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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	add_v	year_n	young_a	20	3	5.2958	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96372	A treatise of the power of godlinesse: consisting of three parts. 1 wherein it consists. 2 cautions against, and discoveries of, several mistakes and hinderances, most common to the people of God. 3 several means and helps for attaining of it. / By Thomas White, preacher of Gods Word in London.	White, Thomas, Presbyterian minister in London.	1658 (1658)	Wing W1848; Thomason E1848_1; ESTC R209711	168,479	438

commend this only upon that account not as a thing of absolute necessity but if any better way can bee found for the performance of those duties mentioned in this Chapter or a better model for keeping a Diary as I doubt not but many may be use them but in the mean time neglect not the using of any because you cannot have the best 5. I understand not this question it is somewhat like a question once proposed to me I pressing one of my Parishioners some years since to minde holiness make it his business and to spend one hour a day reading and praying c. and giving more particular directions for the daily time set apart for Gods service after by many evasions and excuses hee endeavoured to shift off this exhortation all which by Gods assistance I having taken off and answered hee at last in some discontent asked mee why I should offer to press him to spend an hour a day in the immediate service of God c. Had I prest any of the neighbours to it or did I ever press it to any other before Why should hee be the first that I should speak to So it is for you to ask Why should I bee the first that should keep a Diary Though let mee tell you thou art not the first as I suppose of thousands yet because Scripture is the soundation of all matters of Piety therefore I shall shew many places where the year the moneth the day of the moneth is set down when such and such things were done when the waters abated and the tops of the mountains first appeared when the Ark rested when the earth was quite dry the very day when Moses spake to the people such and such things the very moneth day and year of Solomons Reign and from the children of Israels coming out of Egypt is set down when the Temple began to bee built and the very day when it was finished the very year and moneth and day when Nebuchadnezzar came up against Jerusalem and when the famine began c. Gen. 8.4 5 13 14. Exod. 19.1 Deut. 1.3 1 Kings 6.1 38. 2 Kings 25.1 3 8 2 Kings 25.27 And as for the Prophet Ezekiel hee hath kept a perfect Diary of several times when the Word of the Lord came unto him and divers other circumstances added also besides the year moneth and day as of place where and persons with whom hee was as by these places following plainly appears Ezekiel 1.1 2. Ezek. 8.1 Ezek. 20.1 Ezek. 24.1 Ezek. 26.1 Ezek. 29.1.31.1.32.1.40.1 Why should the Spirit of God write down so particularly the year the moneth and the day surely it is for our instruction there may bee some spiritual advantage got by knowing the very day when the Lord did bestow such or such a mercy c. then only to know that God did bestow it on us but not know when This was not only the practise of Ezekiel but of other Prophets also as Jer. 29.1 2 Hagg. 1.1 Hagg. 2.1 10 20. so if you observe the book of Psalmes there are 99. that are ascribed to David 74. have his name prefixt 25. of them have no name prefixt yet some of them the Scripture it self entitles David to Acts 4.29 Heb. 4.7 and Ainsworth supposeth the rest of the 25. to bee his also Now you shall finde in those Psalmes as it were a Diary of the most remarkable passages of Davids life nay you shall finde in many of the Psalmes the very prayers and meditations that David had upon several particular occasions as in these Psalmes following 51.52.54.56.57.59.60 so Psal 3. and many others as by their several titles do appear How often do you finde mention of Nathan the Prophet Gad the Seer Ahijah the Shilonite Jaddai Shemmajah Iddo c. these were private Records or Diaries kept by them of remarkable passages that concern'd the Church of God and that expression is not this written in the book of Jasher Joshua 10.13 and 2 Sam. 1.18 cannot bee meant of any particular person for the same person could not live from Joshua till the time of David but the meaning is Is it not written in the book of the Just for holy men in those times and since used to keep Records of the special mercies and judgements of God as Grotius observes and the very title of the book of Chronicles signifies the words of daies Now it is evident that in civil matters also not only the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judah did keep Diaries for where you read Is it not written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel and in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah those are meant but even Heathen Emperours as Julius Caesar writ his own Commentary that is Diary so the word signifies Tyberius Caesar and Augustus Caesar had their Diurnos Commentarios as Gasper Sanctius in his Prolegomena to the Kings observes So Ahasuerus and the Kings of Persia had Secretaries by them continually to write down all that they did and said and all that befel them as Diodate upon Hester 2.23 