Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
evil_n	good_a	know_v	knowledge_n	3,077	5	7.3450	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26695	A sure guide to heaven, or, An earnest invitation to sinners to turn to God in order to their eternal salvation shewing the thoughtful sinner what he must do to be saved / by Joseph Alleine.	Alleine, Joseph, 1634-1668.	1688 (1688)	Wing A977; ESTC R28088	129,275	198

A Sure Guide TO HEAVEN OR An Earnest Invitation to Sinners to turn to God in order to their Eternal Salvation Shewing the thoughtful Sinner what he must do to be saved By Ioseph Alleine late Minister of the Gospel at Taunton in Somersetshire John 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God. LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside near Mercers Chappel 1688. TO THE READER That would be safe and happy IF it were only possible thou mayst live hereafter and be called to account in another world for what thou dost in this it would be thy wisdom to take the safest course and not to run the constant hazard of being dragg'd by death to Iudgment before thou wert prepar'd to meet thy Iudge But another Life and a Judgment to come are more than possible there is an high probability yea as great a certainty as can with reason he expected that death will not put an end to thy being that thou shalt live after the return of thy body to the Earth and that then thou shalt be tryed and sentenced to such an happiness or misery as will be incomparably greater than any thing nay than all thou didst ever feel or see hear of or imagine These weighty Truths are taught and establisht in some measure by the Light of Nature but much more clearly and firmly by the Oracles of God in the Holy Scriptures Besides what they say of the different states of separated Souls they plainly teach and strongly assert That God hath appointed a time in which he will judge the whole world by the Mediator Jesus Christ that that great Mediator who is God as well as Man will descend from Heaven attended by its glorious Inhabitants with triumphant Acclamations to his Royal Throne that a mighty Voice will cite all that ever dwelt on Earth to make their personal appearance that that awakening and commanding Summons shall be presently heard and obeyed by the dead and they with the quick then remaining alive shall all stand before the Judgment Seat that after a throughly searching and impartial tryal which will reach mens several talents trusts and opportunities of getting and doing good and their most secret actions words and thoughts every one shall receive an unalterable Sentence of Absolution or Condemnation and that then such as are approv'd and absolv'd shall inherit an heavenly Kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world be like the Angels their delightful Companions converse with their most amiable and loving Saviour beholding and partaking of his glory yea resemble see and enjoy God himself in compleated Holiness and everlasting Bliss And those on the other hand that are reprobated and damn'd shall never be admitted into the Regions of Light nor yet be favour'd with a glimpse thereof but suffer with Devils in the blackness of darkness for ever the perpetual gnawings of the Worm that dieth not and the extreme torments of unquenchable fire Seeing then these things cannot be denied thou must be guilty of such woful abuses of reason as far exceed all the extravagancies of them that want it thou must be most grosly foolish most unnaturally cruel to thine own Soul to thy whole self if thou dost not earnestly desire to be one of those unto whom the Lord shall say Come ye blessed and not Depart ye cursed if thou dost not readily welcom and diligently use any proper helps for the avoiding of the heaviest endless misery and for the attaining of the purest vastest everlasting happiness And such helps are now offered thee in this little Book which hath a taking tincture of the excellent Author's flaming love to God and useful Charity to the Souls of men and now it is in thine hand let me tell thee it cannot be refus'd the reading or rea● without doing what it so plainly teacheth and affectionately urgeth but at thy greatest peril If thou wilt not be at a small expence of time and pains to read it over if after the neglect of so many means of instruction this also be rejected how justly mayst thou be destroyed for lack of knowledge How soon may the things which belong unto thy peace be hid from thine eyes A continued wilful want of understanding is large ground for fear lest he that made thee should not have mercy on thee and he that form'd and redeem'd thee should shew thee no favour If thou readest but dost not practise what Scripture and Reason so pathetically plead for the increase of thy knowledge will increase thy sorrow because it will aggravate thy sin for to him that knows his Lords will how and why to do good and doth it not but the forbidden evil to him 't is heinous inexcusable sin for which he is liable to be beaten with many stripes in constant dreadful danger of severer punishment I hope therefore thou wilt peruse so short a discourse and art not unwilling to do it in such a manner as to grow acquainted with and be perswaded to thy great duty and which is inseparable from it thy greatest advantage and that thou may'st not fail thereof is the design of the following Directions 1. Pray in the name of Christ as thou art and shalt be enabled for the more effectual assistances of the Holy Spirit Such is the corruption of our nature that it utterly disables to make a saving use of outward means without inward aids Unless the Spirit by his powerful operations work thee into a serious teachable temper set home the attempts of Gods Messengers and give them an efficacy far beyond their own the most concerning truths and weightiest arguments can never be so represented and inforc'd as to overcome thy sensual worldly inclinations rescue thee from the dominion of sin and Satan and bring thee back to God. Thou must therefore pray and that with becoming apprehensions of the great God due regard to the gracious Mediator deep shame and sorrow for the ●ins thou confessest ardent desires of all the grace thou beggest and faithful improvements of such measures as thou hast already received And if thou thus askest with fervent importunity and persevering constancy thou wilt undoubtedly find that God bade thee not to seek his face in vain As our Lord warrants us to argue Luke II. If a man will not deny a Friend what he is importunate for and if a Father will grant his Son what he asks and wants much more will thy Heavenly Father give thee the Holy Spirit for all needful purposes to produce all those effects in thee that are truly necessary for thine Eternal Salvation 2. Consider seriously what thou readest and work it on thy Soul as far as thou art concern'd therein Medicines for the Body will operate though they are not thought of but Spiritual Remedies for the mind require its co-operation with them the clearest explications fullest proofs and strongest motives about matters of nearest and

