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
A44826	The benefit of a well-ordered conversation as it was delivered in a sermon preached June 24th. 1682. On a day of publick humiliation. As also a funeral discourse upon the three first verses of the third chapter of Isaiah; occasioned by the death of the worshipful Major General Denison; who deceased at Ipswich, Sept. 20. 1682. By Mr. William Hubbard. To which is annexed an Irenicon or a salve for New-England's sore: penned by the said major general; and left behind him as his farewell and last advice to his friends of the Massachusets.	Hubbard, William, 1621 or 2-1704.; Denison, Daniel, 1613-1682. Irenicon.	1684 (1684)	Wing H3208; ESTC W9576	81,919	262

And it is Gods salvation which his People seek for and therefore David often stiles God his Salvation and his Deliverance 2. A Salvation which God will give For in the Hebrew it is I will cause him to see the salvation of God which is to note the effectualness of this promise though it may seem never so improbable and almost impossible yet God will make them that order their way aright to see his salvation at such a time 3. It is also more emphatically expressed in the third person Such a one shall be made to see the salvation of God It was a time of great extremity in Samaria in Jehoram's time Death as well as Dearth was come upon them There is a word of Salvation comes from the Lord by the mouth of the Prophet which speaks of great plenty that should be forthwith in Samaria God made it good but the unbelieving Lord though he saw it with his eyes yet he never felt the good of Salvation because he did not order his way aright to give Glory to the God of Israel by believing the word which he spake by his Prophet Junius renders the word See by enjoying for so the sence of seeing which is the most noble active of all the senses is frequently put for feeling enjoying obtaining as it is in Jer. 17.6 where the unbelieving wretches that trust in an arm of Flesh whose hearts depart away from God are said to be cursed and shall be left like the Heath in the Desart that shall not see when God cometh If we observe the conduct of Providence in the former as well as in the present age we shall find the people of God often reduced to those streights that none but the Almighty could grant them Salvation from The words thus opened do very naturally and of themselves run into this proposition or point of Doctrine Doct. A right ordered Conversation is the direct and necessary way for any people or person to obtain Gods Salvation The best improvement of this Doctrine will be 1. By shewing wherein consists a well ordered Conversation 2. By laying open the salvation which such shall see 3. Confirming this truth by such instances and reasons as may be found in our experience 4. By answering such objections as look another way 5. By making such Application as the nature of the truth requires 1. For the first of these there are sundry things necessary to a well ordered Conversation 1. A good beginning or a sound principle within He that doth not begin well will never end well if he will never alter his course For he that sets out in a wrong way the longer he continues therein is gone further from the desired end if Gods Salvation be that which was aimed at then at his first entrance thereinto For so Christ tells the Pharisees that their proselytes are twofold more the Children of Hell than they were before They must not set out in the Flesh that ever intend or hope to end in the Spirit A good Tree is absolutely needful to good fruit and so is a good heart unto a good life If the Fountain be not clean it will never send forth good Water in its Streams for as James tells us The same Fountain can never send forth sweet water and bitter The heart must be changed before the words and works will be found pure and perfect for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks the hands work and the feet walks the Index in a Clock points to those figures without that the wheels within move unto The heart is the primum mobile in this little World that carries all the other Orbs of the thoughts affections senses and Organs along with it Since the Fall the frame of every mans heart is bent to evil only to evil and that continuully and therefore the whole frame of nature must be changed and turned about before any motion can be made toward this salvation of God There must be a gracious disposition or inclination of the Will whereby it comes to be determined to well-doing before any hope of Salvation will be brought about For as Ames saith well It is the heart or will that is the proper seat and subject of virtue Because Voluntas nec a se nec a ratione sufficienter determinata est ad bonum ergo opus habet sua propra dispositione ad recte agendum i. e. the Will is neither of it self nor by by the force of reason sufficiently determined unto good therefore it stands in need of a proper disposition of its own to incline it to well-doing Take any of the children of men of the most towardly natural disposition let him be advantaged by the