Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	faith_n	justification_n	work_n	5,828	5	7.1232	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56406	The faithful and diligent Christian described and exemplified, or, A sermon (with some additions) preached at the funeral of the Lady Elizabeth Brooke, the relict of Sir Robert Brooke, to which is annexed ... an account of the life and death of that eminent lady : with an appendix containing some observations, experiences, and rules for practice, found written with Her Ladiship's own hand / by Nath. Parkhurst ...	Parkhurst, Nathaniel, 1643-1707.	1684 (1684)	Wing P489; ESTC R14746	35,723	168

of one of her dearest Children came not nearer to her Heart And in a Letter to that Friend she thus bewailed it O that you were with us though but for a few days that we might bemoan our selves together and this miserable Nation upon which God poureth out so great Wrath and yet such Spiritual Judgments are seized upon us That many of us who pretend the greatest Interest in Him can see nothing but Mercies and glorious Times I find nothing so much moves me as to hear Men whom I hope I may call pious speak concerning the Times my Patience is so much put to it as Rules of Wisdom and Policy can find no place with me I can truly say I dissent from many whom I would honour and whose Judgments I do in many things prefer before my own without any kind of Doubt or Reluctancy admiring and standing amazed at their Delusions I am now taught the great Danger of Evil Principles strong Engagements Spriritual Pride c. In reference to His present Majesty her Loyalty proceeded by these steps She was a true Mourner under his Sufferings Exclusion Exile and the Disappointment of several Efforts that were made for his Restitution And she so disgusted the then usurping Powers that she would not joyn in the keeping of either the Fairing or Thanksgiving Days appointed by them in reference to their Designs or Successes She rejoyced in all his Deliverances and especially in his Miraculous and Happy Restauration And I do verily believe there was no Person in the three Kingdoms that better understood than she did the Dignity of the High Station to which God restored Him or that paid Him a greater Veneration or prayed more heartily for Him or was more sollicitous for His Safety in His Person and Government She was also conformable to the present Establishment in all things in which her Obedience was required and her Practice concern'd so that in reference to the Church of England she was truly Ours and one of the greatest Ornaments of our Communion The Separation though she respected Piety in all forts of Men was grievous to her and she thought it unreasonable And this was her Judgment from the beginning in which she was encouraged in her early Years by the Divines of her Acquaintance some of them Nonconformists who when those of the then Separation attempted to insinuate their Principles into her advised her to neglect them and to attend the great and substantial things of Religion as Faith Godliness Justice and Charity But withal such was her Moderation that she earnestly desired the Success of the Comprehension designed by the Lord-Keeper Bridgman Sir Matthew Hale then Lord Chief Baron and Dr. Wilkins c. And as that worthy Judg so She relieved many sober Non-conformists with great Bounty and most eanestly desired to have seen them legally settled in a Publick Ministry Many things more might be added to this Account of her Attainments Graces and Vertues but all may be summ'd up in this shorter Character She had the Knowledg of a Divine the Faith Holiness and Zeal of a Christian the Wisdom of the Serpent and the Innocence of the Dove She had Godliness in the Power of it and adorn'd it She was serious but not melancholly and chearful without any Tincture of Vanity very holy and no less humble and thankful to God for all His Mercies and had a mighty Sense of her need of Christ the Mediator depending entirely upon His Merits and Satisfaction renouncing all her own Works in the point of Justification By these things she attain'd a good and which she never sought a great Name Dr. Sibs an Eminent Divine Master of K. Hall Cambridg and Preacher to the Honourable Society of Grayes-Inn who frequented her House at Langley in Hartfordshire would say that he went to other places mostly to satisfy others but thither to please himself Dr. Edw. Reynolds late Lord Bishop of Norwich having been nobly entertained at her House professed afterward that the best of his Entertainment was his Converse with so Excellent a Person Another now a Dignitary of the Church of England returned from a Visit made to her and