Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	apostle_n	believe_v	faith_n	3,458	5	5.3466	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A39353	Justifying faith: or, That faith by which the just do live briefly describ'd in a discourse on 1 Joh. 5.12. By the author of a late book, entitled Summum bonum, or, An explication of the divine goodness, &c. To this discourse is added, an abstract of some letters to an eminent learned person, concerning the excellency of the Book of common prayer, &c.	Elys, Edmund, ca. 1634-ca. 1707.	1679 (1679)	Wing E675C; ESTC R204257	23,218	50

by Faith for so the Apostle phrases it in his Prayer for the Ephesians that they might syncerely Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ That Christ sayes he may Dwell in your Hearts by Faith But alas what Stirs and Petulant Controversies have there been and are still continued amongst those that joyntly Profess the Christian Religion concerning the Nature of Faith in Christ of the Faith of GODS ELECT A man can hardly say any thing by way of Description of it but presently up starts one or other with some Argument to Disprove what we say I shall do what I can in Declaring my Sense of it to speak Convincingly and Unexceptionably and therfore I shall pass by all such Descriptions of it as I have found to have been Controverted though I do heartily Approve many of them as Implying the same Truth which I shall endeavour to set forth in these words The Faith we speak of Faith by which the Just do Live Faith that Overcometh the World Faith that worketh by Love is Such an ASSENT to the Truths contained in the Holy Scriptures which includes in its Nature the Trusting in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth for Grace and for Glory through the Merits of the Past Sufferings and the Power and Virtue of the Present Intercession of Jesus Christ His Only Son Our Lord. By Grace I understand Principally All those Measures of Holiness of Purity of Heart of Participation of the Divine Nature which are Attainable here upon Earth and Secondarily whatsoever the Onely Wise God Judges to be the Means of Attaining thereunto By Glory I understand the Full Perfect Eternal Enjoyment of the Holy Blessed and Glorious TRINITY in the Kingdome of Heaven By Trusting in God for Grace and for Glory Through the Merits and Incession of Jesus Christ I understand a Syncere Absolute Expectation from God of whatsoever He Knowes to conduce to our Eternal Happiness that is a Perfect CONFORMITY to Our Blessed Redeemer both in Body and Soul Upon the bare Account of His Promise to Give us Freely whatsoever we shall Ask of Him in the Name of His SON that is to say in a Syncere Beliefe that the SON Being Over All GOD Blessed for Ever did in Time for Us Sinful Creatures to Reconcile Us to the Holy Creator of All Things Take upon Him the Nature of Man Was conceiv'd by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary suffer'd under Pontius Pilate was Crucifyed Dead and Buried he descended into Hell the third day he rose again from the dead he ascended into Heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead The Syncerity of this Belief consists in a True and Real Bent or Intention of the Heart to Live no longer unto our selves but unto him that Dyed for us and Rose again But here it may be say'd why do you not mention the Pardon of Our Sins must we not Trust in God for that also I Answer God's Pardoning of our Sins is implyed in the Giving us his Grace in making us Partakers of the Divine Nature in shedding abroad his Love in our Hearts by the Holy Ghost For they that are Partakers of the Divine Nature they that Love God Above All things from whence Necessarily flowes the Loving of Every Man as themselves They are in Christ and Christ in Them And you know the Apostle sayes There is no Condemnation to Them who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8. 