Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
evil_n	evil_a	heart_n	thought_n	2,080	5	8.0009	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30615	Two treatises of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs. The first of earthly-mindedness, wherein is shewed, 1. What earthly-mindedness is. ... 6. Directions how to get our hearts free from earthly-mindedness. The second treatise. Of conversing in heaven, and walking with God. Wherein is shewed, 1. How the Saints have their conversation in heaven. ... 9. Rules for our walking with God. The fourth volumn [sic] published by Thomas Goodwyn. William Greenhil. Sydrach Simpson. Philip Nye. William Bridge. John Yates. William Adderley.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1652 (1652)	Wing B6125A; ESTC R213424	187,721	276

and in company they have not that freedome of their eyes to see things as at another time Oh! many men com to the word with their thik clay a great deal of filth that doth clam up their very eyes and dead their hearts in the hearing of the Word you know what Christ said to Martha when Mary was sitting at Christs feet and hearing his word but Martha was cumbred with many things so 't is many times with those that come to hear the Word though they are in the presence of Christ and have the sound of the Word in their ears yet their hearts are cumbred about many things there 's a great noise in their hearts they are busied in the world even while they are hearing of the Word as you find it in the 33. of Ezek. 31. ver there is an notable discription I fear it may be of many of you And they come unto thee saith the Lord to the Prophet as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after thir Covetousness They sit befor thee as my people and they hear thy words mark and they shew much love with their mouth they will commend the Sermon it may be they will say He is an excellent Preacher it 's a very good Sermon that we heard this day they wil shew love with their mouth but yet their hearts go after their covetousnesse for all that they heard a man speak fine things and brought excellent expressions for to set forth his matter that he had in hand but yet their hearts are after the things of the earth and after their Covetousness they had carnal earthly drossie hearts and hence it was that there was no good came unto them by the Ministry of the Word And that famous place which we have for this which shews it cleerly in the 13. of Matt. 22. ver you know the several sorts of ground that had the seed of the Word sown into them but there was but one of them that was good and faithfull and among others there was the thorny ground He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulnesse of riches choaks the Word and it becometh unfruitful I beseech you observe it these that our Saviour speaks of here in this parable that get no benefit by the Word are not men that live lewdly your drunkards swearers and whoremasters but those that have earthly hearts it 's said the deceitfulness of riches the things of the earth do not hinder in an open way for thousands of men that have earthly hearts they do not know that they have earthly hearts no it is the deceitfulnesse of riches and it choaks the Word it may be just when they are in hearing of the Word it doth affect them Oh they think it 's sweet and they will remember it but the deceitfulnesse of riches and the cares of this world choaks the word when they come they have businesses about the world and their houses and gardens and comings in and full tables and all the delights that they have in the world comes and possesses the heart that the word is choakt it cannot get down into the soul to sink in there and so to prevail in the soul to bring forth fruit Oh the word is choakt Oh many of you come here three times on the Lords day and have precious seed sown all those times and yet Oh! how it is choakt through the cares of this world and through the deceitfulnesse of the things of this world You bring with you and keep with you and carry along with you earthly minds and hence it is that the Word prevails not with your hearts Oh! what do you loose through this earthlinesse you lose the fruit of the Word that should save your souls a spiritual heart having received some one truth into it afterwards blesses God for it and would not for ten thousand worlds but he had had that truth preached unto his heart at such a time Oh he hath cause to blesse God for such a morning for such a day that he hath had such a goodly pearl of great price presented to him and taking root in his heart I say it 's more than if God had given them thousands of worlds to possess But now many of you having your thoughts and hearts about some petty thing of this world all those blessed Truths that you hear from time to time that the very Angels desire to pry into they are all choak'd and come to be unfruitful What was the reason when the young man came to Christ to know what he should do to the Eternal life that he got no good the Text saith That he had great possessions A man no question may be a rich man and yet a godly man a holy man but when the heart is in the estate mixed with the earth Oh! this it was that hindred the young man from imbracing of Jesus Christ even when he came to him Young men for the most part are rather guilty of fleshlinesse than seeking after the riches of the world yet sometimes it hath