Selected quad for the lemma: soul_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
soul_n	able_a	body_n	fear_v	9,113	5	7.8499	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13082	Scotlands warning, or a treatise of fasting containing a declaration of the causes of the solemne fast, indyted to bee kept in all the Churches of Scotland, the third and fourth sundayes of this instant moneth of May Anno 1628.& the weeke dayes betwixt them, as they may be goodly keeped in Townes. Together with a direction how to proceed in the religious obseruation of any soleme fast. Written at the appointment of superiors by Mr. W. Struther, preacher of the Gospel at Edinburgh.	Struther, William, 1578-1633.	1628 (1628)	STC 23370; ESTC S120441	41,231	90

we humbled our selues before him he commanded the destroying Angel to depart from vs. An. 1625. When hee threatened extreame Famine in the rotting of all our Cornes wee called on him by Fasting and Praying immediatelie thereafter for seuen weekes gaue such serenitie as scarcelie any man doeth remember the like Anno 1626. Hee is that same God that hee was then And if we will run to him in true Repentance hee both can and will deliuer vs as of before In a word we must processe our selues seuerelie before God 1. In presenting our selues before his fearefull Tribunall and standing there compare our selfe to that righteousnesse of the Law and our God and wee shall finde that our sins are moe than the haires of our head 2. When wee haue found it so wee must cry in the bitternesse of our heart with the Publican knocking on our breast The Lord bee mercifull to mee a sinner Luke 18. 3. This sight of our vilenesse and sorow for it must chase vs to God to begge remission of sinne and to be couered with the righteousnesse of Christ Wash mee throughlie from my sinne and cleanse mee from mine iniquitie Psa. 51. 4. We must striue to find remission sealed vp in the peace of conscience All this processe before God must be formed in our conscience led in a spirituall feeling Many a time we doe the worke of God negligently and content our selues with a light thoght motion of these things But we must labour to bring our conscience to a sight our heartes to a feeling of them without which God cannot bee pleased nor we blessed in this worke And this processing is a great blessing of God because it bringeth vs back to the first processe that God formed in vs at the time of our conuersion and acquainteth vs with that Processe which wee shall see at the last day and shall secure vs from the terrour of it Wee shall then count our selues happie for tymous processing our selues whē we shall see others condemned who now neglect to doe it Further wee must remember our ordinarie measure of Deuotion will not serue our turne in Fasting But as the solemnitie is more than customable occasions So our Deuotion in it must as far exceede our ordinarie as it is aboue ordinarie occasions The Sabbaths seruice had the own measure aboue the daylie Sacrifice So our Griefe Zeale Faith and softnesse of heart must bee seuen fold more than at other times Therfore is it compared to the greatest sorrow as the sorrow of a woman mourning for her first borne and for the Husband of her Youth and that as the mourning of Iudah in the Vallay of Megiddo for the slaughter of Iosiah Zach 12. When our Soules by the Grace of GOD are brought to this holie Disposition we must also take order for our Bodie that it may know in the owne kinde this Exercise that defrauding it of the owne desires wee may bring it to some feeling of that worke that is within it euen of the reasoning betweene God and our Soule that pinching of it is both the chastining and amending of it Wee must abstaine from mirth and solace When Gods Sword is forbished shall wee then make mirth and contemne his rodde ●zech 21. 10. Let the Bride-groome goe foorth of his chamber and the Bride out of her Chamber VVhen God is angry it is not timous nor comelie for vs to sport or giue ourselues to any delight If Nehemiah forbade the people to weepe at the reading of the Law because that day was a festiuitie to God Nehem. 