Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	dead_a	death_n	trespass_n	4,131	5	10.6204	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58047	Solitude improved by divine meditation, or, A treatise proving the duty and demonstrating the necessity, excellency, usefulness, natures, kinds and requisites of divine meditation first intended for a person of honour, and now published for general use by Nathanael Ranew.	Ranew, Nathanael, 1602?-1678.	1670 (1670)	Wing R248; ESTC R30539	209,120	405

Heaven do or as a perfect Artist that hath a perfect skill and hand at some Art or work The most of good Christians though they have true saving wisdom for the substance yet have little very little wisdom to understand their way little of this acquired habitual wisdom This is the reason of their being so frequently to seek so at a set and at a loss not knowing what to do The want now of this wisdom is from want of Meditation serious and frequent musing to frame and mould the mind into habitual wisdom and so increasing in wisdom daily That a Christian may be an Artist and have his Trade have head and hand adapted and readyed for it this must be by habit through custom and use There are these four special things excellent advantages in a habit among others 1. It lays in ability for doing 2. It induces facility in doing 3. It breeds delight and complacency with doing 4. It holds up evenness and constancy in doing A Scholar or an Apprentice put upon Employment for learning an Art or Mystery At the first he wants for the present the ability to act as an Antist a Logician a Philosopher or the like and so the facility pleasure and constancy cannot be come at because they are the higher steps or stories built upon the first that of ability But when by time he hath accustomed himself in a way he comes to an habitual knowledge and skill and that habit brings ability to do and with ability goes facility easiness to act in the art or way then with facility is pleasure and delight attending what we do with ease is pleasing Then what breeds Pleasures brings also constancy and doing with evenness and equality O how desirable is this wisdom in Christianity how highly is it to be contended for to have this wisdom this Art of going to Heaven of living to the living God to arrive at a doing with an improved wisdom a wisdom of superadded ability with a happy facility of acting a sweet delight in acting heavenward and a beauteous a glorious evenness and constancy Not to be and remain still weak in our Trade of godliness not be to seek so oft as not knowing our way in divers cases not to drive so hardly on not to be so dull and heavy nor yet so unevenly and brokenly to carry on our work but with all forenamed advantages to be daily still experienced to higher encouragements This is a grand end of Meditation to work up to habitual wisdom to help a Christian to excel in this soul Beauty of an exquisite Artist and Operatour for Heaven and Eternity CHAP. XXII Of the fifth End of Meditation to kindle and enflame the Affections 5. MEditation hath not only its excellent ends and uses relating to the understanding and mind but also is of singular use relating to the Affections Meditation is that which keeps alive the fire on the Altar and helps to make it burn It is that which both gathers the sticks the fuel and materials for keeping the fire from going out and that which kindles them blows upon them and makes them burn and flame up to Heaven In the Levitical Law the fire upon the Altar must never go out but it was kept burning by the Priests continual minding it If they had not minded that fire continually it would have gone out The fire in the holiest heart it must be kept in kept burning continually by Meditation and constant mindings Meditation is a great Heart-warmer it renews and encreases spiritual heats drives away dulness and dead heartedness brings a new life strength and vigour into the spirit when it faints and flags They say of the Loadstone that wonder in Nature when either by carelesness in keeping it or by some accident it loses its virtue yet by laying it some good space of time in the filings of Steel it will again recover its virtues when the spirit of a Christian by not looking well to it loses of its heavenly heat and liveliness the way of recovery is by laying it asteep in this so warming and quickning Meditation O how burning and flaming may we often observe the spirit of the holy Psalmist David in his acting of Meditation As Psal 39.3 My heart waxed hot within me and while I was musing the fire kindled or burned Musing made him hot yea burning hot at the heart Thus oft in the beginning of a Psalm we find his heart low and discouraged but as this Musing was acted and heightened his spirit grew hotter and at last flies all on a flame flies up to a very high pitch of heavenly heat O how do all the conscientious Practisers of Meditation ever and anon experience these happy heavenly heats and heart-enlargements Ah if all the Saints so glorious heart-quickenings were gathered together what a rich Chain of Pearls Pearls of rare Experiences would they make up of the heart-warming Efficacies of Meditation Meditation is a mighty Engine to kindle cooling hearts and make them flame in fervency The Rule of effecting a business especially entangled in difficulties is first as they say Removendo prohibens applicando promovens That is by removing the Obstacles first and