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
A77983	Four books on the eleventh of Matthew: viz: I. Christ inviting sinners to come to him for rest. II. Christ the great teacher of souls that come to him. To which is added a treatise of meekness and of anger. III. Christ the humble teacher of those that come to him. IIII. The only easie way to heaven. By Jeremiah Burroughs, preacher of the Gospel at Stepny and Cripple-Gate, London.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1659 (1659)	Wing B6072_pt3-4; Wing B6116_PART; Thomason E965_1; ESTC R207640	203,123	309

stand upon thy tearms But know that thou art infinitly bound to God and God is not at all bound to thee and therefore if thy heart be brought humble before the Lord thou wilt resolve whatever God doth with thee yet thou wilt do what thou Canst to Honor Him And these are the principal things of the behavior of an humble heart towards God and indeed the special work of Humility it is the work of the heart towards God which people little look upon People look upon pride in respect of others habit in their carriage towards others in their vanity of Cloaths and outward demeanors but the main work of Pride is in the behavior of the heart towards God and then we Sanctifie the name of God when we Sanctifie our hearts in an humble manner and the Reason why the hearts of sinners are not lowly before the Lord it is because they know not this God they know not that infinite distance that there is between the Lord and their Souls and here is the Reason why the Spirit of bondage lies so long many times upon sinners Why the Lord doth terrifie their Consciences It is that he might bring their hearts to be low before him that there might be the right behavior of a lowly Spirit before God himself CHAP. CXXIIII Twelve Properties of a Lowly heart in respect of it self 1. It is very suspicious of it self 2. It is willing to know the worst of it self 3. It is willing to look to his beginning 4. It is ashamed of it self 5. It loaths it self 6. It judgeth it self unworthy 7. It denies it self 8. It keeps down it self 9. It hides it self 10. Goes out of it self 11. Bemoans it self 12. Afflicts it self BUt now the second thing that hath been propounded is The behavior of a Lowly Humble heart in respect of it self and there are many things in this and they are of very great use for us for the ordering of our conversations before the Lord and the ordering of the behavior of our spirits in respect of our selves As 1. An Humble heart is very suspicious of it self I speak of that Humility that may concern our present condition here it is afraid lest there should be some secret evill in it self that yet it doth not know it is very fearful of the deceitfulness of its own heart though it doth not know for the present much evil by it self yet stil fears there is much lies hid that is not yet discovered It is a good thing for us to be jealous of our selves knowing how deceitful our hearts are the proud heart is ready to run away vvith all is content and thinks it self better than it is vvhereas the humble heart fears the worst of it self if it sees an evil in another Man or Woman it begins to reflect upon it self and is not this my heart too I am afraid that this evill is in my heart It is reported of Plato that vvhen he saw other men doing evil he vvould say to himself Nonne ego talis And am not I such a one have not I that evil in my heart So it is repor●ed of Bradford that vvhen he saw others commit sin he vvould fal a vveeping and a lamenting because he was afraid that there vvas that evil in himself that he saw in others though it did not break forth An humble heart vvhen it hears the threatnings of the vvord against any sin it begins to think thus And doth not this belong to me I am afraid that it may belong to me as vvel as to any others very suspicious and jealous of it self That is the first 2. An humble heart is unfeignedly vvilling to know the vvorst of it self and therefore it makes much of any truth that comes the nearest to its heart and that discovers it self unto it self it is glad of those truths vvhen there is a truth comes home to it to discover any evil that it did not see before it is glad of those truths and blesseth God that it comes to know any thing of it self more than formerly whereas a proud heart vvil rather vex vvhen any truth comes to discover any evil that it did not see before As some being deformed are not vvilling to have a Glass to present their true Image to them but an humble heart cries to God Lord try me Lord discover to me vvhat evil is in my heart And an humble heart loves that Company that vvil help it to see vvhat evil there is in it self or any vvay may discover vvhat evil there is in it and it vvil be meditating upon those things that may further discover it self unfeignedly vvaiting to know the vvorst of it self for vvant of this many a Soul goes on in an unsound false vvay and miscarries to all eternity because it is not willing to know the vvorst of it self That is the second 3. An humble Spirit doth often look back to its poor beginnings it loves to do it one