8. Shall it not bee more vnseemelie to laugh and rejoyce in the dayes wherein God calleth vs to mourning and teares It is not a day of libertie or loosing our minde and body to delights but inclosing and shooting vp our selfe in secrete That wee retrinch and call in all our thoughtes that at other times may goe out to our businesse and keepe them all as a mourning widow clothed vvith du●e in tokens of the affliction of our Soule The maine thing indeed that God requireth in publicke humiliation is true Repentance in godlie sorrow for our sinnes and earnest imploring of his mercie in Iesus Christ. Rent your hearts and not your garments and yet with all hee requireth also a bodilie Fasting that our bodies bee defrauded not onelie of their superfluous and vnlawfull desires but also of their due and lawfull necessities in nourishment and rest and that for these speciall reasons 1. That the bodie by that abstinence may bee afflicted and punished as one instrument of euill to the Soule Though strength and health of the bodie bee a blessing of God yet oft-times it affecteth the Soule and either stirreth it vp to euill or else is a readie weapon of vnrighteousnes to execute the euill desires of it 2. That it may bee taught by that defrauding and punishing what is the punishment of sinne 3. That since it is a great impediment to our Soule in good when it is satisfied in all the desires it may not hinder but rather further the Soule in so holie an exercise but the felt necessities of it make it to spurre our Soule to bee earnest in the seruice of God who is onlie able to saue both Soule and bodie 4. Lastlie for the compleete Humiliation of the whole Man that as both Soule and bodie haue sinned and euerie one of them haue had their owne parte in that wickednesse they may now suffer conjunctlie and bee humbled for it before God VVith prayer and Fasting other things must bee joyned First course and base Apparrell that none come before God in their best cloathing but in their course and common garmentes Costlie rayment doeth no more agree with Fasting and Repentance than laughing and surfette An heart sopped with sorrow and bitternesse for sinne can neither desire nor take paines vpon the busking of the bodie Remorsfull thoughts can neither breed nor dwell vnder a painted face and a husked bodie Contrition in the heart commandeth a neglect of the flesh As our flesh ought to bee taught by defrauding of nurishment so also in bafnesse and neglect of apparrell In most of our former Fastes this hath beene a blotte that people haue come to the Lords House in their best garments vvhen hee hath cryed for sacke-cloth and ashes They mak no difference betwixt Fasting and Feasting Betwixt Repentance and other ioyfull solemnities as Communion and Thankesgiuing Naomie thought her name vvhich signifieth beautifull not fitting for her pittiefull estate and the bitternesse of her heart and desired not to bee called Naomie but Marah or bitternesse VVhen our Parents sinned in Paradise their nakednes made them ashamed and that shame made them couer ther nakednesse vvith anie thing that come first to hand Busking at Fasting is not of shamefastnesse but a shamelesse out-facing of the vvorld their own Conscience and the Iustice of God That deuotion will neuer pierce heauen vvhere the ratling of silkes

bygone and present offences afflicting our Soules by a true contrition Ioel. 2. As wheate or corne is brayed betweene the nether and vpper milstones so is the penitent Soule bruised betweene the griefe for sinne and feare of wrath with an holie indignation at our selues for offending so good a God and taking an holie reuenge or sythment on our selues for that vylnesse 2. Cor. 7. That when wee remember our wayes and all our doings wherin wee haue beene defiled wee may loath our selues in our owne sight for all the euills that wee haue committed The reasons of this renting are 1. Our heart is the fountaine from which all proceedeth that defileth the man and ought to bee stopped 2. It is the forge-house wherein Sathan forgeth all iniquitie and must bee ruined 3. And the place of the conception of all our miseries therefore by an heart-breaking godlie sorrow it must be so disabled as it losse the power of conceiuing or bringing foorth of sinne as of before 4 It is the bellie of the Viper for conceiuing but it is not rent in the deliuerie of that venemous brood Therefore it ought to bee rent in remorse for it and with that renting wee must bring out the birth of a sincer confession of our sinne Let vs lift vp our heartes and our hands to heauen and say VVee haue sinned and haue rebelled and thou hast not spared Lament 3. 41. 42. 