then applying furtherances Meditation is instrumental to heart-warmings and quicknings First by making a grand inquest into the occasions of heart-coolings and helping to remove them Then secondly by stirring up to the efficacious means of warmth and quickening it s a rule among the Schoolmen that every Negative is founded in an Affirmative that is every not doing is founded in some positive act of doing something else And as to the like purpose we say in Philosophy The intention of one thing is the dis-intending of another Meditation makes an enquiry and thereby a discovery of that which hinders spiritual heat The extinguishing of fire and heat in Nature is either by casting on much water or smothering it by either throwing on much incombustible matter or hindering the airs openness and its free coming to it which choaks it or by withdrawing the Fuel upon which it feeds 1. Meditation finds heart-coolings to proceed from a giving way to and the present prevailing of some corruption or lust that like water quenches the fire They say that some rich spirits and rare extractions if taken in some acid or sour Liquor the sowr Liquor turns the edge of those spirits and frustrates their operation As cold clammy humours at the head of the Nerves or Sinews stop the course of the Animal spirits and occasion the Numm or dead Palsey Or as some cold Poison taken in quenches the vivifical heat and spirits endangers if not induces death So a corruption or sin let out and given way unto chills and cools and quenches the heart-heat and the longer yielded to the cooler will the affections grow A Sin given way unto damps the heart-warming Ordinances quenches the heart-warming spirit obstructs thy communion with a heart-quickening Christ Hoseah Whoredom and Wine and new Wine

and qualifications of heavenly Graces that was cold dead and altogether sinful and draws the glorious image of Christ upon the Soul He enlivens establishes enlarges and encourages and fills the Spirit with peace and joy unspeakable We act from his blowings on the Gardens of our hearts then the spices of Graces flow Cant. 4.16 The Wheels Ezek. 10.17 moved from the spirit in them so a Christian moves or not as the Spirit moves or not Every day and for every Duty in the day there is need of a new blowing of the Spirit that the Spices may flow new moving that the Wheels may move us We must neither grieve quench or resist the Holy Spirit Eph. 4.30 1 Thes 5.19 Act. 7.51 The Spirit who is our Helper and Applyer farther of Christ and receiving of his fulness If we will act wisely the Eye of the Soul by Meditation must daily be pondering the necessity of the Holy Spirits Influences stirrings up strengthenings and enlargements when we neglect and slight the Spirit and so want justly his help we must needs drive on heavily But when we mind him and have his assistance this wings the Soul and makes it to move strongly and nimbly to the main mark If the Question were askt what were the highest thoughts the mind can possibly think they would be such as these three following 1. That thought of the so infinite and all admired love of God the Father in giving freely his Son for Sinners 2. That thought of that infinite and all amazing love of God the Son in giving so freely himself for his Fathers Enemies 3. That thought of God the Holy Spirit 's infinite love astonishing love in so freely giving himself into such dunghill hellish hearts to make them his glorious Habitation his Palace and Solace to be the mighty heart-helper and Comforter This Spirit then must not be grieved by the least neglect but highly and constantly both honoured and cherished with our utmost thought-preciousness and earnestness that so thinkings may work up to liveliest lookings for him lookings to listenings for his knocking 's at the door of our Hearts listenings for ready lettings of him in and being let in we may give him the highest and freest Entertainments with yieldings of the fullest obedience unto him It is reported that formerly sometimes Travellers Sailing by the Coasts of Arabia the happy have had by the Winds blowing off the Land such rare rich smells and perfumes of the precious spices that without the Experience of it it is hardly credible Sometimes the Holy Spirit so blows on the Garden of a Christians heart that the Spices in such sort perfume it with Ravishments of Peace and Joy that are inexpressible and then it runs apace to the main mark Ah then it must be best to enter on the work of the day by an early and earnest eying of this glorious Helper the Holy Spirit who is sooner ready to lend us his helping hand then we are ready for it CHAP. VII Of the next particulars the incumbent Duties of the day 3. THE Ordinances of Christ are the next general things Meditation may fix on The Ordinances are our ways of communion with God the ways whereby God conveighs himself to us the King of Heavens high-ways of spiritual Commerce and Trade The Roads and Paths wherein the Holy Spirit walks and comes to apply himself to us and our ways in which we are to go forth and meet him apply our selves to him fix an heavenly intercourse and acquaintance with him The Winds blow from all the Quarters of Heaven and the Holy Spirit breaths and blows from all his heavenly Ordinances We may therein look for the breathings of the Spirit but we must not look for the Holy Spirit out of his own ways The Prerogative of the Spirit is not to be absolutely