said the half was not told him Another a Person of Quality and great Learning who loved to speak much in few Words having observed her Gravity Holiness Prudence and Freedom from all that is little humourous or morose said she was a Woman of a Generous Piety Another saith of her That she had a Greatness of Mind rare Knowledg a becoming Gravity and great Sincerity That she was highly devout a chearful Giver patient under the Cross and endued with all the Vertues and Graces of those excellent Women whose Praise is in the Scriptures for Obedience to their Husbands Religious Care of their Children Bounty to God's Ministers Hospitality to their Friends Charity to the Poor and Piety towards God But the Latine is more elegant which came thus from his Ingenious Pen. Ingenio mascula Mente Theologa Ore Gravis Corde Sancta Cultu Intensfa Charitate Laeta Crucis Patiens tota Moribus Generosa Marito Sara Liberis Unice Nepotibus Lois Ministris Lydia Hospitibus Martha pauperibus Dorcas Anna Deo Such were her Qualifications great and eminent and so were the Providences of God towards her for she had great Prosperities and interchangeably great Afflictions The first she entertain'd humbly and the other patiently To her Prosperities may be referred The great Kindness of her Husband with a numerous Family and a very plentiful Estate during his Life and a competent Revenue afterwards in her Widowhood a fine Temperature of Body so that she was seldom sick though never strong the Continuance of her Parts and the Vigor of her Intellectuals and Firmness of her Judgment even in the last Years of her Life the Respects and Civilites she received from the Gentry in her Neighbourhood the Blessing of long Life the concluding of some unkind Law-suits which as she did not begin so she could not prevent and the seeing every remaining Branch of her Family largely provided for and in a very good Condition before her Death And which was more than all these as the best of her Prosperities she enjoyed much inward Peace which though it had sometimes Mixtures of Doubts and Fears was generally firm and steady and sometimes advanced into Joys and great Consolation Her Afflictions were chiefly Widowhood and loss of Children The sharpest of all her Trials was the untimely Death of her last Son with the aggravating Circumstances of it being drown'd this was very surprizing invaded her like an Inundation of Waters threatning all the Banks both of Reason and Grace Her Friends feared she would not long survive it But the Power and Presence of God supported her and she not only lived many Years after it but also recovered again in a great measure her former Chearfulness Her Demeanour under this sad Providence was Christian She did not murmur though at first astonished and after that

much deprest by it Her Danger was of fainting under this correcting Hand of God but she was upheld by him that is able to succour them that are tempted She often exprest her self in Words importing that she justified God and acknowledg'd his Righteousness in it She feared lest some might be scandalized by it and reflect upon Religion and decline it because of her deep Affliction and most earnestly desired that God would take care of his own Name and Glory But afterwards her Spirit revived and she was comforted as before and rejoiced in the God of her Salvation The Close of her Life was a long Languishing of divers Months which gradually confined her first to her Chamber then to her Couch and lastly to her Bed attended sometimes with great Pains under which Patience had its perfect Work During this Sickness her Mind was calm Her Conscience witnessed to her Integrity and she had a good hope in God that he would crown his Grace in her with Perseverance and then with Glory She was very apprehensive of her need of Christ adhered to him rejoyced in him and desired to be with Him She expired almost insensibly and had at the last an easy Passage to the Happiness which is the Reward of Faith and Holiness and the free Gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. She hath left behind her which are Evidences of an unusual Diligence and an admirable Industry a great number of Writings under her own Hand some of which are these A considerable Body of Divinity in a large Quarto shewing what a Christian must believe and practice written Anno Dom. 1631. Collections of Commentaries upon a great part of the Holy Scriptures and of the Sum of the Controversies between Us and the Papists A Book containing Observations Experiences and Rules for Practice which being a most lively Image of her Mind may supply all the Defects of the Narrative I have given of her and is subjoyned here in hope