1. From the Due Consideration of what has been say'd This most Important Truth shines forth most evidently That we cannot Do any thing Acceptable unto God but only in the Power of the Holy Blessed and Glorious TRINITY and hence it is that the Frequent Repetition of the Gloria Patri that most Excellent Doxologie Glory be to the Father c. And the like Frequent Mention of the Name and Merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord Hence it is I say that these Excellent Passages in Our Liturgie which some Naughty men have call'd Vain Repetitions cannot but be exceeding Pleasing and Satisfactory to All Truly Christian Devout Souls As for those who are still so Mad as to Dislike this Truly CATHOLICK Doxologie they are more Fit for our Pity than our Arguments And let that Pity ever Move us to Pray Our Almighty and most Merciful Father to Draw them out of those Waters of Strife those Loose Variable Turbulent Opinions and to Lead them by His Good Spirit in the Pleasant Wayes of Truth and Peace And now my Brethren Let us seriously Examine our own Hearts and See whether or no we are Spiritually Living or Dead Men. Does the main Stream of our affections Run out not upon the things that are on the Earth but the things that are Above where Jesus sitteth on the Right Hand of GOD Do we find any Rational Contentment and Satisfaction even in the Objects of our Sensible Sorrows in our Sicknesses and Reproaches in ●he Sicknesses and Reproaches of our nearest Friends and Relations or in any other kind of Affliction Certainly he that hath the SON he that Dwelleth ●n Love cannot but Know and Feel that the LORD Our GOD is as constantly GOOD in All that he Does as True in All that He Sayes that ●●her's nothing Absolutely and in its own Naure EVIL but only the Aversion of the WILL of the Creature from the Infinite Wise and Good Creator that All things work together for the Good of those that ●ove GOD and therefore he Rejoyceth in Tribulation and gives Thanks Always for all Things to God even the Father in the Name of Jesus Christ Do we indeed and in Truth Resolve through Christ enabling us to do Always to All men as we Would that in the like Case any one should Do unto Us If so then we begin to Live Then we begin to Satisfie our Immortal Soules which Finite Objects can never in any measure truly Satifie Then I say we begin to Satisfie our Thirsty Soules with the Participation of the Divine Nature with the Real Enjoyment of the Lord Our God who calls Himself the Fountain of Living Waters and He that drinketh of this Water shall never Thirst but it shall be in him a well of Water springing up into Everlasting Life Joh. 4. 14. Here it may be some Unsanctifyed man may say in his Heart but what if I find that I am in a State of Death what shall I doe I cannot give Life unto My self 'T is true Thou can'st not but CHRIST will give thee Life if Thou wilt not Reject it Awake thou that sleepest and Arise from the Dead and Christ shall give thee Light the Light of that Glorious Day that shall never End that Light in which thou shalt for Ever See and Enjoy Him in whose Presence there is Fullness of Joy and at whose Right Hand there are Pleasures for ever more But I am not

that liveth in Pleasure is Dead while she liveth 1 Tim. 5. 6. What can be more plain than this that the Apostle attributes Life and Death in divers Respects to the same Person at the same Time and whereto are those Respects but to the Animal or Sensitive And to the Rational or Spiritual Life She is Dead i. e. is Separate from God the Fountain of Life the Fountain of All true Joy and Comfort while she Liveth while her Sou● remaineth in Conjunction with her Body who liveth in Pleasure i. e. who indulgeth to her self such Pleasures as are either in their own nature unlawful or else become so being inordinately i. e. Absolutely desir'd or enjoy'd i. e. without respect to their due Subserviency to the Spiritual or Divine Life which requires them only for this End that our Bodies being Recreated Strengthen'd and Refresht by them may become more Vigorous in such Operations which the Blessed God commands us to exercise them in Let the dead bury their dead sayes our Saviour Matthew 8. 22. What can be meant by the Dead in this place but those that embrace this present World and so Despise the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Of whom sayes St. John In Him was Life and the Life was the Light of Men. You know all sinsul Actions are in the Holy Scriptures call'd dea●● Works being the Fruits or Effects of Spiritual Death or Separation of the Soul from God Thus you see that the Scriptures plainly demonstrate that Sin the Separation or Disunion o● the Heart from God is Death And as for all Troubles or Disturbances of our Senses External or Internal as such as they are to the Wicked that is to say the Wages of Sin you know what the Apostle says of them The Wages of Sin is Death Death I but that is Everlasting