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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	flesh_n	grace_n	sin_n	7,550	5	4.8045	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64253	A treatise of contentment leading a Christian with much patience through all afflicted conditions by sundry rules of heavenly wisedome : whereunto is annexed first, A treatise of the improvement of time, secondly, The holy warre, in a visitation sermon / by T.T.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.; Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632. Treatise of the improvement of time.; Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632. Holy warre.	1641 (1641)	Wing T571; ESTC R26964	82,319	242

day a man would give ten thousand worlds if he had them Fifthly why do we complain of the shortnesse of our lives and not of the losse of time seeing there is none but hath more time then he useth well Sixtly why do we put any time into the account of our lives but that which we carefully passe and well spend seeing the heathen could say He was long he did not live long and one Barlaam being asked of Iosaphat how old he was answered Five and forty yeeres old to whom Iosaphat replyed thou seemest to be seventy true quoth he if you reckon ever since I was borne but I count not those which were spent in vanity If wee should thus reckon the lives of some old men we might esteeme men of seventy yeeres scarce ten dayes old Lastly consider how God in justice sometime cuts off those who make no reckoning nor set price on their time as they ought Iob 15. 32. the wicked shall die before he hath accomplished his dayes and his hand shall be cut off as the Uine in the bud that is young and tender All which together with the preciousnesse of time should make us carefull and to doe for time as we doe for things of price even beware of theeves who would steale it away as namely First worldly cares and covetousnesse whereby the minde is surcharged and sunke in the gulfe of earthlinesse and whereby men live as if time were made for nothing but the getting of wealth and laying up treasure in Chests and no time to lay up treasure in heaven as our Saviour commandeth Oh what a pilfering theefe is worldlinesse which engrosseth all the time The Oxen the Farme the Wife the like vanities take up the whole man while the supper of the great King is despised The thorny ground choakes all seed Secondly Pleasures and Pastimes which waste and drive away time even that precious time which can never be won againe A wofull thing that men should devise and doat on Pastimes seeing the Scripture speaks of no pastime but onely of passing our time in feare and onely time well past is good pastime A wofull thing that professed Christians should dare to spend halfe dayes whole daies many dayes together yea the dayes of Gods solemne worship in vain sports and pleasures which rob them of their heart wit time and grace that they can scarce willingly afford themselves an houre in a wèeke to do their soules good in A fearefull snare of Satan there is in it and a sorcery in gaining that holds a man a willing prisoner to his lusts so many houres together that he would thinke himselfe in wofull bondage to be held the hundreth part of the time in any good duty Thirdly Eating drinking and feasting This eates up much of our time and makes leane and starven soules For while men drinke in delights how is wisdome banished out of the soule how is the time insensibly stollen away besides that these cast a man into excessive sleeping by day as well as by night wherin he passeth his time as in a shadow of death These and many other pilferers of time must a good husband of time watch against as idlenesse roving thoughts bad companionship distractions and unprofitable employments al● which set themselves to steale away our time and hearts CHAP. V. Admonition to foure sorts of people THe doctrine of times usefulnesse and preciousnesse may in particular instances be specially applyed First unto youth Young men and maydens who thinke it a fine life to looke upon their rising sunne must consider what price they set on their dayes Why doest thou that art young account thy life more precious then an old mans is it because thou art in thy strength and vigour which in him is past If these were the price the life of a brute beast should be more precious then of any man for the beast hath more sensible and violent pleasures then he and is lesse restrained in them But the price in truth stands in this that now thou hast good wit fresh senses and all the powers of nature quick to be the servants of grace and means to enrich thee in godlinesse wherein thou art before the aged if thou knowest thy season Now examine thy selfe Have I after Saint Iohns precept or doe I use 〈◊〉 ●●rength to overcome the world a●● mine owne lusts which fight against my soule Whether hath grace seasoned my young yeares that if I should be taken away young I should be fit for God Whether have I sowed to the flesh or to the spirit If to the flesh I must looke to reape destruction for as a man soweth so must he reape And why doth God continue my youth and give me all the powers and quicknesse of nature and strength and beauty What to fight for sinne was this the Covenant I entred into in Baptisme and when I have done will it be a good answer to say