Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	church_n	holy_a	word_n	6,560	5	4.2187	3	true

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20540	Three godlie and fruitful sermons; the two first preached by Maister Iohn Dod: the last by Maister Robert Cleauer. Whereunto are annexed, fiue propositions, or points of doctrine, comprehended in three other sermons, by the same author	Dod, John, 1549?-1645.; Cleaver, Robert, 1561 or 2-ca. 1625. aut	1610 (1610)	STC 6950; ESTC S117481	100,240	192

the word that checketh him for his sinne and in what measure any man dislikes the word in the same measure will hee take pleasure in all manner of iniquitie which is condemned by the word And thus much for the causes of this vnwillingnesse The ill effects follow which to mention but a few of a great many are three The two former in respect of men themselues the last in respect of God Concerning themselues first they are neuer able to meditate on the word For whatsoeuer a man comes vnwillingly to hearken vnto that will quickly slip out of his minde neither can hee possibly get it to take any deepe roote in his heart Hence is it that when couetous or malicious or vnchast persons repaire vnto Sermons to please their masters or to satisfie the law or for some such by-respect they neuer seriously think of that which they haue heard to make any application thereof vnto themselues they cannot bring their hearts vnto it for a sinfull conscience will not indure to be tied to the word of the Lord. The Prophet Dauid saith Lord how loue I thy law my meditation Psal 119. 97. is in it continually What will follow then if a man doe not loue Gods law Surely he will not at any time meditate thereon which hee that doth not must needs be a very sinfull creature Secondly as hee will neuer ponder vpon it so neither will he practise it He that is vnwilling to heare his dutie will be much more vnwilling to doe it If wee see a seruant that cannot endure to bee informed what is his masters will and pleasure we presently conclude that such an one will not prooue a faithfull and trustie seruant and so may we do without any breach of charitie when wee perceiue a man to be altogether carelesse or contemptuous in listening to the charge of his heauenly master hee that cannot abide to heare of the duties of the Sabbath nor of the exercises of religion that hee is to performe in his familie and the like we may boldly say except the Lord conuert this mans heart certainly hee will neuer make conscience of performing these duties Now for the effect which they shall find from the Lord it is this that he will deale with them as with wicked and vngodly ones both in this life and afterwards for because they receiue not the loue 2. Thess 2. 10. 11 12. of the truth that they might bee saued therefore God will send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lies That all they may be damned that beleeue not the truth but take pleasure in vnrighteousnes This doctrine maketh Vse 1 First for the terror of Papists and all such as are popishly affected as being liable to this iudgement and heauy stroake of God because they refuse to heare the word of the Lord and will rather hearken to erroneous and heretical doctrine then to the truth of God contained in the holie Scriptures and rather lie in prison amongst malefactors then bee in the Church amongst true Christians Obiect But though they doe not heare the word preached yet will some say they pray very much Answere What of that doe they imagine to haue any benefit by their prayers if they doe they will bee much deceiued for Salomon saith He that turneth Prou. 28. 9. away his eare from hearing the law euen his prayer shall be abominable Let them pretend what they will for their wilful absenting of themselues from our assemblies as namely that wee corrupt the word and misinterprete and misapplie the same yet they shall finde that they haue refused to embrace the loue of the trueth and haue beleeued lies and that therefore the Lord hath iustly giuen them vp to be deluded by Satan and so to be damned with him euerlastingly Secondly for the iust reproofe of many among vs who will come vnto the Church and sit before the Preacher as men and women desiring to obtaine the knowledge of Gods waies whereas in truth the Lord and their owne consciences can witnesse that they are altogether vnwilling to receiue any wholesome admonition and instruction and that no charge is or can bee more vnpleasant and distastfull vnto them then that of the God of heauen when hee straitly enioyneth them with all speed to get out of their sinnes and to turne their feete into the way of his testimonies And because they will bee very loath to acknowledge thus much but are readie to harbour too good an opinion of themselues as if none were more forward hearers then they are let their owne hearts bee iudges what preparation they make before hand for the fitting of themselues for such a great work what attention they vse when they are present and what meditation and conference they haue concerning it when they are departed