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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	heart_n	put_v	write_v	8,223	5	5.9548	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B00700	A godly and fruitful exposition on the twenty five psalme, the second of the penteniials [sic]. Seruing especially for the direction and comfort of all persons, who are either troubled in minde, diseased in bodie, or persecuted by the wicked. / by A. Symson, pastor of the church at Dalkeith in Scotland.	Simson, Archibald, 1564-1628.	1622 (1622)	STC 22565.5; ESTC S107781	90,612	198

youth to seeke God who forsake him in the euening of their age The day hath a morning a noone and an euening-tide so hath our age a youth a middle age and a declining time blessed is he that perseuers to the end and till his later breath constantly depends on God and leaues him not for certainly that man shall haue the crowne of eternall glory VERSE 6. Remember O Lord thy tender mercies and thy louing kindnesse for they haue beene for euer IN the preceding words Dauid first prayed that God would deliuer him from shame and contempt next that hee woud teach him his wayes Doct. and now he desires that God would haue mercy vpon him and pardon him his sinnes No assurance of the remission of sin till God put his law in our hearts Marke by this his order in prayer how first hee desires that God would teach him his law and then that he would put away his sinne for we can neuer get assurance of the remission of our sinnes till God put his law in our heart After these dayes Note saith the Lord by Ieremy I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people And they shall teach no more euery man his neighbour and euery man his brother saying Know ye the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest of them sayes the Lord. For I will forgiue them their iniquity and remember their sinnes no more Which the Apostle to the Hebrewes reciteth word by word Doctr. For God first by his word and Spirit workes in the mind of a sinner a light and sight of his sinnes Knowledge of sinne comes before remission of sinne and in his heart a sorrow for it and then he putteth it away and forgiues it Therefore let vs try what sight and sense of sin the word of God hath wrought in vs that we haue a certificate to our conscience of the remission thereof Ps 107.20 He sendeth his word and healeth them He sent Nathan to Dauid and then pardoned him In these two verses he thrice repeateth the word remember not that there is any memory or forgetfulnesse in God as in man for time makes man to forget but God changeth no time absence makes vs forget but all things are present to him memory hath a seat in mans braine which being perturbed it fayles God is all memory But he is said to remember or forget How God is said to remember Gen. 8.1 and 19.29 Gen. 30.22 when by visible tokens of doing he sheweth his fauour or displeasure to man As he remembred Noah when the flood diminished Abraham when he saued Lot and brought him out from Sodome Rachel when he made her conceiue and Anna 1 Sam. 1.19 when he granted vnto her her petition Thy tender mercies and louing kindnesse First he craues at God that he would remember his mercies which is the first thing wee should seeke at God for if we get it as said Iacob wee get all things Gen. 33.11 Mercy against merit And hereby it is clearly seene that hee disclaimes all merits for albeit he fought the Lords battells gouerned his people by the word and sword in executing iustice prayed and praised God continually fasted and bestowed almes on the Saints Psal 16.2 yet he confesseth they cannot extend to God Vse which refuteth and damneth the foolish Papists who pretend merits Of confutation of the Papists merits but commit murthers and adulteries and yet with open mouth they cry merits merits Hee amplifieth Gods mercies by three names mercies benignities goodnesse benignity twice repeated see how highly hee doth esteeme of Gods goodnesse when hee cannot finde termes sufficiently to expresse them A liuely representation of the Trinity But these three liuely represent vnto vs the Trinity the Father the fountaine of goodnesse yea goodnesse it selfe the Sonne mercie supplying our misery the holy Spirit benignity and bountifulnesse gratiously working and bestowing these things which the Father and Sonne giue The goodnesse of God is the fountaine begetting mercy and mercy bringeth forth benignity Let vs learne by this that whateuer commeth to vs must either come out of the fountaine of Gods mercy or else it is a curse not a benignity but a malignity Many say Who will shew vs any good thing Psal 4.6 but Dauid sayes Lord lift vp the light of thy countenance on me We should imitate the three properties of the Trinity These three properties of the Trinity all Christians should imitate the goodnesse of the Father the mercy of the Sonne and the bountifulnesse of the Spirit that in so doing they may haue society with the Father Son and Spirit I know thee to be a good man because thou art not cruell but mercifull I know thee to be mercifull in that thy hand is bountifull thou giues and distributes to the poore Psal 112.9 thy righteousnesse endureth for euer The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rachamim signifieth bowels which are the seats and places of the