that is lowly in heart doth love to be often looking back to its poor beginnings what once he was If God hath made an alteration in my condition let me consider what once I was what a vile wretch once I was loves to be often meditating upon that and so to be working upon it self to humble its own heart with such thoughts as those are Oh! what a poor condition was I not long since in both in regard of my outward condition and my inward spirituall condition An humble heart is not unwilling to be put in mind of both If God hath raised him from the Dunghil to a higher condition he puts himself in mind of what he was once is not willing to have the record of his own Parentage to be razed out but is willing to have it known what he was what poor breeding he had my Father a poor Man and my Mother a poor Woman and how poorly they lived notwithstanding God hath raised my estate he is willing to put himself in mind of it that he may get his proud heart to be humbled Agathacles that was raised to be a Prince he would be served in Earthen Vessels to put him in mind of his low condition that once he was in And that is very famous that we have of Jacob in Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the Mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy Servant for with my staff have I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two bands I had nothing but even the poor Staff to pass over this Jordan withall but now I am become two bands so for men that perhaps came up to the City and that are come to live wel they were poor Boyes and had little at first and God hath blest their Estates and they are not unwilling to look back to what they were it may be some of you were poor ship Boyes and God hath in some Voyages raised you up to what you are

condemn thy self before God they do it a hundred times it may be a thousand times and God knows they judg of themselves worse than thou dost of thy self thou goest on merrily and thinkest thy self in a good condition but they are daily judging of themselves and humbling themselves before God and admiring Gods goodness that they are out of Hell but thou dost not so and therefore they may look upon themselves as more vile and so be more humble Object But you wil say If the best should judg of others better than themselves this may be well then for others for they may say then our condition is not so bad if the best of all may be as bad as we Now to that I answer Though they are to judg of themselves worse than others yet if thou wouldst look into thine own heart thou mai'st see a great deal more evil in thy heart than is in theirs it may be they may judg themselves to be worse than thee so far as they see into themselves but thou maist see more evil in thy heart than is in theirs Object But then may not this make wicked men secure and say Well we may find mercy and be saved as well as the best for the best may know so much evill of themselves that they may judg themselves worse than others To that I answer For Mercy I grant you it is possible thou maist have as much mercy as they it is possible thou maist come into as good a condition as they and therefore thou maist make this use of it and much good it may do thee that is to say well it is then possible that my Soul may be saved and find mercy as well as the best of them all I but do not say it may be so and thou remainest as bad as thou art there must be then that change in thee that is in them Well but then this may not be abused that we speak of Know this that Gods Grace is free God may let them be saved and yet damn thee And yet Lastly I would have thee raise thy meditations upon this What! Are they as vile as I of themselves and yet do I continue in an unconverted estate Oh! How fearfull is my condition then that God hath manifested that he hath chosen some as vile as I and hath left me hath taken others that are as vile as I and may be worse than I and leaves me to go in the common road of death and destruction Oh! the sad condition that that man is in the truth is it is a very daunting consideration for a man to think thus there are such and such that are as bad as I and have as bad hearts as I and yet God for the present hath left me unchosen and hath chose them this should daunt the heart of any man Hast thou not known some wicked Companion of thine own some wicked Woman or Sister that God hath been pleased to dart light into them and humbled and converted them and hath left thee that art not so vile Oh! thou shouldst tremble and fear at the thoughts of this What am I though I lived more civilly than they did yet shal God choose them and leave me What a dangerous sign is this that I am not one that God will choose though I do not know what God may do hereafter but for the present I say thou hast cause to be humbled and not to rest in this condition Wel That is the first thing The behavior of an humble Spirit in respect of others is To judg of others better than themselves Oh! what a great deal of mischief would 〈◊〉 hinder in the world What a great deal of hurt is there in the world for want of this humble heart What quiet lives might Men and