been the bain of some young men at their first setting up they were very forward when they were servants Oh! how precious was the Word unto them but when they were got into the world and found the sweetness of it coming in Oh then the Word hath been choak'd to them and they have lost the savour they had in the Word they have lost the relish of the Word it is not now sweet to them as formerly it hath been Oh many examples there hath been this way That 's the great evil of Earthly-mindednesse that it doth hinder the great benefit of the Word and there is much evill in this If you had hearts to receive what is delivered your hearts would tremble at the thought of this Oh Lord what shall I be hindred from profiting by this word 't is the great blessing of God to the world it 's that that must save my soul there 's more worth in it than ten thousand worlds whatsoever should hinder my profiting by thy Word I had need take heed of it take heed of earthly-mindednesse many of your consciences cannot but tell you this sometimes any businesse will keep an earthly-minded man from coming to the Word and when he doth come there is earth in his heart and ears that keeps him from attending upon the Word and when thy thoughts are about earthly things in the hearing of a Sermon it may be there is some truth passes by thy soul that might have sav'd thee eternally and thou hast lost that opportunity which perhaps thou shalt never have again The Seventh Evil opened in Six Particulars Further In the seventh place Earthly-mindedness it causes many foolish lusts in the heart that 's a

fair and beautiful wheresoever they come and be as sombody in the world these do thus and thus these forsake the truths of God and seek to provide for themselves in the things of the flesh Fiftly Men naturally never knew better things than the things of the earth and therefore no marvel though they mind earthly things so much Children that are born in a dungeon and never knew any better place they can play up and down in the dungeon So it is with men that never knew what the things of heaven and eternal life meant they can mind earthly things better than those but when once the Lord opens the eyes of their understandings to see into the reality excellency and glory of spiritual things they then wonder at their former blindness in minding such poor low mean foolish rattles as the things of the earth are Sixtly There are earthly principles continually dropt into men by converse with other men that are men of the earth 49. Psal 11. and 13. Their inward thoughts is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling place to all generations they call their lands after their own names Their hearts are set upon these things then in the 13. verse This their way is their folly yet their posterity approve their sayings They are applauded by men they see that every body do applaud them in these waies and when they converse one with another they do converse about the things of the earth and the common example of men they see every body following the things of the earth and are greedy after these toyes and that likewise doth incline their minds to the things of the earth Lastly The sensible experience they have had of the sweetnesse that there is in the things of the earth This is that that takes off their minds from spiritual things and makes them to mind the things of the earth But though these be the reasons why men do thus mind the things of the earth and an earthly-minded man blesses himself in his way and thinks he hath good reason for what he doth and thinks all men fools that do not grovel in the ground like a mole with himself and looks upon the matter of Religion but as meer words and talk let them do what they will I find contentment here yet certainly at length it will prove folly this their way as the holy Ghost saith in the 49 Psal This their way it is but their folly and in the end the wise men of the earth those that have sought the things of the earth and blesse themselves in their way they will prove to be the greatest fools the holy Ghost accounts them so In the 17. of Jere. 11. verse As the Partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not so he that getteth riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his daies and at his end shall be a fool He applauds himself for the present in what he hath got but at the end he shall be a fool CHAP. V. NOW the main thing that is still behind in the Point It is therefore to endeavour to take off the minds of men and women from the things of this earth that so by it I may make preparation to the next Point which is of infinite concernment The Conversations in Heaven But because their conversations cannot be in Heaven till their minds be taken off from the earth till the disease of Earthly-mindednesse be cur'd therefore we must now propound those things that may help to take off the minds of men from the earth Eleven Considerations to take off mens hearts from Earthly-mindedness First Consider this That all the things of the earth that thy mind and heart is upon if thou couldst possess them all as thine own yet there is not so much good in them as to countervail the evil of the least sin not of the least sin of thought thy heart is mudling upon the things of the earth and thinkest that thou shouldest be blest if thou badst thus and thus as others have Let me tell thee if thou hast but one sinful