observes I have been a little larger in this business because people think it is a new thing and that there are no Scripture proofes at all for it to prove it either a profitable or an ancient practise among the people of God but doubtless as I have said if there were no spiritual advantage to be got to know the particular times of matters the Scripture would never have been so punctual and particularly in setting of them down But to prosecute this a little further do but consider that whether you keep a Diary or no God doth Revel 20.12 and in his Diary are all your sins and all your good works set down surely if it were possible for us to see it every minute wee should see something written either in the black Register of our sins or in the Records of our good works and it would startle us if an Angel should be by us and we should see him write down every idle word as wee speak it and tell us this you must answer for at the day of Judgement it would make us more watchfull yet though wee cannot see this done nor read what is written in those books yet wee may do something towards it by keeping a Diary of our own and by judging and condemning our selves out of our own wee may prevent our being judged and condemned out of Gods Diary nor was David ignorant of this truth that God doth keep several books of Records to speak after the manner of men some where our sins are written down Psalm 51.9 for blotting out supposeth writing down and other where the members of our bodies are set down Psalm 139.16 A third book that David observes that God keeps is of the afflictions and tears of his people of their several wanderings when they are driven from place to place and as for their tears hee bottles them up and writes

would have as much joy and love and high and grateful thoughts of the rich mans liberality except hee doubted somewhat his performance as the first man that had the present possession God is bestowing on his Saints as fast as may be the Crown of Glory it is but a few hours nay but as a moment compared to Eternity before the Crown of Glory shall be set upon thy head Is it not enough that thy fears and doubts rob God of the glory that thou owest to his truth but they must be accounted a sufficient reason why thou shouldest with-hold and deny the praise and love that are due to his goodness nay let me freely and truly say that wee have much more to praise God for and admire him than the Angels For to which of the Angels said he at any time I will pardon thy sins and blot out thine iniquities as a thick Cloud though thy sins be as red as scarlet I will make them as white as snow And surely he never forgave them one sin he hath forgiven us thousands and that which exceedingly adds to his goodness is to consider how dear it cost him to pardon us Suppose a servant should rise up against his Lord and the sword with whom he intended to slay him should be beat back again upon his own head but his Lord taking compassion upon him should not only receive him into favour again but be at the charge of his cure though he knew it would come to more than his wages or service would amount to though he should live a hundred years surely our infidelity must be exceeding great that should make us abate God so much of his praises because we have no actual possession though there be but a few houres betwixt heaven and us as the praise that is due to him for his pardoning mercy comes to CHAP. II. In our high prizings of Christ 2. THe next thing wherein the Power of Godliness consists is in our high prizings of Christ very frequently the people of God have at their first conversion proportionably higher thoughts of Sanctification then of Justification then afterwards they have but as they grow in grace so they grow in their esteem of Christ not as if at their first conversion they had higher thoughts of Sanctification then of Justification nor as if the more holy they grew the less beauty they saw in holiness but much more positively but not comparatively if at their first Conversion their esteem of Justification to Sanctification were as one hundred to ten afterwards it is as many thousands to an hundred if they look upon Holiness alone it is very beautiful but if the righteousness of Christ stands by it it is but as a foyle if we should hear of the holiest man that ever liv'd upon the earth with what joy should wee go to see him to confer and have communion with him to hear Elias and Moses pray to hear Apollos or Paul Preach to see the meek and patient carriage of Job these were rare things But further suppose God should send an Angel from heaven to live amongst us how singular would his discourse be of God with what feeling and relish would he speak of the things of heaven but Christ was far beyond these for he was God We never have nor can in this world be sensible enough or sufficiently prize or know the wisdome and holiness of the speeches and actions of our blessed Saviour If Christ were upon earth what would we give to be one day with him one hour spent in his presence and communion with him we would account worth ten thousand worlds but Christians have too high an esteem of the corporal presence of Christ and think that because Christ in that respect is absent from them that they have not as neer and full a way as if he were on earth then we could not