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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	creature_n	prayer_n	sanctify_v	3,094	5	9.5275	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13534	Circumspect walking describing the seuerall rules, as so many seuerall steps in the way of wisedome. Gathered into this short manuell, by Tho. Taylor, preacher of Gods word at Aldermanbury Church in London.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1631 (1631)	STC 23824; ESTC S100151	74,039	378

him Daniel would open his window and pray as hee was wont euen when his life was sought after Secondly euents of actions doe often and much trouble vs for remedy whereof obserue two rules 1. That of the Wise-man Eccles. 11. 4. He that obserues the wind shal not sowe it is a foolish husbandman who for sight of a cloud either his seed time or haruest So for sowing workes of mercie he that sticks in doubts and saith I may bee poore or old long diseased full of children or persecuted for the Gospell and must prouide for one neglects his seed time by looking at winds and clouds So many a carnall Gospeller saith If I should goe so often to Church as some and be so forward in religion I shold lose much profit and incurre much rebukes and reproches Therfore 2. we must learne to leaue euents and successes to God for it is not in man to direct his steps God disposeth as he pleaseth The Saints of God are often frustrate of their godly purposes as Dauid in purposing and preparing to build an house for the Lord but 1. they lose nothing if they doe their duty 2. Gods Ouer-ruling hand will dispose all to the best therefore there let them rest CHAP. XXIII Rules for actions indifferent 1. in generall A Great part of mans life is spent in the doing of naturall and indifferent actions which in themselues are neither good nor euill but as they are vsed and being so common and ordinary many sinnes creep into them because we take our selues free and loose to doe as we list in them which conceit growes out of ignorance of Gods wisedome who by his word hath tied vs as strait in the vse of them as in things most necessarily inioyned For there is no action in which we must depart from God Obiect They are therefore indifferent because they are neither commanded nor forbidden and therefore as they be free so be we also in them Answ. Although there bee no word commanding or forbidding yet there is a word directing and ordering in them as wee shall see in some generall rules concerning them all and in speciall rules applied to some particulars The generall rules concerning them all as meat drinke apparell recreation houses marriage and the like are these 1. The most indifferent action that is must be vsed by warrant and leaue from God warrant is from the word leaue is by prayer and thus must euery creature of God bee sanctified by the word and prayer 1. Tim. 4. 5. Our meat our apparell our houses our recreations must all be vndertaken and vsed First by the warrant of the word for else it cannot be done in faith Rom. 14. 23. and whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne The word must direct me in this particular meat apparell recreation that it is lawful in it selfe and to me or else I sinne in it Secondly by prayer for we must lift vp our hearts at least in the vse of them all 1. In inuocation for an holy vse suspecting all our wayes and our inclinations to corrupt our selues in euerything 2. In thanksgiuing for our liberty in all the creatures that were iustly forfeited and Gods blessing in them This neglected 1. Wee may haue the creature but want the blessing haue bread but not the staffe of bread haue money but not a bagge to hold it cloathes but no warmth marriage but not the comfort of it and so in the rest 2. Wee doe not distinguish our selues from the bruit beasts who liue by things before them and neuer looke aboue them to the giuer 3. We haue no title recouered in any of them but they all remaine vncleane as was signified in all the vncleane beasts as all other had beene but that they were permitted by special leaue without which we are but vsurpers 4. God is not acknowledged the author of our life liberties and so is depriued of his honor homage which no Lord among men will endure in such as hold the least coppy vnder them 2. The most indifferent action that is must bee don● for God that is to the glory and honour of God whatsoeuer wee eat or drinke c. 1 Cor. 10. 31. For while we take our part in the comforts of the creatures God will not lose his part of them that is his glory by them Doth my eating and drinking make mee heauy and vnfit for the seruice of God to performe it with cheerefulnesse Here I haue sinned in a lawfull thing for God lookes to bee serued with cheerefulnesse and a good heart in the abundance of all things Deut. 28. vers 47. Doth my apparell tend to pride vp and aduance my selfe This is a sinfull vse of a lawfull thing wherein I should glorifie God Doe my recreations and sports not onely iustle out my duties of Christianity of reading and meditating and priuate prayer but ingrosse my time so that I neglect my special calling Herein I vse my liberty vnlawfully and turne it into a wicked licentiousnes Recreation was neuer ordained by God to bee an occupation but onely an helpe vnto it 3. The most indifferent action that is must be vsed in loue as well as in faith to edification as wel as in sanctification This generall rule is in 1 Cor. 14. 26. Let all things be done to edifying Rom. 14. 21. It is euill to eate with offence and it is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine nor to doe any thing wherby thy brother stumbleth or is offended or made weake and Paul would neuer eate rather then offend a weake brother In case of offence in different things loose their indifferency and become sinnes and must not be done be they neuer so small neuer so profitable neuer so powerfully enioyned by authority because an higher authority of God bids vs not offend our brother the conscience of our brother must be more tender vnto vs than our owne peace and preferment Daniel and his fellowes refusing the Kings meat might seeme very vnwise and too strict for so small a thing to lose the Kings fauour and their owne aduancement but it was not frowardnesse in them nor disobedience to the King but conscience and obedience to Gods commandement in a case offensiue to themselues and others so they would not doe the least euill for the greatest good So is this garment lawfull to mee and offensiue to other of Gods children Then haue I no liberty in it Is this eating or drinking or tobacco-taking lawfull to mee and may it offend in circumstances I must auoid occasion of offence Is this sport and recreation lawful in it selfe and to others but is it offensiue in mee a puulike man a professor a Preacher Wisedome teacheth to refraine it So the Apostle saith All things that is indifferent of which he there speakes are lawfull but all things are not expedient Now as we must be farre from offending any so our endeuour