I did but as other youth did How stands the case with me doe not I see my mortality in many of mine owne degree young men and maides cut off in their vigour and beauty see I not youth to be as uncertaine as age yea the flower of youth to be but as the flower of the field How had the case stood with me if God had summoned me and cut me off when he cut off such and such of my yeares and acquaintance Oh therfore I will now remember my Creator in the dayes of my youth and grow to this point of wisedome while I have meanes to be the better for them Say not I am young and God lookes not for much at my hands for God accepts no mans person because old or young but according to the knowledge faith vertue subjection and grace he accepts both young and old which how little it is considered in our youth is too plain and wofull Secondly to those of more yeeres whom young ones looke on for examples as such as should be more expert in the word of life and should have more experience as they have had more warning then the other It behooves them to consider how they have prized and husbanded their time Let me aske an ancient man or woman Why hath God given thee more yeares then those that are younger is it not that thou shouldest exceed them as farre in piety and grace as thou doest in yeares and also in means and to be an ensample to them in making a good account of both Paul puts the Colossians in minde what they were in times past and Peter to bring the Iewes to shame for that they had formerly done tells them that it was sufficient they had spent the time past in the lusts of the Gentiles walking in wantonnesse lusts drunkennesse gluttony revellings and abominable idolatries So every man of yeares should recount his time past What have I lived thus long ●ainly sinfully and earthly Have I all

this person over me therefore I must and will obey actively and passively 3 Godlinesse teacheth the heart the first lesson of Christianity namely continually to take up injuries and crosses dayly saith the Text and after a blow on one che●ke to turne the other that is expect and endure another promising to themselves nothing but a continuall bearing of evils and in the meane time never to returne evill for evill which were to shoot with evill men in their owne bow but Doe good for evill blesse when cursed by prayer and patience overcome evill with goodnesse not to repell or represse it by rebellion 4 Seeing Christ hath foretold of Warres and rumours of Warres the godly heart according to his counsell is not too much troubled because it hath peace with God and in it selfe in our Lord Iesus Christ and so much the more laboureth in the preservation of that peace which the world cannot take away It warres so much the more with it owne sins and if it can over come these enemies it cares for no other 5 It sets before the eyes of it the examples of the Saints who in all ages were the beholders of common calamities and yet carried themselves with much contentment in God Moses beheld the oppression of Gods people in Egypt Noah the confusion of the old world Ieremy of the whole Kingdome of Iudah by the Babylonish captivity and yet without grudging or impatience because they knew that these confusions were among men but God still kept his order his providence still watched over his owne people while the sword ateup the enemies so Ieremy was safe in the captivity Noah in the Arke and the comfort which God gave Baruch Ier. 45. 5. I will bring a plague upon all flesh but thy life will I give thee every where for a prey where thou goest Now saith the godly heart If God watch over these publike evils to moderate and revenge them if I be bound in conscience to suffer evils patiently if my profession bid mee to expect no other if God have given me peace by Christ and exercised his Saints in the like trials why should not I stay my selfe and leane upon God expecting an issue CHAP. IV. Of Contentment in Satanicall molestation NOw follow more private calamities against which godlinesse fenceth the heart with contentation And they be either spirituall or temporall Spirituall are from 1 Satan 2 Sin 3 the World The assaults and molestation of Satan often bring much disquietnesse and trouble to the minde but godlinesse at length reduceth the heart to contentment by these or the like meditations 1 That though Satan be never so cruell malicious yea the prince of the world the god of the world of exceeding great power in his attempts yet he hath but the power of a creature which is finite and cannot execute any part of that power at his owne pleasure but onely when God permitteth him Till God said to the evill spirit Goe against Ahab and thou shalt prevaile he could neither prevaile nor goe 1 King 22. 22. Till God said of Iob Loe all that hee hath is in thy hand onely spare his life he could not touch him Till Christ say Go into the herd a legion of devils could not possesse one swine Yea it is not onely a created and finite but a determined power limited and bounded by God so as he cannot passe an inch beyond his commission spare his life saith the Lord and Iobs life was spared Whence it followes that God will never suffer his power to be enlarged to the overthrow and destruction of his children against whom the gates of hell must not prevaile 2 God armeth and fenceth his children that they shall be able to resist and overcome in the evill day he will confirme stablish them wherto he hath appointed put on them an armour ●f proofe able to keepe out all the fiery darts of the wicked one Eph. 6. 