Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	david_n	lord_n	nathan_n	4,238	5	12.7447	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11850	Christs counsell to his languishing church of Sardis. Or, The dying or decaying Christian, with the meanes and helpes of his recovery and strengthening. By Obadiah Sedgwicke, B. of D. late preacher to the inhabitants of S. Mildreds Bredstreet, London	Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.	1640 (1640)	STC 22151; ESTC S117037	59,254	284

faint and to them that Esay 40. 28. have no might he can increase strength Yea and that yet there is something of his owne in thee though very little yet something and that holinesse which he did once implant by a mighty hand he is now as able to revive and strengthen it by his Almighty power 6 Carefull application now goe to the healing and strengthening waters thou hast knowne the waies of God and his goings in the Sanctuary how he hath wrought wonders for the dead many a Creple hath got strength there and many a disconsolate soule hath found comfort there in his word and in his Sacrament there hath his arme beene revealed David grew by his great sinnings into great languishings but the Lord sent Nathan the Prophet unto him and his faithfull dealing was a meanes of his happy renewing What we pull downe by hearkning to the voyce of sinne that may be built up againe by hearkening to the voyce of Gods spirit But then this must thou doe if ever thou wouldest be strengthened viz. Strive for a plain and pliable heart which may yeeld subjection to whatsoever law or course the Lord shal direct thee unto by his word if the word As the Iewes in Ieremiah offer thee a restoring plaister but thou wilt not apply it and prescribe unto thee strengthening methods but thou wilt not follow them now thy heart may grow more hardened but thy graces will never be strengthened But this doe strive to yeeld up thy soule in an humble subjection to the heavenly ordinances that if they say forbeare thy heart answers I will forbeare if they say doe thy heart answers I desire to doe thy will Cooperate with the word received when it hath got into thy soule and stirred thee in any kinde when thou perceivest any healing vertue gone from Christ by it unto thee oh blesse the Lord and get home work it againe upon thy soule by holy meditation yea and yet againe by holy petition Simile Thou must even doe in this kinde as Benhadads servants did in another they watched the words which fell from the King of Israel and improved them so must thou watch what motions the Lord puts into thy heart in private and cherish them watch what impressions the Lord makes upon thy spirit by his word and not onely excite thy heart to embrace them but work them often and often upon thy conscience and this is the way to make thy weake sparke to grow unto a flame 7 And lastly there must bee lively consociation by a naturall instinct the weaker things doe cling and winde up themselves by the stronger as the weake Ivie upon the strong Oake so thou must inwardly and affectionately joyne thy selfe with strong and lively Christians who skill the waies of grace and walke in them who are good and know how to doe good who have hearts to pitty thee heads to direct thee and armes to beare thee up Thou maiest exceedingly be repaired by their heavenly wisedome in counselling of thee and kept in by their tender watchings over thee and put forward by their daily exhortations of thee and refreshed by their seasonable comfortings of thee and led on by their strict and lively examples yea even stirred up by the observation of those blessed experiences which thou perceivest in them through a carefull communion with God as also much assisted by the successe of their prayers for thy particular condition Thirdly the manner Now be pleased to heare a little for the manner how yee 5 Particular are to set upon this strengthening work and then I have done with this proposition If thou findest thy selfe to be a weakened Christian then set upon thy strengthening worke 1 Presently Initia morborum cavenda say the Physitians and therefore their rule is principiis obsta c. we should set upon diseases as soone as diseases set upon us not trifle away the methods of recovery three things must be lookt into in time tides seasons diseases If wee presently oppose our decayings First we shall prevent the deadlinesse of diseases hadst thou opposed thy negligent carelesse spirit at the first thou hadst not now been bleeding under so many wounds thou hadst not stepped downe from one sinne to another thou hadst not gone so desperately from the Lord. Therefore watch thy heart and often examine it weekely nay daily thy languishings are by this manner sooner espied and sooner staied Secondly our strengthening will hereby become more easie it is easier to fetch a man from the brink then from the depth of the channell and for a Physitian to cure a distemper then to heale a disease There is usually in the first impairings lesse corruption and more strength of grace to oppose it and subdue it Beleeve it long decayings are the more uncomfortable and more difficult for recovery Therefore if thou