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	reason_n	see_v	6,880	5	4.6981	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15502	Selfe deniall: or, A Christians hardest taske. Written by Christopher Wilson; preacher of the Word of God, &c.	Wilson, Christopher, 1579 or 80-1624.	1625 (1625)	STC 25767; ESTC S120182	37,902	86

Martyre Bishop Hooper whose words were these 4 Bish Hooper Pray we vnto God so to furnish vs with Faith and patience that wee may rather dye ten times then deny Christ once what though man hate vs so God loue vs if man kill the body and God bring both body and soule to eternall life the exchange is good for vs and profitable The same spirit wee haue in that Reuerend Martyre of Christ Iesus Bishop Ridley 5 Bish Ridley who let euer bee a patterne for our immitation in this chiefe worke of Selfe-Deniall who sayd Wee neuer had a better or more iust cause eyther to contemne our life or shed our blood Wee cannot take in hand a more certaine cleare and manifest truth For it is not for any Ceremony for which wee contend but it toucheth the very substance of our whole Religion yea euen Christ himselfe for the which by Gods grace I will willingly ieopard here to loose life lands and goods name and fame and what is or can be vnto me pleasant in this world rather then Deny my Maister Christ Iesus So then if these seuerall and singular workes in all these Worthies bee duly considered it will plainly appeare they had perfectly learned this Lesson of Selfe-Deniall and shewed themselues to bee couragious and vndaunted Souldiers of Christ Iesus who therefore can deny but that this duty is most excellent Briefly whosoeuer haue euer renounced glory and greatnesse in the world or haue vndergone ignominy and rebuke for Christ and a good conscience beeing content to bee counted fooles in the world It is manifest that with Paul they consulted not with flesh and blood Gal. 1.16 Gal. 1.16 Yea this was the cause of that absolute obedience in Christ and by this euery Christian offereth vp spiritual Sacrifices farre more acceptable then the Iewish Insteed of a Ram wee killeth our irefull passions Insteed of a Goate Our vncleane affections Insteed of Birds Our wandring imaginations And briefly by suppressing the motions of sinne make Martyres of our selues Oh then how aboue all things must this excellent duty be learned and enquired how it may be taken forth For who hearing a thing to be necessary and excellent doth not desire it and to that end seekes how it may be attained Now then the Meanes briefly may bee these Meanes to attaine to this deniall 1 Prayer Surely first by earnest Prayer to God in this behalfe as Christ taught in two Petitions Of the comming of his Kingdome in vs And that wee may do his Will For of our selues wee can do nothing in this high poynt Secondly 2 Acknowledgment of our corruption vnto prayer there must bee adioyned a sight and acknowledgment of our owne naturall corruption and a diligent obseruation of our daily sinnes and a suppressing of them by a continuall pressing and vrging of the authority of God vppon the conscience for that must make the rest to heare for by reason of our naturall corruption the minde reason and iudgment the wil and afections are so corrupted blinde peruerted and euery way distempered that they are altogether vnfit to iudge of heauenly and spiritual things and so not to bee conceited of them nor to trust them in that kind Heereuppon wee must labour for Regenneration whereby our minde iudgment will 3 Regeneration affections are renewed ordered and made conformable to the minde and will of God so that the more wee are Regenerate the more wilingly wee subiect our sence and reason to God and minde and affect the same things with him Fourthly 4 Faith Faith is an excellent meanes to make vs deny our selues for when wee shall by it haue learned to liue not by sence or light or reason but to shut the eye of all these and to open the eare to follow the voyce and direction of God then it wil bee no hard taske as wee haue seene in all the former examples who the more strong in faith the more ready in the practise of this Fiftly 5 The consideration whose we are by couenant the consideration whose we are and how wee haue entered a couenant with God wherein wee promised to renounce the World the Flesh and Sathan and all the vanityes and pleasures of this life and to consecrate our selues both soules and bodies wholy to God and being his seruants to resolue to doe his will so that it is not free to vs and in our power to dispose of ourselues as wee would but remembering that both by couenant on our part wee owe whatsoeuer wee are and are to bee nothing in our selues of our selues and for our selues but all things in God by God and for God Seeing this is so chiefe a duty of Christianity 1 Vse of reproofe it serues first to reprooue sundry sorts who professe Christianity yet are farre from this such as liue in open prophanesse as swearing lying drunkennesse breach of Gods Saboths vncleannesse wantonnesse and pleasures for if they haue not learned to Deny vngodlinesse and worldly lusts how shal they deny themselues for a man may so farre proceede and yet come much short of a Deniall of himselfe it serueth also to reprooue al those the ground and rule of whose religion is either their good meaning or humane reason Secondly 2 Vse of instruction this shewes how difficult the practise and workes of Christians are euen a fighting and an offering of violence to themselues reiecting and denying of al the suits motions placets and requests that arise of our selues and are made plausible as tending to our owne content this whosoeuer tryes shal finde it a most hard thing as to bee thus and thus conceited of himselfe and yet to giue no regard vnto it to be carried with a strong inclimation of Will to such a thing as is presented vnto vs as good and yet to refuse and deny the same to renounce that which the bent of affections and the earnest suite of desire hath carried vs after as was the worthy example of Dauid who when hee had earnestly desired the water of the well of Bethelem powred it out vppon the ground and would not drinke thereof as on the contrary when our affections carry vs to the mislike off and flying from a thing as grieuous yet to imbrace that with ioy and delight oh how happy a thing it is this is a worke farre passing the feuerest Popish discipline which in their blinde deuotions men inflict on themselues As to wallow in the snow and to cast themselues into the cold of waters or to lye in hayre cloath or in shirts of male yea or with Baals Preists to lanch their owne flesh yea or this also to sacrifice our owne Children to an Idol Thirdly 3 Vse of triall this serueth to bee as a touch-stone to try our estates by for if we haue not attained this denyall in some measure wee are yet to learne and to lay the first foundation of religion but if by Gods grace wee are inabled to this worke wee haue cause of much comfort in our selues Lastly 4 Vse of exhortation seeing this is so necessary and excelent a duty let these bee as two spurres in our sides to stirre vs vp and put vs forward to a labouring with our selues the practising of the same as being that whereby we enter the schole of Christ as also being that whereby we continue in the same without offence oh how singular and worthy fruits would ensue of glory and obedience vnto God and of Loue and Vnity amongst our selues when all and euery of our owne Wills would meete in the one onely will of God as in a center what though it bee as greuious to vs to Deny our selues as it was to old Iacob to part with his beloued Beniamine yet when he heard there was no remedy but either dye or yeald then hee willingly refignes himselfe Gen. 42.36.38 Gen. 43.8.10 Simile and his sonne to God and as Iacobs sonnes told their Father that had it not bin for that they had returned againe fresh victualed so certainly were it not that our beloued sinnes and inamored affections did restrayne vs wee had bin richly leaded with all spirituall grace but if at last wee shall willingly yeald as Iacob met with ioy he looked not both in hearing of his sonne Ioseph and in seeing him in honor so if we would resigne our selues ouer to the Lord the Lord would aboundantly bleffe vs and fill our hearts with ioy and at death send his chariot of angells to fetch vs to himselfe to inioy his glorious presence who is more deare and honorable then Ioseph and that not in an earthly and fickle glory but in that eternall and vnchangable happines in Heauen to which end pray wee the Lord that Lee would make the weapons of our Spirituall warfarre 2 Cor. 10.5 soe mighty to cast downe all strong imaginations and bring euery thought into the subiection of Iesus Christ that so in the end God may bee All in All. Amen Glory to God alone FINIS