thought there is more evil in that than there 's good in all that ever thou shalt get all the daies of thy life in the world and if this be so that there is more evil in the least fin than there is good in all the things of the earth it concerns thee rather to have thy mind how to avoid sin or how to get the evil of sin to be remov'd and how to get thy sin to be mortified that concerns thee more than the minding and plodding about the things of the earth that 's one consideration A Second Consideration A second is this that may take off the hearts of men from the things of the earth That the chief things that are in the earth yea name what terrene excellency possibly a man may be crowned with under Heaven hath been the portion of Reprobates heretofore and is to this day and shall be the portion of multitudes whom God hates and hath set apart to glorifie his infinite Justice upon eternally Shall thy mind and heart be set upon such things as are the portion of Reprobates will a Reprobates portion content thee will it serve thee art thou satisfied with dogs meat If it will not content thee why is it that thy mind is so much upon the things of the earth It may be thou that art poor and mean in the world thy mind is upon some little matter thou canst never expect to have any great things in the world and yet thou mindest them as if that there were thy portion and thy happiness some small pittance to furnish thy house to provide for thy self and thy poor family Oh friend if it were possible for thee to get the Empire of the whol world under thy foot yet thou shouldest get no more than hath been the portion of such as God hath hated and if so be that Kingdoms and Empires have been the portion of Reprobates why doest thou mind things that are lower abundantly and let the strength of thine heart flow out upon such things as these are A Third Consideration A third consideration is this Surely God hath made man for higher things than the things of this earth Oh! if thou hadst but thy thoughts often working this way Wherefore do I think in my conscience hath God made the children of men for what end why hath he sent them hither into the world Of all the creatures that God hath here upon the earth he hath none capable to know him the infinite First being of all things but only the children of men God hath given them such a nature as is capable of some converse with him surely then there be other things that God made man for than to have meat and drink and cloathes and here to live a while only to enjoy creatures Do not we reade often That Jesus Christ was God and Man took

peace with God by some thing that he himself must perform but for the point of Free justification by the grace of God in Christ it 's too Divine Spiritual and Heavenly for an earthly-minded man to apprehend in the Spiritualnesse of it an earthly-minded man his apprehensions of God are but in a carnal earthly way as the Prophet speaks in the 1 of Isa The Ox knows his owner and the Ass his masters crib Even after that manner doth an earthly-minded man know God as an Ox his owner and the Ass his masters crib as thus the ox knows his owner because he brings him fodder daily so an earthly-minded man hath no other apprehensions of God but this he thinks God gives him good things in this world God makes his corn to grow or Prospers his voyage An earthly-minded man may rise so high to have apprehensions of God as bringing good things unto him here on earth But one that is spiritual and heavenly doth apprehend God as God doth not look upon God meerly as good in respect of the benefit he receives from God here but he looks upon God as he is in himself he sees the face of God as there 's a great deal of difference between a man that knows another man and a beast that knows a man The ox knows his owner the ox knows the man that brings hay or provender to him but a man knows a man in another way knows what the nature of a man is knows what it is to be a rational creature so one that is spiritual knows what God is in himself he sees the face of God and understands what God is in another way than others do the difference between the knowledge of God that a spiritual soul hath one that is pure in heart and the knowledge of God that an earthly heart hath is just so much difference as comes to this As the ox knows the man that drives him to fat pastures so doth an earthly man know God that gives him good things but a spiritual heart knows God as one man knows another not in his full excellency I mean not so but there is such a kind of difference in some degree between the apprehensions of God in a spiritual heart and the apprehensions of God in an earthly heart And so we might mention in many other Spiritual and Divine Truths that an earthly mind doth apprehend but in an earthly way consider of Heaven its self how doth an earthly mind apprehend that he apprehends that he shall be delivered from pain and shall have some kind of glory but knows not what it is conceives it according to the way of the earth some pompous glotious thing that he shall live in pleasures and not in pain and so apprehends all the glory of Heaven but in sensuality whereas a spiritual heart looks at Heaven in another kind of notion he looks upon the enjoyment of Communion with God and Jesus Christ in Heaven and living of the life of God in Heaven that 's a thing that an earthly heart hath no skill at all in