Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	action_n	sin_n	thought_n	2,136	5	6.9222	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19037	The parable of the vncleane spirit pithily opened, and plainly applied; wherein is shewed Sathans possession, his dispossession, and repossession. A worke needfull for these secure times, in which the most neglect the meanes oftheir salvation. Preached, and now published, by Edmund Cobbes minister of the Word of God.	Cobbes, Edmund, b. 1592 or 3.	1633 (1633)	STC 5454; ESTC S116664	66,367	214

promised that The seede of the woman should bruise his head Gen. 3 15 This Christ performed in his temptations Luk. 4. 8. for which the divell doth feare him so much Matth. 8. 29. His chiefest labour in the dayes of his flesh was to overthrow his kingdome and cast him out Matth. 9. 33. Luk. 11. 14. Ioh. 12. 31. Act. 10. 38. which was a Type of this spirituall deliverance This was foretold that hee should bring out the prisoner from the Prison Esa 43 6 and them that sate in darkenesse out of the prison house and proclaime liberty to Esa 61. 1. the captives and the opening of prison Luke 11 22 to them that are bound Hereby he manifested his power prevailing against the strong man whose power Gamaliel acknowledged Act. 5 39 This he performed by his death when he spoyled Principalities and powers Col. 2 15 and made a shew of them openly triumphing over them And led captivitie Ephe 4 8 captive And by his death destroyed him that had the power of death Heb 2 14 Ioh 10 29 that is the divell Hereby he shewed himselfe greater than all and stronger than all For all power is given him Math. 28 18 in heaven and earth And hath made good his power by the preaching of his word which Sathan was not able Act. 6 10 Act 8 Revel 12. 15. to resist though hee raised up persecution and cast out floods to drowne his children and by sorceries laboured to turne away their hearts from him Yet hee pulled his children Act 8 9 out of his hands and daily Added Act. 4 4 to the Church such as he had appoinpointed to be saved And for all his power and malice at the last he will give his children power to tread him Rom 16 20 under their feete And thus we have confirmed the truth of the doctrine by evidence of Scriptures that Sathans power must give place to Christs The ground of this truth is 1 For this very purpose the Sonne of 1 Ioh 3 5 8 God was manifested in the flesh that hee might destroy the workes of the divell Esa 49 1 5 And take away the captives from the Luk 1 74 mighty and deliver his subjects out of his hand for the Lord is stronger than Sathan and hath a better title to his children than he 2 Sathan is his enemy and labours to set up the kingdome of sinne which Ephe. 2 2 3 he hates and to governe his subjects in all righteousnesse 3 His honour is deepely ingaged for the delivery of his Church because Sathan labours to overthrow his kingdome and continually annoyes his subjects by persecuting Revel 2 10 Math. 13 25 them and corrupting them And if he should not deliver them it would bee a great disgrace for him to let his subjects be overcome by his mortall enemy And if he did not preserve his servants he could not bee king of his Church nor rule his subjects in peace 4 If he did not deliver his children hee should want a people to call upon his Name for they cannot serve him till they bee freed from the devills power Thus also wee have proved the truth of the point by evidence of reasons Come wee now to make use and application This doctrine is usefull and that in Vse a threefold respect 1. For examination and tryall 2. For comfort and consolation 3. For Terrour We will begin with the first Must Sathans power give place unto Christ then examine thy heart and try thy wayes whether this uncleane spirit be cast out of thee or no Thou must try it by the meanes which God useth to make entrance and to take possession of his children for his owne service which is by the ministery of the word of God For when the flesh with the lusts thereof are terrified with the canon shot of legall threatnings making a great breach into the heart and conscience wounding and smiting it for the breach of Gods Commandements which workes feare and shame in the soule for offending so gracious a God and then by the Trumpet of the Gospell remission of sinnes and eternall salvation is offered to all that beleeve and repent and when the humbled soule doth embrace the grace of God when it is offred then this triumphant Captaine maketh his entrance and taketh possession of his soule for a Temple for himselfe to dwell in 2. We may try whether this uncleane spirit bee cast out of us by the reformation of our lives and conversations for by vertue of the sanctification of the heart Gods children are brought to a sight of the danger of their naturall estate and what neede they have of repentance and of Christ and of inward purging from their corruptions Regeneration begins at repentance and repentance begins when sinne is forsaken let every one of us then consider our thoughts and actions and try our sanctification thereby consider I say thy thoughts and thy actions when thou art alone is thy care then to meditate upon Gods righteous judgements and doest thou strive with thy selfe how thou mayst advance Gods glory and benefit his Church Doest thou strive by all meanes to