fatherly and motherly loue and therefore the children are called parentum viseera the bowels of the parents which phrase the Apostle writing to Philemon both in the 12. and 20. verse expoundeth spiritually Thou therefore receiue him that is mine owne bowels and in the 20. verse Comfort my bowels in the Lord. Esay 49.15 Can a mother forget her child c yet the Lord cannot forget Israel Ps 103.13 And as the Father pitties his children so the Lord hath pitty on those that feare him So we see hereby how deare and neere we are to Gods very heart that we haue a place in his innermost affections But when hee speakes of mercies and benignities Infinit miseries haue need of infinit mercies he speakes in the plurall number because as our sinnes and miseries are infinit so we haue need of infinit comforts and pardons he is called the father of mercies For they haue beene for euer 2 Cor. 1.3 Gods mercies are eternall A faire commendation of Gods mercies from the eternity thereof His mercies had no beginning as himselfe had none and shall haue no end F●om euerlasting to euerlasting thou art our God For as the Ocean and maine Sea Psal 100. Simil. can neuer be exhausted but it would furnish water to all the world if euery one should bring vessels to draw water there from So if wee had faith and prayer to seeke grace from God he is all-suffici●nt in himselfe to furnish vs all which makes Dauid to cry in one Psalm twēty and sixe times Psal 126. thy mercy endureth for euer Mat. 16.18 Therefore we may build our faith on it as on a strong Rocke that the gates of hell cannot preuaile against vs for euery thing earthly on which we repose is subiect to mutation and change All things change God onely immutable

that is that the sacrifices of old could not worke by themselues remission of sinnes but onely did represent and prefigure the onely sacrific● of our Redeemer Then as he saith truly their sacrifices ex opere operato by the external working of them cannot giue remissio● of sins What reason then hath he to affirm that the Sacrament of the new Testamen conferreth grace by the very externall giuing thereof Lorinus against himselfe seeing that same thing wa● prefigureted by their sacrifices which is represented by our Sacraments that is Christ● blood both in Baptisme and in the Lords Supper Verse 17. The sacrifices of the Lord are 〈◊〉 contrite spirit a contrite and broken heart O God thou wilt no● despise WHen he hath remoued that which God misliked and refused now he placeth that which God liketh and receiueth that is the sacrifice of a contrite spirit In the plurall number called sacrifices that is this one for 〈◊〉 A broken heart is such a heart which is humbled through a sight and sense of sin What a broken h●ar● is For it is needfull that as we haue worne our heart by finne so our heart should be worne againe by repentance and sorrow for sinne and that we should take paines to subdue our hearts and all the thoughts thereof and bring them captiue to Gods obedience That is that poore spirit of which Matthew speaketh Mat. 5.3 Esa 66.2 Isaias speaketh of the spirit that trembleth at Gods word Why sacrifices in the plurall number This caus d Dauid to put the word sacrifices in the plurall number that he might expresse the better that one contrite heart which is the sacrifice of repentance alone suffiseth for all legall sacrifices If he had said that a contrite heart is a sweet smelling sacrifice they might haue excepted that so are many others as the papists do mixe their works with the grace of God But Dauid excludeth purposlie all sacrifices and sheweth that what euer sacrifices God respecteth are comprehended vnder a penitent heart beleeuing in Christs bloud and seeking mercie for the same This sort of people are called mourners in Sion who mourne to God for their owne sinnes and the sinnes of the people who powre out their heart with their teares to God who doe lament for the affliction of Ioseph Oh what cause haue we to lament this day for our sinnes and to breake our hearts for the persecution of the Church in euery place Let our feasting be turned into fasting our laughter in teares Mourne with Ieremiah for the desolation of Sion Nota. A contrite and broken heart thou wilt not despise Here he encourageth the penitent sinner who may be affraied to appeare before the Tribunall of God in regard of the conscience of his sinne and be feared that God will not accept him howsoeuer he be humbled Him here he encourageth God will not despise a troubled heart yea rather he will like it and manifest his skill in healing and comforting it God liketh a troubled heart To which agree all those places in Isaias which comfort the Church those sweet inuitations of Christ to the laden and wearie to come vnto him and to those that were athirst and he that calleth vpon vs will not reiect and cast vs away The Lord is nigh to them that be of a contrite spirit Psal 144.8 Who speake to him in the bitternesse of their soule Iob. 10.1 Crying like the Dragon or Ostrich Mich. 1.8 Who cry wonderfull being ouercomed by the Elephants As Saint Ierome saieth who slay their affections and offer them as a sacrifice to God as the Magdalen Peter other Saints who forsake their former lusts and say with a certaine young man who being temped by an harlot and seeming to be ignorant who she was she