Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	adultery_n	evil_a	thought_n	2,838	5	6.9378	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82301	The English Catholike Christian, or, The saints utopia: by Thomas de Eschallers de la More, an unprofitable servant of Jesus Christ: of Graies-Inne barrister, and minister of the Gospel of eternall salvation. In the yeer of grace and truth, 1640. A treatise consisting of four sections. 1 Josuah's resolution. 2 Of the common law. 3 Of physick. 4 Of divinity.	More, Thomas, d. 1685.	1649 (1649)	Wing D884; Thomason E556_21; ESTC R205814	40,520	48

I have been resolved and setled in my judgement of a long time that the Supereminencies Prerogatives Temporall Dignities Barronies intermedling in Secular Affaires and the Lordly Monopolizing of Titles Jurisdictions and Functions by Archbishops and Bishops above the Pastors and Teachers of Gods Word their fellow-latourers and that the High-Commission with the whole Regiment of it's subordinary Offices likewise Deaneries and Chapters with their dependencies are all contrary to Gods Word unlawfull unwarrantable in themselves pernicious destructive of the peace godly unanimity which ought to be in a true Christian Church and Common-wealth But I confesse the many learned Books and Writings which I have seen and diligently perused since this question hath been moved and throughly debated of late by many sage acute Doctors and other learned men of divers Nations and Kingdomes have not only much confirmed but instructed me also in this point 'T is true that ex gratiá Regis by the favour of the Prince and for Government sake the Order of Bishops hath stood a long time in our Nation supported by the Lawes of the Realme and confirmed by Parliaments And so I see no reason why by the same legislative Power it may not be altered Now whereas by the gracious providence and disposing of Almighty God the Honourable Court of Parliament are zealously affected with a magnanimous and godly care of establishing the True Religion in his Majesties Dominions which consisteth in pure and sound Doctrine in a setled Government in a good and decent Discipline agreeable to the Gospell of Christ and to the rules and ensamples of the Apostles and Elders of the Church in the Primitive times From the first sitting of this great Assembly my hearty desires and prayers have been and are continually that in every Parish Countrey Towne lesser Village and Hamblet within the Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland a Religious painfull and learned Preacher may be placed with a Competent Livelyhood and Maintenance for the faithfull and true discharge of their Calling I shall forbear to insist upon this matter or to presse it as large for that Mr. Marshall that worthy and laborious Minister of Gods Word by whose preaching and exhortations thousands of souls have profitted much and as I may probably say many have been converted hath fastned upon this Subject already as I finde in a learned Sermon of his preached before the Honourable House of Commons Novemb. 17th 1640. and published by Order of the said House But I protest in the truth of my heart were I of riper years had I been blessed with a convenable estate and fortune had I been of judgement or had the honour and abilities to have supplied a roome as the meanest Member of that Noble and great Assembly in all humility by a discreet observing of the Countenance and Order of that Court I would have used my best endeavours for the promoting and furtherance of this Motion and I would have laboured and assayed all honest wayes and direct courses in this weighty and only speciall affaire for the security and happinesse both of Church and State had I seen any hopes of effecting it Whence come Heresies Breaches in Religion Schismes Sowings of strife between brethren Backslidings to Popery Superstition Ignorance and blind zeale False worship of God Prophaning of his holy Name Word and Ordinances and polluting of his Sabbaths And whe●● cometh the cursed dishonour of Parents despising of Government the reviling of Magistrates vilifying the Pastors of Gods Word and contemning of Superiours Whence come evill thoughts adulteries fornications murthers thefts covetousnesse wickednesse deceit lasciviousnesse an evill eye blasphemy pride foolishnesse Whence proceed all these impieties I say but out of the impure hearts of prophane and ungodly persons not clensed through the Word of Christ The Apostle St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians not to keep company If any man that is called a brother be a fornicatour or covetous or an Idolater or a rayler or a drunkard or an extortioner with such a one no not to eate I am perswaded that many of Gods deare Saints do mourne in secret to behold the crying sinnes of our Nation which they would but know not how to remedy But the wise King Solomon telleth us for our instruction and comfort If the Spirit of the Ruler rise up against thee leave not thy place for yielding pacifieth great offences There is an evill which I have seen under the Sun as an errour which proceedeth from the Ruler Folly is set in great dignity and the rich sit in low place I have seen servants upon Horses and Princes walking as servants upon the earth Eccles 10. If thou seest the oppression of the poore and violent perverting of judgement and justice in a Province marvell not at the matter For he that is higher then the highest regardeth and there be higher then they Eccles 5.8 Verily as touching my selfe my spirit groaneth and my heart lamenteth and even bleeds within me to heare and see the horrible blasphemies rash oathes cursings and evill speaking lying hypocrisie dissimulation envie malice corrupt communication drunkennesse adultery fornication uncleannesse riot gluttony idlenesse chambering and wantonnesse filthy lucre pride with many more like sinnes which even now do reigne among us Protestants that professe the Name and Gospell of Christ Wherefore me thinkes we should lay our hands upon our hearts and consider with our selves that we are become dead to the Law by the Body of Christ that we should be married to another even to him who is raised from the dead that we should bring forth fruit unto God For when we were in the flesh the motions of sinnes which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death But now are we delivered from the Law that being dead wherein we were held that we should serve in newnesse of spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter Rom. 7. Shall we continue in sinne that grace may abound God forbid how shall we that are dead to sinne live any longer therein Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death Therefore we are buried with by baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walke in newnesse of life For if we have been planted together in the likenesse of his death we shall be also in the likenesse of his resurrection knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sinne Also let us minde the Exhortation of Saint Paul to the Ephesians Chap. 4. This I say therefore and testifie in the Lord that ye henceforth walke not as other Gentiles walke in the vanity of their minde Having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the