tied to Ordinances but our liberty is not to be loosed from them We are tied to the ways of Christ which are our warrantable ways for communion and waiting his Spirits comings and assistings The Eye of Meditation should act daily in such fresh and vigorous lookings on the Ordinances as may more highly commeid them raise their price represent them more lovely reduce us to more evenness in performance by finding them more easie and sweet in continued use and exercising our selves in them and induce still higher admirations by experiencing their help and efficacies The Ordinances of Christ have their high ratification in the Holy Scriptures for their power and efficacy The Saints in all Ages have given their great confirmation set their probatum est to every of them by millions of encouraging experiences When that Ordinances are more precious they are the more efficacious O let our Meditations daily scope be to make them more precious that they may prove more efficacious Like that eminent pattern that great Meditater David that high progress he made in Meditating of the ways of God set the Price higher made his heart warmer He Meditated and he valued more admired more and he acted more eminently and arrived at last at that pitch which hath left him on Record in the highest rank of Saints that ever lived The Ordinances therefore are most worthy our daily musing on as for their own excellency as the King of Heavens high Institutions so as the Holy Spirits walks wherein he comes to meet us and have communion with us and apply Christ more unto us CHAP. VIII Of Meditation on the Word of God and the Promises whereby the Spirit first is given and after works THE Word of God is that sure wisdom revealed unto us by God to lead us by his Counsel to Glory That only infallible Rule given us to walk by It is the Golden Scepter of Christ for the Subjects of his Kingdom to come and touch the top of The dear purchase of Jesus Christ for the only Rule of his Redeemed the breathing and dictate of the Holy Spirit the high product and that clearest shining forth of the brightest beams of Infinite Wisdom Truth Holiness Righteousness Mercy Free-Grace Love Power and all Glories and Perfections of the Author for the blessed Ends it is bestowed It is the excellent Instrument in the hand of the Spirit whereby he effects his great Soul-saving work whereby he brings about that work of wonder the applying of lost sinners to an All-sufficient Saviour first by effectual calling and then applies Christ more and more building them up more in him unto perfection If I look for the Spirits operation I must look for and apply my self to the help of that rare Tool and Instrument he operates by Think what an Engine it is what most admired glorious work he hath effected by it upon millions of blind Eyes hard Hearts Persons impotent Crippled in their Souls Dead in sins and trespasses at the dreadful distance from God of Haters and Enemies of him and all things leading to him enlightening them healing them and reconciling them to himself and his

cares they strive to come in businesses and multiplicity of affairs sudden emergencies and sundry things that may attempt to interpose and these if our watch and guard be not the stronger and stricter will miscarry the Duty Yea sometimes one Duty may drive out another often we let holy duties interfere and cross each other hearing praying and the rest sometimes there 's hastening from one to another sometimes letting one detain us so long that others are cut short and so helps are turned in part into hindrances opportunities for some Duties into obstructions to others when godly prudence allows every thing its season and due proportion of time The external hindrances to Meditation are many from common business and things of this life and we often create our own hindrances by our sloth and imprudence not carefully redeeming and wisely ordering our times and opportunities Ah then my soul if Meditation be so high so hard as to its spiritual nature and hath withal such Enemies and oppositions look to it then I must the more cautiously but not less resolutely perform it The Moralists say that difficulty is cos virtutis the incentive and heightener of magnanimity to a great and heroick spirit nothing must be so great as to outlook it and discourage it The greater and braver fish swim against the stream the noble Christian by difficulty and opposition is caution'd but not cowed out If there were nothing to set against and weigh with the former cautions and arguments from Enemies and opposition if no high inducements and advantageous arguments to put into the scale of perswasion to weigh against such as fill the scale of diswasion it then might the more reverse and turn the edge of thy courage yet arguments from evil and mischief in many cases are sufficient alone the danger of an armed Enemies approaching as in Jacob's case the danger of deadly poyson prepared for thee or infection coming very nigh thee is enough But we have encouragements and those in full measure pressed down and running over As Elisha to his servant discouraged when encompast in Dothan we have moe with us than against us What if there be a principle of flesh that makes opposition yet thy principle of spirit and grace is a real ground of hope and help If thy grace Christian be true though but a grain of mustard-seed it will live and hold and act and grow act into endeavour and striving till it overcomes A principle will help thee 1. Consider a principle introduces an inclination a bent and tendency of heart against the inclination and contrary tendency of corruption Psal 119.112 and it 's a principle must live and the contrary carnal principle must die Rom. 6.11 Reckon your selves dead unto sin but alive unto God Sin as to the purchase of Christ is dead in the Saints totally and it is dead in the habit and root initially and in part in respect of the communicated and inherent grace of Christ which upon union with Christ begins the death of sin in mortification Rom. 6. 