13. If we be not wanting in the getting and keeping in our armour Satan cannot hurt us 3 Christ our head hath overcome the Devill and we his members are partakers of his victory his head is broken the prince of the world is cast out well he may nibble at the heele but cannot reach the head 4 We have an assured defence namely hearty prayer and effectuall invocation of the Name of God to whom as being our Father in Iesus Christ we may have accesse calling upon him for the restraint of Satans power and malice The Divell is cast out by fasting and prayer We have the Angels to whom he hath given in charge our safety Psal. 91. 10 11. The power of good Angels is farre the greater Wee have his owne faithfull Word that he will be a wall of fire round about his people Zech. 2. 5. and that hee will bee with them in the greatest dangers of which these are the principall We have the gift and comfort of his blessed Spirit which is the Spirit of wisedome understanding counsell strength and knowledge Esa. 11. 2. 5 We stand not alone against Satans malice but as there is perpetuall enmity betweene the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent so have all the seed of Christ of which Esa. 53. 10. beene in their times molested by the Devill the children of Iob and Iob himselfe and Luke 13. 16. Acertaine woman the daughter of Abraham that is a Beleever and following Abrahams faith Nay Christ himselfe in his second temptation was carried by the Devill from the Wildernesse to a Pinnacle of the Temple and there tempted to destroy and cast downe himselfe We then may well be contented CHAP. V. Of the multitude of sinnes the assault and Contentment OTher spirituall calamities are from sinne which makes assault against our faith and sweet content in God in regard of first the number secondly the greatnesse thirdly relapse into the same Against the number of sins repentance godlinesse fenceth the heart by these meditations 1 The multitude of mercies in God who is rich in mercy as able and willing to forgive ten thousand talents as one as in the parable of the servant indebted Matth. 18. 27. all is one with him He hath a multitude of mercies and compassions and will cast all our sins into the bottome of the Sea Isaac had but one blessing in comparison of this multiplicity 2 Oppose the price value and merit of the Blood of Christ which cleanseth from all sins be they never so many We are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but the precious Blood of Iesus Christ And if the blood of Bulls and Goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkled on the uncleane sanctified as touching the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot purge the conscience from dead workes to serve

the living God This blood is never dry the vertue of it never wasted the good Samaritan will pay all 3 The promise of God is that upon our repentance the multitude of our sinnes shall be no barre to his mercy Ezek. 18. 21. If the wicked man shall turne from all his wickednesse all his transgressions shall not be mentioned unto him Nay rather where sin abounds grace shall superabound Rom. 5. 20. 4 Mercy pleaseth him yea unstinted mercy when Peter asked our Saviour how oft his brother offending should be pardoned whether unto seven times our Saviour answered I say not unto thee till seven times but unto seventy times seven times that is so oft as he repenteth If God require in man in whom is but a drop of mercy that he should not pardon by tale and number but so oft as the brother returneth he must have all forgiven how much more must the Lord whose wayes are above mans and with whom is the Ocean of mercy and who delighteth in nothing more then mercy be infinite and unstinted in pardoning when we truely returne Indeed the number of our sinnes is such as may well set us in a maze and astonish us and when wee see them grow to so great a reckoning if the Lord did pardon by number and not beyond such a number wee might sinke under them But when when we see him a Chirurgion that hath salve enough for all wounds and infinite playsters of compassion to heale all our sinnes this upholds us and make us sue to him for pardon We have a sea of rebellions but he hath a farre more bottomelesse sea of compassions to drowne them in 5 Oppose the examples of great sinners readily received to mercy As of Adam in whose one sinne were couched many first contempt of Gods Commandement who charged him not to eat of the forbidden fruit secondly incredulity not beleeving that word In the day thou eatest thou shalt dye thirdly unthankfulnesse not contented with their good estate fourthly pride desiring to be like unto God and know good and evill fiftly presumption that they should not die though they did eate sixtly murder and homicide bringing death upon themselves and all their posterity In a word this one sinne was the breach of all Gods Commandements and was a sinne out of measure sinfull First in regard of the fruits of it the contagion of all mankinde secondly of Adams person whose excellent gifts might easily have resisted thirdly of the facility of the Commandement it was no hard one fourthly of the place Paradise where he wanted no content and had no provocation And yet Adam thus tumbling in a multitude of sinnes had mercy offered before he required and a gracious promise of the like to all his posterity Here we see the father of the Prodigall childe running to meet his sonne a farre off even before he say I will returne to my father Consider also the example of David who sinned grievously 1 Against God who had done many things for him above other as he confesseth Against thee against thee have I sinned Psal. 51. 