fallest suddenly rise quickly remember one thing it is a very dangerous thing to suffer the soule to habituate it selfe to decayings all customes are hardly broken 2 Voluntarily it is true that though thou decaiest more and more yet the Lord may awaken thee at length and recover thee but doe not put the Lord to it The Physitian may perhaps heale a deeply languishing patient but it will cost the patient dearly and bitterly Ioab got little by not comming to Absalom for he at length fetcht him by setting his corne on fire if thou wilt not come in of thy owne accord but stand it out I tell thee the Lord will fetch thee in indeed but he will send a whirlewinde after thee as to Elijah he will send flames into thy conscience if thou wilt needs put him upon compulsory waies Nay but rather peruse thy decayings thy selfe and arraign thy selfe and judge thy selfe and afflict thy selfe and hye thee to make thy peace and to recover strength it argues the better heart to fall unwillingly but willingly to rise hereby peace is sooner made and strength sooner restored 3 Prudently when a tree is withering you need not poure buckets on every branch if you water the roots it is as if you watered all There is an holy part in recovering our graces againe if you can recover the roots you have hit the way to renew all Now there are two radicall graces as it were if they be strengthened all the rest will come to be strengthened viz. 1 Faith this is a root grace and this is a strengthening grace it is of singular power with God and with Christ and with the spirit of God It is that grace which laies hold on and applies all our strengthening helpes so that it deales at the springs of strength and brings away strength from them But this is not all faith is no sooner strengthened to lay hold on our strength but like those common officials in nature the stomack liver heart and brain it imparts this vigour to all the new man every grace gets when faith gets the more a man can beleeve the

of good so but withall ever and anon he is doing of some evill his weakened graces cannot beare him up against strong occasions and temptations his gold lies much in the ashes Simile and like a lame man he is not only halting in his best motion but ever and anone quite downe the snuffe gets above his candle 4 For delightfulnesse hee is almost a stranger to exact Christians and doth not honour them so much as formerly but secretly feares their company and judgement he is perhaps more ashamed or else more afraid of them his conscience is yet so apprehensive that hee interprets every glance as a secret checke of his decayings Thus is it not with the strengthened Christian whose graces are high carefulnesse great usefulnesse large godlinesse even and* great delights taken psal 16. 1. up amongst the best and choicest Christians Hee himselfe still growes better and others by him 5 In respect of consolation the declining sunne creates the longer and darker shadowes and the decaying Christian brings on himselfe either the sharper terrors or deeper griefs the sicke bed is full of paines neither his owne spirit nor Gods Spirit speake peace unto him He who of bad begins to be good may have much tranquility but he who of good becomes lesse good ever becomes more undelightfull to God and most unquiet with himselfe Simile The ship which goes out in low ebbes fals foulest on the sands so Christians who ebbe in graces shall alwaies flow with sorrowes But it is otherwise with the strengthened Christian for rising graces breed stronger comforts and longer there is not onely no troubling accusation but a most surpassing excusation in conscience he hath a better heart and shall therefore finde a more quiet spirit for conscience speakes peace answerable to our being more good and doing of it Alas that thou shouldest still walke like a Benoni a childe of sorrow whereas the other Christian lives like a Barnabas a sonne of consolation 6 In respect of affliction the weakened in active graces is ever most weake in passive duties generally hee hath more crosses and or himselfe lesse wisedome and strength to bear them because hee is growne worse therefore his afflictions are increased and because his abilities are sunke therefore the afflictions crush and prick him much the more Sampson who could easily breake thorow many cords and barres yet when weakened a few Philistines were too hard for him He cannot be so patient nor yet so confident nor yet so diligent in a suffering condition His weakened graces can neither administer strength nor yet subdue those workings of impatience so that he is almost sunke and split with calamities his decayed ship can scarse abide any foule weather But when personall sicknesses come and the apprehension of death at which times his conscience is thoroughly wakened ah how bitter how terrible are the thoughts and disputes of his heart at such a time much like those of him who apprehends his condition not to be good Oh how the pulses of his disturbing and disturbed conscience worke what reflexions on his former waies what comparison of his former flourishings with present decayings what feares of approching before the Lord what smart