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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
rest_n	day_n	sabbath_n	week_n	9,365	5	10.6259	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26689	Divers practical cases of conscience satisfactorily resolved ... to which are added some counsels & cordials / by Joseph Alleine ...	Alleine, Joseph, 1634-1668.	1672 (1672)	Wing A969; ESTC R170093	56,044	102

its strength You must not think it is with you as it is with a ruinous house where the mending of here and there a little will make up all again no but the old building must be quite book down and the foundation stone laid anew in a sound repentance from dead works and through conversion unto God Till this be done you must know that God hath no pleasure in you neither will accept an offering at your hand Mal. 1. 10. as he doth from those that are his friends 2. That there be the Acceptation of your persons through faith in Christ Iesus For in him alone it is that God will be well-pleased Matth. 3. last so that without faith interessing us in him it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. For the better understanding both these Particulars know that there are two Attributes of God to which you must bear a conformity or else you cannot please him 1. The holiness of God for he is not a God that hath pleasure in iniquity He heareth not sinners The foolish shall not stand in his sight He hateth all the workers of iniquity Psal. 5. 4 5. Iohn 9. 31. God can no more take pleasure in the unsanctified then we in swine or serpents 2. The Iustice of God for he will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 34. 7. Could we have inherent holiness in us in our unpardoned state yet justice could not but be infinitely offended while guilt lyeth unremoved as you may see in Christ. For though he were perfectly holy yet being under the guilt of our sins imputed to him the severity of Gods justice broke out against him Now man being naturally an offence both to the holiness and justice of God there must of necessity pass upon him in order to his pleasing God this two-fold change 1. The real change of Sanctification I call this a real change because by this there is a real change infusing of new qualities and dispositions making him of proud humble of carnal spiritual and heavenly c. 2. The relative change of Iustification I call this a relative change because this is not a change in a mans nature but in his condition making him to stand in a new relation to the Law with reference to which he was before guilty and condemned but now the Law pronounces the same man clear and acquitted and this is not for any righteousness infused into him but for the satisfaction and payment of another laid down for him satisfaction there must be and a righteousness must be tendered or else God cannot be at peace We have nothing to pay Luke 7. 42. Oh sinner away to Christ for it Hide thee in the Clifts of that Rock Run to the Fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness Appear not before God but in the Robes of Christs Righteousness He sends you to Jesus as he did them to Iob Chap. 42. the last Go to my servant Job he shall pray for you him will I accept Get out of your selves fly to Christ labour to be found in him else all your endeavours in wrinsing and washing your selves will be to no effect 2. With reference to our Principles And here it is necessary that some corrupt principles be unlearnt and some holy principles be received and retained Some corrupt Principles must be unlearnt As 1. That it is enough if we serve God on the Lords day and we may serve our selves all the rest of the week Though God hath reserved one day in seven wholly for his immediate service which is therefore in a peculiar sense called the Lords day yet we must know that every day is his and that he hath not allowed us one hour nor inch of time but only for his service Indeed he hath service of more sorts then one but we must know that the business of our ordinary affairs if rightly done is a serving of the Lord Christ Col. 3. 24. God is as truly served by you in the working days labour as the Sabbath days rest if you do it in a right manner and to holy ends There are a generation whose Religion is but a Sundays Religion which they put on and off with their Sundays Cloaths and then they think God is fairly served for the week although God knows that little they do then is but poorly done neither Never think God will accept it at thy hands when thou livest six days to the world and thy self for one that thou spendest for him This shews thee to be under the unmortified power of self-love and not to be the Lords for none of his liveth to himself Rom. 14. 7. You must remember that you are but to learn upon the Sabbath how to serve God all the week and not think when the Lords day is ended his work is done 2. That if God be served morning and evening it is enough though we serve our selves the rest of the day God must be served every day and all the day Prov. 23. 17. You must be serving him not only in your Fasts but at your Meals not onely on your Knees but in your Callings Some think that if they keep up religious duties they may do what they list at other times that if they be intermperate lascivious unrighteous it is but to make even again with God at night and all will be well Like the whore in the Proverbs that having made her offering was presently ready for new wickedness Prov. 7. 14. as if she had paid off the old score and might now boldly run upon a new These are not the Children of God but of Belial Others think that though they may not serve the Devil at any time yet giving God his dues morning and evening they may serve themselves the rest of the time But in vain do they lay claim to God who live more to themselves then they do to him This will be found horrible sacriledge to put off God but with the tenth God is to be eyed and served in all that you do and this is that I drive at that we may not divide our selves between God and the world between his service and our own ends and so put off him with a partial service but that we may do all in obedience to him and we may be intirely the Lords That he in all things may be glorified by us and we may not lose our Reward 2. Some holy Principles must be received and retained As Pr. 1. That the pleasing of God is our only Business and our highest Blessedness First our only Business what is it that we call or count our Business 1. That is a mans Business which his livelihood and subsistence depends upon The Lawyer counts the Law his Business And the Tradesman counts his Trade his Business because upon this their livelihood and subsistence depends Brethren our whole depends upon the pleasing of God Do this and do all miss in this and you marr all please him and you are made for ever if he