4. 2 Against Uriah by defiling and dishonesting his wife more deare to him then all his substance by making him drunke and taking away his sobriety and by taking away his life being so faithfull and good a subject adventuring his life for the safety and honour of his Countrey A bloody sinne 3 Against Bathsheba whose sober and formerly chaste minde hee had corrupted and whose body hee defiled 4 Against his owne house and family by bringing into it dishonor uncleannesse death and sword Dishonour by bring●●g in a bastard by which he made the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God to blaspheme Vncleann●sse and f●●lenesse by the sinne so much the f●uler as the person was higher Death of the childe borne in adultery and the sword which never departed out of his house This sin was every way odious and yet see the readinesse of God to pardon this multitude of sinnes Nathan comes and tels David of it David said I have sinned and Nathan saith presently The Lord hath put away thy sinne 2 Sam. 12. Whereunto adde that God by forgiving many sinnes as to Mary will be loved so much the more Luke 7. 47. And let this stay and content the heart laden with many sinnes if repenting beleeving and saying There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared CHAP. VI Of the greatnesse of sinne trouble and Contentment AGainst the greatnesse of sinne a penitent and godly heart quieteth it selfe by these Meditations 1 The promise of God to them that returne and repent Esay 1. 18. If your sinnes be as red as scarlet and as crimson I will make the● as white as snow What offences can be more hainous or enormities more capitall then these bloody scarlet sinnes and yet God offereth mercy for them But that Text hath more comfort for he doubles the words scarlet and crimson sins which notes the reigne and dominion of sinne and the doubling of their sinnes for these colours are not made without a double tincture in the wooll and cloath of a double die and deeper colour So though a man be died in grain with a double die of sin originall and actuall and so resemble scarlet yet upon his repentance here is an offer of free grace Beside the doubling of the promise should double our hope and confidence in the certainty of this grace and favour of God that our sinnes of a double dye seeming hard to be washed out yet shall not foyle the gracious promise of mercy The like is that of Christ Matth. 12. 31. Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men onely excepting the sinne against the Holy Ghost which is joyned with finall impenitency 2 The merit and price of Redemption which is the Blood of Christ the Sonne of God God shed his Blood and was this onely to get remission of smaller sinnes that had beene but a small thing to us and not of greater But herein is this blood preferred above al the blood of Buls and Goats that what that could not put away this precious blood of the unspotted Lambe washeth as white as snow This was notably figured in the sacrifice of the red Cow offered for a sinne-offering for the Congregation of Israel Numb. 19. 6. The Cow must be red whole burnt and in the ●urning the Priest must cast into the midst of the fire Cedar-wood Hyssope and Scarlet L●ce Christ was figured by this Cow red as shee strong and fresh without blemish as she or spot of sin on Wch never came yoake as she not subject to any commandement of men slaine without the gate as she that is crucified without Ierusalem Hebr. 13. 12. burnt whole as she that is as it were consumed with the ho●e wrath of God due to sinne an Holocaust With Cedar-wood and Hyssope as shee to be a sacrifice of sweet smell

bin better for them to have been perpetually lame or bed-rid then have enjoyed that blessing which not being able to weild hath proved their overthrow CHAP. XV Of Orbity or Barrennesse and Contentment therein THe second personall evill in which godlinesse no lesse contenteth then in the former is Orbity or Barrennesse Thus First promotion of children makes none blessed Secondly children are not simply blessings nor alwayes given for a blessing but often prove a curse Iob 27. 15 16. Wee read of children multiplied for the sword and for famine Wee often see some one childe not onely the sorrow and shame of godly Parents but the ruine and overthrow of the whole family Wee have heard of Absaloms that have risen in rebellion against their parents according to our Saviours prophecy Matthew 10. 21. children shall rise up against their Parents Better were it to bee without Children then to be parents of such as for whom the Lord made a Law that the Parents should follow them to the stoning and cast the first stone at them Deut. 21. 