Why then do you not forsake that rude and rusticall people and joyne to these Nobles as you are a Noble man your selfe Unto whom thus Pogiebracius sagely again doth answer If you speak these words of your self saith he you are not the man whom you faine your self to be and so to you I answer as not to a foole but if you speak this by suggestion of others then must I satisfie them Here therefore as touching the Ceremonies of the Church every man hath a conscience of his own to follow As for us we neither use such Ceremonies as we trust do please God neither is it in our arbitrement to believe what we will our selves The minde of man being perswaded with great reasons is captivated will he nill he and as nature is instructed and taught so is she drawn in some one way and in some another As for my selfe I am fully perswaded in the Religion of my Preachers If I should follow thy Religion I might perchance deceive men going contrary to mine own Conscience but I cannot deceive God who seeth the hearts of all neither shall it become me to frame my selfe like to thy disposition That which is meet for a Jester is not likewise convenient for a Noble man And these words either take to thy self as spoken to thee if thou be a wise man or else I refer them to those which set thee a work To this learned and discreet answer of Pogiebracius let me adde a word or two concerning our Protestant Religion In the gravelly shallows of mens fancies and traditions every Atheist and Papist may wade and dabble in but no humane reason can sound the depths of Religion it may delve and dive to finde Utopia's Land and Purgatories no-where bottome and lose it selfe or at least besmeere and mu● it selfe in a hood-winked muffled scrutiny and never rise againe but wrapped in a Noli me tangere Pest-house weeds doom'd to pollution and perpetuall shades onely faith wrought in the hearts of Gods Children by the Spirit of Adoption can apprehend the great mysterie of godlinesse and apply the sweets and comforts of Salvation in Jesus Christ A true saving faith only I say can distinctly and perfectly see that life of the Soule which is hid with Christ in God which the blear eye of sence or reason can in no wise discover or discerne There is but one true Religion Man ha's but one way to walke in Howbeit there are many by-paths c. and those too inscrutable In the large Maze of Religions professed in Amsterdam I had almost said London Surely the short threed of mans life will scarce clew him through the severall Conclaves of them all and so guide him to the right Variety unhindges the door of the heart and for eagernesse of giving more speedy entrance to all in-commers it blocks up the passage and dispels the timely motions of the spirit and the seeds of of sanctity that would root and settle themselves in the soule In this necessitated coarctation whether shall fickle man betake himselfe The choise of Religion is of some consequence and moment not instantly to be resolved upon by the best judgement This stumbles a man of riper years There is an awing superiour and a sovereigne Diety that scepters the hearts of men Religion carries a confutation along with it and tongue-ties inquisitive nature Propound many things we may and revolve with our thoughts a while uncouth conceits may startle us and unsettle the affections of the minde and yet when we have done all we can in thinking the best of us sit down astonished and as men hurried in a Wildernesse our Pilgrime-speculations amazedly gaze after we know not what And 't is well if we can subside to an holy Admiration If with reverence we prostrate our selves certainly the Spirit will erect us direct our steps and guide us in the way everlasting What our reason cannot reach let the hand of faith apprehend Where the depth of our judgements may not fathom let us trust the mercy of the waves supporting us lest we merge our selves in despaire Where God commands do we must And therefore since we are all made for the service of God Almighty the Maker of all things let us walk in all holinesse of conversation during this our Pilgrimage here upon earth so shall we finde rest unto our soules in the Haven of Felicity 'T is true Happinesse is the Scope whereunto naturally all men do levell their thoughts but it is the just man that attaines the end of his desires that ha's the fruition of his hopes his best intentions onely arrow the white Unâ omnes voco all of us in the Optative Mood can say Faine would we be in that Paradise of Joy and place of Blisse where Crownes and Palmes are given And I could wish that all men I mean the Converts of all Nations would follow 〈◊〉 and the same way of life Christ our fore-runner Surely then maugre the petty differences of Church-Rites and Ceremonies there would be as unanimous consent a Diapason and perfect harmony in the substance of Religion upon which ground we may safely place the prop of our Salvation We are not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the Soule Heb. 10.39 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 And we read in another place of the same Epistle There remaineth a rest to the people of God For he that is entred into his rest he also hath ceased from his owne works as God did from his Let us labour therefore to enter ●nto that Rest lest any man fall after the ensample of those to whom the Word was first preached which entred not in because of unbeliefe For the Word of God is quick and powerfull and sharper then any two edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soule and Spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession Heb. 4. For my own particular I shall ever anchor my selfe upon the Faith Doctrine and Religion professed and protected in the Church of England and other Christianly Reformed Churches For I have a sure testimony and am certainly perswaded that the Protestant Religion is grounded upon the Word of God And for this reason I think it to be the safest of all Religions because it most magnifies God it attributes most to the praise of his glory and makes most for the peaceable Conversation of men Now as touching the Grand Case of Episcopacy which hath exercised so many wits this Parliament I shall give my opinion thus