Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	acceptable_a	act_n	act_v	24	3	8.1024	4	false

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23734	The government of the thoughts a prefatory discourse to The government of the tongue / by the author of The whole duty of man.	Allestree, Richard, 1619-1681.; Pakington, Dorothy Coventry, Lady, d. 1679.; Fell, John, 1625-1686.; Sterne, Richard, 1596?-1683.	1694 (1694)	Wing A1131; ESTC R16378	90,774	192

acceptable to him if they extend to Fruits of Regeneration and uniting us to Christ dedicateth us to a Capacity of his Sanctifying Spirit and enableth us in some measure to vanquish Sin and perform that whâ—ch is holy in his sight Now the Apostle mentions St. James 2.18 Shew me thy Faith without thy Works and I will shew thee my Faith by thy Works And St. Paul says Rom. 3.28 A Man is justified by Faith only without the Deeds of the law 3. THOUGH our best Performances cannot justifie us before the Almighty because imperfect yet are they never separated from true Faith and they are the Path-way to the heavenly Jerusalem though they cannot finish our happy Arrival Therefore to the Young-Man's Query who desired to be justified by Works our Saviour replies Mat. 19.16 Keep the Commandments Thus he was convinced who had not yet learned the Righteousness of Faith which saith Believe and thou shalt be Saved thereby implying that yet he was wanting in some things who was excellent in others and therefore must seek Salvation by Faith and the way to Heaven by Sanctity This is a Condition not an Obligation of our Salvation for as we can never acquire Salvation by it so we can never expect any without it because our very best Endeavours and Performances we owe to God's Honor and Glory 4. IT is not sufficient to have a good Intention either to speak or to do good for Satan is well-pleased that Men should draw near unto God with their Lips if their Hearts be far from him or that they speak well if they will perform Evil. Words at best are but Feminine Virtues but Works are Mâ—sculine Of these the Spiritual Pharoah giveth charge to smother them But we desire to convert our Words into Actions and not only to speak but to Effect holy Performances 5. ACTIONS Humane Natural or Civil are no otherwise here concerned than as they are in order to the Moral and so regulated by the Law and holy Word of God in the affirmative or negative Precepts which is the only Rule of all our Moral Actions towards God or Man Neither Examples Prescriptions Universality of Consent nor Commands of Men must be prevalent with us against the express Word of God For these claim Privilege only in those things which God's Law alloweth and refereth to our Authority CHAP. XXIV Rules in External Actions FIRST Neither Propose nor Act any thing Evil or Unjust for any Worldly profit Honours or Pleasures For it is an apparent detriment to acquire the World with the loss of thy Soul Mat. 16.26 What can Secular Honours advantage thee when thou art condemned by the Almighty Should all the World extol thee and thou be Canonized a Saint in the opinion of the multitude or thy Actions be highly applauded equivalent to Herod's Speech and be rendred Supernatural God's Angel may smite thee and the Worms destroy thee What are Pleasures In their Birth they look towards a Precipitate End and the Vicissitude of this Scene serveth only to aggravate the misery Like that ungrateful sound which reached the Ears of Dives in Hell Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things Luke 16.25 Present remembrances of past pleasures embitter the Torment 2. LET God's Law be thy Rule and Counsellor and weigh all thy Actions by his Standard before thou Execute any Purpose David could not enterprize before he had consulted God's Oracles Nor the very Heathens before they sent for the double Effataes of their Priests When the Word of God is our Rule we abhor setting up strange God's in our Hearts like those who adore their own Inventions in Will-worship and voluntary Religion wherein all even the most zealous and painful Actions as Pilgrimages superstitious Fasts foolish Penance and idolatrous Oblations or costly Dedications shall be rejected with a Who required this at your Hands Isa. 1.12 And the Prophet tells you Micah 6.7 8. The Lord will not be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousand Rivers of Oil And He hath shewed O Man what is good And what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love Mercy and to walk humbly with thy God 3. IN Religious Acts God left not Israel to their own disposing in minor things