discern his excellencies but by the eye of Faith and so we may now Never did Christ give so clear and full communications and discoveries of himself to his Apostles while he was on earth as after his Ascension oh the infinite incomprehensible excellencies and glory of Christ that saying of the Apostle Phil. 3.8 is exceedingly worthy our serious consideration the Apostle did account not one but all worldly things even his legal righteousness as loss c. yet many things we have a high esteem of before experience of it as generally it is in all worldly things we over-value them at a distance but finde them to be but vanity when we possess them and have experience of them but the Apostle tells us that his high prizings of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ was not meerly speculative and notional but experimental and that his esteem of it did not abate but encrease upon his experience for saith he I have suffered the loss of all things and am still of the same judgement nay have higher thoughts of Christ than before for when he look'd upon the excellencies of Christ onely with the eye of Faith he counted all things loss but when experience is added to his Faith he counts them dung Since I see Christ is the scope of the whole Scripture that the very Angels desire to look into Gospel mysteries and that the great work of the Spirit is to raise us to have high thoughts of Christ John 16.14 And considering many other things which I have made mention of elswhere and having had some small experience of that peace and joy in believing which hath followed upon the drawing forth of mine affections to Christ I have endeavoured and set my self to consider how one may be convinced of the excellency of Christ and I finde that there is a great deal of difference betwixt a rational and speculative and an experimental knowledg of this matter and those closings with Christ which are from love and experience and those that are from conviction only are far different and indeed one difference is this that those sweetnesses relishes that joy and delight which one findes in ones experimental knowledge of Christ cannot be utter'd nor can one communicate them so as to make another that hath them not to understand them but for rational and speculative convictions one may communicate them and the grounds of them and if they do seriously consider of those grounds upon which we were convinced they may finde a native energy to convince them not as if any arguments or grounds have such an efficacy as to convince in matters of this nature except the Spirit of God do give strength and efficacy to and open the heart to receive them I finde that this is one difference betwixt Gospel truths and natural truths viz. that in natural truths if I am fully convinc'd of the premises from which the conclusion doth naturally flow we cannot but close with the conclusion but in Gospel truths though the Spirit of God doth evidence the truth of the premises yet there needs an

the Prince out of his great clemency sent a Proclamation wherein hee signified his free pardon of all those that would return and own and obey him as their Soveraign divers did magnifie the rareness of the hand and the sublimity and graciousness of the expressions of this writing many took Copies of it and publish'd it and expounded it to others but returned not but continued and perish'd in their rebellions It is not having Bibles in our houses or the bare believing of the truths in them no nor the publishing or explaining of them in our Pulpits without the practising of them in our lives and conversations can save us wee must consider how far these truths concern us God hath not given us those glorious truths to gaze on but to practise O that they were wise saith God and that they would consider their latter end Who is there that know not they must die but who is there that considereth it and the great concernment of it to themselves and lives accordingly this is the singular benefit of meditation which not onely strengthens our faith in the truths wee consider but shews us how much they concern us and apply them to our own behoof as is further express'd and explain'd in that small Treatise of Meditation which by the assistance of God I have publish'd to which I refer the Reader CHAP. VIII The next impediment is putting off God with solemn duties ANother great impediment is that wee put off God with solemn duties as if wee set a part so much time to spend every day in meditations and prayer c. many think if they do not neglect them but are constant to their times and set duties all the rest of the day is their own to do as they please whereas the truth is our morning and other solemn duties the chief end of them is to set our hearts in tune that all our words thoughts may be such as may make sweet musick in the ears of God and wee must not think that as soon as wee have tun'd our Harps wee may hang them upon the Willowes It is true as I have elswhere said solemn duties are acts of communion with God for the present but especially helps for the communion with God for the future as when wee are at a feast wee finde relish and delight in the very act of eating but the main end of our eating is growth and strength one speaking of the solemn duties of morning prayer and of keeping communion with God by ejaculatory