3. Thirdlie for the time to come we must purpose with our selfe and vow to God amendement of our life the studie and practise of new obedience These holie vowes will both bind our corruption that it breake not out at all occasions and stirre vp the grace of God to a life worthie of God True Repentance will so presse our corruption that it may finde for the present a weight to bow it downe and a knyfe to cutte the throate of it And it will strengthen Gods grace by remouing sinne which is the bane of it It is a repeating of our first conuersion and a notable promouing of Sanctification by so solemne a worke adding a sensible degree of killing the old Man the quickning the new This is the fruite of our wrestling with God euen to halt with Iacob Though wee haue preuailed our corruption will bee so disjoynted as it be not so strong therafter So God in mercie to his owne by true Repentance slayeth sin which Sathan augmented by our falling disappointing him of his end turneth his work of sinne in vs to a destruction of our sinne Fourthlie wee must strengthen our hearts with confidence on God that hee will haue mercie on vs We can neuer goe to him with boldnesse without this confidence in Iesus Christ but wee runne from him as a consuming fire For this end we ought first to fixe our mind vpon him as hee hath discryued himselfe 1. A God full of goodnesse for hee is gratious freelie to pittie vs not looking to our deseruing but beside aboue contrare to it to helpe vs bringing all the reasons of his goodnesse to vs from himselfe and respecting none other thing in vs than our miserie to cure it 2. Hee is Mercifull to pardon our sinnes and remoue all euill from vs whom gratiouslie hee accepteth and giueth vs euerie good thing that wee neede 3. And slow to anger because the best men are often falling in sinne and so giue matter of his provocation yet hee is not soone moued at their sinnes but waiteth on their Repentance 4. And of great Kindnesse that euen in the time of his just anger keepeth euer his Fatherlie loue and benignitie to them His anger can stand well with his loue though wee doe not well consider it Hee doeth not afflict vs willinglie Lament 3. 33. But in the midst of his wrath hee remembreth mercie in the change of his work and action from blessing to crossing his heart and affection is not changed vpon vs Hee is not hastie to anger and long in it but slow to it and soone from it Anger is in men according to their seuerall disposition It is in the Melancholian a vertue that hee is slow to anger but a vice that hee abydeth long in it And it is the Cholerians fault that hee is soone angrie but a vertue that hee is as soone from it Our good God speaking of himselfe according to man expresseth his anger by the vertues of them both With the first hee is slow to anger and with the second hee is soone appeased And this is to our great comfort 5. And he repenteth him of euill Although our sinnes force strokes out of his hand yet hee is grieued for vs vnder them and by his sudden relieuing of vs so soone as wee repent doeth testifie that hee hath neither pleasure in the death of sinners nor in the troubles of his owne In all their afflictions hee is afflicted Isa. 63. 9. And these diuine properties and their worke is not as his strange vvorke and strange Act but in those thinges hee delighted because mercie pleaseth him Isa. 28. 21. Ierem. 9. 24. Micah 7. And for our fuller confidence wee haue not simplie to consider this his goodnesse in himselfe but as it is presented and offered to vs in a Couenant which is confirmed by Christ. His goodnesse is in himselfe as a Fountaine superabounding but the Couenant is as a Chariot or Conduit conuoying it to vs. His goodnesse assumed our Nature in Christ to a personall vnioun with the Sonne to assure vs both of the grounds of that communication of his goodnesse and of our right to it and of the way how it is That beeing and belieuing in Christ our Brother wee may haue boldnesse and accesse by that way which his blood hath consecrate toward the Throne of Grace Heb. 10. When in our mourning for sinne our Faith looketh to Christ whome our sinnes haue pierced and intreate God to looke on the Sonne of his loue in whome hee is well pleased wee haue confidence to bee heard in that wee pray for Zachar. 13. No man can tryst and meete with God in Christ the great Peace-maker who is both the Prince and pryce of our peace but hee shall finde reconciliation in him Thirdlie our owne Experience may giue vs confidence When this Yland was invaded by that great Nauie that was called Invineible God made the Seas to burie our Enemies as it did the Aegyptians Anno 1588. Next when Sathan saw that our GOD vvas God of the Seas hee tooke him to fire and put it in the heartes of cruell Papists to attempt the blowing vp by Powder of the King the Parliament the Flower of all Estates of England But God discouered that hellish plot and brake their bow at the lowsing of their Arrow Anno 1605. When Mortalitie passed through all this Land and remoued many God vvas intreated by our Prayers and stayed it Anno. 1623. When hee brak in with a fearefull Pest among vs and