18 19 20. Numbers of such roiotous sons are every where at this day Thirdly the case often so fals out that they are at best ●ase who have no children especially if troubles and persecutions arise for the Gospell When Ierusalem was to bee besieged woe was to them that gave sucke in those dayes And in ordinary times the Parent charged with children must have trouble in the flesh for the godly educating and also providing for them And such as have none have lesse care and more liberty and opportunity to serve God to care for the things of God how he may please him the Apostles reason 1 Cor. 7. 32 34. Fourthly children are the gift of God The fruit of the wombe is a blessing from God whose wisedome is such as he disposeth them where he knoweth it is fit for his glory and good for his children and where it would make for neither he withholdeth them Elkanah was not God to give Annah children And a good heart will rest in Gods wise disposition who openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth the wombe and no man can open it Fifthly though sometimes it was a curse to be childelesse and inflicted for sinne as Coniah was written destitute of children yet to the godly it is not so nor a signe of Gods anger no more then it was in Abel Melchiz●d●●k Elias Paul others CHAP. XVI Of Sicknesse and Contentment therein THe third personall evill is Sicknesse and diseases which often infect the mind with heavinesse and impatience especially if they bee more tedious and lingring and so much the more burthensome by how much health ' which is next to life the best earthly blessing of God is overprized But godlinesse suggesteth many motives to contentment in this estate 1 It looketh up unto the hand of our Father lovingly chastening in measure not above our strength in mercy not to our desert and to a good end for his own glory as Lazarus his sicknesse was Iohn 11. 4. and for our glory too even as our Head Christ must first suffer and so enter into his glory Luke 24. 2 Sicknesse is the Lords schoole wherin we learne not only the knowledge but the practise of many Christian vertues First it telleth us that wee carry about with us a body subject to death upon which sentence is past that being dust it must returne to dust It sheweth the frailty of man by bringing downe the lustiest bodies abating the strength and abolishing the beauty of them Secondly it humbles men by drawing a confession from them that all flesh is but as grasse and the grace thereof as the flower of the field Thirdly it abates selfe love in men and tames the ranke flesh when health strength and prosperity lift up the minde and make men overweane themselves and kicke against the Lord Fourthly sicknesse of the body is the medicine of the soule which labours more with weaknesse of faith hope love then the body with diseases And therefore as physick though it be unpleasant to the Patient yet is profitable so is it with the sicknesse of the body to the soule For then as all men can witnesse of themselves they are most wise most humble most sorrowfull for sinne most earnest for pardon most fervent in prayer most watchfull against sinne and in one word best affected in soule in the sicknesse of the body Did not Naamans sicknesse of lep●osie bring him to the Prophet Elisha where being healed he confesseth there was no God in the world but in Israel 2 Kings 5. 15 16. Was not that a most notable prayer of Ezekiah in his sicknesse Esa. 38. 9. How many hearty prayers did David poure out to the Lord in his sicknesse Psal. 6. and 32. and 38. Looke upon Iob in his sicknesse a mirrour of patience confidence humility other holy vertues and as a modell of grace he came tryed and refined out of the furnace Fifthly sicknesse is a preservative against many sinnes in that it makes us thinke of the cause of sickenesse which is sinne and of earnest repentance the waster of sinne and of seeking to the Physitian of soules which is Christ himselfe who maketh a confection of his owne heart-bloud to cure all our sinnes which are our spirituall diseases and sickenesse Sixthly in that it lets us see that the house of this Tabernacle must be dissolved it moveth us to bid adieu to the world and seeke for that life which is everlasting not capable of age sickenesse or any grievance The nurse in weaning the childe layeth mustard on her breast And this life must have some bitter tang to make us seeke for a better Were not my sicknesse so lingring and tedious I could be better contented 1 Thou lingrest in the cause which is thy sinne Hasten thy repentance 2 See thou get soundnesse of soule so much the more and the spirit of a man will beare his infirmities Make sure remission of sins get faith c. 3 Christ hath not taken away the lingring of diseases but the malignity and poison of them It may long exercise and molest thee it shall not hurt thee nay bee turned to the best neither can the sicknesse belong where the life is so short 4 Perhaps thou hast abused or forfeited thy health or wouldst abuse it to Gods dishonour See wee not numbers it were better for them to be bound on their beds and be perpetually sicke or bedrid then continually to pursue wickednesse with high hand as they doe And assure thy selfe were health as good for thee as it is in it selfe thou shouldest have it Better to bee broken with griefe to salvation then enjoy health to condemnation 5 Thinke not God hath forgotten thee if hee longer hold thee under Looke upon that godly woman that laboured of a bloudy issue eighteene yeares and was bowed together