Of which points if they would without partialitie examine themselues they should easily discerne a great deale of backwardnesse in their nature and in their practise If a man should protest that hee goes to the market with a great desire to buy food for himselfe and his family yet if hee alwaies plaied the vnthrift with his money and neuer brought home any prouision we would not giue credit to his words but account him a meere dissembler and the like censure may we passe on such as pretend they are willing to reape benefit by the word to the intent they may bee able to helpe both themselues and their families and yet neuer carrie away any thing to the purpose but if you aske them what points were handled they can say nothing but this surely wee heard a very good Sermon God be thanked but my memorie is very short or I cannot vtter all that I haue in my minde my heart I hope is as good as the best though I cannot talke of the Sermon as others doe what is this but to deceiue their owne soules with vaine words for certainly he that hath a heart willing to heare will haue a tongue readie to vtter in some tolerable sort that which hee hath heard though not all of it yet a good part of it as God hath giuen to euery one the measure of grace Another sort are here to be reproued who doe in a more palpable and grosse manner manifest their vnwillingnes to heare in that they will take euery slight occasion to absent themselues and that not onely on the weeke daies but on the Lords day also so that when the Lord commeth euen to their dores and offereth to powre down his graces abundantly vpon them they refuse his gratious offer and so iudge themselues vnworthie of Acts 13 46. eternall life Thirdly this is for our instruction if we would be freed from the accusation and condemnation of impious and prophane persons then let vs labour to bee willing and well affected hearers and to come with a better appetite to the food of our soules then wee doe to the foode of our bodies and bee more desirous to

Rom. 8. 15. wherby we cry Abba father So that none can confidently call God father but by the helpe of his blessed Spirit If vnregenerate men will pray to their father Christ telleth them who he is when speaking to such kinde of persons he saith You are Ioh. 8. 44. of your father the Diuell And how proueth he that The lusts of your father yee will do As those that are willing to do the workes of God are assuredly the children of God euen so they that are ready to doe the workes of Satan are without doubt the children of Satan and if they wil pray vnto their father they must pray vnto the Diuell Againe in that very place it is sayd that the Spirit helpeth our infirmities for wee know not what to Rom. 8. 26 pray as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh requests for vs with sighes that cannot be expressed where it is euident that the best of Gods seruants without the helpe and assistance of the holy Ghost are ignorant both of the matter and manner of prayer but the Spirit doth informe their mindes what to aske and frame their affections how to aske in an holy and acceptable sort so that albeit sometimes they want words to expresse their meaning yet they are full of inward sighes and heauenly desires But what are they the better for them will some say if they cannot powre them forth before the Lord in an outward forme of prayer They are much the better because as it is in the 27. verse He that searcheth the hearts knoweth the meaning of the spirit and he so knoweth it that he approueth of it and delighteth in it If there be neuer so many good words and those vttered by the very Saints of God themselues yet if they proceede not from the Spirit but from the flesh as sometimes they may they are not pleasing vnto the Lord but abhorred of him And on the other side albeit there be no words at all as many times it fals out when the heart is oppressed through extremity of griefe yet if there bee a multitude of holy desires in the soule stirred vp through the powerfull working of the holy Spirit they are accepted of him and shall bee rewarded by him for as it is added in the place aboue named The Spirit euen at such times maketh requests for the Saints according to the will of God And therefore their suits according with his will he cannot but yeeld vnto the same Againe it is the proper worke of the Spirit to conuince the iudgement of sinne and to humble Iohn 16. 