Death Indeed we an● here to understand chiefly and principally Even lasting Death Indeed we are here to understand chiefly and principally Everlasting Death those horrible Gnawings of the Worm that shall never Dye the Burnings of the Fire that shall never be Quenched But that All Trouble is the Wages of Sin who can deny that considers what he sayes In what we have already deliver'd it is implyed that Godliness or a Pure and Heavenly temper of Mind is Life which we shall shew expresly and then shall proceed by Gods assistance to declare unto you what it is to have the SON In testimony of this Truth we shall produce but one Text of Scripture that one being so plainly and unquestionably Agreeable to what has been said Rom. 8 6. To be Carnally Minded is Death but to be Spiritually Minded is Life and Peace The former words of this Verse are a further Proof of what we have spoken of Death To be Carnally Minded is Death But to be Spiritually Minded is Life and Peace And what is it to be Spiritually Minded but to have our Minds set upon GOD who calls himself a SPIRIT and the Father of Spirits as the Principal Object of All our Thoughts and Inclinations But here it may be Objected that Life is the Reward of Godliness or Holiness and Death the Wages of Sin How then is Godliness Life it self and Sin Death To this I Answer First that whatsoever is properly Life of the Body in this present World is Really Distinct from Godliness and the Great and Good GOD gives unto All the Godly All those that have the SON so much of it as He in His Infinite Wisdom sees them to stand in need of for the working out of their Salvation for the preparing of their Souls for Heaven And that Glorious Life of the Body which they that have the SON shall have for ever and ever in Heaven this also is Really Distinct from Godliness of which it is the Reward But it has indeed a great Affinity therewith or Conformity thereunto which we can have but little Knowledge of at present but somewhat of it we may apprehend by that Saying of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 44. It is rais'd a Spiritual Body Here it is most Evident that the Bodies of the Saints after the Resurrection shall be throughly Affected with the Temper of their God-like Spirits as they are in some measure even in this present World All these several Acts of Godliness CHARITY or Divine Affection which the Elect of GOD perform in this Mortal Body have the Nature of OBEDIENCE But that One Continued Act of the most Intimate Full Perfect Adherence to the ONE INFINITE GOOD being by the Free Mercy of GOD in CHRIST made Absolutely for ever and ever Uncapable of the least Defection is the REWARD of All the Godly or Holy Actions which are Perform'd by Gods Elect whilst they are in the World Finally These Holy Performances are in Divers Respects Acts of Obedience and the Reward thereof In Respect of their Conformity to the Will of GOD they are Acts of Obedience in Respect of the Joy and Satisfaction they impart to the Soul of the Doer they are in a manner their own Reward That Poet had a Glympse of this Truth who say'd Ipsa quidem Virtus Pretiumsibi Virtue 's its own Reward But it shines forth most Gloriously in the Holy Scriptures David sayes Expresly Ps 19. 11. In keeping of them viz. the Judgments or Just Commandements of GOD there is Great Reward In the three Precedent Verses he does most Pathetically set forth the Great Joy and Satisfaction they import to the Soules of the Obedient upon which account he sayes here In keeping of them there is Great Reward The Statutes of the Lord are Right Rejoycing the Heart c. Her wayes sayes Solomon Prov. 3. 17. 18. are ways of pleasantness and all her Pathes are Peace this he speaks of the ways of Wisdome and what are her wayes but the Wayes of the Commandements of the Onely Wise GOD She is a Tree of Life to them that lay hold on her and happy is every one that retaineth her We may easily conceive how the Service of God which is the Life of a True CHRISTIAN is Perfect Freedome if we consider that a Man's Freedome is to Do What He Would Do For certainly He onely Does What he Would that is to say He onely Satisfies his Will or Intellectual Appetite who Conforms It to the Divine Will which we cannot Doe unless we have the SON Without Me sayes the Son John 15. 5. ye can Do nothing And John 8. 36. If the Son shall make you Free ye shall be Free indeed He that hath the Son sayes his Beloved Disciple hath Life c. But what is it to have the Son That we may know what it is as We Ought to Know Shine upon us O FATHER by the Influences of the HOLY GHOST in the Face of the Son JESUS CHRIST the Brightness of Thy Glory that in Thy Light we may See Light To Have the SON is to Believe in Him which is To have Him Dwelling in Our Hearts