most likely way of education both by precepts of vertue and good examples leading thereunto Lay before him as many Arguments Reasons as may be of force to convince the most obstinate mind and obdurate heart so as he shall be forced to acknowledge that the precept is holy just and good the way directly tending unto life yet till the heart be changed and over-poured by a work of supernatural grace the life will alwayes be found barren of any good fruit void of holiness and sincere obedience yea many times none are found more vitious in their lives than such as have had the best advantage for piety by their education None ever proved worse Children than those who have had the best of men for their Parents till their hearts were changed by the power of divine Grace if ever they attained thereunto Of which Ishmael and Esau Simeon and Levi Hophni and Phinehas Ammon and Absolom in the families of Abram Isaac Jacob Eli David Jonathan the Son of Gershom Judg. 18.30 the Grand-child of Moses the Ring-leader of Idolatry among the Tribes of Israel the like may be said of Joash under the tuition of Jehojeda Amongst the Heathens Nero the Emperour of Rome was bred up under Seneca the best of Heathen Philesophers yet of all the Heathen Rulers none ever proved more prodigiously wicked Thus as Paul speaks 1 Cor. 15.47 48. The first man is of the earth earthy the second man is of the Lord from Heaven As is the earthy such are they also that are earthy and as is the heavenly such are they also that are heavenly Till there be a change wrought in the heart that doth imprint the image of the heavenly Adam upon the Soul there will be nothing but an earthly Conversation until we become born again from Heaven it will never be said truly that our Conversation is in Heaven This seems to be the reason why the Scripture lays so much weight upon the uprightness and obedience of the heart My Son give me thy heart And above all keepings keep the heart for out of it are the issues of life that is the great wheel that carries all other powers and faculties along with it And if the heart be not changed by the infusing a new disposition though

why should we not be ravished to be there to joyn as Atoms to their unity as rayes to the body of the light To shew us the way from aloft those Torches of the night gallantly shews us their twinkling baits They shine not to us but to shew us the way of their azure vaults as being the only place of our repose Manchester al Mondo It is matter of complaint with the Prophet Isaiah That the Righteous perish and no man layes it to heart and that merciful men are taken away none considering that the righteous are taken from the evil to come peradventure in those times men need for piety and vertue were taken out of the World as a presage of approaching evils from which God would exempt those his faithful Servants yet is it added for their comfort that they shall enter into peace resting in their beds for as their Death is called a Sleep so are their Graves likened unto Beds in which perfumed with the Odours of their Saviour merit they rest in quiet till the great day of refreshing come FINIS Irenicon OR A SALVE For NEW-ENGLAND'S Sore By Major DANIEL DENISON Printed in the Year 1684. To the Reader THe Excellency of the work of making or maintaining peace may be gathered from the great reward promised by our Saviour to all such that they shall be called the Children of God And although it be a Duty principally incumbent on the Counsellers and Embassaders of peace yet such is the necessity thereof oft times even in the best times of the Church that may encourage any one and discourage none that may have an opportunity of dealing therein It is recorded of old that not only Bezaleel and Aholiab attended to the work of the Tabernacle who were immediately inspired and called of God to that service but that all who were wise in heart willingly offered themselves thereunto on which considerations it need be the less wondred at that the Worthy Gentleman who Penned the following Essay applied himself to such a Service for promoting the peace of this our Jerusalem Although his proper Work and Imployment lay in another Spheare Holy David himself that was a Man of War and expert in that Service famous for his skill and success therein makes this Declaration for himself That he was for Peace though others when he spake were for War And indeed they were commanded of God to offer terms of Peace to the worst of their Enemies all save the Cananites that were under the Anathema before they enterprized a War upon them Great have been the mischiefs and miseries of Dissention and Strife in the later as well as former Ages of the Church which oft times have ended in a kind of War As in Germany the controversie between the Lutherans and others about the Lords Supper was called Bellum Sacramentale Every one having a share in the common Bottom whereon we are all Embarqued it is great pity any endeavours should be omitted to prevent a Shipwreck They who being advanced above others by the eminency of their Wisdom and Experience as well as by the