Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	law_n	sin_n	sin_v	3,553	5	9.3146	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30567	The difference between the spots of the godly and of the wicked preached by Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs at Cripple Gate.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.	1668 (1668)	Wing B6061; ESTC R20303	59,310	123

corruption that reaches to thy heart that is so comes to thy heart as it finds thy heart to close with that distemper and corruption of thine Thirdly When the sickness is an increasing sickness Lev. 13. 8. When the spot spreads then the Priest must say it 's a spot of Leprosie● So when thou hast some distemper and corruption and it increases more and more As it may be thou wert but a little vain thou growest more vain c. Where the diseas● grows more and more upon thee take heed it 's a spot of Leprosie and may prove to b● thy ruine Fourthly A sicknes is then deadly when Nature is overcome with it so as the party is not sensible of his sickness a Man when he lies sick so long as Nature is stri●ing with it there 's good hopes But one that comes to a man in a strong Feaver and asks him how he doth why well I thank God he is not sensible of it O! that makes his wife and all about him turn their heads and fall a weeping It were better he did feel pain So when men through the custom of sin grow sensless of sin that 's a sign that it is unto death perhaps when thou didst first commit sin O thy consience did trouble thee But thou hast used thy self so to it that thou art not sensible of it O it 's a sickness to death and thou art like to dye by it when by use of a sin thou comest to be sensless of it Fifthly When a man in a sickness cannot take any thing that will stay with him So I may say of the sin of wicked men though thy sin doth indanger thy soul yet there 's hope if so be that that that is given thee might stay with thee that is the Word that 's as the Physick for thy soul When some seasonable truth comes and is applyed to thy soul against thy ●●in if thou canst receive in that ingrafted word that 's like to save thy soul But if as soon as ever thou hearest a truth that comes ●ear to thee presently thy heart casts it up and it will not abide with thee at all it is a dangerous sign that thy sickness is a sickness unto death Lastly That 's a sickness to death that when a man doth take that that might help him yet if it doth not work then I say it is dangerous too So it may be you do remember the Word and it doth abide with you a while but there 's no good at all comes of it it works mighty changes upon others but nothing at all upon thee If you come to a physicia in that case and say Sir you did prescribe such or such a thing I but it works not why I wonder saith he I have known it hath wrought upon such men and women that I thought was in as desperate a condition as one could be it wrought upon them I and did recover them So I may say to some that sit under the word their souls are sick and the word works not upon them I but it hath wrought upon others that have been as dangerously sick why it 's an Argument that their sickness was not unto death God did not intend they should die But if thou canst sit under the word and it works not upon thee it 's a sign that thy sickness is unto death Fourthly and Lastly The suitablenes that there is in the sin of one to the nature of those that have their sin in them One mans spot is like the spot of a Leprosie that is his spot is that that is suitable to the disposition of his soul But now the spot of another it 's that that is a spot indeed I but it doth not arise from his natural disposition but meerly an accidental distemper The spot of one rises from the very natural temper of the heart but the spot of theother rises from some accidental distemper that comes to him When a Man or Woman therefore sins and it is suitable to his nature take him when he is most himself I beseech you consider this note for it is as discerning as any If so be that thou be'st most thy self then thou be'st most free for thy sin know that thy sin is that that comes from thy natural distemper and not from any accidental distemper I shall shew you what I intend by this There is Poyson in a Toad and there 's Poyson got into a mans body Now the Poyson that is in the Toad is sutable to the nature of the Toad and therefore the Toad likes well enough of it But now let but a drop of Poyson be in a mans body O it presently makes a great deal of stir and makes him deadly sick why because there 's that got in that is contrary to his nature Here 's the difference between the sin of a wicked man and the sin of a Child of God The wicked man's sin is like Poyson in a Toad that 's suitable to his nature But the sin of a Child of God is like Poyson in a mans stomack that is contrary to his nature when a wicked man sins he sinneth of himself as it 's said of the Devil he is a lyar and when he lies he lyeth of himself it comes from his own nature so is the sin of a wicked man sin is in it's proper Element in him and that 's the reason that wicked men are so unsensible of sin because it is in its proper Element But now the sin of the Child of God is out of his place and that 's the reason that makes him feel it so much Now you will say How may a man make use of this Note to know the nature of his sin There are five or six particulars that I shall name about this First When a Man or Woman is alone in secret that no eye takes notice of them then to examine themselves how doth thy heart stand then when thou art in secret alone thou canst not discern what the temper of thy heart is when thou art in company thou arr most thy self when thou art in secret alone and O what hearts of wickedness are there when thou art alone whereas a godly Man though he may be overcome with sin in Company yet when he is alone his heart is more for God and set against his sin Secondly That may be said to be a mans self that is the First spring of his soul As now the thoughts and affections in the first rise of them how are they how is the guise as I may so say or the temper and disposition of thy thoughts and thine affections in the first rise of them As now you may know what is the proper nature of the Fountain by that that is next to the Spring Perhaps if the Fountain runs a Mile or two off then there may come that that may alter the stream that it may not be of the nature of the Fountain So thou mayest know what thy

