Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	body_n	flesh_n	soul_n	20,045	5	5.6682	4	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09958	The doctrine of the saints infirmities Delivered in severall sermons by John Preston Doctor in Divinity, Mr. of Emanuel-Colledge in Cambridge. And late preacher of Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.	1636 (1636)	STC 20219; ESTC S115062	47,226	230

it is signe that it is naturall to thee As a stone it rests on the earth because it is the naturall place of it my meaning is not but that an infirmity may assault a man all his life for so some may as we shall shew afterwards But I say it comes by fits and so is gone This we see in David in Peter and the rest of the Saints that their infirmities continued not so but that afterwards they returned to their course againe Secondly when a man amends not upon admonition it is a signe it is not an infirmity if a man intends to goe to such a place and one should meete him and tell him this is not the way and direct him into the right way he would thanke him and returne into the right way because that is the way hee intended to goe So if your faces be set towards Ieru salem and one should tell you here you went out of the way he would bee glad of it and returne So it was with David when hee would have slaine Nabal in a passion Abigal met him and stayed him oh how thankfull he was to God and her it was a signe it was but an infirmity and so in the case of Vriah when Nathan told him hee was in the wrong Prov. 25. 12. He that reproveth the wise and obedient it is as a golden eare ring or as an ornament of gold saith Salomon that is hee whose heart is upright whose intent is to grow rich in grace hee accounts of those that reprove him as of goldeÌ„ ornaments But if a man after admonitioÌ„ reproofe will take his owne course it is a signe of his wickednesse and not infirmity Againe thirdly a sinne of infirmity is alwayes with griefe and sorrow of heart for that weakenesse now what is griefe but the endeavour and strife of the will when a man cannot attaine to that he would or would shun something he cannot avoyd then hee is grieved and pained As it is in the body all the griefe there is when a part or member cannot performe its office or function there So in the soule when it would faine doe such a thing when the desire of the minde is set on such or such an object and it cannot attaine it then followes griefe so here when the heart is drawne up to please God in all things and something comes in the way that it cannot therefore it is grieved and therefore in the 2. Cor. 10. 11. the Apostle makes this sorrow a ground of their uprightnesse it is certaine where this griefe is not mingled it is no infirmity Every sinne of infirmity produceth a hearty complaint and an earnest desire and a serious endeavour to have it cured for every infirmity in a body that is quickned that hath some life in it and so is sensible of it As in a disease that a man is sensible of he tels his friends or any other that hee is in company with of it to see if they can helpe him if they cannot he complaines to the Physitian and goes to him to have it cured so in an infirmity or sicknesse of the soul an upright heart complains to his christian friends I have such an infirmity what shall I doe to cure it if they cannot help him he runnes to him that hath the balme of Gilead to Iesus Christ to have it cured the 2. Cor. 12. 8. 9. this was so in St. Paul he praied three times that it might be removed he doth not onely complaine as in the 7th of the Rom. 24. and desire that it may be healed as in the forenamed place where he praies against it but to this he addes a serious endeavour 1. Cor. 26. 27. he beats downe his body c. that is he used all good meanes for the overcomming of this infirmity and where this complaint desire and endeavour is wanting it is a signe it is not a mans infirmity but iniquity Fiftly if thy sinne be a sin of infirmity thou shalt finde in thy selfe a continuall reluctancy and strife against it for as there is in thee a body of sinne so also a body of grace which being contrary to the other will not suffer thee to be at quiet the Spirit will be against the flesh as well as the flesh against the spirit and as the flesh will not suffer thee to doe a good duty without resisting and interrupting thee so neither will the spirit suffer thee to sinne without striving against and opposing it But if thou canst sitt downe and let it rest without striving against it it is no infirmity but rebel lion therfore try thy selfe by these signes But others besides true Christians are able to doe this for take an unregenerate man and he wil make the same plea for himselfe that it is but his infirmity Indeed hee is overtaken sometimes but it continues not and when hee is admonished or reprooved hee findes his heart yeel to it and he grieves and is sorry for it hee complaines of it and seekes to helpe it and strives against it and therfore these are not sure signes to distinguish him from another I answer that there is something in an unregenerate man which is much like and comes very neare to that in the regenerate man he may doe much by that light he hath but yet there is a broad difference betweene them for the regenerate man hath another object about which he is conversant he hath a new light put into his heart he is renued in the spirit of his mind and he hath the Law written in his heart 2. Cor. 3. 3. Heb. 8. 10. That is all the spirituall duties that are written in the Law and hee hath something in his heart that answers to what is in the Law as tally answers to tally or as that fashion in the lead to that in the mold or as in a seale character answers to cha racter impression to impression so that which is in the Seale the same is in the waxe So whatsoever is in the Law of righteousness if you could see that which is written in the heart by Iesus Christ you should see character for character print for print and so that if there were not a written Law hee would be a law unto himselfe to obey God performe duties according to the Law written in his heart Now when it stands thus with a man and something some impediment comes in the way that he cannot serve God as he would the law of his members rebelling against the law of his minde then this troubles and grieves him this hee complaines of and strives against and labours to have it mended But now a naturall man hath not the law thus written in his heart he hath all things revealed to him within his sphaere to wit of nature he ascends no higher and although he hath good purposes and meanings and grieves and complaines yet all this is for sinnes committed against

