cause to have rejoyced because they were not acquainted with the manner of Christs appearance at that time they utterly mistake and make contrary constructions of his appearance Whence I note That many times the Saints and people of God are mightily troubled and perplexed in their hearts and spirits when they have cause to rejoyce and be comforted 6. From the generall That Christ reproveth them for it and laboureth to help them against it as appears ver 38.39.40 And he said unto them why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my self handle me and see me for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me to have And when he had thus spoken he shewed them his hands and his feet I observe again That Christ would not have his people tire themselves and burden themselves with lying under discouraging thoughts to trouble and affright their own hearts with doubtings and discouragements Or thus Christ would not have his people lie under discouragement of heart He reproves it here and helps them against it John 14.1 Saith Christ to his Disciples Let not your heart be troubled there was cause enough a man would think Christ ●elleth them he must suffer and they should all be scattered from him and Peter should deny him that night It was like to be a sad time yet saith he Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be affraid vers 27. So Mar 13.7 Be ye not troubled when you shall hear of this and this So also the Scripture is clear Isa 56.3 Neither let the Son of ihe stranger that hath joyned himself to the Lord speak saying the Lord hath utterly separated me from his people neither let the eunuch say Behold I am a dry tree Let them not say so saith God as if he should say Let them not say so saith God as if I had cast them off or had no mercy for them So in the 42. and 43. Psalmes Why art thou cast down Oh my soul and why art thou disquieted within me See how the Spirit of God guideth him to debate the business why there was such a hurry in his heart Christ would not have his people do so Hebr. 12.5 He would not have them forget that exhortation that speaketh unto them as to children My son despise not thou the correction of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him I shall a little follow and clear up this point for the incouragement of drouping souls whose hearts languish under terrours Reasons And I shall shew reasons for the confirmation of it and they are of two sorts That he would not have them discouraged 1. Reasons to shew that he would not have them discouraged 2. Why he would not First That he would not 1. It appeareth from the frequency of the promise you can hard ly read any part of the word but you light thick and threefold upon the promises Now if God would have had his people to lie languishing under sorrows and perplexing themselves with thoughts sinking under discouragements he would never have left such store of promises upon record for them as he hath done Consider what a promise there is John 14.18 I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you Methinks this should bear up the heart God will not leave you Orphans for so the word is in a destitute sad helpless condition as usually Orphans are and Isa 51.12 I even I am he that comforteth you who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die c. Mark I am he and who art thou As if he should say who art thou that thy heart should sink under such promises when not another but I am he that is thy comforter I beseech you poor souls do but consider how God doth inculcate and urge his promises to his people to chear them up Isa 41.9,10 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called thee from the chief men thereof and said unto thee thou art my servant I have chosen thee and not cast thee away here is sweet incouragements But mark now Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismaid for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the

work and have grown secure afterward and the want of such a thing perhaps may make thee more watchful afterward whatsoever course God did take to bring thee to Christ make the best use of it and it is the best for thee Scripture proofes that Christs converts differently But some may say will the Scripture shew that Christ brings in men to himself after different manners and measures I answer Yea It is clear by Scripture And for it Consider these things The word of God which is the ordinary means of † Rom. 10.14 mans conversion is compared to rain Deut. 32.2 My doctrine shall drop as the dew my speech shall distill as the rain as the small rain upon the tender hearbs and as the showers upon the grasse So Heb 67.8 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God But that which beareth thorns and bryers c. Now Rain cometh sometimes by sudden dashes sometimes more mildly like dew sometimes great drops and sometimes small sometimes fals violently is quickly over and sometimes more moderately and holdeth longer And if the ground be throughly soak't its no matter it may as well be by a mist Gen. 2. as by great showers So the heart may