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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	good_a	heart_n	treasure_n	3,167	5	9.8219	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88645	The practice of godlines or brief rules directing Christians how to keep their hearts in a constant holy frame, and how to order their conversation aright. With an addition concerning self-examination, and the nature of faith. / By Henry Lukin minister of the gospel.	Lukin, H. (Henry), 1628-1719.	1659 (1659)	Wing L3479; Thomason E2107_2; ESTC R210051	38,795	129

observe the tempers faculties abilities capacities conditions of those with whom we have to do that we may accommodate our selves as far as may be thereunto this will render our society more acceptable to others more profitable both to others and our selves By observing mens tempers we may the more easily insinuate what we please into them by observing their faculties and abilities we may both please them and profit our selves because men love to discourse of things belonging to their own faculties or wherein their abilities chiefly lye and about those things we may expect the most satisfying answers from them if they be such things as may be any advantage to us to know if we suit our discourses to mens conditions it will add much grace and comeliness to our speech Prov. 15.23 25.11 but if we do not in all things apply our selves to mens capacities we shall but weary them and what we labour to pour into them will run beside Joh. 16.12 Rom. 14.1 But remember still to be swift to hear slow to speak Jam. 1.19 to shew all meekness towards all men to speak evil of none unless you be called thereto Tit. 3.2 to be sparing of your promises and as sparing of your secrets unles to such whose faithfullness you have good experience of or unles they leave as much in pawn with you as you trust with them for by imparting our secrets to others we oft put our selves into their power so that they have a check upon us according to that Scire volunt secreta domus atque inde timeri Juven Sat. 13. And lastly Joyn prudence with innocence that you may neither do wrong nor receive any Mat 10.16 Psal 101.2 2. Labour to spend your time well when you are alone Take heed to your spirits Mal. 2.17 there is the beginning of all mischief Mat. 15.19 then is the season for Satan to come and deal with us about his works of darkness which he hath to put us upon therefore we should prevent him by some good and profitable exercise if David had taken this course 2 Sam. 11. how much evill might it have prevented how much work have we lying upon our hands to take up every spare minute of our lives how many things are we ignorant of which we may imploy our solitary time about in informing our selves by reading the Word of God or using the help of others which we have ready at hand in su●h abundance or if we cannot read the Scriptures or some other good books as in a journey or in our beds in the night how much work have we to do upon our hearts How many affections to quicken by holy meditation how many doubts to resolve and questions to answer concerning our own spiritual condition by self-examination And for your help in these exercises 1. Labour to have the Word of God dwelling richly in you Prov. 6.12 Mat. 12.35 2. Have this good treasure in your heart disposed into some order when our thoughts lie on a confused heap we cannot so easily find out what we have occasion to use let us sometimes look upward to God consider his Nature his Attributes Psal 104.34 his Wisdom Goodnes Power Faithfulness which he hath proclaimed in his Word manifested in his Works especially in that work of his manifold Wisdom which is the subject of Angels meditation Eph. 3.10.1 Pet. 1.11 Sometimes he looking backward on the wayes of Gods providence toward you Ps 139.8 c. 2 Sam. 22.1 c. or your ways towards God 1 Tim. 1.13 Sometimes look downwards into your own hearts see what work of God you can find there what remainders of sin are stil there Sometimes look forward towards your end Meditate on Death Judgment Heaven Hell So there are other usefull Subjects as the love of God the excellency of Christ the vanity of the World the sinfulness of sin the deceit fulness of the heart which Christians of ordinary capacities that are acquainted with the Scriptures and use to hear Sermons may easily improve by Meditation to the quickning of their affections and strengthening their resolutions and make your choice of these Subjects to meditate on according to your present state as in prosperity oft be thinking of such things as may keep your hearts low as your former condition and Gods gracious providence in raising you up if your condition have formerly been worse Gen. 32.10.2 Sa. 7.18 however of the vanity of the creature the brevity of life the joys of Heaven c. in adversity choose such matter of Meditation as may be most fit to work you to patience and contentedness Mic. 7.9 Ezr. 9.13 and then also make diligent search into your own hearts and ways to find out what may probably be the cause of Gods contending with you Ps 77.6 Job 10.2 34.31 32. 