it may be of no little Benefit to all pious Readers AN APPENDIX Containing Some considerable OBSERVATIONS EXPERIENCES and RULES for Practice found written with her Ladiship 's own Hand I. The World's Vanity ALL my Comforts below are dying Comforts no one Creature not all the Creatures that ever I enjoyed have given my Soul Satisfaction II. Good Actions will bear Consideration but evil Actions will not Every Act of Piety and Obedience will bear Consideration but so will not any sinful Action If we consider before we attempt any sinful Action either we shall not commit it or we shall do it with regret and a Conscience half set on fire But if we consider before any holy Action or Duty our considering Thoughts will much animate us to the Service Wherefore I conclude from hence that Sin shames it self and Religion justifies it self III. The Worship of God is made pleasant by a Sense of his Presence in it God's Presence was formerly manifested by visible Signs as the Cloud Fire and Brightness And though we cannot expect these yet we have the same especial Presence of God with us And when ever by Faith we attain any lively Apprehensions of it How solemn profitable and delightful doth it make the Worship of God with what Joy doth it bring us to the Assemblies and how unwilling are we to be kept from them when we have this Expectation from them And finding our Expectation in this answered how devoutly do we behave our selves in them and how joyfully do we return home as they that have seen God and conversed with Him IV. It is our Interest to be Religious It is a most experienced Truth that we shall never be well reconciled to Religion and steady in Piety until we see it is our Interest to be Religious V. It is difficult to pray without some wandring Thoughts in Prayer It is very difficult to carry Sincerity and keep a Sense of God through every part of Prayer which is necessary to be endeavoured and is the Life of the Duty I find it hard to keep my Soul intent for my Thoughts are slippery and swift and my Heart is snatch'd away sometimes against my Will and before I am aware yea even then sometimes when I have made the greatest Preparation and have had the greatest Resolutions through Grace to avoid wandring Thoughts My best Prayers therefore need Christ's Incense to perfume them VI. A deep Sense of God in Prayer is desirable and ravishing Could I understand my near approach to God in Prayer it would exalt my Soul above measure And why am I not ravished with the Thoughts of being in the Presence of God and haing the Ear yea the Heart of the King of Heaven It is nothing but want of Faith and the strange Power of Sense that weakens my Spiritual Apprehensions and keeps me from an unspeakable Delight in my Addresses to God What an high Priviledg is this to speak to the Great JEHOVAH as a Child to a Father or a Friend to a Friend But how slow of Heart am I to conceive the Glory and Happiness thereof Could I but manage this great Duty as I ought it would be an Heaven upon Earth It would bring God down to me or carry me up to Him Why should I not be carried above the World when I am so near to God Why should I not be changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory Why am I not even transported beyond my self VII We ought to be constant in Prayer Inconstancy in Prayer is not only sinful but dangerous Omission breeds Dislike strengthens Corruption discourages the Spirit and animates the unregenerate Part. Constancy in this Duty breeds an holy Confidence towards God Inconstancy breeds Strangeness Upon an Omission I must never approach God again or my next Prayer must be an exercise of Repentance for my last Omission VIII Sincere Prayers are never offered in vain Formality is apt to grow upon our secret Prayers one of the best ways to prevent it is to come to God with an Expectation This sets an Edg upon our Spirits I do not enough observe the Returns of Prayer though God hath said I shall never seek Him in vain And when I observe I must acknowledg I have daily Answers of my Prayers in some kind or other Nay I think I may say I never offered a fervent Prayer to God but I received something from Him at least as to the frame of my own Spirit IX Prayer promotes Piety and Godliness and Acquaintance with God It is the Christian's Duty in every thing to pray and Holiness lieth at the bottom of this Duty If I in every thing commit my self to God I shall be sure to keep his way or my Prayer will upbraid me This keeps me from tempting him and makes me careful to find a clear Call in every thing I undertake knowing that if I go only where I am sent the Angel of his Presence will go before me and my way will be cleared of