and working and I was resolved t● have done such and such a thing if the Lo●● had not in mercy sent you to have stopt me i● such a way O what might I have done he●● now is the spirit of David O consider 〈◊〉 this you that will plead sometimes for Davi● sin and did not David commit such a sin y●● will say I but then take notice how qui●●ly David was convinc't and how soon was stopt in his sin Fifthly There 's no godly man what ever though he hath many sins in him yet there is no sin that reigns over him This is a certain truth that there is no man or woman in the World that hath the least degree of grace that is under the power of any reigning sin Sin may dwell but not reign in them and the Scripture is so express in this that there can be no gainsaying of it Rom. 6. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you why for ye are not under the Law but under Grace That soul that is under the dominion of any sin is under the Law that is it is under the curse of the Law it 's in the state of nature it hath no interest in Christ But now if the soul come once to be under grace either sin must not have domminion over you or God must not be faithful one of them for this is the promise of the Holy Ghost If you be under grace sin shall have no more dominion over you He doth not say that if you be under grace then you shall commit no more sin but sin shall have no dominion over you therefore that man or woman over whom any one sin hath dominion certainly is not under grace This is the word of God and O that God would carry it unto the consciences of whom it doth concern this day that whosoever is under the dominion and reign of any sin that soul for the present is not under grace he hath no interest in the grace of Jesus Christ Now you will say for the reign and dominion of sin What 's that First It 's apparent in a great many that they are under the reign of sin that is such men can go on constantly in a way of known-sins meerly for contentment unto the flesh why these are under the power and reign of sin Yea sometimes a sin that is a secret sin may be a reigning sin A man may be the subject of a King that he never saw in all his life Perhaps he knows not where the King is and yet he may be his Subject and he may reign over him So a secret sin may be a reigning sin That 's a reigning sin that a man gives himself up to though it be in never so secret a way There 's a difference between a Tyrant that co meth violently to force men to submit to him or one that comes with a sudden surprise or with any cunning wayes to perswade men to come in to submit to him and a Prince that is upon his Throne reigning and having his Subjects acknowledging themselves to be as Subjects to him Now the sins of the wicked they are reigning tha● is their sins command them and they yeel● up their very wills unto their sins the wi●● and the affections it is in the sin There is nothing more in the will of a natural man then his sin And therefore the Scripture makes these to be all one the will of man and the will of the flesh Now when the will yeelds up to the wayes of sin then sin may be said to be in the Throne But now in a godly man there is a universal spiritual and irreconcilable opposition unto sin though there be sin abiding in him yet I say there is a universal spiritual irreconcilable opposition unto his sin sin doth not reign in a soul so long as there is an opposition in a kingdom to any man certainly he cannot be said to reign I say if there be a universal opposition Now in the soul of a Child of God there is an opposition to sin a universal one a spiritual one and I may put a fourth a powerful universal spiritual irreconcilable opposition I 'le open these First A powerful opposition That is he doth not onely wish that he could not sin and wish that he might be otherwise but he makes it to be the great work of his life above all things in the World to set himself against his sin so as if God would speak from Heaven and say unto him Poor creature what wouldest thou that I should do for thee this soul would answer to God Lord thou that knowest all things knowest this is the unfeigned desire of my soul above all things O giveme but power against my sin and especially against those special sins that my nature is most inclinable to O! this is that that my heart is most against Many people extreamly deceive themselves in this in thinking that they oppose their sins because they have some wishes and desires they would be glad that things were better with them then they are I but dost thou look upon it as a matter of life and death and thereupon thy soul doth more strongly work in its opposition against thy sin then against any thing in the World besides many men and women have strong spirits in following their sins but their spirits are not strong in the opposing of their sins But he that is gracious makes it to be his greatest and chiefest work And then the Second thing It is a universal opposition and that in these Two regards First All the faculties in the soul do rise up against sin There is some kind of opposition in a wicked man against sin that is his conscience sometimes doth oppose the lusts that there is in his affections It may be a wicked man hath a convinc't conscience and his conscience will not let him to be at quiet but in his affections there is a liking of sin onely his conscience will not let him be at quiet You will say how shall a man discern this You may discern it thus If the opposition be meerly in your conscience and not in your heart and affections then though indeed you dare not for the present commit such a sin yet you could wish with all your heart that you might have liberty to do it you could wish that there were not such a Law to forbid it you could be glad that that Law were more loose And you would fain have such a thing not to be a sin and if you could commit it quietly without any danger you would do it Now the opposition is not in your will it is onely in your conscience This is an opposition to sin that a carnal heart may have that is he may have his conscience so flye in his face as that he shall not dare for the present to commit his sin no not in secret a man may come so far You will say Indeed