cast out this uncleane spirit out of thy soule whose power consists in the corruption of nature the maine pillar whereof is ignorance and unbeleefe And dost thou labour for knowledge and sanctification that thereby thou maist be enabled to yeeld obedience to all the cōmandements of the Lord though they crosse thy nature and curbe thee in thy profits and delights yet for all this thou strivest to walke in all Gods ordinances without reproofe Luk 1 75 and doest so walke in thy calling towards the world as if Gods eye did alwayes behold thee and were privie to all thy actions Againe dost thou so carry thy selfe with reverence to the glorious majesty of God in thy private devotions as if the eye of man did alwayes behold thee Doest thou labour also to subvert the kingdome of Sathan in others If thou bee a private man in love and Charity by exhortation to moove to good workes shewing thy selfe by practise in obedience to God and Tit. 2 7 the king a patterne of all goodnesse If thou bee a Magistrate to restraine from evill by the power of the sword If a Minister to allure to vertue by the power of the word and unblamable conversation Art thou troubled and greeved in thy minde when thou meetest with hinderances and lets whereby thou canst not serve God in such manner as thou wouldest And dost thou carefully redeeme the time for thy soules good Is it a vexation greefe for thee to live among such people as have not the feare of God before their eyes and are carelesse to use those meanes wch God hath appointed for their salvation If at any time thou hast fallen into some scandalous sinne how stands the case betweene God and thy soule dost thou extenuate or defend thy faults

through Genera singulorum the kinds of all sinnes and Singula generum the particulars of all those kinds leaving if it were possible no sinne for others to commit retayning still Voluntatem peccandi a will of sinning though for age or sickenesse they have not facultatem peccare ability to sinne yet for all this they are willing to engrosse it into their owne hands such men deserve to be given up to a reprobate sence and to bee pestred with seaven spirits more wicked than the former God will severely revenge himselfe upon unthankefull persons that abuse his grace and mercy and squares out his judgements according to the pro●ortion of the blessing conferred and ●bused As the seaven spirits are the re●ard of him that makes much of one ●ad and uncleane one so are seaven ●ood spirits bestowed on him that ●seth one good spirit well God ●ownes his owne graces in his chil●en and when he findes thankeful●esse for his mercies hee opens his ●and wider hee is delighted to see ●is graces flourish and increase in his ●hildren therefore he that is righte●us let him bee righteous still and Revel 2 11 ●ee that is holy let him be holy still God delights to have his graces en●reased Then if wee stand still or ●oe backward in the practise of piety ●e may feare the doome of the un●rofitable servant that hid his talent ●n a napkin whose sentence was to ●e bound hand and foot and to bee ●ast into utter darkenesse God can●ot endure drones in his service but will have his growe more and more therefore those which are dull schollers in his schoole may justly fear● that they are in the number of thos● whom he hath rejected for if he ha● had a love to them hee would hav● increased his graces in them Th● Apostle exhorted godly Timothy t● stirre up the gifts of God that wer● in him 2 Tim. 1. 6. intimating unto us that the graces of Gods spirit are lik● unto fire and fire will quickly be extinguished unlesse it be cherished and blowne up Sathan labours by all meanes to blow out the fire of our zeale and therefore wee must use al● meanes to keepe it burning else the more inexcusable we are if we have experience of his policy and have no grace to resist it And they enter in and dwell there Vers 45. and the last state of that man is worse than the first Heere wee may see the miserable estate of a carelesse and secure sinner for want of watchfulnesse Sathan en●ers in and gaines possession without ●ny resistance God hath provided ● compleate armour for to defend his ●hildren as you may see described Ephe. 6. 14. 15. 16. Stand therefore ha●aving your loynes girt about with truth ●nd having on the breastplate of righte●usnesse And your feete shod with the ●reparation of the Gospel of peace Above ●ll take the shield of faith wherewith yee ●hall be able to quench all the fiery darts ●f the wicked This armour is firme ●and able to secure those that buckle it ●on from all dangers if they will play the men and quit themselves valiantly but this backslider hath not a piece of it to ward off the least blow Sathan is a cunning fencer which knowes how to handle his weapons but this silly wretch hath never a weapon to defend himselfe and offend his enemie but is like an unwalled Citty exposed to the malice of his enemy No marvaile then if these foule spirits enter in take possession seeing there is no opposition made to resist them nor desire to repell them His misery now followes They enter in and dwell there They that are fallen from common graces and illumination are twise more subject to Sathan than they were before Hee dwelleth in them Non tanquam corpus locatum in loco as the Philosophers say as a bodie seated in a place for the Divells are spirits and not contained in any place Nor yet Tanquam forma in materia as the soule doth dwell in the body but the divells dwelling is by his power and operation He dwelleth in them by working in them Would you know what hee workes The Philosopher saith Omne agens sibi simile agit Every Agent worketh like himselfe that is he maketh them as proud cruell envious and uncleane as himselfe Would you know how he workes in them Sathan cannot compell or enforce any man to wickednesse yet he is able to worke upon the affections and by a spirituall power to dar●en the mindes of the ungodly That ●he light of the Gospel of Christ should not 2 Cor 4 4 ●hine unto them 2 Cor. 4. 