neither doth such an heart so much as savour it Thus I have in these several particulars discovered what an earthly-minded man is Oh that you would lay your hands upon your hearts and every one consider how far these things do reach you But I have besides these divers other convincements to convince the consciences of men and women that yet there is much earthlinesse in them but of them we shall treat of in their order afterwards The Second head to consider is this The great evill that there is in earthly-mindedness They mind earthly things Is that any such great matter you will say indeed we cannot imagine the transcendency of the evil that there is in this We think there 's a great deal of evil in swearing whoring drinking and such kind of scandalous sins and indeed there is But to have an earthly mind we do not think this to be so exceeding evil yet you will find that the Scripture doth speak most dreadful things against this and if God please to set them home upon your hearts I hope there is much glory may come to God by it and much good unto you in particular CHAP. III. Fourteen Evils of Earthly-mindedness The First EVIL F●●●● The Scripture cals it Adultery it is spiritual Adultery in Jude 4. vers Ye Adulterers and Adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God They were Adulterers and Adulteresses in respect of their love to the world you that would abhor the thought of a temptation to Adultery yet you may commit spiritual Adultery a man or a woman may be an Adulterer or an Adulteresse before the Lord though they never commit the act of uncleannesse with another yet if their hearts be towards another they be guilty of uncleannesse for Christ saith whosoever doth but look after a woman to lust after her in his heart he hath committed adultery already that is hath sinned against that command that forbids adultery Is it so that if a man do but let his heart go after another woman more than his wife and a wife after another man more than her husband this is adultery before the Lord. So if our hearts be after any things more than the Lord Jesus Christ that we profess our selves married to and he to be our husband this is adultery in Scripture phrase The Second EVIL Yea further A worldly or an earthly-mind in Scripture phrase is called Idolatry in Ephes 5. 5. speaking of divers sins that should not be so much as named among them as it became Saints he hath Covetousness among the rest and he ads this And Covetousness which is Idolatry Now what is Earthly-mindednesse but Covetousnesse which is Idolaitry A man or woman is an Idolater that is of an Earthly mind Now Idolatry which is a worshiping of stocks and stones you all account to be a great sin but do you and al others take heed of another Idolatry that may be as bad that is To have your hearts to make the god of this world to be your God the cursed Mammon of unrighteousnesse to make the things of the earth to be your Christ to fall down and worship the golden-Calfe of the world It 's certain that that thing a mans heart is most taken with and set upon that 's his God and therefore here in this verse out of which my Text is it 's said They made earthly things their bellies their God The Voluptuous and Drunkard makes their Belly their God and the Unclean person makes his Strumpet to be his goddesse and worshppeth that whatsoever thy heart is most upon that 's thy God therefore that you must know to be the meaning of the Commandement Thou shalt have no other Gods before me That is thou shalt give me the strength of thy soul and nothing else So I am a God to my Creature when I have its strength exercised

's true of many men in this case that I am speaking of their very souls do cleave to the dust their spirits are mixed with the earth and therefore they are drossie Though it may be they have some good common gifts some good natural parts and some workings of the holy Ghost upon them yet their spirits are drossie because they are mixt with the earth discourse never so much to these men of the vanity of the things of the earth they will give you the hearing but when you have done all their souls do cleave to the earth and discourse never so much to them of the excellency of heavenly things they will hear you but when you have done all their souls stil cleaves to the earth As a man whose soul cleaves in love to a woman As it is said of Sampson his soul did cleave to Dalilab talk what you will against that women or of the excellency of any other woman yet his soul cleaves to that woman so 't is in an earthly minded man let what will be said against the things of the earth or what can be said for the setting forth of the excellency of the things of Heaven yet his soul cleaves to the earth as the Serpents belly did to the dust of the ground That 's an earthly minded man Fourthly An earthly minded man it on whose heart is filled with distracting cares about the earth what he shall eat and drink and what he shall put on how he shall provide for himself and his family and what shall become of him at such a time Though he be well now yet what may become of him afterwards when the heart is filled with distracting cares about the things of the earth so far as the heart hath these prevailing over it so far such a man may be judged to be earthly There are two things that do cause distrating cares about anie businesse The first is An apprehension of some verie great evil In