Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heart_n	behold_v	lord_n	word_n	2,541	5	4.0290	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12170	The brides longing for her bride-groomes second comming A sermon preached at the funerall of the right worshipfull, Sir Thomas Crevv, knight, sergeant at law to his maiestie. By the late learned and reverend divine, Rich. Sibs.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Hughes, George, 1603-1667, attributed name.	1638 (1638)	STC 22478B; ESTC S113744	32,385	162

which followes the Spirit breaks forth and saith Amen Even so come Lord Iesus A little of Amen Christ is said in the beginning of this Booke to be Amen the true and faithfull Witnesse Revel 3. 14. And all the Promises are said in Christ Iesus to be Yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1. 20. that is they are made for his sake and performed for his sake They are made in him and for him and they are performed in him and for him And when AMEN that is Christ himselfe shall say his Amen to any thing is it so much for us to give our Amen The point I meane to rayse out of this word Amen is this That the hearts of the Children of God are plyable to Divine Truths to yeeld to the whole Word of God especially to the good Word of God viz. the Promises and of all Promises to the Promise of Promises the second comming of Christ. They say Amen to that and that for these Reasons Because there is a sutablenesse of disposition and a kind of connaturalnesse betweene a sanctified heart and sanctified Truths betweene an holy heart and holy things insomuch that if an holy Truth never heard of before be heard by an holy heart it will yeeld present assent for his heart is subdued so that he hath an Amen for it presently There is a sweet relish in all Divine Truths and sutable to the sweetnesse in them there is a spirituall taste which the Spirit of God puts into the soule of his children Though there be never so much sweetnesse in things if there be not a sutable taste there is no relish in them Therefore the Spirit of God in his children works a taste of the sweetnesse that is in the Word of God And that is a maine ground why they say Amen especially to comfortable Truths Againe when the soule is once contracted unto God it hath no will of its owne but it yeelds up his will to Gods will The Spouse hath no will of her owne but her Husbands will is her will So if Christ say Amen I come quickly the Spouse of Christ saith Amen too God deales with his children likewise by way of a covenant and a contract And above all other covenants the covenant of a contract is the sweetest covenant Now in it there must be a consent on our part and therefore it is that the Spirit alwayes stirres up an Amen on our parts too When he saith Amen it shall be so then the soule saith Amen Lord let it be so As in civill Marriage there is a contract so here in the spirituall and seeing there is a contract there is also an assent to the second comming of Christ the contracted Spouse must needes say Amen to the Marriage-day Lastly the Spirit of God in the hearts of his children stirres up in them this Amen as a seale of their effectuall calling If you should aske me what effectuall calling is I answer It is nothing else but the hearts Eccho and answer to Gods speech God calls and we answer This is by S. Peter called The answer of a good Conscience There must be in the soule the answer of a good Conscience to all Divine Truths Doest thou beleeve I doe beleeve Doest thou repent I doe repent Seeke ye my face Thy face Lord will I seeke Returne ye back-sliding children and I will heale your back-slidings Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Unlesse there be thus the answer of a good Conscience there is no effectuall calling Our calling is then effectuall when the Spirit stirres up in the heart an answer unto it Therefore you see there must needes be an Amen wrought in the hearts of the children of God Beloved if this be so I beseech you let us begge of God if we finde any stubbornnesse or renitencie in our soules to Divine Truths the performance of the covenant of grace Lord thou hast promised fleshy and sensible hearts tender and yeelding affections oh now grant them and worke them For beloved this you must know howsoever God deales with us by way of covenant yet when he comes to performe the covenant hee workes in a manner our part and his owne too In effect hee makes a Testament and not a covenant In a Testament we bequeath we doe not covenant and condition So that though God deales with his people by way of covenant as if you repent if you beleeve if you obey yet he gives by way of Testament the grace that he bestowes Therefore begge of God that as he requires this condition that wee should assent and be plyable unto his Word so that he would make his covenant a Testament and a Will I meane that he would effectually worke it and make us to doe it This should be our desire of God And so much the rather first because God honours us by it in having our consent Is not this a great honour to us that he will not performe things without our consent For indeed hee will not accomplish the worke of our everlasting salvation without it But then