sentences on himselfe what sudden and vehement exclamations Oh Lord saith he I would not yet dye I am fallen much from my God Lord spare me a little that I may recover my strength my decayed strength before I go hence and shall be no more seene It is not so with the strengthened Christian but as in active duties hee is more forward so in passive duties he is more sufficient in losses in crosses yea in death it selfe hee is more submissive and confident he can with Iob be as willing to receive evill at the hand of God as good and doth not only rejoyce in his favours but in his strokes and is as ready to go to his father as to serve God his good master 7 In respect of Gods manifestation the Lord is pleased diversly to manifest himselfe to his people sometimes in admirable motions and suggestions of his spirit sometimes in more quick excitations of their spirits sometimes in singular confirmation of them with assistances for extraordinary works sometimes by secret impressions of his favour and love upon their consciences which doth revive their hearts as wine and satisfie their soules as with marrow so David speakes Psal 63. But now the weakened Christian he darkens this heaven over his head he hath not that comfortable sight of God that assurance of his favour that joy of the holy Ghost David lost the joy of the spirit and the voyce of gladnesse the arme of God is Psal 51. not so revealed in him for doing of good nor the face of God so open unto him at all Whereas the strengthened Christian findes it otherwise he hath a better heart and a fairer day his communion is sweet with the Lord hee still seeks the Lord and often findes him enjoyes him in his power and enjoyes him in his gratiousnesse the Lord meets him that worketh righteousnesse and remembers him who remembers the Lord in their waies Now thinke on these things O thou fallen and decayed Christian and rest not in thy weakenesse but recover and strengthen thy spirituals againe Three things I will let fall Three things which perhaps may fetch and quicken thee againe 1 Though thou art far sunk yet thou maiest be raised again 2 If thou doest rise again the Lord will graciously pardon thy decaies 3 If thou wilt set upon the strengthening worke the Lord will worke in thee sufficient strength 1 Thou maiest be raised and strengthened againe and that may appeare thus unto thee 1 Repentance is possible for any sinnes which are committed and if renewed repentance be possible then a recovery againe is possible for as much as our recovery again consists very much in a renewed repentance 2 Yea and we have examples of weakened Christians strengthened againe as we know in David exceedingly wounded but yet recovered and Peter grievously falling but graciously rising againe 2 If thou doest strengthen thy condition the Lord will mercifully pardon thy former decayings I confesse that there may be sore grounds of feare to intangle and depresse the spirit of a decaid Christian for his sins by which he hath decayed may perhaps be hainous for the kinde and also high for the circumstances being against knowledge against the workings of conscience against the workings of his graces against the tender love of God in Christ shewed to him more then to another so that his heart may strongly misgive him whether the Lord will ever looke upon him more and accept of him into favour But this I say that be thy decayings what they will either for the matter of them or causes of them or circumstances of them if thou doest rise againe by a renewed repentance I assure thee that the Lord will pardon thee and accept of thee in Christ looke as the

strength unto them by a constant application of the ordinances partly by hearkning unto some sinfull temptations So that now repentance may become more difficult and unable and godly sorrow can scarce be discerned for that extreame hardnesse of heart and faith can scarce finde the way or make any use of Christ and the promises but the gates of unbeliefe seeme to possesse the soule Yea the feare of God may now not so restraine and awe and the love of God may not so prevaile and excite as they have done in former times Object But you will demand what may be the causes of this dying condition Sol. I conjecture these 1 Simile Some deadly corruption which hath seized upon their spirits if poyson get into the body it works upon the spirits and so weakens and indangers life The people of God are sometimes tasting of poyson they are tampering with unsound doctrines which as they doe infect the judgement so they doe abate their spirituall principles and abilities The Apostle was afraid that he had lost his labour and spent himselfe in vaine to those of Galatia that they were even leaving their hold in Christ and what was the cause of it Surely some false Apostles had leavened them with errour about circumcision and the observation of the law When the judgement is corrupted with any errour then truths are not of that power with the soule where truth looseth in authority there grace will loose in its strength and efficacie 2 Some deadly wound is given unto them you know that a man may dye not onely by a draught of poyson but Simile likewise by the cut of a sword which divides the parts and le ts out the bloud that carries and preserves the life of man There are things which doe fight against the soul 1 Pet. 2. 