Dignity of their Places have a peculiar advantage above the rest to foresee Dangers approaching and cannot do a better service to their Neighbours than to give them timely notice of the evils impending and of the surest wayes to prevent them He must need be very dull of understanding who doth not observe how in our Constitution Difference in Church matters are like to have no small influence upon our Civil Affairs especially when it is ready to come to siding and making of Parties Paul tells the Corinthians while one says he is of Paul another he is of Apollos they are carnal and walk as men It is a too apparent symptom of a spirit of Dissention prevailing when men are denominated or known by others to be of this or that Party although they should not so speak of themselves As for the manner of handling this Subject by the Author If the Writings of very learned and judicious men treating thereof be consulted withal it will appear that he hath as discreetly laid open the malady growing upon us and laid down as exact and compendious a method for a suitable Medicine as any other that hath medled therewith It was the Observation of Solomon the wisest of men and seconded by the experience of all future times that only by Pride cometh Contention as it is written by a very learned Pen And that emulation about wisdom wealth and holiness have put the whole Earth into combustion This is the root of bitterness to all other evils of self-love malice and envy of all which Covetousness is an inseparable companion and is either chief in the first enterprize or over-rules in carrying on all wayes of commotion A Disease when first discovered may easily be cured as Physitians tell us If that be our case at this time the Receipts propounded in the ensuing Discourse seem very proper and if seriously applied may with Gods blessing be a great help to bring a sober people into a meet posture for obtaining the desired blessing of Peace which the God of all Grace grant unto this poor People which have with great cost labour and hazard travailed so far to enjoy It is the Apostolical Blessing to them that are of one mind and live in peace That the God of Love and Peace shall be with them Irenicon FOr the Divisions of Reuben were great thoughts of heart The manifest Distempers in our Israel cannot but affect the hearts of all her Children and call for present help shall Desolation and Destruction the unavoidable consequents of such Divisions come upon her and shall none of her Sons that she hath brought forth take her by the hand to guid her into the wayes of her peace is the Disease incurable is there no Balm in Gilead is there no Phisitian there I am no Practitioner in that Art but that ardent affection which opened the mouth of the Dumb Child to the saving of the life of his Parents hath drawn from me these rude and simple Proposals which if propounded according to Art might be sanative and healing I would not be an Emperick though short of a Physitian I had rather be accused to want skill than good will to help in a Case so dangerous want of leasure and ability may secure you I shall not be tedious what I have to offer to consideration you will find under these Heads 1. What our present Maladies are intended in this Discourse 2. What might be the Occasion thereof 3. The Danger 4. The blameable Causes 5. The Cure 1. The Distemper if my Rules fail me not is originally a Cathexie or ill habit of the Body the Spring and Fountain of many dangerous Diseases and lethal symptoms which if arising from the constitution the cure is hopeless if from external Accidents though dangerous yet not remediless Among the manifold symptoms of this Disease I apprehend none more threatning our

the summer of prosperity came upon them how soon were they even the face of the whole Christian World over-run with a deluge of Impiety and Prophaneness how soon was the pure and choice Wine of the Gospel mingled with the Mara waters of the Curse and their silver all become Dross The dreggs of of Arrianism presently after Constantine poysoned the Fountains of living water in all the Eastern Churches as the sink of Idolatry and Superstition had infected all the Churches of the west which made way for the cursed Impostures of Mahometanism with other barbarous manners in the East as Antichristianism Tyranny and Oppression that surprized the western Churches of the World that overspread the whole Christian World with a very Sea of Abominations out of which the Church hath been labouring a long while to wade but she hath not as yet been able sufficiently to shake her self from out of the dust of Babylon such is the deplorable estate of the Church in this present time not much unlike the state of Israel when having been by the conduct of Moses drawn out of Egypt towards the edge of the Wilderness and frontiers of the land of promise when behold the Dragon that formerly held them in Bondage is pursuing them not without hope to attain them again and bring them under subjection a second time But they that order their way aright in the sense of the Text shall sooner or later see the salvation of God The Reasons of this Point are principally these three Reas 1. From the consideration of God whose Name is engaged for the defence and salvation of his People The perfections of the Almighty oblidge him to shew his salvation to all them that order their way aright and only to them that so do His eyes run to and fro through the whole Earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect before him then 2 Chron. 