said ego sum it is I he answered ego non sum it is not I for he was conuerted by repentance If thou would prevaile with God Pro. 23.26 giue him thine whole heart if thou doe any thing for God doe it with thine heart 2. Chro. 31 21 seeke him with thine whole heart loue him feare him pray to him turne to him obey him with thine whole heart Deut. 10 12. Rom. 6.17 Ier. 32.40 Ioel. 2 12. Psal 119.145 Their heart is deuided saith the Lord of hoste now shall they perish Hos 10. ● God is one and vndeuided and craueth an heart one and whole in affection and rent onely by de●ection nothing can breake God but a broken heart The string can bow the bowe the fire can temper and molifie the steele the goates bloud the adamant and the heart contrite can moue God saith Mantuan in these verses Virga recens Zephyris neruo curuabitur arcus Igne chalybs adamas sangnine corde Deus Finallie obserue that albeit repentance doth make a contrite heart and as I said before we should take such paine on our contrition that we should not let any thought of our heart escape vnrepented mourned for yet the onely hammer which must burst our soules is the word of God The word of God bruseth the heart which bruseth the rockes of a stonie heart Simil. and maketh an heart of flesh And as out of rags being brused is brought forth fine paper so is a troubled heart brused with sorrow for sin turned into a gratious subiect whereinto God may worke and write his law And as the poole of Bethsaida being troubled Ioh. 5.4 brought health to mens bodies so doth the conscience afflicted by God bring certaine health and saluation to soule and body Saint Ambrose sayeth that repentance is so difficult and hard a matter that he hath oftner found mo who liued innocently then who did truely repent It is written of Augustine that he caused the psalmes of repentance to be put on the wall ouer against him before he died and reaped aboundantly reading them ten daies at which time none came to him but either the phisitians or his refreshment Seeing therefore God liketh this sacrifice of a contrite heart without which none other thing will please him let vs take the bests of our affections seperate them from their olde pleasures to God bind them by the coards of the word lay them downe at his feete and slay them and that sacrifice shall please him offer thy selfe a liuing sacrifice and be assured God will accept of thee and neuer reiect thee not thine offering other sacrifices die being offered Nota. but we by offering our selues to God yet liue Verse 18. Be fauourable vnto Zion for thy good pleasure build the walles of Ierusalem HE hath prayed for mercie to himselfe now he praieth for the Church which he hath offended by his sinne and vpon which he had brought such euills that it would please God to be mercifull to her ●uild vp her walles and repaire her ruines No man can truely pray for himselfe vnles he pray for the church No man can truely pray for

guiltinesse for which we are commanded to pray daily Mat. 6.12 Forgiue vs our sinnes This is signified by the holy Sacrament of Baptisme wherewith God hath commanded vs to be washed assuring vs thereby of his fauour if we beleeue the remission of sins which the Apostle calleth lauacrum regenerationis Tit. 3.5 the lauer of regeneration Those who seeke to be washed by any other meane then this do as those qui luto lutum purgant as Erasmus hath in his Adagies wash one filth by another Against the Papists merits Simil. Those foolish Papists who thinke by their foule merits to cleanse their filthy sins do as those who hauing their clothes berayed by dirt take dirtie clothes to wipe the former dirt away whereby they make them filthier then before Yea their hypocrisie and superstition whereby they thinke to appease Gods wrath shall double their guiltinesse before God and man The word in the originall includeth a multiplication of washing whereby he acknowledgeth a multiplication in sinning and his earnestnesse that euery sin may haue some particular assurance of grace For this is the hungring and thirsting after spirituall graces that the heart cannot be satisfied till it be filled with them neither will be content of a bare crust and outward shew of pardon vnlesse the assurance thereof be doubled And cleanse me from my sinne The second similitude is taken from cleansing which is respectiue to the Leprosie vnder the Law Le●it 13. for which God appointed purgations and cleansings Why sin i● compared to leprosie Sinne is compared to a leprosie Frst because it is hereditarie being in the blood so we are conceiued in sin and the more dangerous because by no naturall meanes it can be helped but by God alone Sin is from the descent of our parents we are conceiued therein Who can bring that which is cleane out of a thing vncleane Secondly as leprosie is ignominious and disgraceth man aboue all other diseases that men who are infected by the plague are not so much shunned as those that are leprous so sin disgraceth man The leprosie of Miriam made her to be separated from the campe Num. 12.14 and the leprosie of Vzza made him to be shut out of the Temple so sin depriueth vs of the societie of man Angels Thirdly Leprosie maketh mens flesh senslesse so sin maketh men insensible of the iudgements of God Fourthly Leprosie is incurable with men 〈◊〉 are the frensie heresie iealousie