11. 1 Pet. 2. 11. and not onely fight against it but wound it nay not the soule and conscience onely but likewise our very graces Sinnings doe not onely prove a troublesome wound to the conscience but likewise a killing and dying wound to our graces if any thing in the world extinguisheth or abateth our graces they are our sinnings which are to graces as water to the fire But now even the people of God doe many times hearken to some baser lusts and viler commissions as you know in David and others and when sinne hath got any favour in the judgement or affection it is like a disease which will not off without a manifest breach of health and strength Simile sinne lames our graces 3 Some deadly neglect Simile if the soule grow negligent it will quickly grow dying as you shal see that inordinate abstinence and neglect of food brings a man quickly into a consumption so when the people of God through spirituall pride shall grow carelesse of vitall assistances that they keepe not so close to the word of life nor to the Sacraments of life nor to the great principle of life by an earnest and constant communion in prayer no marvell if they grow dying persons It is with us in respect of God as it is with the plants in respect of the sunne which live or dye flourish or decay upon their conjunction if I may so speake and Grace is not a life and strength it selfe Minuit supra vires alimenti penuria said Fernelius l. 1 de morb causis neerenesse with its heat So our soules yea and our graces live by that conjunction which they have with God if we keepe not to him close and neere but draw off what doe we but draw off from the principle of our being and conservation 4 Inconsiderate toleration of particular evils not a timely expurgation of them Simile You know that if peccanthumours redound in the body and be not considered of and purged out in time they may of ordinary distempers turne into deadly diseases and so it is with particular corruptions admit they be such as wee are pleased favourably to call infirmities or any other sinnes if they be not quickly expelled and reformed they may bring us neere the gates of death one sinne may bring on another or the same sinne may steale unto a strange degree of strength so that a person unawares is languished extreamely and whence comes this not onely from an inconsiderate admission of sinnes but also from an untimely correction of sinne The soule should presently have physicked it selfe with first a right apprehension of the greatnesse of the evill in the beginning secondly speedy humiliation before the Lord thirdly fervent supplication for mercy and more strength fourthly resolute reformation and abandoning of it But the neglect of these hath brought the soule into a spirituall languor and perhaps into a deep consumption of graces 5 Defect of frequent examinations though at our originall and first conviction of sinne and a sinfull condition we are very tender and circumspect and ever and anon feared and overlooked our spirituall conditions whereby we found singular additions to our graces yet after a while after Christians have got over the pangs of the first birth and have procured more peace and comfort as if a gracious soul would thrive of it selfe they are generally apt to keepe on the course of obedience but thinke it superfluous at least not so necessary often to search and view and fannow themselves And what now befals them surely two great evils viz. that the estate and operation and acts of sin are not so strictly eyed secondly that the estate of their graces is not so well knowne and guarded against speciall motions and temptations whereupon it often fals out that the poor soul is reduced to great streights and leannesse the man cannot pray as heretofore nor finde that love to God and Christ as heretofore nor have that delight in the ordinances nor doe that good in society nor receive that profit nor feele that mournfulnesse of spirit as heretofore why hee did let and suffer his spirituall estate to run on at hazards and the lesse searching of heart the lesse strength of grace alwaies 6 Defect of solemne humiliations in extraordinary fasting and prayer Those meanes which beget our graces are likewise ordained to preserve them and as the use of singular meanes confers more power and life to our graces so a cessation in the use of them proves an exceeding decay unto them it is as if you should take away the pillars from the house or the raine from the earth Now this is certaine that extraordinary times of fasting and prayer they have beene blest with power from heaven to make the strongest temptation and corruption to flye no sinne is able to stand before them and so likewise they have been blest with an answer of singular enlargement addition to our spirituall estate oh how cheerfully how tenderfully how much more fully and fruitfully is thy soule inabled after those duties rightly performed but Christians grow very strangers to these solemne duties either totally omitting of them