Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	body_n	soul_n	think_v	1,483	5	4.5805	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05342	A sermon preached before his Maiesty at Windsore, the 19. of Iuly. 1625. By Henrie Leslie, one of his Maiesties chaplaines in ordinary	Leslie, Henry, 1580-1661.	1625 (1625)	STC 15494; ESTC S108502	20,921	41

so far from being moued effectually by the word that he is rather prouoked to doe the contrarie Origen for such is the corruption of mans nature vt ea quae prohibentur magis desiderantur Our corrupt nature is like a restie horse who the more he is spurred forward the more he goeth backward and like a streame whch being dammed vp rageth swelleth and ouerfloweth all the bankes therefore is the commandement said to be an occasion of sin and Christ is called a rocke of offence and the Apostles a sauour of death Take an example hereof in Pharaoh he is commanded to let the people goe and the more he is vrged the stiffer and stubborner he is and the more he rebelleth against God And the same may be said of the Iewes God foretelleth what should bee the euent of Isaias ministrie namely that he should make their hearts fat and their eares heauy and shut their eyes So that even the word becommeth vnto them the meanes of hardning As the middle region of the aire is more cold by the Antiperistasis so the heart of a reprobate is more hard by the word though the word in it selfe bee full of vitall heart for to soften the heart As the hammer though it breakes the rockes yet the smithes stithie the more the hammer strikes vpon it the harder it is and as the heate of the sunne though it melt waxe yet it dryeth the clay and as the raine though it mollifie the earth yet hardens sand so the word breaketh melteth and mollifieth the hearts of the Godlie and yet obdurates dryes and hardens the wicked but accidentallie the fault being in their owne disposition Itpleased some to censure me that I did ill to alleadge the spirit of Compunction as a phrase equiualent to hardnesse of heart it being contrary vnto it Therefore vnderstand that I tooke not Compunction passiuely for contrition as when they are said to be compuncti corde Act. 2.37 but actiuely for a fretting against the word And so the Scripture takes it For Rom. 11.8 that which is viually rendred the spirit of slumber is not vnfitly by others translated the Spirit of Compunction And I appeale from their learning to the common sense of the meanest Reader whether in that place it be contrary to hardnesse of heart or all one with it for hauing said that the Jewes were hardned for confirmation thereof hee alleadgeth this as it is written God hath giuen them the Spirit of Compunction and after addes Eyes that they should not see and eares that they should not beare loyning in one two places the of prophesie of Isaiah This in Scripture is called the spirit of compunction which implyeth a kind of fretting chaffing and violent stirring against the word as in those that brast for anger at the Apostles Act. 5.33 That gnashed with their teeth at Stephen Act. 7.54 The second kind of this senselesnesse is in the conscience and respecteth the sinnes which a man committeth when a man is not touched with sense and sorrow for the same 1 Tim. 4.2 Isa 29.9 Psal 60.3 Isa 29.10 This is the seared conscience spirituall drunkennesse the wine of giddinesse or drowsinesse the spirit of slumber or deade sleepe for when any part of the body is seared with a hot iron it looseth all sence life and motion also when a man is drunken he knowes not he careth not what he doth And finallie those who are ouercome with drowsinesse or slumbering cannot easilie with stirring or pricking be awaked So he that is come to this height of hardnesse is without all sense of sinne he neither knoweth nor careth what euill he doth and hee is neuer moued with any stirring or pricking of his conscience Of such the Apostle saith Eph. 4.19 they are Past feeling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This seared conscience hath seuerall degrees There is the broade conscience when a man is not moued with any sinne except it be very heynous There is the sleeping conscience when a man is not touched with the sense of any sinne be it neuer so greivous for a long time Hieron yet at last tranquillitas ista tenpestas est this calme proues a storrne and he is awakened either by the preaching of the law or the terrors of death or some greivous calamitie and there is the slumbering conscience which hath some sense of sinne as Pharaoh had Exod. 9.27 when hee cryed out I haue sinned but neuer any sound sorrow for it he feeles not with Iob the terrors of God fighting against him and the inuenomed arrowes of the almightie sticking fast in his ribs This is but like the sweating of a stone in moist weather which notwithstanding retaines its naturall hardnesse and drynesse finallie their is the benummed consciene when a man hath neither sense of sinne nor sorrow for it but is like a man in a phrensie or one fallen into a pleasant sleepe who though he be exceeding sick yet he feeles no paine and as in some kind of sicknesse a man may die laughing so where this degree of hardnesse is a man may descend into the pit of hell triumphing and reioycing Whereof I will onely say with St. Austin quid miserius misero non miserante seipsum None are so desperately sick as they who feele not their disease when the pulse doth not beat the bodie is in a most dangerous estate that schoole will soone decay where the monitor doth not complaine that army must necessarily be surprised where watches alarums be not kept that towne is dissolute where no clockes are vsed But the conscience is to the soule as the pulse to the body the monitor to the schoole the watch to the armie the clocke to a towne And therefore when it is silent the soule is in a most desperate case The third kinde of this senselesnesse is in the affections and respecteth Gods Iudgements vpon vs for sinne when these cannot worke vpon a soule any good effect but are as it were lost labour as God accounteth them Isa 1.5 Why should yee he stricken any more yee will revoult more and more Indeede affliction is the most effectuall meanes for to make our heart relent and resolue into the teares of vnfained repentance either the crosse will doe it or nothing Moral l. 26. c. 23. as Gregorie saith aurem cordis tribulatio aperit quam saepe huius mundi prosperitas claudit which is the same with that of Elihu Iob 33.16 God openeth the eares of men by their corrections which he had sealed that he might cause man to turne away from his purpose Therefore we find that afflictions are the last meanes which God ordinarily vseth to convert obstinate sinners When neither the oile of his gracious bountie will softenour stony hearts nor his Word which is the sword of the spirit pierce them when neither the sweet sound of his gracious promises will allure vs to obedience nor the terrible thunder of his fearefull