4. Hardning ●heir hearts that being past feeling they ●ight give themselves over unto lasci●iousnesse Ephe 4 19 to worke all uncleannesse with greedinesse Hardning their hearts from ●he feare of Gods judgements and so trea●ure Rom 2 5 up wrath against the day of wrath Sathan sets an edge upon the affecti●ns and stirrs them up to desire and ●oe evill Thus he makes the wedge ●f gold glister in the covetous mans ●ght the red wine in the glasse plea●ant to the drunkards sight As hee ●ets a false varnish upon sinne so also ●e makes the way of vertue hard and ●npleasant so that where Sathan doth ●ule and raigne there hee is sayd to ●well The Lord defend us from his ●ower that hee may never dwell so ●mong us for he is an unreasonable guest he will not bee gon till he hath eaten his Landlord out of house and home They enter in and dwell there There is roome enough in an hypocrites heart for many sinnes Mary Magdalen had seaven but this wretch hath eight Absalon had pride treason ambition incest and ingratitude all these lodged in a small piece of flesh Hee that will carefully observe how much filthinesse our blessed Lord discovers lodged in one heart which sends out evill thoughts Murthers Matth. 15 19. Adulteries Fornication Theft false witnesse bearing Blasphemies cannot but wonder how so small a thing could containe so great a quantitie yet here we see that innumerable sinnes are involved in one man The divells know that a kingdome divided cannot stand and therefore they are quiet among themselves Would God the factious spirits of our age would consider this then there would not bee so much contention for things indifferent as there is The last state of that man is worse than the first His state was bad enough before but now it is worse by reason of the strong possession hee had but one divell before but now hee hath eight which will the sooner worke out his damnation The last state of such a man is worse than the former and that in a threefold respect 1. Of the Devills 2. Of the Sinner 3. Of God 1 In respect of the divell who now will use him worse than before hee let him enjoy his pleasures and his vanities before but seeing him in any good moode he feares least hee get from him he cannot endure

divel within him Thus we have seene how farre an hypocrite may go by natures light and how they may attaine to much knowledge and so may shine in outward profession and yet for all this gallop to hell under Sathans colours And though they are well perswaded of their owne estate yet Gods Word doth discover that they are miserable and are hoodwinked of Sathan to their owne destruction Because by the shining lampe of outward profession and standing upon the goodnesse of their nature and their correspondencie with the world they deprive themselves of the benefit of godly admonition which is a notable meanes ordayned of God to reclayme many desperate sinners from their sinfull courses and to bring them home by repentance Now because they post off this to others which are more scandalous to the world and so doe not feele that they stand in neede of Christ to purge them from their sinnes therefore they remaine strangers from the covenant of Ephe. 2 2 promise and without God in the world And thus wee have seene the measure of Sathans going out of an hypocrite he so seemes to goe as that he alwayes continewes We are now to consider of his demeanour when he is gone contayned in these words He walketh through dry places seeking rest and findeth none In which words observe 1. His labour he walkes 2. His station in dry places 3. The end of his walking he seekes rest 4. The issue or event he finds none He walketh through dry places c. We will first indeavour to free the words from obscurity and then draw such conclusions as may be profitable for our edification He walketh This word is a metaphor or borrowed speech taken from Travellers who out of a desire they have to come to their journeyes end put forth all their strength to the end they may the more speedily obtaine their desires And this speech being applyed to other actions noteth celerity and continuance of that thing unto which it is applyed Which speech being applyed unto Sathan noteth his restlesse diligence hee doth not Arentia lota dicuntur respect● Sathanae illa talia sunt omnia quae eum excludunt quali● sunt ●ector● fidelium Aret. in locum goe drowsily or sleepily but couragiously and constantly for so much the word walketh importeth He walketh through dry places is also a metaphor taken from dry ground which for want of moysture cannot bring forth fruit so that by dry places as afterwards shall appeare is meant the hearts of Gods children his