Women live amongst themselves How would they enjoy this Promise in the Text Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your Souls It would keep us from censoriousness which makes a great deal of disturbance in the world Oh the disturbance that censoriousness makes in the world the giving rigid censures of others keeps many from professing Religion and makes them complain of those that profess Religion you complain that when you profess Religion you are so hated of others and you think it is only because the world loves only their own therefore because you are of the world therefore the world hates you Nay it may be it is because of the Pride of your hearts and censoriousness of others had you an humble heart to look upon your own Spirits and judg of others better than your selves you might live more quiet lives and have more respects from others that you converse withall and sooner convince them and draw them to the love of Godliness for one that hath an humble Spirit will be willing to take notice of any good in others now because there is not so much good in others as in you therefore you take no notice of others but an humble Spirit takes notice of any good in others and if his judgment fails in any thing it shall be in this that he wil judg others better than himself that is the first CHAP. CXXVII A second Property of Humility in respect of others is To be fearfull of giving Offence SEcondly Another thing in the behavior of an humble Spirit in respect of others is this It is very fearful of giving offence to others and not very ready to take offence from others I will put both together It will not give offence to others and that you have very frequently in Scripture in Rom. 14. 10. But why dost thou judg thy Brother or why dost thou set at naught thy Brother We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ Now this is in case of giving offence to others that is the plain scope of this place the Argument that is driven at in this 14. of the Romans it is the Argument of giving offence to our Brethren and here you may perceive in this place the Reason why men do not care what offence they give unto others why they set at naught their Brethren and judg them Why dost thou set at naught thy Brother Why dost thou make thy Brother as no body to thee so the Greek one that hath a proud heart if he think he hath liberty himself for such and such things what cares he for others Others are offended and grieved but what cares he for others they are no body to him he maketh nothing of them For that is the word Why dost thou set at naught thy Brother in being careless in giving offence unto thy Brother Oh this is the pride of thy heart a gracious heart is loath to grieve any body in the world so in the 15. verse of this Chap. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat now walkest thou not Charitably destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ dyed There the

Do you look back to what you were and that in the presence of God and to that end that your hearts may be humble and low Do you make that use of what your poor condition was Or rather do not you forget your poor condition and now your mind is puft up this is an evil sight And another example for this you have likewife in David David was exceeding willing to be put in mind of the mean condition in which he was as that in 2 Sam. 2. when Nathan came to him when he would have built an House to God in 2 Sam. 7. the Lord bids Nathan go to him and say to him I have taken thee from the Sheep-fold verse 8. Thus saith the Lord of hosts I took thee from the Sheep-cote from following the sheep to be Ruler over my People over Israel Now David was not offended at this but he blessed God at verse 18. He went in and sate before the Lord and he said Who am I O Lord God and what is my House that thou hast brought me hitherto stands a wondring at Gods mercy that God had brought him so far as he had done unto such a comfortable condition as indeed the Lord had brought him to And so Paul in 1 Tim. 1. 13. he looks back to what he once was saith he who was before a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief and the Grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus who was before a Blaspemer and a Persecutor And so he saith of himself that he was the least of all which afterwards we shal further make use of the least of the Saints Thus one that is lowly in heart is willing to rip up his former life and consider what a poor wretch once I was what an Ignorant sottish Creature I was knew nothing of God nor Christ nor the things of eternity I vvas not able to open my heart to God in Prayer any further than I had learned it and could look upon a Book What a mercy of God is it in that God hath shewed himself further to me and so the heart vvorks upon the low condition that once it was in And so in Ezek. 16. vvhen the Lord vvould humble his People there the greatest part of the Chapter is spent in shewing vvhat they vvere Thy Father was an Amorite and thy Mother an Hitite shewing thereby that the Lord vvould have us look back to vvhat once we vvere that thereby our hearts may be kept low And indeed by this means an humble heart sees hovv strange the vvorkings of God vvas tovvards it and vvhat it might have been at present had it not been for the meer mercy of God This is the thing vvherein the frame of an humble heart consists in respect to it self it looks back to the poor mean condition that once it vvas in 4. In the midst of al the excellencies that God doth give unto an humble heart yet he is ashamed of himself or rather thus An humble heart is ashamed of it self yea even vvhen God bestovvs the greatest excellencies of all upon him In Ezra 9. vvhen Ezra vvas humbling himself before the Lord together with the Church he saith thus We are ashamed of our selves and confounded because of this And in Jerem. 