3. Raise up matter of holy Meditation from earthly things God hath done much for our help in this exercise by holding forth heavenly mysteries in his Word in similitudes taken from earthly things so that almost every creature every action may suggest some useful Meditation to us if we be travelling if we see a pleasant way and much company we do not consider these things but what way it is that leads to the place we go to so though the way of sin be pleasant to the flesh and most walk in it Mat. 7.13 14. that should be no temptation to us because that doth not lead to Heaven whither we go If we meet with bad lodging or mean entertainment at our Inn we know it is but for a night and we shall have better when we come to our journeys end so though we have but bad entertainment in this world we are but strangers this is but our Inne we shall be better accommodated when we come to those Mansions which Christ is gone before to prepare for us Joh. 14.2 The like Meditations may be raised from most occurrences of our life Direct 8. Let us continually set before us the perfect patern of our Lord Jesus We are more easily led by examples than precepts and Christ is the only perfect patern others are to be followed so far only as they follow him 1 Cor. 11.1 Not that all the actions of Christ are imitable he was not meer man but God also and Mediatour betwixt God and Man and what he did as God or as Mediator we cannot imitate him in but there are divers things wherein the Scripture propounds his examples to us for imitation as 1. Love Eph. 5.1 2. 1 Joh. 3.16 2. Meekness and Humility Mat. 11.29 Joh. 13.14 Rom. 15.3 3. Self-denial Mat. 16.24 Phil. 2.3 c. 2 Cor. 8.9 4. Patience 1 Pet. 2.21 5. Making it his work to do good Act. 10.38 And these are graces which carry a great stroak in all the passages of our lives Now the example of Christ doth not only serve for our direction so as we should oft think with our selves in the conduct and management of the affairs

stollen a Lamb for the necessities of his family when having made it ready he came as his manner was to pray for a blessing upon it his heart smote him so that he could have no peace till he went and acknowledged his sin and made a promise of restitution III. We should do all for the glory of Christ 1 Cor. 10.32 1. This is the ultimate end of all things Pro. 16.4 Rom. 11.36 2. Though the purity of the end will not correct they ciousness of the means as the popish Casuists teach yet it will sanctifie all our naturall and civill actions adopting them as it were into the number of religious actions and inscribing them with holiness to the Lord Zach. 14.21 Col. 3.23 24. The poorest servant by discharging his duty in a right manner and directing his intention aright may in the meanest employment serve Jesus Christ and with confidence expect his reward from him Of the universall influence that a right direction of our intentions hath upon our whole practice See Bacons Essayes 57. and Richeomes Adieu de l' Ame devote Devis 59. 3. Without this our spirituall actions are not good Zach. 7.7 4. This will prescribe a right manner and measure to all our lawfull actions I mean such as are in themselves lawfull as eating drinking recreations and such like finis dat modum mensuram medits And herein Christians had need to be very circumspect because they sin most frequently in such actions licitis perimus omnes it is said of the old world Mat. 24.38 that they were eating drinking marrying and giving in marriage there was no hurt in these actions if they had observed a due season manner and measure in them Christians startle at such things as swearing lying stealing adultery c. but in the use of things lawfull they are more secure and so do more easily slide into a sinfull excess 5. This will direct us as was before hinted where our way is doubtfull Where we have express commands or prohibitions in the Word of God our way is plain there is no question to be made but in many cases our actions are not determined by any particular direct command but are left to be guided by Christian prudence now in such a case our end will be of much use to guid us as a man that is to draw a line if he have no rule to make it by he oft casts his eye upon that term or point to which it is to be drawn or if a man have a way to go and there be no beaten path if he can see the place which he is to go to his way is to aime at that and make straight over towards it so when a case is doubtfull we should fix our eye upon the glory of God and see which way hath the most direct tendency thereto and take that way Now though we cannot alwayes have an actuall intention of the glory of God yet we should habitually intend it and the more we can actually intend it the better especially in such actions as are of moment in the course of our lives we should renew our actuall intention and as was said before when a case is doubtfull we should fix our eye upon this