Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
evil_n	bitter_a	good_a	light_n	2,289	5	8.2364	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91363	A little cabinet richly stored with all sorts of heavenly varieties, and soul-reviving influences. Wherein there is a remedy for every malady, viz. milk for babes, and meat for strong men, and the ready way for both to obtain and retain assurance of salvation: being an abridgement of the sum and substance of the true Christian religion; wherein the cause of our salvation, the way, the guide, the rule, the evidence, the seals, &c. and the connection of these points together, and dependancy of them one upon another: this I have endeavoured to do orderly, exactly, methodically, with much plainness and clearness. / By Robert Purnell.	Purnell, Robert, d. 1666.	1657 (1657)	Wing P4237; Thomason E1575_1; ESTC R209217	254,040	517

a grieving for sin both original and actual arising from an apprehension of displeasing so loving a God 2. Cor. 7. 11. For behold this self-same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what vehement desire yea what zeal yea what revenge in all things c. Repentance is not only a turning from evil to good but a hating the evil we turn from and a loving the good we turn to True repentance is a general universal change of the whole man in every part though it be but in part it doth change both heart and life word and work it makes darkness light and bitter sweet and a Leaper an Angel Isa 1. 16 17 18. Wash ye make ye clean there is the change of the heart put away the evil of your doings there is the change of the life See Ezek. 18. 30 31 32. Or repentance is a universal change in the whole man the understanding is turned from darkness to light the will from sinfulservitude to an holy liberty the affections from disorder into order the heart from hardness into softness so the eye of wantoness into an eye of chastity the uncircumcised ear into an obedient ear the hands of bribery into the hands of liberty and the feet of vanity into the waies of purity Repentance for sin is nothing without repentance from sin He that hath repented indeed doth still desire to have his sin purged as well as pardoned repentance is a work that must be timely done or we be utterly undone he that hath truly repented doth now strike most at those sins that he was most prone to before the Jaylor Act. 16. Washed those wounds that his own hands had made but a little before he acts in waies of mercy quite contrary to his former cruelty So did Zacheus Luke 19. So did Paul Acts 9. So did Manasses 2 Chron. 33. 6. True repentance hath these choice companions attending it The first is Faith Mar. 1. 14. Repent ye therefore and believe the Gospel Secondly love to Christ doth alwaies accompany repentance as we may see in Mary Magdalen Luke 7. Thirdly fear of offending God and an holy care to honour him these and the like companions do alwaies accompany true repentance they were born together and they will live together till the soul doth change earth for heaven Conviction goes alwaies with conversion and repentance and forgiveness of sins goes alwaies together so doth sanctification and justification this repentance is a flower that grows not in natures garden Jer. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spot c. Men are not born with repentance in their hearts as they are with tongues in their mouths The Nature of sin The Springs or Rise of sin The ready way to mortifie sin FIrst of the Nature of sin Although sin hath but one nature yet it hath several names in every sin we take from God and add to another thing Sin is the transgression of the Law and not believing and obeying the Gospel sin defiles a man totally it begins at the understanding and so to the will and affections sin robs a man of the Image of God of the presence of God Sin was the first founder of hell and laid the first stone thereof And yet most of this is but the effects of sin the essence must needs be much more abominable Hence sin is called poyson and sinners Serpents Sin is called vanity and sinners dogs Sin is called mire and sinners swine the least sin virtually more or less contains in it the nature of all sin no sooner did one sin set upon Adams heart but he had all sin in him every sin doth put God upon complaining Christ upon bleeding and the Spirit upon grieving and the soul a mourning many sin by omission and commission at one and the same time and yet know of neither the more there is of the will in the acting of sin the greater the sin is Some sins of omission may exceed some of commission the more deliberation and the weaker temptations any hath and yet sinneth the greater the sin is Many a man is full of sinful corruption but shew it not for want of occasion No sooner did one sin seize upon Adams heart but he had all sin in him How sin creeps up and gets head in us SAtan first tempts us to be strange one to another and then to divide and then to be bitter and jealous and then to bite and devour one another again hasty and froward words begets anger anger being kindled begets wrath wrath seeketh greedily after revenge See Prov. 17. 14. Sin is of an incroaching nature it creeps on the soul by degrees step by step David gave way to his wandring eye and so fell into the sins of murder and adultery again Satan will first draw a soul to be unclean in his thoughts then in his looks then in his words and then in deeds he will first draw a soul to look on the golden wedge and then to love the golden wedge and then to handle the golden wedge and then to gain the golden wedge Again he will draw a soul first to have low thoughts of Scripture and Ordinances and then to sleight Scripture and Ordinances and then with the Ranters and Quakers to cast off Scripture and Ordinances Again if we give way to sinful motion it will be great vain thoughts and vain thoughts will beget idle words and idle words will beget petty oaths Sins of omission do also open the door and make way for sins of commission and again fearfulness and timerousness doth arise from weakness and feebleness and weakness and feebleness doth arise from unbelief or incredulity the beginning of sin is oft by the Devils suggesting evil thoughts evil thoughts cause delight delight consent consent engendereth action action causeth custom so one sin draweth on another grant a little and a great deal will follow Sin is ill in the eye worse in the tongue worser in the heart but worst of all in the life there are three waies how Satan comes into the Soul to cheat it First as a subtile Serpent in evil thoughts Secondly as an Angel of light in lying Prophets and evil spirits Thirdly as a roaring Lyon in Persecutors Of the great danger of small sins OUR Father Adam for eating an Apple one would account it a small matter to eat an Apple Yet what misery did that bring It did slay our Father and deceive our Mother cheated and almost undone all our Brethren defiled our Sisters wounded our children and plundred all our kindred to the skin and left them as poor as Job The sin of Angels was but a small sin only one sin and but a sin in thought too not in action yet for this they were cast out of heaven One would think it but a small sin for David to number the people yet