threatnings restraine vs from sinne In the last place he visits our iniquities with the rod our sinnes with scourges knowing that if our case be not desperate we will at least be reclaimed by his judgments Thus the Lord hauing complained much of the rebellion of his people Isa 1. in end he promiseth them mercie and sheweth how he would reforme them euen by casting them into the fierie surnace of affliction thereby to purifie them and consume away the drosse of their sinnes that they might shine againe in their wonted beautie V 25. I will turne my hand vpon thee and purely purge away thy drosse and take away all thy tinne The like promise is Isa 4.4 that he will wash the filthinesse of the daughter of Sion by the spirit of iudgment and by the spirit of burning Likewise Hos 5. both Preists and people all being so corrupt that their case was desperate the Lord resolues what to doe I will goe and returne to my place that is I will withdraw all the testimonies of my loue fauour from them till they acknowledge their offence and seeke my face V. 15. in their affliction they will seeke me earlie Which was accordingly verified in the euent for in the next words the Prophet bringeth thē in speaking thus in their affliction Come let vs returne vnto the Lord c. Hos ● 1 and finally the Lord promising to incline his Church namely to obedience he sheweth by what meanes he will doe it euen by bringing her into the wildernes Hos 2.14 Behold I will incline her and bring her into the wildernesse or after that I haue brought her into the wildernes by the wildernesse is meant extreame miserie the reby shewing that the Iewes could not be inclined to obedience vntill they were pressed with diuers calamities as it were cast into a desert of desperation So that the Lord dealeth with vs as the Smith with the iron Iron is very hard but the Smith knoweth how to mollifie it and make it flexible by putting it into the fire so our hearts are so hard that when God would make them flexible vnto his obedience he is faine to cast them into the fierie furnace of affliction whereby they are mollified Yet many hearts are so hard that the fire it selfe will not soften them nor God's judgements moue them So the Lord complaineth of his people Isa 9.13 The people turneth not to him that smiteth them And Ier. 8.7 the Storke in the heauen knoweth her appointed times c. but my people know not the iudgments of the Lord. Amos 4. And by the Prophet Amos he reckoneth vp his seuerall judgements wherewith he had afflicted them as famine pestilence the sword and after euery one of them is subjoyned yet haue ye not returned vnto me saith the Lord. This contempt of God's judgments hath three degrees 1. carnall securitie when a man is not moued with God's judgments before they seaze vpon him but although they be threatned against him and he see them already vpon others and he find in himselfe the cause that will procure them yea he perceiue God's instruments set on worke to effect them yet he blesseth himselfe in his heart and hauing made a couenant with death and with hell he sleepes as secure as Ionas did in the ship Thus it was with the old World they ate dranke Math. 24.38 married wiues and knew nothing that is feared nothing till the flood came and tooke them all away Thus it fared with Belshazzar he was feasting with his Princes his wiues and his concubines and carousing out of the holy vessels at the same time when the hand-writing on the wall denounced his destruction so the whore of Babel Dan. 5. euen then when her fall is begunne saith in her heart I sit a Queen Revel 18.7 and am no widow and shall see no sorrow But especially see an example of this securitie in the Israelites Isa 22.12 In that day did the Lord of hosts call to weeping and mourning to baldnesse and girding with sackcloath and behold ioy and gladnes c. If this should be found to be our case we haue great cause for to feare for the Scripture hath alwayes marked this securitie as a certaine fore-runner of destruction and experience hath taught vs that quos perdere vult ●upiter hos occaecat The 2 degree is senselesse indolencie and blockish stupiditie when a man is not affected with greife euen then when Gods hand lieth heauy vpon him but puts off the feeling thereof with desperate contempt labouring to outface his greifes and forget his soares by goeing into merry company gaming feasting reuelling and such other carnall delights who may be compared to Salomons drunkard who sleepes securelie in the middest of the sea and on the top of the mast whom he bringeth in speaking thus Prov. 23.24 they haue stricken me and I was not sicke they haue beaten me and I felt not Amongst the Heathens we haue many examples hereof Aristides was not moued with his banishmēts nor Regulus with his exquisit tormēts nor Scipio with all those indignities which his ingratefull countrimen offered vnto him nor Paulus Aemilius and Horatius Puluillus with the death of their children This was commended by the Stoicks for great patience but indeed as Seneca saith nulla virtus est quae non sentias perpeti there can be no patience where there is no passion And here there is no feeling for this indolencie is a kind of dead palsie or sleepie lethargie and as S. Austine saith it is stupor morbi De patient ● 23. non robur sanitatis The Israelites are taxed with this Ier. 5.3 Thou hast stricken them but they haue not sorrwed thou hast consumed them but they haue refused to receaue correction The last degree is when a man is moued with Gods iudgements but not effectually Thus there are many who being afflicted mourne too much complaine crie houle and wring their hands and yet the sense of judgement neuer driues them vnto true repentance But either their sorrow is onely naturall for the affliction they say with Pharaoh Take away the plague not with Dauid take away the sinne or els they are so farre from any humiliation for their sinnes that they are rather moued to thinke that God must needs loue them because he corrects them Or finally if the sense of iudgement bring them to the sight of their sinnes yet there followeth no amendment but they are swallowed vp of despaire and hauing a sight of their sinnes in the glasse of the Law without any sense of Gods mercie revealed in the Gospell their hearts are broken and battered but not dissolued and softened Prov. 27.22 So that though thou shouldest bray a foole in a morter yet will not his foolishnesse depart from him Thus haue I discouered this monster with many heads You see that a dry soule that is void of grace is a hard heart a stiffe and