end as a man that is travelling towards a place suppose to London he doth not actually think on the place which he goes to every step he takes but if he come to a place where there are two wayes then he bethinks himself of the place which he is going to that he may take that way which is more likely to lead him thereto And if any ask now how our naturall or civill actions conduce to the glory of God I answer First They may be done to the glory of God in respect of the manner of them when we use such moderation holy fear heavenly mindedness in these actions that every one may see holiness written upon them 1 Tim. 6.1 Tit. 2.10 when we observe not a Christian decorum in our naturall and civill actions it is a dishonour to our profession Editur quantum esurientes cupiunt c. We eat saith Tertullian of the Christians as much as is necessary to satisfie ones appetite we drink as much as is permitted to Christians that have a care of their purity they that sit there take their refreshment with such temperance as they may remember they are obliged to worship God at night Apol. cap. 39. Secondly In respect of their ultimate tendency they may be subservient to the glory of God though they have not such an immediate connexion therewith as when we use diligence in our particular callings that we may have wherewith to supply the necessities of others Eph. 4.28 to provide for those belonging to our own charge 1 Tim. 5.8 that we may with the more freedom wait upon God being exempted from perplexing cares 1 Cor. 7.35 that we may be freed from the temptations of poverty and may not be burdensome to others Prov. 30.9 1 Thes 4.11 So when we study for this end that we may excell for the edifying of the Church 1 Cor. 14.12 When we eat drink use recreations that our bodies may be strengthened Eccles 10.17 that so they may be the more fit to serve the soul in its operations that we may by both soul and body be more fit to honour God in our places so in our civil visits we should consider what they will contribute to our chief end what opportunity we may have of doing or receiving good how far our Christian profession requires this of us that we may shew all gentleness towards all men Tit. 3.2 and add to brotherly kindness charity 2 Pet. 1.7 Direct 3. Prize all oportunities of communion with God in his Ordinances such as Prayer reading and hearing the Word Christian prudence must alot the time for these according to our occasions opportuni●ies necessities Psal 42.1 2. 63.1 2. 84.1 2. 122.1 First They are our duty part of that homage which we owe to God as our Lord and Lawgiver by prayer to acknowledg our dependance on him Psal 65.2 and our subjection to him by sitting down at his feet to receive the Law from his mouth to take our instruction from him Deut. 33.3 Secondly They are our priviledges which cost two of the greatest gifts which Heaven could afford Eph. 2.17 The Son of God that we might have acceptance the Spirit of God that we might have assistance what greater priviledg are we capable of then at any time to go and reveal our cause to God Ier. 20.21 to case our complaints before him to have leave to beg any thing of him Ioh. 15.8 Luk. 11.13 to ask sounsell of him Psal 119.24 especially when his Word is the ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.6 Gal. 3.2 there being in our communion with God a transfusion of spirits he communicating his Spirit or divine nature to us therein 2 Cor. 3.18 besides our own pressing necessities which should daily provoke us

very obvious I would not interpret that place Eccles 7.16 in favour of lukewarmness or to allay mens zeal with the base mixture of carnall policy yet doubtless men do sometimes destroy themselves by too much opinionativeness and self-conceit or over-rigidly insisting on some things where God allows them a greater latitude See Dr Reynolds on this place in his most excellent Commentary on Ecclesiastes in the larger English Annotations But Christians do usually most wrong others hereby First In judging them and casting them out of their charity for those things which they have liberty in or which they may lawfully do strong Christians are not more ready to despise the weak then the weak are to judg the strong Rom. 14.3 and I know not which is the greater sin the former for the most part is worse in respect of its principle from whence it proceeds but the latter in respect of the effects of it But secondly We further wrong others in that we do not leave our selves a liberty where God hath left it us for accommodating our selves to them and pleasing them for their good to edification or as others have it in that which is good where we have the true bounds set to man-pleasing for the matter it must be in that which is good we must not please their sinfull humours or comply with their corrupt lusts Then there must be a right end it must be for their edification Rom. 15.2 and this rule the Apostle himself put in practice 1 Cor. 9.19 Chap. 10.33 Direct 7. Labour to make the best improvement of your