but commanded Moses See thou make all things according to the Pattern shewed thee in the Mount Heb. 8.5 Also when God's Word is our Rule we will neither lay Snares upon our own Consciences placing Religion in those things which God hath left Indifferent as they who prohibited certain Meats or Marriage 1 Tim. 4.3 Nor will we dispense with that Word in any one point which any humane Authority pretends or imposes to the Contrary 4. IN all thy acts and designs before thou execute them duly and seriously consider the Event which is like a Ship 's Rudder tho it comes last it directs first and last Endeavour to gain a fore-sight and consider the Sequel O that they were Wise saith the Lord That they understood this That they would consider their latter End Deut. 32.29 By which means thou wilt in all sinful Actions with the Holy Apostle be ever ready to conclude That the end of those things is Death Rom. 6.21 5. IN all thy actions fix thy self in the presence of God by following David's Example Psalm 16.8 Ever remember thou art in his Sight and that neither thy Thoughts nor Actions can be excluded from him for neither Solitude nor Darkness can vail thee from his All-seeing Eye Psalm 139.11 12. In all thy Undertakings accustom thy self to the rule of Charity for that is the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13.10 and the Fruit of God's Spirit Gal. 5.22 And there can be no performances acceptable to God if we omit this Duty and Command of the Apostle Let all things be done in Charity 1 Cor. 16.14 6. IN all Religious Duties act not the Impostor for the Hypocrite doth but personate act and counterfeit the Saint he seems good but is doubly Impious as the Orator said of the Servilii which were very like but not the same so resembling that they were not dâ—stinguished abroad amongst Strangers but were known at home by their own Acquaintance But when the Hypocrite hath deceived all the World he can never defraud his own Conscience Therefore let this advice be thy faithful Monitor to be just and sincere in thy Deportment before God and Man Let Christ's Rule be thy constant Pattern Whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you do ye even so to them For this is the Law and the Prophets Matt. 7.12 7. TRANSACT nothing which must cost thee a bitter Repentance When the Philosopher had a great price set him upon Folly replied I will not buy Repentance so dear Never act any thing against thy Conscience for fear or favour of Men but rather esteem a good Conscience before all Treasure on this side Heaven In some things we Sin all But happy is he

that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth Rom. 14.22 Lastly In all thy undertakings beseech and humbly implore the Almighty to Direct Counsel and Bless thee and according to the Apostle's Direction In every thing by Prayer and Supplication let your requests be made known unto God Phil. 4.6 For he is unworthy to receive a Blessing who omits the duty of Asking A Prayer for Directions in all our Actions MOST Merciful Father who hast promised that if the Wicked turns from his Sins that he hath committed and doth that which is lawful and right he shall live and his Transgressions shall not be remembred In humble acknowledgment of our manifold sins the equity of thy Judgments to give us over to our own unhappy Ways who have so long refused to be guided by thy holy Word and our own helpless Impotency to stay our selves turn unto thee or fix our selves in any good way to Serve and Please thee 2. WE humbly beseech thee O Father for the sake of thy dear Son to pardon all our Offences and to vouchsafe to lead us in thy Paths and the way thou appointest us to walk in We have long gone astray like lost Sheep and thou best knowest O our God how dangerous Satan's Snares are to us how many the Distractions of a deceitful vain World how frail and infirm sinful Flesh and Blood and how many our Errors But O Lord thy Wisdom cannot Err which is immutable therefore renouncing our own Conduct we render our selves into thy Gracious Hands humbly beseeching thee who freely givest Wisdom to all that ask and upbraidest no Man hold thou up our goings in thy Paths that our Footsteps slide not direct all our ways that we neither incline to the right nor to the left hand to offend thee but give us the Shield of our Salvation and let thy Right hand uphold us 3. O thou that hearest the Prayers of them that call upon thee hear us for our Souls wait on thee direct and guide us keep us and counsel us in all our Actions that we neither design nor perform any thing but that which is pleasing to