8. the heart therefore without which there can no faithfull prayer be made vnto the Lord. Bring neuer so strong reasons to adulterers or gamesters or Saboth-breakers or any that liue in the continuall practise of such dangerous and damnable sinnes and presse them neuer so forcibly to cause them to forsake their lewd and wretched courses and yet can they not see why they should leaue them but rather imagine that they may lawfully follow the same still And no maruell for till the God of heauen do set downe their carnall reason it can neuer be set downe and till he stop their mouthes they will neuer be silenced but still haue somewhat to say for their wretched and vile behauiour Reasons collected from the former places Seeing then it is euident that Gods Spirit alone can perswade vs of the loue and fauour of our heauenly Father towards vs that so we may be in case to pray vnto him and withall must furnish vs with the matter and helpe vs in the manner of our praiers and humble vs in the sight of our owne miserable wants that so we may bee more earnest and feruent in the requests that we make the point now in hand may hence be strongly concluded to wit that none can make a faithfull prayer without the speciall ayde and direction of the holy Ghost which serueth Vse 1 First for the confutation of those sencelesse people that will be talking and bragging how they pray day and night They that know what it is to lift vp a feruent prayer vnto the heauens doe easily discerne that they are but meere braggers and boasters and that indeede they neuer made one faithful prayer since they were borne because they are and still haue bene sensuall and carnall and vtterly void of any sanctifying grace of Gods spirit and therefore so farre are they from hauing any cause of reioycing in regard of their good prayers as they call them that they haue great cause to be humbled for them as being workes of the flesh and not of the Spirit such as doe rather prouoke the Lords displeasure against them then pacifie his anger or any way procure his fauour towards them Such are the prayers of all blind and ignorant Papists who pray in an vnknowne tong to whom it may be said as it was by our Sauiour vnto the sonnes of Zebedeus Ye know not what yee aske They may speake what they list of their often praying and how readily they can goe through with their stint and taske but they that vnderstand what it is to bring God and their owne soules together in earnest requests and feruent supplications cannot but iudge them to bee bragging Pharises who thinke that the Lord is beholding vnto them and indebted vnto them for such prayers whereas in truth he may iustly condemneth em vnto hell for the same and will do so if they be not humbled for them as well as for the rest of their iniquities And therefore they that haue indeed the Spirit of prayer are of another mind for when they haue vsed the best preparation that possibly they can they finde so many defects in their prayers that they are driuen to make a new prayer for the pardoning of those their wants and are stirred vp heartily to praise the Lord when they can in any poore measure powre out their soules before him as knowing that it is not from any strength that they haue in themselues but from the helpe and furtherance of his good Spirit Secondly let this be an instruction vnto vs that if we would pray aright and speede accordingly we labour as Iude exhorteth to pray in the Iude V. 20. holy Ghost For those be the petitions that pierce the heauens and bring peace comfort vnto the conscience But how shall we know whether our prayers proceed from Gods Spirit or not for our sinfull hearts are apt to deceiue vs on both sides viz. either to make vs thinke through Satans suggestion that we doe not pray in the holy Ghost because we haue so many frailties when in truth we doe or that we pray as we ought to doe because we haue matter and words at will when indeed there is no such thing but onely a naturall gift of vttering that which is in our mindes and memories in apt and fit tearms and in a fluent manner of speech Therefore if wee

minde his dreame which he himself had forgotten he made great speed in the matter in so much that hee adiudged all to die not onely those that had bin examined but all such as were of that profession yea not onely those that were Sorcerers and Coniurers indeed but Daniel and his companions that were but only supposed to be such whereas they did in truth abhor all those vnlawfull and diuellish Arts. If it had bin some matter tending to Gods glory or the good of his Church hee would not haue been so readie to yeeld vnto it and if such a sentence had been past there would haue been many obiections and oppositions so that the execution thereof would hardly haue followed so speedily as this heere did in which regard Daniel taketh exception against it saying Why is the sentence so hastie from the King The like forwardnesse was there in the vnbeleeuing Israelites vnto the foule and abominable Exod. 32. 3. sin of Idolatrie Moses had laboured much to perswade them to make a couenant with God and to cleaue vnto him in faithfull and constant obedience yet when he had been a while out of the way they would needs haue a golden Calfe in stead of Moses to goe before them and therefore al of a sudden they came with great violence vnto Aaron vrging him to make them one hee being afraid to crosse them and to displease them goeth about by carnall policie to stay them from this wickednesse and therefore calleth for their golden eare-rings thinking that they would at no hand haue parted with them but when it was for the erecting of Idolatrie he could no sooner aske for them but they presently brought them And the like may be seene in those Iewes that liued in the time of Isaiah who were niggardly Isai 30. 