banishment frō them is as uncomfortable to him as a drye wildernesse is to a thirstie Traveller seeking rest What rest doth he seeke Sathan seeke Doth he seeke to be reconciled unto God No. Would hee bee reconciled unto man whom hee hath so much wronged No. What rest doth hee then seeke Surely this to doe all the mischeefe he can doe to mankinde to deface Gods Image in our soules and to wrap all mankinde under the curse of God The hearts of Gods children which are watred with faith and repentance whereby he is excluded with all his temptations are sayd to be dry places because they yeeld him no moysture whereby hee may set his temptations a working so that when he cannot hurt us in our soules then he labours by all meanes to plague us in our bodies If he cannot mischeefe us in our bodies then he labours to hurt us in our states and if hee cannot hurt us in our substance then he will vex us in our good names and reputations and cast out floods of reproaches against us and if he cannot prevaile against us herein then hee will destroy the fruits of the earth fish in the Sea and if he cannot hurt us in them then hee will corrupt and infect the ayre that thereby hee may infect our bodies with noysome diseases and if God will not give him leave to annoy us in these or the like then hee is sayd to walke in dry places for he accounts all those places dry and uncomfortable to him in which he can doe no mischeefe And thus you have the sence and meaning of the words When the uncleane spirit is gone out Doct. of a man he walketh through dry places seeking rest Hence learne That Sathan 1 Pet. 5. 8. is very diligent to watch all opportunity to doe as much mischeefe as he may to mankinde therefore hee is said to walke about like a 1 Pet 5 8. roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devoure Hee goes not about as a king in Progresse for delight but his going about is to devoure Hee is no idle spectator but a diligent tempter he is one that will never be weary for hee will never give over his temptations till there bee an end of time He began earely as soone as our first Parents were created he set upon them and rested not till they were turned out of Paradise and wrapped under the curse of God Yet for all this he was not content but as soone as Adam had two sonnes by whom mankinde might be increased he laboured to destroy the body of one of them and the soule of the other Therefore he filled Caines heart with envie and made him kill his innocent brother And then the first age of the Gen. 4. world hee so corrupted and filled with iniquitie which did so provoke the Lord that he drowned all the world And after the world was to be repayed by Noah and his Family presently he filled it with Idolatry Gen. 6 and ever since hee hath shewed himselfe an enemy that is never wearied with toyling nor weakned with watching but at all occasions is plyant and watchfull and labours by all meanes to molest the godly and make himselfe sure of the wicked His hand like Ismaels is against every man but especially against the godly Hee beguiled Evah in the likenesse of a Gen. 3 Serpent and deceived Saul in Samuels mantle He is very forward to offer his service if God call Who shall 1 King 2● 22 goe forth to deceive Ahab Hee is at hand and sayes Send mee for now still he is at hand to tempt all men He puts into our hearts evill thoughts into our mouths lewde speeches into our members sinfull actions When we are awake hee stirreth us up to unlawfull deedes and when wee are asleepe hee stirreth up in us filthy dreames If wee be merry then hee maketh us wanton if sad and melancholy then he labours to bring us to despaire Hee tempts all men and in all places and by outward objects he stirrs up inward corruptions Hee tempted our Saviour Christ presently after his Baptisme he was not affraid of the holinesse of his person though hee were proclaymed from heaven to be the Sonne of God Hee tempted David a man after Gods owne heart to number the people Peter to deny and forsweare his Master Neither the holinesse of the place nor action can hinder his temptation He set upon Iudas in the

presence of his Master and is alwayes at hand to hinder the word of God Least the Math. 13. 13. people should be converted and saved therefore hee labours to corrupt the word or to turne away our hearts from Act. 13 8. 2 Cor. 4 4 it or to blinde our understandings Let a man betake himselfe to any good action he will presently be at his elbow to hinder him When Ioshua the high Priest began to pray Sathan stood Zach. 3 1 at his right hand to resist him If he cannot hinder us in the performāce of holy duties then he labours to makes us overweene our selves and to be proud of those things which are none of our owne if he cannot overcome us by his owne vices he labours to insnare us by our vertues therefore he fills our hearts with boasting that thereby we might be arrogant in our owne eyes Hee perswades the Minister not to preach because the people doe not regard him nor his doctrine if he cannot disswade him frō preaching then he will perswade him to preach pleasing things that thereby he may be admired for his gifts learning Then he comes to the people perswads them not to heare and tells them the Preacher either is no Scholler or else hee vents his owne fancies and layes open their sinnes out of envie to