if we set our Seales to Gods Seale and we consent once we even binde God himselfe when he seales to us and we to him we binde God Almightie and by that power of Faith subdue Hell and all our opposite enemies When we seale to the Truth of God and cry Amen it is a word that fills Heaven and Earth there is not a joyfuller word in the world then when whole Congregations can say and shout Amen When God sayes Amen in Heaven if we presently can say Amen to his Truth upon Earth he will say Amen to our Salvation Thus God honours us by it when hee comes for our consent Wee honour God againe by our sealing to his Truth Faith is that which seales to Gods Truth and Amen is the very voyce of Faith It is a pittifull thing but common in the world that GOD should have no more credit with us Poore distressed Soules will say Amen to the Lyes of their owne hearts and presumptuous persons will say Amen to a Lyar to a Murtherer to an Enemie to Satan but God hath so little credit with us that if hee command wee will not say Amen if hee pro mise wee have no Amen for him if hee threaten wee blesse our selves saying Wee shall doe well enough Wee shall have peace though wee walke after the imagination of our owne hearts adding drunkennesse unto thirst When the Spirit of God sayth Hee will stirre up a fire in his anger and his wrath shall burne unto the lowest Hell against all such as goe on in their sinfull courses yet they will flatter themselves Well beloved wee may shake off Gods Word in the Ministerie as prophane persons doe but when God comes in the execution of his Threatnings then his wrath shall burne to Hell and not be quenched Who can avoid or abide that

dreadfull Sentence Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devill and his Angels Gods words are not as Winde Indeed they are such a Winde as will blow downe all impenitent sinners to Hell Wee must have a Legall Amen to the Threatnings of God as well as an Evangelicall Amen to the sweet Promises S. Iohn here by the Spirit of God saith Amen to the Promises of the time to come to wit for the confusion of Antichrist for the conversion of the Iewes and for the glorious times to come though he sees no evidence thereof for the present and so must we to all Divine Truths But wee have another kind and companie of men that must be taxed that have indeed an Amen and a Seale but it is to a blank They are presumptuous persons and such which is worse as will have God to say Amen to their courses They will be naught and sinfull and then studie and strive to bring Gods Word to stand bent to their bow and so in their lying conceit make God say Amen to their Lusts. They account it not sufficient to have their will but they will have God to be of their mind too and they will alwayes get some daubers that shall say Goe on and prosper An Ahab will alwayes have his false Prophets What a wicked thing is this that wee should make an Idoll of God and transforme him into the likenesse of Satan his Enemie To make him like that which he hates most We will continue in our sinfull courses and make as though we had the Word of God for us and oh we have the judgement of such and such and thus boulster up our selves by building upon such sandie foundations When wee should bring up our soules and resigne them to God and his Spirit wee will bring God downe to our bent and make him to say this and that agreeable to our carnall reason and corrupt affections But I must not enlarge my selfe in this In a word therefore to conclude this point As there is a sweet harmonie in Gods Truth so let there be a harmonie in our hearts thereunto Gods Truth alwayes agrees with it selfe oh let our hearts agree with it When we heare a Threatning a Precept or a Promise oh let us say Amen It is the sweetest harmonie in the world when we can bring our hearts to close with God and his Word with his Spirit and Truth when we can be delivered into that forme of Doctrine which is delivered unto us But now I goe on Even so come Lord Iesus Wee come from the assent unto the consent yeelding unto that which Christ said as true and good We come unto the desire and prayer of the Church Even so come Lord Iesus Amen is an Hebrew word and it is still retained to shew the consent of the Christian Church with the Iewish both with that which was before and with that which shall be afterward And it is expressed and opened here by a word following Yea or Even so come Lord Iesus You see the Church desires and out of her desire prayes Come Lord Iesus Now this desire of the Church shewes the gracious disposition of the Church These desires are the breathings and motions of the Spirit in the soule tending to further union Even as motion tends to rest so desires tend to the uniting unto the thing desired The Churches desires here are the immediate issue of the soule and therefore undissembled and they shew the true character of a Christian soule We may dissemble words and actions but we cannot dissemble our desires and affections we may paint fire but we cannot paint heat Therefore God judgeth us more by our desires and affections then by our words and actions Now you may know that our desires are holy and good if so be that they be heavenly for then it is a signe that