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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	blood_n	conscience_n	purge_v	4,361	5	9.5333	5	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

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

properly selfe-sufficient But take it with godlines the Mother of it as hath been shewed and then it is no strange thing A godly man who hath this great mystery sealed up in his breast is selfe-sufficient and needeth not any carnall or sinfull additions to make him blessed Philosophers disputed of blessednesse and called it the highest and perfectest good being the end of all our actions and perfectest because it is sufficient to it selfe without any further desireable good But this they affirmed blindely not reaching at that which is the top of mans felicity and therefore fell into other expressions of perfect vertue perfect life contemplation and the pleasure thereof and the society of man by the which they expected their blessednesse Onely the beleever attaines this autarkey being in fellowship with the All-sufficient Iehova and this blessednesse because his sins are forgiven and his person accepted in Christ and withall enriched with so goodly endowments that he may well be both contented and thankefull abundantly There be divers inferiour philosopicall rationall perswasions which may worke Contentment and especially those rules and grounds of godlinesse formerly delivered But presupposed alwayes that we begin in the Article of Iustification Without reconciliation for sinne there is no sound tranquillity of minde to be expected If the conscience be once throughly enlightened awakened and affrighted with sinne there is no right pacifying it but by the blood of Christ sprinkling and purging it from dead workes The guilt of them will ever lie as a clog upon the ●ou● and take the next occasion to clam●r against the Master In va●n do you go about to comfort an impenitent sinner and worke him to Contentment in such and such afflictions Your first labours should be to drive him out of himselfe and get him to make his peace with God in whom alone he can obtaine a sufficient stay and supply for his sad condition True numbers content themselves with their riches honors friends children other comforts but how often is it seene that one Mordecai not bowing one slight crosse or other marres the fashion of all their glory and though the evill spirit goe from Saul at the Musicke which David makes yet soone afterward he returns again and torments him as much as ever Adde hereunto the pricking thornes of covetousnesse the gnawing paines of envie the torturing fits of impatience fury frenzie which often interrupt the seemliest Contentment of a naturall man All which doth hold even in the stollen waters of hypocrites who either in the Ministery or by private conference receive a prop for their miserable estate that they are both contented and comfortable yet for want of Christ dwelling in the heart by faith they soone returne to their old distempers or after a while shew plainely they used a wrong phrase or method for Contentment Secondly godlinesse hath this power to breed Contentment in all estates while it is of power to change a man into another man by the grace of regeneration and conversion unto God thrusting the old man out of doores and putting the new man into possession which after GOD is created in knowledge righteousnesse and true holinesse laying the foundation of all in selfe-deniall in resigning the owne will to the will of God and in care to please him though himselfe and all the world be displeased None but the new creatur● is capable of Contentment Another hath his unmortified and unsubdued passions in the goodliest civility that Nature Art or Education can afford which in time of vehement trouble wil have a vent and make a great commotion in the soule and life Well may such discourse of the passions and the quieting of them but shall never obtaine what they propose till they consult Religion and power of godlinesse which sets up a new frame in the soule in which Contentment may be harboured It is true sundry godly persons are many times distempered and subject to great discontents But this is onely by the imperfection of godlinesse If they were so good as they might be and should be they should not so often goe out of tune as they doe As any are partakers of the divine nature more fully so they are more rid of these discontents They that have learned well to deny their owne will wisedome reason and carnall resonings have learned also to be quiet in greatest afflictions as those holy men It is the Lord let him doe as he pleases and good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken Pride passion selfe-willednesse envy earthlinesse other corruptions being almost dead and gasping needs must the soule remaine in good temper and quietnesse as the Sea is quiet when no windes are abroad to tosse it Whereunto adde thē strength of faith of hope of patience of humility and other graces which as godlinesse bringeth nearer to their perfection so the soule shall have more benefite by them to rest wel contented with Gods good pleasure in every thing And the very exercises of godlinesse when rightly performed are notable diversions to put off discontents the Christian can fall to prayer when he is likely to be surprised with sorrow anger feare or the like passion can sit and sing a Psalme can take a Bible and read a Chapter can goe and conferre with his Minister or some faithfull friend and thus finding other imployment he forgets the matter of discontent And is it indeed Gods will that he should not be more rich healthy high befriended accommodated with outward blessings or endowed with inward gifts of the Spirit better ability of minde c his will is laid down long ago and therefore he can traffick contentedly with his two Talents as wel as another with his ten Not my will but thy will be done O Father Thirdly godlinesse after those two things so setled I mean justification sanctification hath power to frame the heart to Contentment by those manifold Rules of Christian moderation which we have above rehearsed all being Shields and Targets out of the Lords Armory able to guard and keepe the heart in the love of God against all assaults of the enemy whatsoever Fourthly godlinesse proposeth and also perswadeth the heart of the excellency of spiritual things namely the favour of God the image of God the providence of God his Son his spirit his Angels his Word his creatures sanctified his corrections mitigated and made profitable his glory worth having thogh we stay long for it though in the mean time we endure many and sharp trials When the palate is oncein a good relish as godlines is able to set it it finds the Word in all the blessed cōtents of it sweeter then hony and the hony-comb richer then Rubies and Diamonds and all that ye can thinke or speake of meere nothing in comparison of this heavenly wisdome Now the Christian is able to make a right estimate of things and be affected toward them according to