31. 19. Ephraim humbles himself and smiting upon his Thigh he confesseth that he vvas ashamed And so the Church speaks in Jerem. 3. 25. We lie down in our shame An humble spirit is ashamed of himself vvhatever others think of him yet such a one is conscious of so much evill in himself that he is humbled vvhen he looks upon his black Legs though others may think O! such a one hath excellent abilities and the like yet an humble spirit hath such thoughts of it self as makes it ashamed of it self And so in Ezra 9. it was the time when God began to bring them from Captivity and yet that was the time when they were ashamed of themselves and were shaming themselves 5. One that is of a lowly heart the behavior of it self is to loath and abhor it self in Ezek. 6. 9. there saith the Prophet And they that escape of you shall remember me among the Nations whither they shal be carried Captives because I am broken with their whorish heart which hath departed from me and with their Eyes which go a whoring after their Idols and they shal loath themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations It is an excellent Scripture this I am broken with your whorish heart and they shall see this how their sins they have broken the very heart of God we have not such an expression that I know in Scripture that might humble the heart of a sinner more than this What! have I by my sins broken the heart of God what cause is there that my heart should be broken and when they shall see this they shall loath themselves An humble heart when it sees what it hath done towards God doth loath it self looks upon it self with abhorring So you have it likewise in Ezek. 20. 4. And there you shal remember your waies and all your doings wherein ye have been defiled and you shall loath your selves in your own sight for all your evil that you have committed And the like expression you have in Ezek. 36. 31. Then shall ye remember your own evil waies and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquity and for your abominations and this was in a time of mercy that is observable it was in a time when the Lord promised mercy and did shew mercy to them even then they shall loath themselves Many men they may be brought down so low upon their sick beds with some loathsome Disease that may be upon them that may force them to loath themselves but here is the property of an humble Spirit when the Lord shews the greatest mercy when it is in the greatest prosperity then an humble heart loaths it self before the Lord. And that is a notable Scripture that we have likewise in Job for this purpose in Job 9. 21. Though I were perfect yet would I not know my Soul I would despise my life though I were perfect I would even despise and loath my self that is though he were not so polluted as others charge him withall yea though he were not able to see nothing in himself yet because of ●he infinite distance between God and him and because of his mean condition that he was in as a Creature because of what he had been or what he might be without the Grace of God if God should withdraw his Grace from him therefore saith he though I were perfect yet would I not know my Soul I would despise my life How much more Cause have we to despise and loath our selves when we are conscious to our selves of so

it in himself In 1 Corin. 15. 9 For I am the least of the Apostles that am not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the the Church of God I am the least of the Apostles Saith Paul and yet as somtimes I have said upon other occasions there was no man since the begining of the world that ever did God more Service then Paul We may safely say it no man upon the Face of the Earth that was a meer man that ever did God more service then this man did and yet he was the least of the Apostles Well But though he may be the least of the Apostles yet he may have high thoughts of himself enough Mark then the 1 of Tim. 1. 15. This is a Faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save Sinners of whom I am chief The least of the Apostles but chief of Sinners he looks upon himself as Chief of Sinners Yea yet one diminution to be the chiefest of sinners it shewes he was low in his own Eyes and that is in Ephes 3. 