God keepeth those cures to himselfe so sin can be purged by none but by Gods owne cunning As Abanah and Pharpar riuers of Damascus 2. King 5.12 were not of force to cure the leprosie of Naaman and leprous might haue died if according to the Prophets direction he had not washed himselfe in Iordan so are the merits of men or holinesse of Angels Apostles yea of the blessed virgin Marie so much set by by men vprofitable to purge vs from our sinnes onely that blessed blood of Iesus will do the turne wherein if we be washed our flesh shall be as the flesh of a childe euen as though we had neuer sinned But to the end thou ma●st be assured whether thou art clensed from this leprosie or no I will giue you some infallible tokens and markes whereof some are secret and onely knowne to thy s●lfe others are seene by others The secret marks be these First if thou art ashamed of those things which thou hast done Priuate tokens wherby thou maist know if thou be washed Rom. 6.21 Iob 42.6 What profit haue ye of those things saith the Apostle whereof now ye are ashamed and cannot remember them without blushing if thou abhorrest thy selfe when thou callest them to minde and repentest with Iob in dust and ashes Secondly if thou hast faith in Christs blood doest desire to be purged by these cleane and cleare waters not running to others or digging vnto thy selfe cisternes of rotten waters Externall notes wherby others may know if thou be washed The externall marke is sanctification of thy person being washed thou goest not to defile thee in the puddle And thy thankfulnesse to God ● Kin. 5.15 as Naaman returned to Elisha and not onely offered a great reward vnto him but promised to be a worshipper of God all his dayes Be not like vnto the nine lepers who outwardly cured abode in the leprosie of sin of the two the worst and most dangerous Luk. 17.17 but with the tenth returne to Christ with thankfulnesse For if thou be vnthankfull to God and art not diligent and earnest to celebrate praises vnto him for his mercies it is an euident token thou art not yet cured Finally thou must go to the Priest and offer according to the law receiue the absolution frō Gods mouth out of the mouth of his seruants and shew thy thankfulnesse in obedience to God all thy life Verse 3. For I know mine iniquitie and my sinne is euer before me THe first argument which he vsed to moue God to pardon his sins was taken from God himselfe and that great mercie whereto he is inclined The next from his great filthinesse vncleannesse whose misery was an obiect of Gods mercie desiring God to purge and cleanse him from the same Now followeth the third argument taken from his acknowledgement of his sin and true confession thereof As though he would say Lord I know I haue sinned I confesse my sin to thee therefore pardon me What force thinke ye this argument would haue in a guiltie mans mouth if he came before an earthly Iudge and would say I haue committed murder and adulterie I confesse it Surely the Iudge would answer Ex ore tuo te iudico I iudge thee according to thine owne confession as Dauid commanded him to be killed 2. Sa. 1.16 An humble acknowledgement of sinne a good argument to obtain pardon from God who reported that he had killed Saul But before the heauenly Tribunall such an argument hath onely force There is no meane to acquit vs from Gods iustice vnlesse we come to him humbly confessing our sin and accusing our selues for then he will pardon and excuse vs. Our condemning of our selues maketh him to absolue vs our remembrance of our sins maketh him to forget them and our repentance bringeth his pardon But how cometh it to passe that thus he lamenteth Obiect seeing before Nathan had assured him that his sins were forgotten and pardoned I answer Solut. the godly albeit they be perswaded of mercie yet for the loue they beare to God they cannot but be displeased with themselues so often as they remember how vnhappily they haue offended so gracious a maiestie The wicked forget the euils which they do remember the good which they haue done if they haue done any whereas the godly remember alwayes their sins 1. Cor. 15.9 2. Tim 1.13 but the wicked forget their sins most easily and if they haue done any shew of

haue so far differed in expounding this verse some running forth on Allegories others on far sought interpretations that Lorinus the Iesuite numbreth twelue diuers interpretations hereof of which The diuers interpretations of this vers● two are most agreeable to the words and meaning of the text The first expounds it this way Howsoeuer say they Dauid did wrong to Vriah yet it was hid from all men and onely knowne to God and these sins are onely done against God whereof none is witnesse but he only And surely albeit we would couer our sins from the sight of the world there is one witnesse whose sight we cannot flee Plato affirmeth that we should do nothing in secret whereof we would be ashamed in publik And Cicero Ne siquidem deos omnes celare possumus albeit we could keepe it secret from all the gods The other whereto I rather incline is thus Albeit say they Dauid had offended man yet it touched him more nigh at the heart the sin he did against God in breaking of his law For so Nathan said vnto him Why didst thou contemn the word of the Lord 2. Sa. 12.14 that thou shouldst do euill in