prayers all the rest of the day well observes that the want of the solemn morning prayer in case that some necessary work of charity do hinder us may bee supplied by some frequent ejaculatory prayers and frequent inward spiritual admirings and adorings of God but the want of these cannot be supplied by the other CHAP. IX The next impediment is carnally to think that God will be contented with any thing TO think that God will be contented with any thing and bee grudging every minute that wee spend in his service this proceeds from an erronious judgement and from a base heart Suppose it were so that God would bee content with any thing suppose God should not bee angry though thou should'st not pray to him or hear a Sermon or read a Chapter in the Bible any more than once a year but he should withall give thee leave to spend as much time in these duties as thou would'st I say if God would bee content would'st thou be content Dost thou do so in any other thing A friend in whose power it is to do thee a courtesie dost thou satisfie thy self in this that hee will not bee angry though thou dost not ask it of him If a great Monarch should bid you ask what you would of him would you therefore ask nothing because you were assur'd hee would not bee angry though you ask'd nothing Doth this make thee not to add to thy estate when thou hast got enough to live competently and comfortably because that God doth not command thee so to do but thou may'st justly think that hee is rather angry with thee for joyning house to house and being insatiable in thy desires Suppose God should give the spirits of just men made perfect leave to dwell on earth again and to give over their songs of joy and praise which they give unto him would they account it a priviledge would they not rather account it an argument of the abatement of Gods love and their happiness Suppose a Law should bee made that whosoever should kill their children should not bee punished would any loving Mother think that such a Law could bring any advantage unto her Nay suppose a Law should bee made for the rewarding of those Mothers that were careful for the good of their children would the reward promis'd in that Law heighten her love and care to her little ones So neither doth the promise of Gods pardoning of sin incourage the people of God to sin against him but they rather fear God and his goodnesse it argues neither love to God nor to thy self to put God off with any thing though hee would bee content with it it is a base slavish question to say what must I do and put the Emphasis in must a son and a friend say What may I do to please my father or my friend to cure this base distemper you must understand the excellency of the duties you perform do you know what it is to have communion with God to praise admire and adore him is the happiness of heaven 2. You must know the greatness of the rewards that God gives to them that serve him and that not one minute spent in his service nor one thought of love shall bee forgotten hee that numbers the hairs of thy head doth also keep an account of the smallest and slenderest performances in his service and will certainly reward them 3. Above all get the love of God for love thinks nothing enough our Saviours body was imbalmed with an hundred pound of spices and odours yet Mary Magdalen thinks hee had not enough shee brings hers also it is a question that love never puts What need I do so much but her saying is alwayes How may I do more If you should ask mee how you may get the love of God I answer that if it were not for our base corruptions I might rather ask you how you can chuse but love him Sometimes of a sudden it hath come into my minde that if one could but speak with the devil one might perswade him not to go about doing mischief damning soules as hee doth I know it is a vain thought for the Angel himself that disputed with him about the body of Moses was fain to refer him to the Lord to rebuke him and if the Angel could not perswade him to leave off his idolatrous attempt much less can wee It is true if men were not spiritually dead or mad it were

to quiet thy conscience and then mark what sin those places speak against or condemn or what duty they commend and by that you may discover what sin it is that lies in your bosome what Treatises they are that you like not to read that are practical or what Sermons they are that startle you and as before consider what sins they are those Sermons reprove 7. Consider what sin it is that thou alwayes speakest against with limitations cautions and distinctions but against the contrary sin thou dost speak without limitations but absolutely with freedome both of speech and spirit As when a covetous man speaks against covetousnesse hee speaks as David did to his Army when they went out against Absolon Deal kindly with the young man Absolo● said David as if hee had said 't is true hee lay with my Concubines but hee is a young man and as hee so they do endeavour to take off the bitterness of our spirits against the sin they seem to speak against but when a covetous man speaks against prodigality then vox non faucibus haeret But hee speaks with that freedom and with that earnestness that it is evident that hee accounts it an enemy that hee deals withal 8. Another rule is this when thou alwayes speak'st against such