2. A principle besides inclination and tendency introduces power and ability as the Flesh hath its power so the spirit and grace hath its contrary power 3. A principle introduces facility though the Flesh makes Duties hard yet the Spirit is ready and makes godliness easie 4. A principle introduces delight and complacency the Flesh acts reluctancy the Spirit delight and pleasure Psal 119.47 5. A principle works holding on and constancy Gal. 5. as the Flesh lusts against the Spirit so the Spirit against the Flesh Psal 119.12 last part of the verse not only begins but holds on a principle will help you to hold on for God will hold that on Phil. 1.6 He that hath begun a good work in you will finish it to the day of Christ 6. A principle is blest by the using of it with progress and growth the flesh that shall decrease and waste but the grain of Mustard-seed shall grow to a great tree Math. 13.32 7. A principle shall be crown'd by contending and striving with glorious conquest and victory the Spirit wars against the Flesh and it conquers in the issue by its still warring judgment is brought forth to victory Rom. 8.37 Ah never be discouraged for any thing within be very sensible of sin within and the stirrings of it but sink not under the sight of it take thou encouragement Christian to fight it and to subdue it if thy hearts badness appear its backwardness and crossness to any Duty know you can get nothing by giving way but by going on and striving and use this herein as thy rule wear out thy own backwardness to and weariness in a Duty by doing it in a resolved constancy wear out the indisposition to duty by doing that Duty and doing it fervently 2. What if Satan be such an Enemy yet have we not more and stronger with us than him we have the holy Spirit that helps to pray and he will help us to meditate If he sees we are labouring to get up the Mount in Meditation he will give us his hand to help us up if Satan and all Hell be against us in this or any other Duty he will be for us yea Father Son and Spirit are and will be all assistants to us Do we not use to say God came in at such a time in such a Duty He delights to see how the pulse of thy spirit beats heavenward how the eye of thy soul looks upward how it fixes its looks of heavenly love upon him he delights to help up thy heart in its holy Meditation to help it tower up to Heaven to taste of those surmounting glorious delicacies prepared for his beloveds entertainment and highest solace What others in their exemplary carelesness hold forth what their mindlesness is they use must not have any impression of discouragement or prove to us any impediment It is no staying till we can take every one along with us in our journey to Heaven Neither must the example of any the highest the greatest the richest the wisest and learnedest the nearest related the dearest affected nor any under any consideration whatever have that ill influence upon us either to discourage or divert us weaken our hands or hinder our making straight steps in this blessed path of meditating diligently upon heavenly things Neither let the cares and pleasures business and affairs of this world hinder this soul great affair of serious Meditation in the seasons of it The Saints of Christ in all ages have found a way to this duty as well as others and that through the throng and multiplicity of crowding and justling occasions As it is said of our Lord Christ in Luk. 4.30 when they of Nazareth angry with him thrust him out of the City and would have cast him down headlong he passing through the midst of them goes his way the Saints of Christ have made their way passing through the midst of businesses and emergencies

more When a soul comes to look and search into himself sees what little grace he hath what abundance of corruptions and in what power they shew themselves When he finds how he is assaulted by Satan and ensnared by the world and things of it he sees how necessary it is to consider what in this case he is to do This therefore after assurance in some degree obtained and how to keep and increase it may well be the matter of Meditation Meditate then of thy grace received the weakness and imperfection of it and how to help and strengthen it especially thy Faith that great fundamental Grace that serves as the eye to see Christ the foot to come to him and hand to take him lean upon and to take and receive from him In the case of weakness of grace thy Meditation must be upon that purposely conferred fulness Cor. 1.19 that fountain-fulness which is in Christ 〈◊〉 whom by faith thou art united engraffed into 〈◊〉 to partake of the sweetness of this Vine Joh. 