time The Apostle indeed exhorts to redeem time Eph. 5.16 which is an expression of doubtfull signification and capable of various interpretations but in propriety of speech time that is lost is not to be redeemed we cannot possibly recover mispent time redeeming time is alike impossible as merit Luk. 17.10 because all that we can do in our time is our duty and it is not in morals as in naturals where by resting one hour we are able to work more vigorously another but the more remiss we are the greater indisposition we bring upon our selves If a man suffer weeds to grow in his field though he pluck them up before they seed or spoyl his corn yet he loses so much ground as they grow upon so though God should pardon the mispending of our time yet we shall lose the fruit of what we might have in that time sown to the Spirit and as good husbands will lose none of their ground but have every parcell bring them forth something so we should endeavour that every parcell of our time may be sown with some seed of righteousness yea we should make some improvement of that time in which we do the works of our particular callings to some spirituall advantage if our imployments be such as exercise the hand and not the head by some usefull meditations as some will plant their hedg-rowes with fruit trees reckoning that what they get thereby is clear gain because they take up no room which might be put to any other use so what we get by such meditations is clearly gained because it doth not hinder any other imployment But as it is not enough for the husbandman to sow all his ground but he must observe what agrees best with this or that grain and as it is not sufficient that he be alwayes employed unless he observe the due season for his severall affairs so it is not sufficient that we be alwayes doing that which is materially good but there must be a prudent choice of the fittest season for every action for there is for every purpose a time and judgment therefore is the misery of man great upon him because some few men have the wisdome to know time and judgment Eccl. 8.5 6. but he is the blessed man that brings forth fruit in its season Psal 1.3 Yet let not your souls enter into the secrets of those who seeming to themselves to have a perfect understanding of the times and seasons wherein the things foretold in Scripture shall have their accomplishment think themselves bound to attempt such things as they suppose may be helpfull to the bringing forth of that which divine providence seems to be travelling with calling this the work of the day or of their generation The good man Moses ran into this mistake but he was glad to flee for it and keep sheep fourty years till he had a more cleer call from God to undertake that work which he before knew God had designed him for Acts 7.23 c. More particularly let us endeavour to improve our time well when we are in company and when we are alone for society and solitude share our time First In company let us labour to do good or to get good at least that we do no hurt nor receive any and to that end avoid as much as may be the society of those with whom we are like neither to do or receive good and those are such as are prophane scorners and such as are meerly carnall and are much our superiours And when you are in company make conscience of your words 1. Because we are very apt to offend in them Jam. 3.2 6. We may complain of most mens discourses as Bernard Apolog. ad Guil. Abbat Nihil de Scripturis nihil de salute agitur animarum sed nugae risus verbae proferuntur in ventum they are all froth and vanity there is nothing in them of the Scripture or of the salvation of mens souls Ita fabulantur ut qui sciant Dominum audire saith Tertullian of the ancient Christians Apol. cap. 39. they so talk as those who know that God hears them So Psal 139.4 Remember the story of him that heard a pen writing behind the curtain while he was under examination which made him look more narrowly to his words 2. There is speciall notice taken of them Mal. 3.16 And 3. We must give an account of them Mat. 12.36 37. and that we may never want matter of usefull discourse let us alwayes be furnished with some profitable questions to propound 1 King 10.1 c. which we may be supplied with either from what we hear or read daily of the Word of God or some passages of Gods Providence or our own experience and this will be usefull both to our selves and others we may hereby increase our own knowledg and give others occasion for imploying their Talents which many times lye wrapped up useless either through too much reservedness or slowness of speech or an over-awing modesty or because men know not so well how to suit their discourses to the conditions and capacities of others and it will not be altogether in vain to propound questions to those that are our equals or below us in understanding We may likewise take occasion from ordinary occurrences to raise spirituall discourses which was Christs usuall practice Joh. 4.10 6 26. but it is ever necessary that we