anointed for that very purpose And so for the bruisings that arise from sinne unmortified why Christ hath promised not to leave thee to thy self nor forsake thee but wil de stroy all the works of the devill in thee therefore goe to Christ and put him in minde of this promise and say Lord. I am one of them to whom this promise is made I am as a bruised reed and as smoaking flaxe and thou hast promised not to breake a bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flaxe put Christ thus in minde of his promise and he wil heare and help heal thee But now here are soÌ„e cases of conscience to be resolved First some will be ready to say that they have none of these bruises that they are not thus weary and heavy laden because they cannot greive for sin so much as for other things To w ch I answer there may be some violent and sudden griefe which may exceed griefe for sinne as Davids griefe for Absalom But here is the difference the griefe for sinne is constant and perpetuall but the griefe for some losse or the like is but for the present Now a spring that runnes and is never dry yeelds more water then a land flood which for the present seemes greater but is soone dryed up so greife for sin is like water that runnes from a spring which continues and griefe for other things is like a land flood which lasts not long Againe they differ in regard of the termes of this sorrow when a man hath lost a friend he lookes on it as a total irrepairable losse and so greives the more and so in like manner if we should look on the favour of God as a thing irrevocably lost his griefe for this would exceed the other But because he alwaies conceives some glimpse of Gods favour in the mid'st of this mourning therfore this greife seems the lesse though in regard of continuance it be greater Oh! but I have not attained to a just measure of bruisednesse If there bee such a measure of bruisednesse in thee as brings thee home to Christ thou hast attained a sufficient measure to bring thee to heaven But this distinction must bee remembred that there is a double bringing of a man home to Christ. One is when a man is brought so far towards Christ as to bee willing to take the crowne and partake of the priviledges onely but this is not sufficient but when thy sorrow shall so bring thee home to Christ that thou art willing to take Christs yoke on thee to subiect thy selfe to Christ in all things so much sorrow and bruisednesse as this is sufficient to bring thee home Oh but though I am thus farre bruised that I am willing to beare Christs yoake and to doe that hee shall command me yet I doe not finde that this promise is performed to me God hides his face from mee and I cannot finde him whom my soule loves and that I cannot finde that my sins are pardoned and so for bruises belonging to sanctification I have striven long against such a lust and cannot see it mortified any whit To this I answer that Christ in with-holding the Comfort and suffering thee to bee more laded doth ever fulfill this promise here made Math. 11. 28. Come unto mee c. But the Objection might be made We have come unto thee and yet finde no rest Christ therfore addes Take my yoke on you and learn of me c. The yoke of Christ is the government of Christ the taking of this yoke upon us is the subjecting our selves to this governmeÌ„t Now the government of Christ consists in two things First it commands us to doe many things Secondly he will have us to suffer many things and if wee take Christs yoke upon us we must do both Now a man is willing to doe many things that Christ commands but stoppes at some things there is some thing some duty which he wil not do as prayer giving of almes or some other And so also for suffering he is willing to endure some things for Christ but there is somthing againe which he cannot endure Reproches Scoffes and the like If therefore God hold off comfort for any long season let a man looke well to his spirit and see if hee be perfectly willing to take Christs yoke upon him if he were the promise is certaine and shall be made good hee shall finde rest to his soule and if hee doe not there is some fault in himselfe In the tenth of Iudges ver 10 to the end of the Chapter there the people were burdened and cryed unto the Lord and yet found no rest but God deferres comfort and tells them he would deliver them no more theÌ„ the people submitted themselves unto God saying Doe with us what pleaseth thee and put away their strange Gods ver 16. and served God Now when the children of Israel were brought to this to cast away the reliques of Idolatry and to serve the Lord perfectly then it is said The Lords spirit was grieved for the misery of Israel So if a man would have peace and have sought it long and cannot find it let him see whether there bee not some relique of corruption which God would have cast out of thy heart and when it 's done and thou art willing to serve god perfectly then thou shalt finde rest unto thy soule And so much for the second signe of true grace wrought in a man to wit if there be any life strength in him though it be mingled with much weaknesse The third wee named that where true grace was there was heat Smoaking flaxe wil he not quench where there is smoake there is fire and where fire is there is heate be it never so small and this added to the former of life Life is nothing else but a sublimary heat and where there is life there is heate all life is joyned with heate but not on the contrary where there is heate there is life For cold things may be warmed from without by the Sunne but where there is heate from an inward principle there is life The Spirit is compared to fire and heat Quench not the spirit He shall baptise you with the holy Ghost and with fire or which is as fire Therefore where this spirit is in a man there the holy Ghost hath bin Now this heat is nothing else but a solicitous and earnest desire to please God in all things to get and encrease communion with Christ and to be built up in grace I say it is first a solicitous and earnest desire a desire accompanied with carefulnesse how hee may doe to please God in al things whereas in other men there is a lukewarmnesse a remisnesse in all things they care not whether they doe it or no but this is an earnest carefull desire and that in the second place to please God an hypocrite may

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