thee and which thou wilt bless unto us that we may walk unblamably and prudently towards all Men and in Sanctity before thee And grant that in all our actions we may Glorifie thee and adorn the Gospel of Christ by our holy Conversations give good Examples to our Neighbours and stop the Mouths of all malicious Adversaries so that when these days of Sin are ended that we rest from our Labours we may enter into that promised Rest which remaineth for thy People where shall be no more Sin Error nor Curse Hear us O Lord in these and all other things necessary for our Bodies or Souls for Jesus Christ his sake Amen CHAP. XXV Of a Wounded Spirit what it is SOLOMON tells you Prov. 18.14 The Spirit of a Man will sustain his Infirmities but a wounded Spirit who can bear The word signifies a smitten contrite or broken Spirit It is a kind of Speech borrowed from corporal Affliction by Stripes Contusions Bruises or Wounds wherein by Incision and Launcing the Sinews and Veins the Body is debilitated and endangered to Death and Disabled so that it is void of Supportation it is liable to Inflamations and Distempers that every slight touch prejudices it It depriveth a Man of Rest so that he is impatient of this present Posture and more perplexed at a Mutation To express it further it is the intense sorrow of the Soul a weak Confidence and an infeebled life of the Spirit so that God may well nominate it A wounded Spirit 2. THIS Affliction is of that Magnitude that it exceeds all other Temporal Sorrows And none can truly give their Verdict of it but they who can join and say with David The sorrows of Death compassed me and the pains of Hell gat hold upon me Psal. 116.3 Other Sorrows may be Mitigated by administring to the Afflicted something equivalent to the loss sustained as where one Treasure is lost another may be found or by some compensation or repair may be Retaliated as Job had a second Posterity and encrease of Wealth And Elkanah declared such a Medium of Consolation to Afflicted Hannah when he said to her Am I not better to thee than ten Sons Sam. 1 1.8 3. BUT these Comforts are no ways conducive to an afflicted Spirit for furnish him with Riches the company of the dearest Friends or that which might afford Relief Refreshment and Delight to others yet to him it procures no Ease no more than if you put on a rich Purple Robe upon broken Bones No no the Grief is internal and no external means can Cure it In other Crosses time will asswage by Prudence and persuasive Arguments excellent lenitives of Sorrow In some cases to divert Wine merry Society Musick or the like means may bear some part which the Wise Man accords to Give strong Drink to him that is ready to perish and Wine to those that be of heavy Heart Let him drink and forget his Poverty and remember his Misery no more Prov. 31.6 7. 4. DAVID'S Harp did for the time refresh Saul and Charm the Evil Spirit But this grief admits of no Efficacy in such Comforts In other Pressures we may receive Ease or be conducted from the Evil as St. Paul was from the Jews Conspiracy Acts 23.31 and David from Saul 1 Sam. 19.12 But there is no flying from a wounded Spirit Where ever we go our Affliction attends us even our secret Tormentor in our own Bosoms In short as it is in one sense a Separation from God so no Creature in Heaven or Earth can Cure it There is no Sanctuary for a troubled Soul but only Gods favourable Presence No other Expedient can be used till he return and Comfort it 5. SO Horrid in the mean time is this Affliction that the desperate Traytor Judas took Death for his Sanctuary as an Antidote against his guilty Conscience â— but with what ponderosity it sits upon the Hearts of God's Servants may appear by the Complaints of Job and others Wherefore is light given to him that is in Misery and Life unto the bitter in Soul which long for Death but it cometh not and dig for it more than for hid Treasures which rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they can find the Grave Job 3 2O 21 22. This was Job's Complaint And the Prophet complained of his Birth Jer. 20.14 15 16 17 18. And the Prophet Elijah being threatned by Jezebel at Beer-sheba poured out himself It is enough now O Lord take away my Life for I am not better than my Fathers 1 Kings 19.4 And Jonah at the loss of his Gourd expressed himself saying It is better for me to die than live Jonah 4.8 CHAP. XXVI What the Conscience is and the Tranquility of it THE Conscience is the Cognition of the Heart and is a divine internal Light which we cannot Extinguish a

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