the Gospel Col. 1. 23. The great Pillar of Marble that must bear up our hope is the promises of God in Christ he that builds his hopes for heaven only upon his own performances and good duties his hope is in vain for this is not the pillar and ground of our hope for when we have done all that we can we must lie down at the feet of Christ and conclude that our best righteousness is but silthy rags and when we have done all that we can we are but unprofitable servants Isa 64. 6. Luke 17. 10. Of Perseverance what it is It is the end that crowns the action it is not enough to begin well unless we end well Mannasseh and Paul began ill ended well Judas and Demas began well but ended ill Double damnation doth attend those that begin in the Spirit and end in the flesh Persevering Saints must work hard in the wilderness before they sit down in Paradice they must make a constant progressin holiness before they enter into happiness 1. That perseverance that is true is a perseverance in holy and spiritual principles it is an abiding in love John 15. 9 10. Col. 1. 23. If ye continue in the Faith grounded and settled and be not removed away from the hope of the Gospel See 1 Tim. 2. 15. Heb. 13. 1. 1 Cor. 13. 13. A persevering Christian doth hold on and hold out to the end Mat. 10. 22. Mat. 24. 12 13. Rev. 2. 10. Be thou faithful unto the Death and I will give thee a Crown of Life 2. It is a perseverance in believing in repenting in mourning in hoping in loving in fear in humility and in patience and self-denyal it is perseverance in grace that doth crown every grace and every gracious soul with the crown of glory at the last Rev. 2. 10. 3. In a word that which the Holy-Ghost calls perseverance hath this ingredient in it it is an abiding in the Word and Doctrine of Christ Iohn 15. 7. 1 Iohn 2. 24. Iohn 8. 31. If ye continue in my Word then are you my Disciples indeed A true Christian doth constantly maintain war and usually obtain victo●y he is resolved to conquer or die conquering We read Acts 8. 43. that Paul and Barnabas perswaded the Christians to continue in the grace of God for if we continue not we shall be cut off Rom. 11. 22. Of the gifts of the Spirit and what those best gifts are that Christ gives to his best beloved ones HAving written before of the graces of the Spirit it now follows in order to write something of the gifts of the Spirit for there are many gifts and vertues of the Spirit for every man hath his proper gift of God one after this manner another after that Jam. 1. 17. Rom. 12. 6. having then gifts differing c. 1 Cor. 12. 8. there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit To one is given a word of wisdom to another a word of knowledge by the same Spirit to another Faith by the same Spirit to another the gift of healing to another the working of miracles to another prophecying to another discerning of Spirits to another divers kind of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues hence it comes to pass that every man is eminent in his gift above others viz. Abraham exceeded Moses in faith Moses exceeded Abraham in meekness and Job exceeded both in patience and Joshua exceeded all three in valour So the Church of the Romans exceeded the Church of the Thessalonians in wisdom and knowledge and the Church of the Thessalonians exceeded the Church of the Romans in Faith and Patience So again Paul he had the gift of utterance and freedom of speech he was accoun●ed the chief Speaker he was a most eloquent man Now Barnabas did exceed Paul in another gift viz. in comforting those who were in trouble Acts 11. 23 24. and Peter did excell both Paul and Barnabas in another gift viz. in feeding the Lambs Iohn 21. 15 16. Again it is said of Iames and Iohn that they were sons of thunder as having a more powerful gift from God to terrifie and awaken sinners So then every good and perfect gift is from above as we find Iames 1. 17. And as every man hath received the gift so he is to administer the same 1 Pet. 4. 10. For to that end every man hath his proper gift of God one after this manner another after that as we read 1 Cor. 7. 7. And no man is to neglect the gift that is in him 1 Tim. 4. 14. But it is the duty of all to stir up the gift that is in them 2 Tim. 1. 6. Every man hath a gift given him according to the measure of the gift of Christ Eph. 4. 7. and so having gifts differing according to the measure that is given to us whether prophesie let us prophesie according to the proportion of Faith Rom. 12. 6 c. Again we read in 1 Cor. 12. 1 4 8 9 28. concerning spiritual gifts I would not have you ignorant for there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit for to one is given by the same Spirit the Word of wisdom to another the Word of knowledge to another faith to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit to another prophesie to another discerning of spirits to another divers kinds of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues and all this worketh that one and the self-same spirit Dividing to every man sever●●ly as he will Eph. 4. 11 12. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers Elders and Deacons ver 12. for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the Faith unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ More particularly let us enquire into this what those best gifts are that Christ gives unto his best beloved ones THere are common gifts that all in common have one as well as another but under this head I shall speak only of those most choice special gifts that he bestows upon his sons and daughters 1. He giveth light to his beloved ones yea he giveth spiritual light which is a mercy of mercies Eph. 5. 14. He gives that light whereby his people not only awake and rise from the dead but he enables them to see sin to be the greatest evil he gives that light that melts the soul that humbles the heart that warms and quickens the soul and quiets the soul and glads the soul A man is not born with heavenly light in his heart as he is born with a tongue in his mouth for till Christ comes and sets up a light in the soul the soul liveth in darkness and lies in darkness yea is darkness in the very abstract Eph. 5. 8. Ye were sometimes darkness but now are ye light in the Lord.