a sin when its contrary is spoken against but not e contra As for example when one speaks against covetousness a covetous man will alwayes speak against prodigality I but saith hee hee is worse than an Infidel that provides not for his family and will tell you of the example of the Pismires and many other places of Scripture against those that are prodigal in expending or not diligent in getting riches but if hee speak against prodigality you shall not have him speak a word against covetousness there 's altum silentium Concerning The ninth rule to know thy Master sins what they are Are thine afflictions painful or shameful or such as take away thy profit as poverty generally God does strike us in the master vein Those that belong unto him if pride bee their master sin hee sends them an affliction that brings shame upon them if covetousnesse hee sends losses if voluptuousness such afflictions as are painful Now in wicked men hee does clean contrary generally gives them their hearts desire so that if they bee proud and ambitious hee lets them have honours and the praise of men if they love riches they are generally rich for God generally gives them their portion in this world as it was said to the rich man Son remember thou receivedst thy good things in this life Though this rule holds not alwayes neither the rules formerly nameed if one takes them singlely they will not bee sufficiently discovered but when many of these meet together they give very great light for the understanding and finding out of our Master sin There are other rules also from our age our callings or from the places and times wherein wee live but I hasten to the cures of this our Master sin The first cure is to read the Scripture and gather together all those places that speak any thing concerning that sin or the contrary grace or concerning the acts of either of them as if Pride were the sin thou would'st especially cure write down all those places that speak either of pride or of humility or of the acts of either as of censuring of a high look or a scornful eye or of anger c. So shalt thou see what the judgement of the Spirit of God is of that sin and so thou shalt know its sinfulnesse and the judgements of God against that sin and so thou shalt know its mischiefs thou shalt finde also the promises that God makes to the contrary grace and the acts thereof thou shalt also finde several cures and remedies set down by the Spirit of God which are alwayes the safest and best For though many times humane reason judgeth others to bee more effectual yet hee that will be wiser than God shall finde himself a fool 2. Improve Ordinances and duties against thy sin as when thou goest to receive the Lords Supper let one end and aim of thy receiving of it bee to mortifie that sin For though the Lords Supper bee a spiritual medicine and antidote against all sin yet it works especially upon that for the remedy whereof it is especially taken Bee sure in all thy solemn and ejaculatory prayers especially to pray against this sin let it have no quiet possession Read also those Treatises especially that write against the sin or of the contrary grace 3. Improve thine acquaintance against this sin if thy sin bee anger acquaint thy self with meek persons for as hee that keeps company with angry persons will learn their wayes So if thy sin bec pride bee acquainted with those that are humble and bee often in their company three great advantages come by it 1. It will hinder thee from many acts of that sin for even as prophane persons do very much abstain from all sin when they are in the company of Saints so wilt thou also bee ashamed to commitacts of pride in the company of one that is eminent for humility 2. Such an one will bee more able to discern even the most minute and smallest acts of pride in thee and if it bee thy Christian friend for for that end I would have thee chuse him hee will reprove thee not only for gross acts of pride but for the appearances thereof As he that 's acquainted with a Critick in Latin should not only bee admonished of him of incongruous Latin but also of un-elegant 3. The constant examples of humility and so of other graces will as it were transform thee into that image The fourth remedy is to resist the beginnings of sin and that advice is threefold 1. There is principium respectu affectus per modum causae 2. Respectu gradus 3. Respectu consuetudinis 1. Therefore the first advice is cure the cause of your sin if you will cure your sin as hee that would cure heat in the face the way is not by application of outward medicines only but cure the cause of it the indisposition of the liver from whence the blood comes to bee vitiated so to cure anger the best way is by curing the cause and root from whence it springs pride for generally if not alwayes it comes from pride the irregularity of anger I mean for to cut off the branches only keeps the tree from bearing fruit for a while but pull it up by the root and it is cured for ever So I would have you finde out the root and cause of the sin you finde your self addicted to if it have a root and apply your remedies to the root 2. Principium respectu graduum Then the advice is before the sin gets strength and comes to an height to its Paroxisme for every thing is weak and easily overcome at the beginning which afterward grows