they come downe from Heaven even as a Spring will arise and ascend as high as the Spring Head whence it comes If our desires rise to Heaven as the Churches here doe then it is a signe they come downe from Heaven Our desires are as a streame which I will shew you by prosecuting that metaphor and allusion in sundry particulars A good Streame hath a good Spring so must our desires The Spring of the Churches desires here is Love shee loves Christ and therefore desires him to come quickly A Streame you know carryes all before it so our desires are an holy Streame issuing from a good Spring and carrying all before them They are efficacious not a meere velleitie as they say a bare wishing and woulding A Streame if it be stopped will swell till it breake downe all opposition and carry all before it so let a good desire be stopt and it will swell more and more and grow bigger and bigger till it makes way for it selfe A Streame is restlesse and incessant till it meet with the Ocean and emptie it selfe into the Sea so true and holy desires be restlesse and alwayes in motion They are not like a standing Poole that rests but they are in motion still till they have emptied themselves into the boundlesse and bottomelesse Ocean of endlesse pleasure As true Streames that arise from a Fountaine doe waxe bigger and bigger the neerer they come to the Ocean because other Rivers joyne with them and so they take advantage and augmentation by other streames that run into them so if our desires be true they are growing desires they encrease bigger and bigger still till they come to Heaven At length we see the Streames emptie themselves into the Sea they are swallowed up there where they have a more constant being then in themselves namely of the Ocean the true element and proper place of all waters and so our desires if they be holy as they are restlesse and growing so at last they emptie themselves into Christ and joynes with God and happinesse for the time to come for there is a greater happinesse for the soules of men in God in Christ and in Heaven then there is in themselves and there they are swallowed up Lastly we may trie our desires by this Vapours in a low place doe shew that there is a Spring there you know that the Springs are there where there are most Vapours constantly so where there be breathings of the soule upward as there is here of the Church surely there is a Spring of Love that yeelds these Vapours and whence these desires flow But I come more particularly unto this particular desire of the Church Come Lord Iesus I shall make way by some propositions which I shall praemise before I come to the maine thing which I shall stand upon at this time First we must take it for granted That there will be a second glorious comming of Christ that will be farre more glorious then the former The best times and things are to come for Christians every way every day

of grace especially that is the naturall and immediate meaning how transcendantly then unutterable and unconceivable are those things that are reserved against that time If the first fruits are so sweet what is the full harvest If the earnest bee so comfortable what is the whole bargaine If this Ioy be unspeakeable and full of Glory and this peace passe all understanding what will the fulnesse of Ioy peace and pleasures which are at Gods right hand for evermore and which shall bee then doe If the Angels wonder at the wisedome of God in the governement of his Church here in the middest of confusion how shall they bee put into a new and greater wonderment when they shall see Christ glorious in his Saints If when Christ was born in his abasement they sang Glory to God on high peace on earth good will towards men how joyful will those blessed spirits bee when Christ and all his members shall be joyned together in one body in Heaven If Abraham rejoyced to foresee by the eye of Faith the first comming of Christ in the flesh how should we joy by Faith to see the second comming of Christ If Iohn Baptist leaped in the wombe for joy at the presence of Mary the Mother of our Lord how will our hearts dance when we shall see the Lord himselfe in the great glory and Majesty of Heaven If Peter was so ravished with a little droppe and glimpse of Heaven when hee saw the transfiguration of Christ in the mount so that hee even lost and forgac himselfe and wist not what he said how shall we be affected think you when wee shall see Christ not in his transfiguration but in his glorification for ever If old Simeon when he saw Christ in his infancy embraced him in his arms and said Now Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seene thy salvation How shall wee bee transported with joy and admiration to see Christ not in his swadling cloathes nor in his infancy but in heaven all glorious If the sight of Christ in his Ordinances in his Word and Sacraments doth so affect a Christians heart as to transforme him into the Image of them what will it doe to see Christ face to face without these Glasses If the promises doe so quicken us as you have it in the Psalmes Thy word hath quickned mee what will the full performance of them doe If the communion of Saints here be so sweet even an Heaven upon earth what will