as well be mollified and softned by the Lords blessing in gentle drops distilled upon it as by a violent storm Our Saviour in Mark 4.26.27 seems to speak of somes conversion and growth in an insensible way the words are these So is the kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed into the ground Seed that is The word of God vers 14. Into the Ground that is into the man or heart as the parable before clears it And should sleep and rise night and day and the seed should spring up he knoweth not how Mark here is effectuall workings the seed takes place yet in such an insensible mild way he that sowes it knows not how which could not be if all that are converted to God were brought over by such violent storms as some are We read of Paul strucken down by strong hand Acts 9. But where do we read of any such conversion that Timothy had 2 Tim. 3.15 saith Paul From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise to salvation c. Luke 19. Christ called in Zacheus at once come down at once for to day I must abide at thy house Luk. 15. But the prodigal was fain to be starved out by degrees Some may be in such a case as they may be mightily presst at and wounded in the heart others may have the word dropped in more gently by gentle instructions as the Eunuch Act. 8. We read not of any such heart-breaking Rock-renting tempest that he had and yet faith truly wrought To conclude I conceive all that the Lord brings in he doth it by the blowing of his spirit John 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it comes nor whether it goeth So is EVERY one that is born of the Spirit But whether it be a winde to break the Roks or a still winde whether a high winde or low gentle puffs that is in Gods choise whether a North winde or South-winde as Cant. 4. ult Awake thou North winde and come thou South blow upon my garden that the Spices thereof may flow out Mark it thou canst not say thy Spices flow not out because the North winde blows not The South may make them flow out as well The second ground of fear 2. Thou saist Thou hast some peculiar sin̄s that hang upon thee and have hanted thee a long time omission of duty Pride Lust Passion c. I Answer thou canst not conclude thou hast no grace therefore nor thy state naught because of this Gods servants have had corruptions hung long upon them yet true converts The Prophet Jonah had passion hung long upon him And Hebr. 12.1 There is mention made of the sin that doth so easily beset us What meaneth the weights that hang on and the sin so easily besetting us but that it continues long what means the continuance of the combat between the flesh and the Spirit but that corruption hangeth long See how Paul exhorts the Collossians Chap. 3.5.6.7.8 Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the Earth Fornication Vncleaness Inordinate affection Evil concupiscence and Covetousness which is Idolatry For which things sake the wrath of God cometh upon the Children of disobedience In the which ye also walked sometime when ye lived in them Mark They had walked in these and now did not live in them and yet they hung upon them still were not quite dead for he exhorts to mortifie them And ver 8. And now also ye put off all these Anger Wrath Malice Blasphemy Filthy communication out of your mouth Lye not one to another c. These Collossians were Saints Coll. 1.2 Yet these things were not wholly put off And Christ saith to his Disciples Are ye also yet without understanding Matt. 15.16 Importing ignorance hung long and Joh. 14. Have I been so long time with you and yet thou hast not thou known me Philip * Jonah was so selfish that he rebelled and fled to Tarshish And yet after God had broken him in hell how did his selfish passion hang on him again Iohn 4.1.2.3.9 But note this though thy corruptions hang long and be as pricks in thy side pierce thee and pain thee yet a sincere heart laboureth to make profit of his corruptions and infirmities What 's that 1. These occasion his godly sorrow as Paul Rom. 7.24 complaining of the evil that was present when he would do good and the law in his members rebelling and of sin dwelling in him and leading him Captive cries out ver 24. Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death See how low thoughts he had of himself because of this 2. By these Christ is sweetned to a sincere heart and by them Christ is kept within the veiw of the soul to keep the heart near to Christ Rom. 7.25 I thank God through Jesus Christ So then with my minde I serve the Law of God but with my flesh the Law of sin Mark here how precious and sweet Christ is made to the soul by the consideration of these corruptions 3. Here is some comfort though they stick long if God maintain the combat within thee The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit lusteth against the flesh So that ye cannot do the things that ye would ye cannot saith the Apostle Gal. 5.17 If God keep them from raigning there is some comfort Rom. 7.25 With my MIND I serve the Law of God but with my flesh the Law of sin His minde was upon the Law of God There is force in sin as