of Gods Saints by treacherous Papists Charls the ninth King of France called the Prince of Conde and proposed to him this choice Either to goe to Masse or to die presently or to suffer perpetuall imprisonment His noble answer was that by Gods help he would neuer chuse the first and for either of the two latter hee left to the Kings pleasure and Gods prouidence Thus a good conscience makes a good choice for it selfe chusing any thing rather than to offend God CHAP. X. Rules of wisedome concerning the affections THe fifth sort of rules for the inner man concerneth the affections and hath these particulars 1. Delight thy selfe in the Lord and make him thy chiefe ioy Psal. 37. 4. For the obiect of our ioy must not be carnal but the Lord himself apprehending him as Gen. 17. 1. el shaddi almighty to saue all-sufficient to supply and a large portion our Sunne our shield grace and glorie Psal. 84. Salomon hauing tried his heart with all other delights came at last to a recantation and so doe all Gods children and say Lord lift thou vp the light of thy countenance vpon vs Psal. 4. 2. Labour to affect all other things in God and for God nothing like him much lesse aboue him or against him Psal. 34. 8. Taste and see how good God is that is in all things labour to find the sweetnesse of God in all his creatures and all his actions A wise man will not insist in the gift but looke to the giuer whose loue hee prizeth more than the token of it If any affection make vs vnfit to pray or any way thrust vs from God it is carnall 3. Let vs labour to get our affections more to heauen than earth Col. 3. 2. Set your affections on things which are aboue and not on things which are on earth where we see plainly that these two cannot both haue the affections set on them no more than two Masters serued at once as also that it is not enough to affect heauenly things but also with chiefe affection and care in the first place Hence is that ordinary rule that spirituall things must be affected and asked simply being simply good but temporall with limitation as being but conditionally good 4. Feare the euill of sin more than the euill of punishment because the euill of sinne is more euill Sinne is simply euill and so is nothing else no not the punishment of it A wise man should rather chuse hel than Gods offence for there is nothing but sinne which God hateth and wee ought to hate nothing so much sin directly resisteth Gods glory but punishment makes for it in the manifestation of his iustice 5. Be affectionate one in the case and condition of another In case of spirituall misery sinne weaknesse humane frailty Bee tender hearted one to another euen as God for Christs sake forgaue you Eph. 4. 32. so Col. 3. 12. Now beloued as the elect of God put on tender mercy kindnesse c. one to another And in the temporall miseries of our brethren put on bowels of compassion be not without naturall affection forget not Iosephs affliction but lend giue clothe feed protect from violence and turne not thine eyes from thine owne slesh The phrase bowels of mercy shewes that all our mercy must be from within euen from the tender compassions of the estate of our brother and the same in Isa. 58. 10. that we power out our soules to the needy that is our soules must first be mercifull and then our mercies will be plentifull which is noted in the word powring CHAP. XI Rules of wisedome for the outward man and first concerning his calling NOw we come to such rules of wisedome as wherby the outward man is to bee ordered that wee may walke both toward our selues and others not as vnwise but as wise and that by the wisedome which is from aboue And these rules concerne 1. his calling 2. his estate 3. his words 4. his actions Directions to walke wisely in his course and calling are these 1. Seeing the calling is a part of Christian obedience and duty to God a Christian may neither liue out of a calling nor in any calling not warranted by Gods word For if God set vs in our callings hee promiseth both to be with vs in them and to giue vs good successe and to helpe vs against the tediousnesse of them Ios. 1. 8. Therfore sanctifie thy calling and euery part thereof by the word and prayer 2. In the whole exercise of our calling wee must shew all good ●aithfulnesse 1. To God by depending on him who hath made our calling a chiefe meanes of our maintenance and not sacrificing to our own nets For it is the Lord that giues power to get substance 2. To our selues by walking diligently and abiding in our calling that we may eat our owne bread and prouide for our selues and ours and giue to him that needeth Eph. 4. 28. For by idle and inordinate liuing through the neglect of the vocatiō by Gods iust iudgment men fall into the depth of sin drunkennes gaming whoredome theeuing and nothing comes amisse to an idle person Besides discredit bad report and pouerty come as an armed man vpon such a one 3. To others whether we be Masters or seruants as knowing that in our calling wee are to practise most Christian duties as loue to our brethren patience truth fidelity vprightnesse as being euer vnder Gods eye 3. Another point of wisedome in our callings is not to meddle with other mens businesse but follow our owne close 1 The. 4. 11. Study to be quiet and to doe your owne businesse And euery where the Apostle reproues busie-bodies who going beyond their owne bounds thrust their sickle into euery mans haruest and being out of their owne places and businesse intermeddle with that which no way concernes them And these are disturbers of peace and ciuill tranquility kindling and blowing vp contentions for lacke of other work The same rule is for women also that they be not gadders but house-keepers 4. In all earthly businesse studie to carry an heauenly minde A Christian while hee conuerseth in earth must haue his conuersation in heauen and know that in all the wayes of this present life hee ought neuer to step out of the way to eternall life Neither shall a man bee a loser by this course seeing wee haue an expresse promise that if wee seeke Gods kingdome first and principally these outward things should so farre as they are needfull for vs without such carking care bee cast vpon vs. 5. As all duties of the calling must be profitable in themselues and for the publike good so the most profitable must bee most intended and specially performed A Minister must reade the Word but must apply himselfe more to Preaching as being more necessary A Magistrate must