it bee when all the blessed soules that have bin from the beginning of the World unto the end shall be all together and they altogether freed from all corruptions and infirmities what a blessed sight will that be If so bee that things prepared by men bee so glorious as the temple of Solomon was what is that glory which was prepared before the World was and is in preparing still for the Church If rest from labour bee so sweet what is the glorious liberty of the Sonnes of God A little liberty from corruption a little freedome and enlargement of Spirit here how sweet is that when we are set at liberty to serve God when we have the liberty of the Spirit to goe boldly to God and to the Throne of Grace how pleasant is that But oh the liberty of glory that is true liberty indeed Beloved these things deserve and desire admiration rather then expression therefore I leave them to your wondering and admiring rather then I wil study long to expresse them Oh yee blessed soules stand still a little and consider by the eye of Faith these glorious things and times to come You see then by this the Church hath great reason to say Come Lord Iesus Besides do but consider the estate of the Church here in this world even at the best while wee are present in the body we are absent from the Lord. But for the most part the Church is in this world as Daniel in the Lions den as sheepe in the midst of ravening wolves as a Ship in the midst of the waves and as a Lily among thornes All the birds of prey doe seize on the poore Turtle-Dove of Chrict and they beare a speciall and implacable malice against Gods Church and Children Yea oftentimes those that professe religion in the forme of it doe let out the h●art blood of it in deed and deny the power thereof Wee see it hath bin for ever since Christs comming and it will bee so to the end of the World Satan abuseth the great Ordinances of God and makes them serviceable to his owne ends so that there is nothing free from Sathans defilement no not the best Ordinances of God We see how boisterously and roughly the poore church of God is handled Are there not oftentimes in the Church within it selfe prejudices surmises jealousies one against another that the company of one another is not so sweet and delightfull And Woe to the world because of offences Are there not scandals and offences in the Church that hinders the comfort of it and many times do cause the falling out of those that are otherwise truly good So that in regard of Christians themselves there is not such a sweet complacency and delight one in another as there should be and as there shall bee then Where there is a different sight and a different light there will be different judgements and affections Now al Christians in this life have both a different light and sight one sees things cleerer than another and so their judgements differ a little and therefore their affections too those promises of the Lion and the Lambe dwelling together shall not exactly bee performed untill this his second comming but there shall be something of the Lion and of the Wolfe in the best Christians but then it shall be fully satisfied then all Woolvish and Lionish dispositions shall be subdued then there shall bee no infirmity in others to displease us nor any in us to give distaste to them but then we shall have an eternall communion together Therfore is there not in regard of our selves good reason for Christians to say Amen even so come Lord Iesus Then in regard of every one in his own particular doth not every one finde that true in himselfe that Paul saith of himselfe that we carry about with us a body of sin and a body of death our corruptions that we carry about with us are like a dead body tied unto a living body now what an odious and loathsome thing is it for a man to carry about with him a dead body Thus we doe and the more wee grow in grace the more noysome it will bee to us for the more we grow in grace the more life wee have and therefore the more Antipathy against sinne The more wee grow in grace the more light wee have

world but still grow in grace and godlinesse looking for and hasting unto the comming of the Day of the Lord. Let us take all advantages to helpe us in this desire and prayer for the second comming of Christ from all the crosses of this life and from all the businesses of Satan Satan was shut out of Paradise but hee is still creeping into the Paradise of the Church But in Heaven hee shall never come Hee was once there and was cast downe from thence never to come there againe But in the Church hee is alwayes stirring Hee is never so bound up but hee hath some mischiefe to doe Now let the consideration of Satan and his instruments that are alwayes some way or other molesting of the Church and are as thornes in their sides stirre us up to desire the second comming of Christ. So from all particular losses and crosses let us helpe our selves If wee have lost a friend let us fill our hearts with comfort from the second comming of Christ and from the consideration of that that then the time will come when all friends shall meet together Doe wee leave any thing in this world behind us wee shall meet with better there better friends a better place better