6. and pinching enough in matters of expence that did concerne Gods worship or the reliefe of such as were in distresse but to procure helpe and aide from Egypt against their enemies that were about to inuade their land which was a course that God had vtterly forbiddeÌ„ none were more franke and liberall then they who spared not for any cost or charges but sent their Camels laden with treasures vnto Pharaoh and to his Princes So also in the daies of Hoseah the people were Hos 2. 8. exceeding bountifull in bestowing their corne and wine and oyle together with their gold and siluer vpon Baal they thought nothing too deare or pretious that was to goe that way so that they were content to part not onely with their goods but also with their sonnes and daughters whom they sacrificed vnto diuels Psal 106. And as for euill deedes so for sinfull speeches there is in our nature a very great aptnesse and pronenesse thereunto which vnregenerate men doe helpe forward by their continuall practise in which regard Ieremy saith concerning them of his time that they did bend their tongues like bowes for Ierem. 9. 3. lies but they had no courage for the trueth If they were to speake of hurtfull and wicked things they had words at will and boldnesse sutable thereunto but if it were concerning good and profitable matters they had no heart vnto them their bow and their string were both broken Reasons The reasons of this doctrine are these First our flesh is wholly bent vnto that which is sinfull All the imaginations of the thoughts of our Gen. 6. 5. hearts are only euill and that continually So that wheÌ„ wee are about any wicked practise wee haue the whole force and strength of nature to helpe vs forward as on the contrarie when we are about any goodnesse wee haue the whole current and streame of the flesh against vs still readie to stop and hinder vs. Wee are neuer exercised in that which is naturall vnto vs vntill we be plotting or practising some wickednes against God or some vnrighteousnes against men Secondly the diuell is readie to driue the flesh onward vnto that which is euill In which respect it is said that the wisedome which is not from Iames 3. 17. aboue as it is earthly and sensuall so is it also diuellish The wisedome of the flesh is emnitie against God Rom. 8. and so of it owne accord too too prone vnto all kinds of mischiefe and therefore being set forward by Satan it must needes bee very violent in the pursuit thereof Thirdly the world is ready to ioyne with vs in any vnwarrantable and bad courses so that if we be addicted to couetousnesse or vainglory or voluptuousnesse wee shall haue commendation and incouragement froÌ„ carnall people for the world Ioh. 15. 19. loues as it own persons so likewise it own works such as are those before mentioned and whatsoeuer it loues that it commends now praise is it which earthly minded men do much hunt for and that makes theÌ„ so eager and swift of foote in following after those things which the men of this world do affect like of They would faine haue present paiment and are loth to looke after those things which are not seene they would rather haue their sense satisfied then their hope exercised that which they haue not being a sound hope and therefore they chuse rather the practise of those euils whereby they imagine to obtaine some present contentment then the performance of such good duties as would hereafter procure them an eternall weight of glorie besides the present peace and comfort which from the same would arise vnto them Vse 1 Hereby then in the first place is discouered their folly and simplicitie that haue a great opinion of the religion of Papists and of their liberalitie both which as may euidently appeare by this Doctrine are altogether vaine and of no value at all First concerning their religion many doe esteeme of it in regard of the vniuersalitie thereof and that there are such multitudes that doe embrace it but what better argument can wee desire against it then this which they would haue to make for it For all as hath bin formerly proued are naturally most inclinable vnto that which is euill and therefore most men being so prone vnto Poperie what can bee concluded but this that it is an euill and damnable religion Christ his flock is a little flock and hee hath but a Luke 10. few sheepe that will hearken vnto his voyce and be ordered and guided by his Spirit what doctrine then can we imagine that to be but the doctrine of diuels vnto which such multitudes are readie to giue eare and to conforme themselues without any great contradiction Then further as touching their liberalitie which they so much stand vpon and boast of what matter of commendation can wee finde therein seeing it tendeth onely and wholly to the maintenance of Idolatrie to the furtherance of superstition and to the setting vp of themselues in the roome and stead of Christ Iesus Were not the idolatrous Israelites before spoken of euery Hos 2.

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