16.9 his omnipotent arm is stretched out to save and deliver all such walk before me and be upright I am God al-sufficient saith God to Abraham Gen. 17.1 And as his hand is able to save them so is his ear as well as his eye open to their cry Psal 34. yea sometimes before they call God is ready to answer and whiles they are yet speaking he will hear Isai 65.24 to the like purpose is their promise Isai 58.9 10. His word and faithfulness is engaged also to save all the meek of the Earth they whose hearts are lifted up in them are not right before him but humble contrite ones are the people he is engaged to save and defend yea he hath bound himself by his promise in the 15 verse of this fiftieth Psalm that if they call upon him in the day of trouble he will answer them The face of the Lord is set against all you that do evil He is an holy God and therefore hath declared that the evil shall not dwell with him he hates the workers of Iniquity and all them that turn aside to their own crooked wayes and his Justice is armed against them with vengeance to punish them Not one iota of his threatnings shall shall pass away till all be fulfilled sooner or later upon all the wicked of the World whose wayes are perverse before him Yea he hath declared concerning all such that when they spread forth their hands he will hide his eyes and when they make many prayers he will not hear because their hearts and hands are defiled with the guilt of sin Reas 2. From the consideration of his People who when they order their way aright are in a meet capacity for mercy and fit for salvation In case of a peoples continued obedience they may plead Gods Covenant that they are his People he is obliged to be their God i. e. to be their Saviour and to do all that a God can do for them and in case they have sinned and done never so perversely before him yet if they order their way aright as to Repentance and Reformation his Covenant doth then also oblige him to cause them to see his Salvation this is expresly mentioned by Solomon at the Dedication of the Temple when there was a solemn restipulation or renewing of Covenant between God and his People 2 Chron. 6. when God appeared unto Solomon as is expressed in the 14th verse of the next Chapter he seems to assent to all those Articles If my People who are called by my Name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked wayes then will I hear from Heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their Land in respect of all those Calamities insisted on at large in the former chapter and briefly summed up in the former verse They shall be made to fee the salvation of God delivering them from all those evils or what ever else might be conceived to befal them It may be said of such an holy or such an humbled People that they are a people prepared for the Lord ready for the salvation of the Lord and it shall not be long before they see it Salvation shall be for Gates and Bulwarks to such a People so was it unto Hezekiah and the people in his time who had sought the Lord and did by Faith rely upon him Jerusalem is now walled about with Salvation the proud Assyrian shall not be able to shoot an Arrow over such Bulwarks much less shall he be able to break through those Gates of Salvation This is an experience confirmed of old to the Faith of a believing People ever since Jacob's time no doubt he had been humbled for his deceiving his Father and was reconciled to God before he took his journey into Padan-aram and therefore now he can plead the Covenant of God and put the Almighty in mind of his promise Thou saidst thou wilt bless me therefore Jacob shall be made to see Gods Salvation in the midst of those dangers h● is surrounded with Thus if his People stir up themselves to lay hold of hi● strength they shall see the salvation o● God in their utmost perils God did afterwards make the way of his Precepts plain before his Servants in the Book of Deuteronomie instructing them how they should walk before him in the enjoying and improving that good Land they were going to possess how they should till and dress it how they should reap it and dispose of the fruits thereof if they could then say when they came with their Oblations Deut. 26.13 14 15. I have brought away the hallowed things out of my house c. I have not transgressed thy Commandments neither have I forgotten them c. Then might they also add what is in the 15th verse Look down from thy holy Habitation from Heaven and bless thy people Israel and the Land which thou hast given us as thou swearest to our Fathers Thus having ordered their way aright they might with confidence and comfort expect to see the