disgrace them and if he cannot hinder them from hearing then hee steales away their hearts and fills their mind with wandering thoughts he compasses their eyes with shewes their eares with sounds their sences with sleepe their thoughts with fancies and all to make them forget what they heare and so to wrap them under the curse of the Lord doing his work negligently Hee labours to discourage men from the practise of pietie by perswading them that to be too strict in their life savours too much of singularity If he meete with prophane wicked men as drunkards swearers and fornicatours he tempts them to the contempt of God and his worship and to defend their gracelesse courses and to glory in their sins Phil. 3 which should be their shame Hee makes those which have cast off the feare of the Almighty to scorne and despise the Spirit of grace in the Children of God and to become his Standard-bearers to march furiously against the Majestie of God to their owne destruction by discouraging and disgracing vexing and perplexing his children whom he meanes to honour Sathan is a cunning Merchant and a crafty Sophister hee knowes how to use riches and poverty sicknesse and health and make them instruments to serve his purpose Hee is continually in motion and hath all those which are without Christ at his becke and command to take up armes against their Saviour either by ignorance not knowing him or by a negligent life not following him or by violence resisting him He walkes any way to destroy he tempts the godly to destroy them and the wicked that they may tempt others If Ionah will runne away from his God he shall not want a ship to carry him to Tarshish The Tyrant shall not want a flatterer the Theefe a receiver the wanton a minion He hath a sack full of oathes for the swearer a budget full of lyes and excuses for the Lyar. Whither can a man walke but Sathan will finde him out Hee dares enter into the Church to hinder the word Nay clymbe up into the Pulpit and broach sects and schismes Hee will not leave any meanes unattempted to worke our ruine He deales with us in our temptations as he did when hee destroyed Iobs children the Text saith hee raised a winde from all the world if the East winde failed then the West might effect his purpose if the West did not then the North and South might So if he cannot overcome us by the East winde of prosperity then hee will try what he can doe by the West winde of adversity If he cannot prevaile by Idolatry he will see what hee can doe by vaine glory and popular applause If he cannot overcome by drunkennesse then he wil● see if he can allure by adultery If he cannot prevaile by carelesnesse he will try by distrust If hee cannot overcome by despaire hee will see what he can doe by presumption If a man be zealously affected he will see if he can make him factious Hee is alwayes in one extreame or other and by lesser temptations hee makes way for greater Ob. How is it possible that the Divell Quest can tempt all mankinde Answ There are infinite troopes of Divells a whole Legion in one man which according to the learneds Computation is 6666. And if there were so many in one man there must needs be many more Now these Divells flie about by troupes in the Ayre certifie one another what is done in all places They know every mans nature by observing their manners company and imployment They know what men love and hate what they want and what they desire and so they fit their temptations according And though it be Gods Prerogative to know the heart yet by outward actions the Divell comes to rove at the inward for when hee sees men inflamed with anger and wrath and their eyes sparkle their nostrills The divell conjectures our affections by our actions and our inward thoughts by out outward lookes smoake their mouths breath out fiery and rayling speeches by these and the like he knowes what is within murther and revenge and then hee hales them forwrd unto all mischiefe Thus he saw Iudas repine at the oyntment which was spent upon his master and accounts it waste because it came not to his purse therefore he filled his heart with covetousnesse and gave him no rest till hee had sould his master for thirty peeces of silver the price of a Slave Thus also hee saw Ananias and Saphirah covetous in their hypocriticall devotion and therefore hee filled their hearts with dissimulation to lye to the holy Ghost Hee saw Abimelech ambitiously affected therefore he tempts him to murther his brethren that hee may make himselfe sure of the Kingdome He knowes the tide of all our affections and therefore hee labours to drive us violently to all manner of sinne and to draw us from Gods service unto his owne Thus we have seene how malicious our enemies are to destroy us Rea● Come wee now to examine the reasons that make and induce him thereunto He beares an inveterate hatred to mankinde partly for Gods cause and partly for our owne 1. He hates us for Gods cause because If he cannot hurt his deity he will vex his humanitie he hath justly cast him out of Heaven for his pride rebellion and judged him to torments in hell now because hee cannot offer violence to his sacred Majesty he will persecute his Image man with deadly hatred 2. He envies mankinde because he is ordained to that happinesse he hath lost He hates all mankinde but especially the Children of God and