〈◊〉 of the fatness of this Olive 1 Cor. 1. ●● 〈◊〉 made to us wisdom righteousness sanctification 1. Meritoriously so he hath purchased these 2. Efficaciously he imparts and communicates these Joh. 15.5 Without me ye can do nothing without first a real ingraffing into Christ Joh. 15.4 without a vital influence from him and without a new continual acting trust and recumbency on him But Phil. 4.13 I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me Consider thou must that he will help thee If Christ did first help thee when thou wert a stranger and enemy to him now much more will he help thee being reconciled If when thou hadst no union wert no member of his he made thee a member much more being a member will he supply life strength and growth to make thee a perfect member he must make his body in all the members perfect at last They must grow therefore that he may be a head perfected in all his members perfection The way Christ will teach thee seeking to him The work Christ will work for thee trusting in him 2. Then as thy Meditation must be of Christ the Well of living waters and his fulness so because the Well though a living Spring yet it is deep how to come at it how to draw The next Meditation therefore must be of our means vouchsafed us to draw and of particularly that by which all the Saints in all Ages have drawn out of this Well of Salvation and received grace for grace Therefore this Meditation must be of that precious powerful Faith whereby Christ is received initially by our first union and communion with him and received also gradually daily and for our building up to perfection in him Meditation must be as of Faith to fetch supply from Christ 3. So of the way Faith hath to act namely by the precious Promises of Sanctification in which Christ assures thee he will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax Matth. 12.20 That the Kingdom of Heaven at first is as a grain of mustard-seed but it becomes as a great tree Matth. 13.31 32. That the good work in any heart God will finish to the day of Christ Phil. 1.6 Thou must repair to the rich Treasury of the Gospel gather up the Pearls of Promises scattered all over it string them up in Meditation and ponder their infallible Truth abundant Goodness and most transcendent Freeness 4. Next thou must meditate duely of the way for the full Breasts of the Promises to give down into thy longing spirit their sweetness and help This is by Christs appointed Ordinances praying and the rest wherein thy Faith must act upon the Promises and by them upon Jesus Christ and so though that Well be deep Faith is thy Bucket the Promises the Chain the Ordinances the Hands to let it down and draw it up filled with living water for thy thirsty soul to drink CHAP. XIII Of Meditation of Corruptions stirring and oft prevailing THis Meditation must proceed upon the Promises of sin-subduing and mortifying Mich. 7.19 He will subdue our iniquities Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law but under grace A man under the Law it gives no strength against sin Rom. 3.20 It discovers sin and irritates sin Rom. 7.8 9. but gives no strength to subdue it But being under Gospel-grace that gives power to mortifie sin Those that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Gal. 5.24 They are dead to sin Rom. 6.2 by Christ purchasing the total mortification and dead by an Initial and begun sanctification that from being implanted into Christs death and his sin-killing grace sin receives its deaths wound and shall bleed to death upon it But this by applying frequently the promises of mortification exercising Faith by them exciting Faith to rest on them Let us therefore as for other cases so for this gather up variety of promises of sin-subduing Let thy eye in Meditation go from promise to promise First set one promise before thee and dwell upon that look to Christ in that and thence draw help from him resting on him for making it good to thy souls case and then go to and dwell upon another ponder that and rest again upon Christ in that promise and so successively upon others Thou hast great varieties of Promises that thy eye in Meditation might be more delighted in walking in this Garden of Christ among these pleasant sweet flowers and that Faith might by the variety feed more to the full upon them In the case of a particular corruption sometimes yea it may be often too hard for thee Thy now Meditation must pass in a more particular manner In great pondering of the sinfulness of this sin as the Scripture in the divers passages of it sets it forth in the kind and nature in the degrees aggravations and abounding sinfulness of it 1. In the terrible threatnings denounced against it which discover Gods not dealing tenderly and handling it as it were gently What David said of Absalom in his rebellion warring against him openly Deal for my sake gently with the young man Absalom 2 Sam. 18.5 that we are ready to do with applying the Threatnings to our corruptions loth to apply him too hot and too home and let these Corrosives continue their time because of their smart and pain But we should both get store of threatnings give them all the edge we can apply them close and let them stick fast and stay their just time to issue in due fear and awakning and make thee more willing to forego thy sin The Threatnings of the Law and Word of Christ are of great necessity and use for godly spirits so God and the Saints in Scripture used them for humblings awaknings and reformings 2. This sins sinfulness in Examples In the Examples of severity recorded both of wicked and godly persons Gods severity to them yea