of this that Gods Will sometimes obstructs the Effluxes of his Goodness I say further that 't is Essential to God being Infinite in Goodness to Fill the Capacities of his Creatures According to His Infinite Wisdom Though the Almighty may not be say'd to give Grace per modum naturae quantum in se yet he may rightly be say'd to do it Secundum Naturam Bonitatis Infinitae You do well to joyn Wisdom with Free-will for All that the ALMIGHTY Does is According to the Councel i. e. the Wisdom of his own Will which imports the Communicativeness of his Goodness to all the Capacities of his Creatures In Answer to my Saying that Gods Offers of Grace are in an unlimited Abundance you write thus Say you so who made thee to differ doth God do no more for any but offer them Grace is the Recipient's ●xpectancy none of his Gift can God make no man ●etter than he is nor take the Heart out of any man otherwise than by offer is not Faith whereby we accept that offer the Gift of God doth a clod or stone so ●int Gods Influence that he could not make it an An●el if he pleas'd nor make any creature nobler or other than it is Doth God give as much Grace to all he Infidel Heathen World as to Christians or do they so stint his Influence that he can give them no more Woe to us if we have no more than the general Offers of Grace and yet I believe not that this offer is unlimited or equall to all the World Good Sir Be not so hasty do not run on in a conceit that my words import that we make our selves to Differ from the Unsanctified Doth God ●o no more say you for any but offer them Grace I Answer that Gods Offering of Grace is he making of men presently Capable of Doing ●is Will by the Assistance of his Good Spirit ●o that All the Acts or Inclinations to Act of Gracious Souls as such are the Gift of God The Re●ipient's Expectancy is the Gift of God but the Non-Ultra or Deficiency of it is of himself Can God make no man better than he is To this I Answer Any mans being Better than he is is not the Object either of Gods Volition or Nolition Not of the former for then you know His Will would be Resisted Not of the latter for ●hen he would be the Direct Cause of the Creatures not Doing what He hath Commanded him ●o Do the onely Cause then that any man is not what he Ought to be is the Perverseness of own Will As to the words following Nor t● c. If you think fit to continue this Dispute a express what you mean by them in a plain way Opposition to any thing that I have said I sh● give you an Answer Doth a Cold or Stone ●● I Answer Any such Creature may be Annihila● and another Angel Created but that It shou● be made an Angel if we speak in sensu rigoros● implyes a Contradiction Every Creature is in own Nature Res OPTIMA though some Creatures are Better to Us than others because they ● more Exhibit to us the Notice of the Divine Goodness and some Creatures are better to themselves than others because they do more Enjoy It whi●● is ALL in them All. God knows I do not Aff●●● Obscurity of Expression but such Deep Thin● cannot be set forth in Vulgar Phrase To wh●● you say of the Heathen World I shall make other Reply but this that Gods Judgments are U●searchable and his Wayes past finding out But though we cannot shew How Many Trut● concerning his Boundless Goodness c. do co●port with what we apprehend of His Wayes in m●ny Instances of His Dealings with the Sons of Me● it does not follow that we should thereupon the least Scruple at these Truths That Gods Offers of Grace are in an Unlimi● Abundance which you say you do not believe I prove thus If God cannot be the Direct Cau● of Stinting the Influences of His Grace or Goodness into the Hearts of Men Then his Offers of Gra●● in an Unlimited Abundance But God cannot the Direct Cause c. The Minor is evident in ● That the Essence of God is Infinite Goodness I shall in this Paper give you my Reflexions but some part of your last Letter wherein there many things so pertinently Express'd in Op●●sition to what I have written to you that my ●●flexions or rather Animadversions thereon are ●eeding Advantageous unto me for the Im●●ovement of my most Satisfactory Speculations ●●●cerning the Divine Goodness whose Infinity we ●●st be ever Careful that we do not derogate ●●m upon any Pretences of Preserving the Liber●● of the Divine Will Liberty of Will so far as ●●mplyes Perfection must of necessity be implied the Notion of the Infinity of Being I Declare is to be the Root of all my Apprehensions in ●●eological Matters EST UNUM SIMPLICI●R INFINITUM ● shall now betake my self to the Consideration what you say in your last Letter I think I ●●d not give any other Reply to that you say man doth use all possible Means for the Recove●●● c. but only to tell you that by all possible ●ans I understand All things which we Know ●e such Means being also Assur'd that 't is possi●● for us to use them as such On my Explica●● of what I understand by an Act of Divine ●e your Animadversion is this How easie had it ● for you to have told me whether you mean a per●● Love or an Imperfect culpably and a perfect Aversion c. or a culpably Imperfect I must confess I have observ'd so many Learned men needlesly Entangling themselves in the hardest Knots of Controversie by reason of these words Perfection and Imperfection Attributed to the workings of men Hearts that I have thought it my Duty to do what I can do to avoid the use of them but since you Urge me to it I shall Tell you that the Motion o● Tendency of the Heart which I call an Act of Divine Love does not imply or include in its Nature any culpable Imperfection but is as contrary to all Love of Creatures or Finite Objects unless only such as arises from their Relation to the First Being as Light is to Darkness To my saying that he who is in the Act of Divine Love has All things that are of God Actually Good unto him you Answer thus While he is sinfully imperfect in this Act he hath not the perfection which he wants nor that complacential acceptance with God nor that perfect freedom from castigatory Penalties internal or external nor that Glory which would be good to him and all this is of God I Answer As to Castigatory Penalties so far as they import nothing but what may be imputed unto God as the Author thereof they are Actually good to Him viz. they All work together for his Good whilst he is in the Act of Divine Love and all his Reflexions thereon

are the Rejoycing of his Heart The Perfection he wants c. are not but only in GOD the Fullness of All that he Wants and certainly it is actually Good for him That there is in God whatsoever is Wanting unto him By being Actually in this Divine Temper I mean the exerting of an Act of Divine Love or Adhaerence of the Heart unto God in which Act there is nothing Culpable though there may remain Dispositions in the Heart very contrary thereunto from which it often comes to pass that many of us who are in some measure Sanctified Sink deep into such Impurities of Heart and Mind as we sometimes Fancy our selves Elevated so far Above that there 's no Danger of Falling into them But I can far more easily Describe what it is to be Holy i. e. to be in the Light than Discourse accurately and Clearly of the Works of Darkness He cannot Ask any thing not Agreeable to the Divine Will who Desires nothing but This or in Subordination thereunto that his Will may be Conformable to the Divine Will in All things Whether he Pray Directly and Expresly for Things Temporal or Spiritual he Actuates his Heart in a way of Conformity to the Will of God who Prays as he Ought viz. Asking in Faith which worketh by Love I suppose by what I have already say'd you will perceive that ●n Asking for Holiness we Virtually Ask for Justification or Pardon and the continuance of being c. And when we expresly Ask for these According to the Mind of Christ We Virtually Ask for Holiness or Purity of Heart The Consummation whereof is the Fullness of Life and Glory All Desires of Holiness are Acts of Holiness Consider'd with Respect to their Efficacy to make way for further Acts or Tendencies of Heart unto God The Free Mercy of GOD in JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD is the Root and Principle of all that Good which groweth in Us or if you will in which We Grow the Sense of which is implyed in all Motions ●● the Heart acceptable unto God By Absolutely I mean but what we are to understand by Fi●●● in the Gospel where Our Saviour sayes Se●ye First the Kingdom of God c. i. e. Chiefly