you not only how you must fast but how you must eat to wit with watchfulness and temperance not as those who have nothing to do but to fill their paunches but with an eye to his glory as those that are feeding and relieving the servants of Jesus Christ. He hath shewed you not only how you should rest on the Lords Day but how you must follow your Calling on the rest to wit with diligence and discretion minding him as your end as those that herein serve the Lord Christ. He hath told you how you must manage your dealings with equity and charity doing the very same to others that your consciences tell you you would have them in the like case to do unto you how you must sleep even as those that know he compasseth your path and your lying down and how you must wake to wit so as to be still with him Fourthly God hath given you special helps to this end You have the mind of Christ 1 Cor. 2. 16. and you have the Spirit of Christ 1 Cor. 2. 12. Indeed they that are in the flesh cannot please God but you are not in the flesh but in the spirit Rom. 8. 8 9. You that are Believers have not the Law only in your Bibles but in your hearts Heb. 8. 10. II. It is very profitable Glorious advantages shall you have by this course First this is the most speedy and certain way to assurance for want of which many of you complain but henceforth you must complain no more For either you will follow this course and then you will have it or you will not and then cease your hypocritical complaints when it is through your own wilful disobedience that you are without it When once you are habituated to this course and do find it to be the chief of your care and that which your very hearts are set upon above all things else to glorifie and please God and approve your selves in his sight you cannot want assurance unless through your own ignorance For this is the most undoubted evidence in the world that you are the children of God whatever unallowed failings you may be guilty of Secondly Hereby you shall be certain of Gods gracious and favourable presence always with you See the Text He that sent me is with me for I do always those things that please him Thirdly By this means you shall be always laying up a Treasure in Heaven Brethren what are you for Are you men for Eternity or are you for present things Is your design for Glory Honour and Immortality Are you for riches in the other world or of dunghil spirits preferring your part in Paris before a part in Paradise If you are for true riches here is your way By this you shall be daily and hourly encreasing the stock of your own glory my vehemency is only that fruit may abound to your account that all you do might meet you in Heaven and Christ may shew your good works another day as the Widows did Dorcas her Garments Acts 9. 39. CHAP. III. A Fourth Case of Conscience WHat weariness in and unwillingness to duties may stand with grace and what not For the resolving this some Distinctions must be premised and then some Conclusions elicited Distinct. This weariness and unwillingness must be distinguished 1. According to the degrees of it and so it is either partial and gradual or else prevalent and plenary 2. According to the subject of it and so this weariness is either of the Members or else of the mind 3. According to the prevalency of it and so it is either transient and occasional or else setled and habitual 4. According to the sense we have of it and so it is either matter of Allowance to us or matter of annoyance 5. According to the cause of it and so it is either from a fixed dislike of the food or else from an Accidental distemper of the stomach 6. According to the effects of it for either it is victorious and makes us give over duties or else abhorred and repulsed by grace the Christian still holding on in the way of Duty Conclu 1. Where the weariness is only in the Members or at least chiefly but there is still a willingness of the mind this is no matter of questioning our Estates where the mind out-goes and out-does the body and the appetite to duties continues in vigour though there be a languishing of the natural strength and weariness of the bodily organs this is not our sin but affliction But too commonly the body hath so much influence upon the mind and causeth a listlesness and sluggishness there and makes it negligent in its office Yet when this doth proceed from the failing of the spirits tired with bodily labour and exercise and from the distemper of the parts our most pitiful Father considers our frame and remembers we are but dust and our merciful High Priest that is not untouched with the sense of our infirmities is ready to frame our excuse that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak 2. Where our weariness in and unwillingness to duties is only gradual and partial not plenary and prevalent it is not sufficient to conclude our selves graceless While the twins are together in the womb and two Nations within our bowels there will be contrary inclinations The flesh will never say Amen to a good motion as such but will be lusting against the spirit and will hang back when the spirit puts forwards and pull down when the spirit bends upwards So that while corruption remaineth there will be always a dissenting party and continual conflicts from whence it is no wonder there should arise some weariness yet the spirit is the prevailing interest and though oft-times fayled yet hath mostly the mastery in the combate and carries it against the flesh though not without much resistance and reluctancy from the rebel opponent 3. Where this weariness is only transient during the present temptation or defection which assoon as the tired soul can get out of it returns to its former temper and pleasure in holy duties there is only matter of humiliation But when it is the setled permanent and babitual frame of the mind it is matter of questioning our conditions The holy Psalmist under a dissertion was even almost perswaded to give over with Religion but when he is himself nothing is so sweet nothing so lovely and desirable to him as the duties of holiness But for them who have in their ordinary setled course and frame no mind to duties but are halled to them by conscience or engaged by company or custom or the like their case is fearful in that measure that duty is unpleasing and not loved 4. Where this weariness of and unwillingness to Duties is paniful and grievous as a sore in the eye as a sickness in the heart the state is good But where it is naturally allowed and meets with little or no resistance it is a black mark