case I should be disappointed I look upon my disappointment in such a thing as a most intolerable evil to me If I should be disappointed I know not what in the world to do That 's the first The second is An uncertaintie in the means for the preventment of this disappointment when as I look upon disappointment as a very great evil so those means that should prevent and help me against disappointment I cannot trust to I look upon them as too weak to help me notwithstanding al such means I may yet be desappointed this causes distracting thoughts so t is in the things of the earth an earthly minded man or woman hath his thoughts fil'd with distracting cares about the world That is thus First They looking upon the things of the world as such great things they conceive if they should be disappointed they should be undone they look upon it as such a fearful unsufferable evil to be depriv'd of their estate and outward comforts in this world Secondly They don't look upon the means of provision for themselves and families as having anie certaintie in it which is a main thing to be considered of As for outward things in the world they find by experience there is uncertainty in them And then for any promse that there is in Scripture that God will provide for them and their families alas that they dare not trust to that 's a thing that of all means they think to be the weakest Lord have mercy upon them say they if they have nothing else to trust to but only a word in Scripture they think themselves most miserable and wretched But now it would be otherwise with the soul if it were not earthly minded it would not be at any great pause how things do fall out here in the matters of the world it 's true perhaps I may miscarry in such a businesse and my estate may be taken from me by the Caldeans or Sabeans as Jobs was but I shall not be undone my happiness is not gone I shall have that that will comfort me when all that is gone suppose the worst yet this will not undo me Indeed a man that sends abroad in a venture all his whole estate he is very solicitous because if there be ill news about it he is undone but another man that hath a great deal of riches house and Lands and a stock at home to maintain him and his family If there comes such ill news I have a stock to live on he thinks therefore he is not so much solicitous So a worldly man all his stock is in the earth there 's his only portion and if he miscarries there he is undone But a godly man though he hath the things of the earth yet he hath something else treasures in Heaven to rest upon besides the earth and therefore he is not so solicitous And then for the second The uncertainty of means and help if a godly man looks upon outward causes he sees all is uncertain but he hath a promise to rest upon I will never leave you nor forsake you cast your care upon me for I care for you and this he looks upon as a certain means and help whatsoever fals out here 's a promise that he can build upon and therefore this takes off his solicitous cares But an earthly minded man or woman whose heart is fild with distracting cares because he look upon himself as undone if he miscarries here and hath nothing to rest upon for his provision in this world more than the creature Fifthly An earthly minded man or woman is one whose great business of his heart and endeavours of his life are about the things of the earth he makes it his great business and the strong endeavours of his spirit are exercised in the things of the earth He eagerly and greedily works with the strongest intention about these things his whole Soul the whole man is laid out about the world it is the adequate object of his soul You will say Other men they are busie in their callings as well as these that you account earthly minded men I but mark they are busie about their callings in obedience to God and for outward things set aside their obedience to God then I say all the things that they busie themselves about in the world were it not under that consideration that they were obeying God in it they would not be adequate objects for their souls I mean by an adequate object that that Is sufficient to take up the whole strength of the soul to lay it out fully I 'le give you this similitude to express my mind further to shew you what I mean by an adequate object You have a little child he is playing at sports now this sport it hath as much in it as there is in his spirit there is a kind of equality between his spirit and such a sport there is benefit enough a child conceives in such a sport as it's worth the laying out of all his

great evil and for that you have the same Scripture that was before for the temptations and snare 1 Tim. 6. 9. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts lusts that are very foolish and simple 1. As for instance It causes men to follow after things that are very vile and mean it causes men to bestow the strength of their immortal souls about things that have no worth at all in them that 's a foolish lust to bestow the strength of an immortal soul about vanities If you should see men that are of excellent parts for to spend their time about trifles and toyes as about catching of flies and following of feathers you would say surely they begin to be besotted so for the soul of man that is capable of such excellency as it is of communion with God with the Father Son and holy Ghost for such a soul to have the strength of it spent about such poor trifling things that cannot profit in the evil day Oh this is a foolish lust Secondly Foolish lusts for earthly-mindedness causes thee to be a servant to thy servants you would account that man a fool that should be a servant to his servants So God hath made the things of the earth to be a servant to thee and yet thou wilt come and put thy neck under thy servants yoke and art a servant to thy servant yea were it not a great deal of folly for a man to expect all his honour and respect to come from his servant rather than from any excellency in himself as thus Suppose a man were travelling indeed there is respect given to him but it 's for his servants sake rather than his own If he should come to know this this he would account a great dishonor to himself But an earthly heart I say puts himself into such a condition as indeed he makes it to be his greatest honour to have honour from his estate and riches So that men do not respect rich men for any worth that there is in themselves or for any excellency of their own but only for their riches as much as to say a man is not respected for himself but for his servant Take some men that have had estates but now they are deprived of them and are become as poor as any Almes-men or Beggars amongst us who doth regard them then But now let a man have grace and holinesse if he were turned out of all and made as poor as Job yet he were one that the Angels of Heaven would look upon with honour and would glory in attending upon him this is the difference between the carnal earthly heart and the spiritual heart It 's a foolish lust to make himself to be a servant to his servant 3. It brings into foolish lusts For a man might have as much it may be more of the earth if he did not mind it so much as he doth Now for a man to mind the earth and to indanger himself in the minding of it when as he might have it as well without so much minding surely this is a foolish thing For a man to bestow a great deal of labour about a thing when as he might have it with lesse labour he is a fool surely Certainly if you be such as belongs to God especially you may rather expect God to bless you if you kept your hearts more spiritual you might expect that God would grant to you more of the good things of this world if you were lesse earthly-minded than you are and it 's your earthly-mindednesse that makes God cut you short of these things I am verily perswaded there are many men that have ill successe in their earthly affairs and it 's a fruit of Gods displeasure upon them because their hearts are so much upon worldly businesses did you go on in your imployment in obedience to God and commit it to God for successe you might be crowned with more successe than you have been now what a foolish thing is this 4. Yea further It 's a great deal of folly for any of you to go and buy a thing and to pay a greater price for it than it 's worth If you send a servant to buy you commodities and when he comes home you ask him what it cost and he tells you it cost such a price which is ten times more than it's worth you will say Thus it is to send a fool to Market so an earthly minded man manifests himself to God and his Angels and all the Saints to be a fool for why thou bestowest that upon this world that is a thousand times more worth than the things of the world for thou bestowest that upon the world that might bring thee to heaven I may say to an earthly-minded man those thoughts and cares and affections and endeavours that thou doest spend upon the things of the world If they had been spent about the things of God might have sav'd thy soul to all eternity thou mightest have got Christ and Heaven and Eternity the Lord would have gone along with thee and thou maiest come hereafter to see it at the great day when all things shall be opened before men and Angels had I but spent those thoughts and cares and endeavours about understanding the waies and things of God and eternal life my soul might have bin sav'd for ever Not that our works wil do it but that God would have gone along together with you in such waies as those are now for you to spend thoughts and cares about that that perhaps you shall not have for many men and women spend their souls about the things of the world and never have them this is a sad thing Oh! wil not this be folly will not you curse your selves hereafter for your folly Oh that I should spend my self and be spent about that that I have not got neither and I must be damn'd for that whereas had I spent time about things that concern'd my soul and eternal life it would have been more like that I should have gotten those things for God doth not fail men so in spiritual things as he doth in earthly things a man may be as diligent as it 's possible for any man to be in business of the earth and yet he may miscarry but give me any man or woman that ever was diligent in seeking the things of God and eternal life that ever did miscarry I verily beleeve at the day of Judgment there will not be one man found that shall be able to say Lord I did improve what talents thou didest give me to the uttermost to save my soul but Lord because I was not able to do any more without thy grace thou didest deny thy grace to me and therefore now I must be damn'd I beleeve there will not be any soul that will be able to say so but in the matters of the world men do say so that they