Mat. 7. 22 23. Oh dreadful case when a man's Religion shall serve only to harden him and effectually to delude and deceive his own Soul● 4. The prevalency of false ends in holy duties Mat. 23. 25. This was the bane of the Pharisees Oh how many a poor soul is undone by this and drops into Hell before he discerns his mistake He performs good duties and so thinks all is well and perceives not that he is actuated by carnal Motives all the while It is too true that even with the truly sanctified many carnal ends will oft-times creep in but they are the matter of his hatred and humiliation and never come to be habitually prevalent with him and to bear the greatest sway Rom. 14. 7. But now when the main thing that doth ordinarily carry a man out to religious duties shall be some carnal end as to satisfie his conscience to get the repute of being religious to be seen of men to shew his own gifts and parts to avoid the reproach of a prophane and irreligious person or the like this discovers an unsound heart Hos. 10. 1. Zech. 7. 5 6. O Christians if you would avoid self-deceit see that you mind not only your acts but withal yea above all your ends 5. Trusting in their own righteousness Luk. 18. 9. This is a soul undoing mischief Rom. 10. 3. When men do trust in their own righteousness they do indeed reject Christ's Beloved you had need be watchful on every hand for not only your sins but your duties may undo you It may be you never thought of this but so it is that a man may as certainly miscarry by his seeming righteousness and supposed graces as by gross sins and that is when a man doth trust to these as his righteousness before God for the satisfying his justice appeasing his wrath procuring his favour and obtaining of his own pardon for this is to put Christ out of office and make a Saviour of our own duties and graces Beware of this O professors you are much in duties but this one fly will spoil all the Ointment When you have done most and best be sure to go out of your selves to Christ reckon your own righteousness but rags Psalm 143. 2. Phil. 3. 8. Isa. 64. 6. Neh. 13. 22. 6. A secret enmity against the strictness of Religion Many moral persons punctual in their formal devotion have yet a bitter enmity against preciseness and hate the life and power of Religion Phil. 3. 6. compared with Acts 9. 1. They like not this frowardness nor that men should keep such a stir in Religion They condemn the strictness of Religion as singularity indiscretion and intemperate zeal and with them a lively Preacher or lively Christian is but a heady fellow These men love not holiness as holiness for then they would love the height of holiness and therefore are undoubtedly rotten at heart whatever good opinion they have of themselves 7. The resting in a certain pitch of Religion When they have so much as will save them as they suppose they look no further and so shew themselves short of true Grace which will ever put men upon aspiring to further perfection Phil. 3. 13. Pro. 4. 18. 8. The predominant love of the World. This is the sure evidence of an unsanctified heart Mar. 10. 37. 1 Iohn 2. 15. But how close doth this sin lurk oft-times under a fair covert of forward profession Luke 8. 14. Yea such a power of deceit is there in this sin that many times when every body else can see the man's worldliness and covetousness he cannot see it himself but hath so many colours and excuses and pretences for his eagerness on the world that he doth blind his own eyes and perish in his self-deceit How many professors be here with whom the world hath more of their hearts and affections than Christ Who mind earthly things and thereby are evidently after the flesh and like to end in destruction Rom. 8. 5. Phil. 3. 19. Yet ask these men and they will tell you confidently they prize Christ above all God forbid else and see not their own earthly mindedness for want of a narrow observation of the workings of their own hearts Did they but carefully search they would quickly find that their greatest content is in the world Luke 12. 19. and their greatest care and main endeavour to get and secure the world which are the certain discovery of an unconverted sinner May the professing part of the world take earnest heed that they perish not by the hand of this sin unobserved Men may be and often are kept off from Christ as effectually by the inordinate love of lawful comforts as by the most unlawful courses Mat. 22. 5. Luke 14. 18 19 20 24. 9. Reigning Malice and Envy against those that disrespect them or are injurious to them 1 Ioh. 2. 9 11. O how do many that seem to be religious remember injuries and carry grudges and will return men as good as they bring rendring evil for evil loving to take revenge wishing evil to them that wrong them directly against the rule of the Gospel the pattern of Christ and the nature of God Rom. 12. 14 17. 1 Pet. 2. 21 23. Neh. 9. 17. Doubtless where this evil is kept boiling in the heart and is not hated resisted mortified but doth habitually prevail that person is in the very gall of bitterness and in a state of death Mat. 18. 34 35. 1 Iohn 3. 14 15. Reader doth nothing of this touch thee Art thou in none of the forementioned Ranks O search and search again take thy heart solemnly to task Woe unto thee if after all thy profession thou shouldst be found under the power of ignorance lost in formality drowned in earthly mindedness envenomed with malice exalted in an opinion of thine own righteousness levened with hypocrisie and carnal ends in Gods service imbittered against strictness this would be a sad discovery that all thy Religion were in vain But I must proceed 10. Unmortified Pride When men love the praise of men more than the praise of God and set their hearts upon mens esteem● applause and approbation it is most certain they are yet in their sins and strangers to true conversion Iohn 12. 43. Gal. 1. 10. When men see not nor complain of nor groan under the pride of their own hearts it 's a sign they are stark dead in sin O how secretly doth this sin live and reign in many hearts and they know it not but are very strangers to themselves Iohn 9. 40. 11. The prevailing love of pleasure 2 Tim. 3. 4. This is a black mark When men give the flesh the liberty that it craves and pamper and please it and do not deny and restrain it when their great delight is in gratifying their bellies and pleasing their senses whatever appearance they may have of Religion all is unsound Rom. 16. 18. Tit. 3. 3. A flesh-pleasing life cannot be pleasing to God