an● Principally so as to Ask nothing else but in Su●ordination thereunto and upon Condition if ● may conduce to our furtherance in the Way of Holiness which Lead unto Everlasting G●●ry I do still most confidently Averr that this is most Dangerous Disease of the Soul to Conce●● that any thing can be Directly and in its own Nature the Hind'rance of Our Attainment to farther Degrees of Grace save only the Naughtiness o● Our own Hearts But say you Must we not carefully avoid that which Indirectly hinders also I Answer We must Avoid or Set our Heart against nothing but what we find to be the Will of God Reveal'd in his Word that we should Loath or b● Averse from Any thing which for ought w● know God will bring to pass as to the Deprivin● us of any particular Means of Grace we must endeavour to prevent by all wayes of Duty to God and Man which we Apprehend probable to prove Successfull for the Prevention thereof But we must have a Care that our Heart be Mov'd again this which for ought we know God will effect for the Glory of His Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Exception as I spake in my last You say the penal withholding of the Operations the Spirit is a Direct Hindrance and in its own Nature If it be True that whatsoever God is the Author ●f can never be in any wise Evil to us but only ●y our Wrong or Perverse apprehensions of it then ● suppose you will grant that this Proposition of ●ours bears no Force against me And whether this be a Truth or no I shall referr you to Consider by taking a Review of what I have already Written of the Divine Goodness And by your most ●erious and unprejudic'd Judgement of what I shall say hereafter in giving my Reflexions on your Animadversions on my saying that Gods Will is the Same with Infinite Goodness c. The Good Lord Lift up the Light of His Countenance upon Us that we may at length attain to the Full Enjoyment of the Way the Truth and the Life I shall here present you some more of my Apprehensions of the IMMENSE Influence of the Divine Goodness upon All and Every Part of the Creation I am Conscious to my self of the smalness of my Abilities to Express such a Truth in any way answerable to the Excellency and Importance thereof But some Sparklings of that Light viz. the Notion I have of the IMMENSITY of the Divine Goodness which from my Youth up has given me far greater Satisfactions than I should ever have had in all the Learning in the World without it some Sparklings I trust you will perceive in these following Lines You say to these words of mine Gods Will is the Same with infinite Goodness Very true but the Question is what that Goodness is I say it is not a Wi● to communicate to Creatures as much Good as he can For then the World had been Eternal c. I Answer that the Goodness of God is Himself the INFINITY of Goodness Wisdom Power of all Excellency and Perfection 'T was not Essential to Him to Create i. e. not necessary for the INFINITY of Being to Produce out of Himself these Finite Essences But they being Produc'd by His Power according to His Wisdom i. e. the Councell of His INFINITELY Good Will 't is Essential or Necessary to His being INFINITE to be ALL in them All. The Divine Power being INFINITE such Expressions as these as many Creatures as God can make c. can in no wise import any Reality to the Understanding To your saying that All Saints and Angels would have the same Degree of Glory I Answer that there is no Want in Heaven no Absence or Privative Not-Being of any Degree of Glory or Communicated Divine Goodness there is nothing but Refulgency of the GLORIOUS DIVINE NATURE That one Creature should be better to It self and to other Creatures is most Rational to conceive it being no way Inconsistent with the Notion of the One Infinite Goodness As for Damnation this I say So far as it imports nothing else but what is of God It is in its own Nature altogether Good It becomes Evil only to those to whom the Infinity of Love is a Consuming Fire There 's nothing Absolutely and in its own Nature Evil but SIN But of all Instances say there 's none that confuies me more than the per●●sion of Sin To this I Answer that by Permision of Sin we must not conceive any thing of which ●e may say It is of God but only His making such ●eatures whose Nature implies a Possibility of ●nning and the continuing them in Being after ●●ey have Sinned There is say you an Higher thing in God which his Goodness