Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	evil_a	good_a	tree_n	33,809	5	11.7409	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65809	The practice of Christian perfection wherein several considerations, cautions, and advices are set down, for the perfecting of the saints, and completing them in the knowledge of Christ Jesus / by Thomas White ...	White, Thomas, d. 1682.	1651 (1651)	Wing W1852; ESTC R39071	46,849	191

are many disseminata vacua in all imployments of the world which might and ought to be filled up with spirituall thoughts and as it is with Bees though they gather honey from a flower they leave it as fragrant and as fresh as they found it so we gathering and mixing spirituall thoughts with and from our worldly businesse we hinder it not at all for as a vessel that is full of sand will hold almost as much water as if there were no sand in it so when we are full of imployments we may hold a thousand holy thoughts and as a ship can hardly be so fild with chests or other lading but there will be so many corners unfild up wherein Diamonds of such great value might be put in that they would be more worth then all the lading of the Ship so those thoughts of God and spirituall things which we might have in the midst of our other employments may be of farre greater value then they Fourthly Take heed of perfunctory and careless resisting of temptations but what thou dost in that particular as in spirituall things do it with all thy might for to think and weakly to resolve against sin will not hinder but aggravate thine offence and it is one of the Divels policies to let a man alone to thinke of severall Motives and make some faint resolutions against any sin when hee sees that hee hath him fast enough for he knows that the more Motives and Resolutions wee sin against the more wee are hardened and GOD is provoked And as it is with a Town that is besieged they will willingly let so many of their enemies in as they know they are able to master so Satan when hee sees that the Motives and Resolutions that enter into the soul are too weak hee willingly suffers them to enter for perfunctory performance of duties and feeble resisting of temptations are equally dangerous if the later be not the worst by the former we get no spirituall good and by the later we overcome no spirituall evill 5. Caut. Take heed of making others sin either by scandall or being a temptation to them by example or provocation it is a good way when one hath to deal with a passionate man not onely to prepare our selves for the Combate by prayer and resolutions and keeping a strong guard upon our hearts that we may not be overcome with passion howsoever he shall use us either in word or in deed but to take special care and to use all means to keep him from passion for there is a wretched joy that our hearts are subject to take in the sins of others thinking them to be a foil to our innocency to have others very passionate when we are very meek there is a secret delight that the heart is prone to take but it proceeds from a desperate pride in us who desire to have our excellencies made manifest though with the dishonour of God and damnation of our brother but there is a great deal of hel in it and charity rejoyceth not in ill 1 Cor. 13. 6. Caut. Take heed of studying high speculative points whatsoever for when our thoughts are exceedingly intent in finding out truths all the fire is in the top of the chimney and none is left upon the hearth generally high speculations leave the heart cold without devotion for generally there is a great deal of curiosity and pride in such studies for commonly we desire to be accounted knowing men in searching into whys and how 's of Gods works and truths as why God made the tree of knowledg of good and evill and how there can be three persons and but one God therefore in all reading joyn prayer whether it be in the reading of humane or divine things and take speciall care that the love of God go not out nor grow cold in you That which I have heard of one is a good practice that whatsoever book he was reading every leafe that he turned over he would look what was become of his heart and of God and would not begin till he had sent up some prayers to the Lord for direction Advises 1. Adv. First Concerning writing many wayes thou art to employ that for thy advantage First Write down all those spiritual passages out of Sermons books discourses wherin thou hast found most relish and spirituall profit Secondly Keep a Register of all the mercies that God hath bestowed upon thee whether it be temporall or spiritual but especially thy spirituall experiences and his manifestations of his love if ever the terrors of the Almighty was upon thee the wayes of Gods providence in supporting thee and how and when and in what manner he delivered thee And so for the discoveries of his love and concerning the mercies God hath bestowed upon thee how and whether and when he answers your prayers as also all the speciall ways of Gods providence to other spirituall persons in temporalls or spirituals and when thou findest thy heart dull and cold in love or weak in faith these experiences of Gods goodnesse to thy selfe and others will be an excellent means to enflame and strengthen thee Lastly Keepe a Diurnall of thy life in respect of the spirituall passages of every day set downe whether thou didst awake with God or whether the world had the first fruits of thy thoughts and how thou didst performe spirituall duties whether with relish fervency or delights or otherwise mark and set down when thy heart made any default intermitting its communion with God and all the severall sins that thou canst take notice of that thou hast committed that day and what mercies thou hast received and when there is any mercy that thou prayest for some marke should be set untill thou hast an answer of that prayer from God and that day the Lord gives thee that answer make a reference from that day to the day of praying for that mercy 2. Adv. Secondly Choose some spirituall friend one or more to whom thou mayst wholly unbosome thy self in all spiritual matters but a great deal of caution need to be had in this particular he need to be one of a 1000 that thou choosest thus thou needest have a gr●at deal of Experince of his spirituall wisedome humility and experience of the ways of God for be he never so learned though he understand all mysteries and all knowledge though he hath never such excellent gifts of edification yet if he be not an experienced Christian thou wilt little benefit either by his society or counsell for when he speaks of spirituall and experimentall truths and the discourses of such truths are the very life of the communion of Saints I say that his discourses concerning such matters be he never so learned if he be not experienced in them will be without life or relish he will seldom speak of such things but when he does it it will be with so much heaviness that thou mayst cleerly perceive he doth speak but by rote