imployment all better Therefore let us take advantage from every thing to help forward that desire In a word I beseech you because there be many things that might be spoken to this purpose let it be your maine care to fit your selves for that time It is a time of longing here while wee live It is the time between the Contract and the Marriage let us labour to be fitted and prepared for that time But you shall have many a good soule crie out Oh I am not so desirous of the comming of Christ as I ought True it may be so because of thy wants because thou hast not prepared thy selfe because thou art not spirituall because thou art not mortified This ariseth further as from other causes so from this Thou art ignorant of the Covenant of Grace that God is thy Father and that hee hath bound himselfe as a Father to pardon the sinnes of his children Therefore if thy sinnes be but infirmities that thou strivest against thou mayest be comforted Marke what the Apostle saith Wee our selves which have the first fruits of the Spirit even wee our selve doe groane within our selves waiting for the adoption even the redemption of our bodies If wee labour against our corruptions it should be so farre from hindering our desire of Christs comming that wee should desire it the rather because wee labour under them for then wee shall be fully rid of them Labour to understand the Covenant of Grace more fully Christ is a Mediatour and Intercessour for whom for perfect men no but for them that unwillingly runne into debt with God every day Therefore wee say in the Lords Prayer Give us this day our dayly bread and forgive us our debts c. The ignorance of Evangelicall points makes us so cold so dead and dull as we are oftentimes But you will say I desire to live still Those that desire the second comming of Christ desire that he would come and fetch them out of the World when they have done their worke May not I doe so Yes you may but it must be with a reservation that you may bring to Heaven as many as you can that you may get further evidence of your salvation and so in other respects you may desire to live so it may be that God may honour himselfe by our lives But simply and as the thing is in it selfe we ought to be of S. Pauls mind to desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is farre better Therefore when the time of our dissolution comes wee are to be willing to resigne up our soules unto God not onely patiently but cheerefully For why The day of death is a day of Iubile a day of Coronation a day of Marriage a day of Harvest a day of Triumph Wee are to bee ashamed of the disproportion of our desires to earthly things and to heavenly Is the Labourer loth to thinke of a Sabbath or a day of Rest Is a Souldier loth to thinke of a day of Victorie and Triumph Is a contracted person loth to thinke of the day of Marriage or a King of the day of his Coronation They are all desirous of these things and why should not wee be of that time when all these things shall indeed and really be performed All those things are but shadowes and scarce that of things to come and yet how earnestly desirous are men of them Have not wee then just cause to take occasion to shame and blame our selves for the disproportion of our desires to earthly and heavenly things But now when wee have finished our worke when God hath beene served by us in our generations as it was said of David that bee served God in his owne generation by the will of God and after that fell on sleepe then God will take off our desire of living any longer then hee will make us even willing to die As Saint Paul in the last Epistle that ever hee made when hee had runne his race and fought his fight and finished his course then nothing but a Crowne Henceforth there is layd up for me a Crowne of Righteousnesse c. And in the same Chapter afterward The Lord shall deliver me from every evill worke and preserve me unto his heavenly Kingdome So saith Christ I have glorified thee on the Earth I have finished the worke which thou gavest me to doe and now O Father glorifie thou me with thine owne selfe So when the Children of God have an Item from the Spirit of God that they have done all that God would have them for to doe then they will be most willing to goe hence In the meane time they must run with patience the race that is set before them they must fight the fight that God hath pitched for them and keepe the Faith they must be willing to doe all that God would have them in an humble submission to his will But when they have done all then their hearts will be enlarged to desire the comming of Christ that hee would come and call them home So then this doubt is sufficiently answered In a word I will end with this When you finde your hearts dull and cold and unactive to good then fetch fire from hence to inflame them from the second comming of Christ from the love of God in Christ from the love of his appearance Oh rouze up and quicken your hearts with such considerations Doe you conflict with any enemies either without or within Remember what the Apostle saith Fight the good fight of Faith lay hold on eternall life What is the way to fight the good fight of Faith why lay hold on eternall life that will make