his sight As though Dauid would say Though all the world would absolue me this is more then enough to me that I feele thee my iudge my conscience citeth me before thy tribunall Let vs haue our eyes and our senses fixed on God and not be deceiued with the vaine allurements of men who either extenuate or conniue and winke at our sins For God Nota. as he 〈◊〉 witnesse to our sins so is he sole and onely Iudge Admire the loue of God who can punish both soule and bodie in hell fire of whose wrath we should be more afraid then of all ●he kings or tyrants of the world As also we should be sorie that we haue offended so gracious a God who when he might haue damned vs yet hath pleased to pardon vs and taketh no other satisfaction at our hand but repentance for our sin and faith in his Son Iesus Christ Who will not giue vs to our enemies hand to be destroyed but will set vs free from prison out of his free loue Therefore O sinner in time be reconciled with thy Iudge and take no rest till thou haue suretie of his fauour Say with Dauid Peccaui I haue sinned 2. Sa. 12.13 and God shall say with Nathan Peccata tua remissa sunt thy sins are forgiuen Against thee against thee onely haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight The ingemination of the word against thee signifieth the deepnesse of his feeling and griefe who is the more wounded the more he findeth the greatnesse of that maiestie and goodnes whom he hath offended So it were happie for vs that we could be deeply moued with a conscience of our sin that out of the deep places of a contrite heart we might redouble our sighs which would pierce that fatherly heart if we could shoot vp such arrowes to heauen but we laugh ouer the matter not remembring that our laughter shall be turned to mourning This also serueth to conuince such miscreant Atheists who can generally say God forgiue vs we are all sinners as it were excusing their sins whenas they are neuer touched at the heart with a sorrow for them They feed their foolish humours with a cloake of the multitude that sinneth quasi patrocinium error is sit multitudo peccantium as though the multitude of sinners should be a patrocinie and defence of errors saith Augustine Hell is spacious large enough hauing all the dimensions which will containe all the diuels and their children if they were more in number then they are That thou maist be iust when thou speakest and pure when thou iudgest By this it is cleare that the iustice of God shineth most in mens soules and his truth in their lies As though he would say Because I haue sinned so grieuously and haue committed such wickednesse that thou canst not be blamed of vnrighteousnesse though thou shouldst punish me most rigorously for I haue deserued worse then I haue suffered But because the Apostle Paul Rom. 3.4 would seeme to turne this text to another sense A reconciliation betwixt this place and that of Rom. 3.4 we shall reconcile them easily For the Apostle seeing the Iewes to bring the testament and couenant of God in slander as though he had bin the cause of their ruine by casting that vpon themselues he freeth God of their fall But Dauid here vindicateth Gods iustice laying all the cause on himselfe Whereof we gather that if any euill come to man the cause of it is to be found in himselfe we need not cast it on God But out of this that Dauid confesseth God to be iust when he iudgeth we learne first Gen. 18.29 that God as Abraham said is the iust Iudge of the world and albeit he hath reserued a generall iudgement after this life God hath a particular iudgement in this world as Augustine saith yet he hath a particular iudgement vpon men in this world both elect and reprobate iudicio non semper manifesto semper tamen iusto not alwayes by a manifest yet always by a iust iudgment He erecteth a tribunall in mens conscience he summoneth the party accuseth cōuicteth him This iudgment is by his word Spirit For euery mans work shal be manifest as by the fire For the fire both letteth them see their faults and burneth vp their drosse As also he punisheth them in the sight of the world and in their posteritie as he did as well to Dauid as to Saul 2. Sa. 12.10 for he said that blood should not depart from his house and so it was Therefore let not men although the best Christians thinke to escape the censure of his iustice yea what euer he doth Psal 143.17 we must say God is iust in all his works Next he is pure when he iudgeth or trieth We may be assured God will put men to triall God will put vs to triall by affliction persecution sicknesse and pouertie Then men will be made manifest the hypocrisie of many will be detected For as the wind is appointed to trie the corne Simil. the fire to trie the gold the floods to trie houses builded vpon the rocke and sand so shall the day of the Lords triall discerne those who haue but a shadow of religion and shall appeare ere it be long as it is begun already Alwayes God is pure in his triall he knoweth the one from the other already but he will haue men trying and knowing them Gen. 22.12 Abraham was tried in the slaughter or offering of his son and his faith was approued Ionah 2. so was Ionas tried and Iobs patience and Peters weaknesse In all these trials God was pure and free of any iniury done to any of them for they were knowne to be but men although Prophets