8. Vnto me who am less then the least of all Saints Mark to be the least of the Apostles was somwhat but to be the Least of Saints is more but to be less then the least of al Saints here Paul would Teach Gramarians a new Grammar Lesson Gramarians know but three degrees of Comparison but Paul had a fourth here he had one beyond the superlative the least Minimus it is the superlative you know to be the least of al but here beyond the superlative less then the least or I am the worst So it is in the Greek Now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the superlative in the Greek Tongue but here is a comparison beyond the superlative less then the least less then the least of all Saints thus you see it was with Paul one that did God more Service then thousands and ten thousands of the best that we know and never are like to do God that Service as this Paul and yet he is the least of all Saints in his own Eyes here is a lowly heart In Judges 8. 2. We have Gideon likewise an example of Lowliness of Spirit in his own Eyes we might name a great many others when some were provoked and Angry with him he said unto them what have I done now in comparison of you is not the gleaning of the Grapes of Ephraim better then the vintage of Abiezer By this means he pacified his angry Brethren saith he we account our selves but as the Gleanings of the Grapes of Ephraim to the vintage of Abiezer And by that means he quieted his Brethren that were provoked Well but for the opening of this the Lowly heart doth judg others better then himself First If so be that there appear any evil in others if the evil be not apparent in other men a Lowly heart wil be ready to judg the best of any one and think there is more good secretly If there appear but a little good yet it will be ready to think that others have more good in secret then he hath himself I know how little good I have in secret in mine own heart saith a lowly Soul Well but I do not know but such and such may have a great deal more good in secret then I have their thoughts may be more holy more spiritual then mine not so wandring in Duties as mine are I have no Reason to think any in the world have so many wandring thoughts and such uncleanness and filthiness in their thoughts as I have It is ready to think that the affections of others are a great deal more cleane then his and more Heavenly and spiritual and prepared more for holy duties and that their hearts are in a better temper in holy Duties then his is And if so be that there be any good done by others he is ready to think that surely there is in them better principles that acts better in their minds then there is in me they do such and such good things I and their hearts are more sincere and are carried on by divine principles in what they do I am conscious to my self of a great many of base and vile principles that act in me I know no such evil in others and therefore I am to hope that there is not the like in them as there is in me If he sees any good in another a lowly heart is ready to think that there are other things correspondent to the good that doth appear unto him as there appears such a good thing so there is all other things answerable unto that good that doth appeare but as for it self it saies I find though I do somthing that is good Yet I am conscious to my self that there is a great deal of non-correspondency in me that though there be such and such particular good things yet other things are not answerable unto that that doth appear Thus because one that is lowly knows much evil of it self and knows more evil of it self then it doth of any other therefore it sees cause to judg of others better then it self I do not know that such have such secret evils as my self I do not know that they have such base principles that act them as in my self that there is such a non-correspondency to good as in my self upon this ground because it knows more evil of it self then others know therefore it is ready to think better of others then of it self Object I but you wil say Suppose I see a great deal of Evil in others that I know and am conscious to my self that I am not guilty of shall I think better of others then of my self then Answ I Answer stil for all this I am to think of others better then my self First Because though I see others outwardly evil yet I do not know whether there be such inward evil in them as in my self it is true they do break into outward evils more then I do I but there may be swarmes of evils within me that I know I am guilty of now because I know more evil inwardly in my self then I can know in any in the world therefore I am bound to judg of others better then of my self Secondly And further Though I see some evil in others that I am not guilty of yet how do I know what temptations they have and how can I tel but that if I had as great temptations as they I might commit as great evils and greater then they and therefore though they do commit greater evils then I do yet I am bound to judg of them better then my self because I do not know but if I had as strong temptations as they I might commit greater evils Yea Thirdly Though they do commit evils greater then I do yet I know that it is the restraining hand of God upon me and that if God should but leave me to my self a