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A41106 Christs alarm to drowsie saints, or, Christs epistle to his churches by William Fenner. Fenner, William, 1600-1640. 1646 (1646) Wing F682; ESTC R25397 286,079 411

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esteemed among men in their consciences indeed they say they are better then the whole world I but their heart does not greatly esteeme them nay it slights them and seekes them accordingly this is a dead heart Eighthly thus ye see what is the life of the heart it is the absolute will of the heart when the heart is inclined towards God when it intends God when it maks choice of his wayes and puts off whatsoever is contrary to them when it prizes and endeares every one of them all when it savours them and is full of care for them I might adde another the cleaving of the heart when the heart cleaves to the Lord as it is said of Hezekiah that he clave to the Lord 2 King 18. 6. when the heart closes in with God and will not let him goe no nor let his wayes goe it sticks to a Godly course all the world cannot pull him away not firenor faggot though it be never so much hindred and interrupted by the flesh yet now it hath a sticking quality in it as David sayes I have stuck to thy Testimonies Psal 119. 31. Now because when the heart is made willing on this fashion towards God there is left still an adverse unwillingnesse by reason of the flesh so that the heart can never put forth these acts without horrible clogges therefore now in a live heart towards God there be other acts that are not in a heart that is alive to the world And the reason is this Because when the heart is alive to the world the hearts of it own nature is willing unto that and there is no unwillingnesse mixed together with it never was it heard that the heart should be willing and unwilling to the same thing till saving grace came to divide asunder the will in two ye know the regenerate are two men apeice and they have two wills one towards God and another towards sinne and the world nay it 's the same will that hath both these branches in it and this does much puzzle the hearts when they finde such a deale of unwillingnesse in them towards God Therefore I say there be other acts of life in the heart towards God aud they are five The first is the preparing of the heart whereby the heart prepareth it selfe towards God 2 Chron. 30. 18. 19. 1 Sam. 7. 3. The second is the Combating of the heart Gal. 5. 17. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I beate downe my body 1 Cor. 9. 27. The third is the endeavouring of the heart it reaches forth it selfe Phil. 3. 13. it stirres up it selfe it awakens it selfe why art thou so sad O my soule Psal 42. 5. The fourth is the binding of it selfe by determinations and purposes so Paul bound his owne heart with a determination before he came unto Corinth 1 Cor. 2. 2. Daniel knowing how unwilling his heart would be to abstaine from the Kings meat though by grace he was willing therefore his heart bound it selfe with a purpose he purposed not to defile himselfe with the Kings meat Dan. 1. 8. So Act. 11. 23. The fifth is the groaning and sighing of the heart as David though he were willing yet feeling the unwillingnes of the flesh therewithall fetch a groane O that my wayes were so direct that I might keepe thy Statutes Psal 119. 5. So Paul groaned earnestly to be dissolved 2 Cor. 5. 2. This is the putting of the heart more forward These I have named you may name more it may be But thus if the heart be alive towards God it will doe because it feeles a great deale of unwillingnesse it gets what advantage it can of it selfe to make it selfe willing as the Church ere ever was aware my soule made me like the Chariots of Aminadab Cant. 6. 12. it sets it selfe right as the soule when it 's dead it neglecteth this act quite and cleane from day to day as the Psalmist sayes of dull Israel he calls them a generation that set not their heart aright Psal 78. 8. REVEL 3. 2. And art Dead WE are come to declare what it is to be a live Christian quickened up towards God and all his holy wayes and after sundry passages we came to enquire what is the life of the soul here I propounded five things First what is the life of the minde Secondly what is the life of the heart Thirdly what is the life of the conscience Fourthly what is the life of the memory And Fifthly what is the life of the affections We have spoken of the first what is the life of the mind ye know by nature the minde is alive to the things of the world and dead towards God and therefore we enquired what the life of the minde is it cannot be the bare knowing of things it may be dead to what it knowes it cannot be the bare thinking of things nor the bare approving of things nor the bare studying of things the minde may performe all these acts to a thing that it is dead to no no the life of the minde is First the applying of the minde Secondly the meditating and minding of the minde Thirdly the considering and weighing of the mind Fourthly the remembring of the minde Fifthly the devising and plotting and projecting and contriving of the minde Sixthly the Judgement of the minde The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the minde looke where the minde is alive there it puts forth these dispositions and therefore when the minde is alive towards God it lets out these towards him Then in the second place we came to enquire what is the life of the heart and this we spake of the last day we shewed you the heart may be somewhat towards a thing and yet be dead towards it for all that First there be shallow acts of the heart the outside acts of the heart there may be so much heart as to bring a man to good duties to constant preaching and hearing and praying and the like and civill carriage and the like and yet the heart dead to them all This is not the life of the heart The life of the heart lies at the bottome of the heart not in the outside no it lies deep within as Salomon sayes my Sonne keepe my sayings in the midst of thy heart Prov. 4. 21. Secondly there be flitting acts of the heart Though they be never so deep in the heart yet if they be such as doe not stay there the heart is dead still for if it were alive it would keep them Let thy heart retaine my words keepe my Commandements and live Prov. 4. 4. Though the word doe stirre one never so much for the present This is no life except thou retaine it and hold it fast a man may have many flashes of life in him but as long as the heart does not keep them it remaines dead when people are moved onely by sits humbled by fits startled by sits their righteousnesse is onely as a morning dew
Sarahs wombe is said to be dead he considered not the deadnesse of Sarahs womb Rom. 4. 19. that is her womb had no activity to conceive now when a wombe is active this way then we say it is quick so a coale that hath sire in it is said to be a live coale There flew one of the Seraphins having a live coale in his hand Isa 6. 6. we call it alive coale because it is active it is able to burne whereas if that fire were out then it were not able to burne and therefore then we call it a dead coale so when a man is active towards God Take him in prayer there he can act now take him in selfe deniall in reconciling of himselfe in humbling of the heart in mourning for sinne in hungering after righteousnesse even as a man does after his appointed food take him in any of the things of God though he were like a dead coale afore yet here he can act now now he can move this way when one is like a block in good duties that man is dead we call moving things living things Every moving thing that liveth Gen. 9. 3. when a thing cannot stirre that we call dead when a man is not stirring in heavenly things he is stirring enough in earthly but he cannot stir in heavenly things that man is a dead Christian though he professe never so much yet if he be not stirring towards God from day to day he is dead I thinke it meet to stirre you up sayes Saint Peter 2 Pet. 1. 13. that is I think it meet to quicken you up Now beloved this being so if ye would know what it is to be alive towards God let us but finde out a little what is the life of a man First what is the life of a mans understanding people thinke that bare knowledge is and approving of Gods wayes and thinking of them now and then they thinke this is the life of their understandings But you shall see these are not it therefore we will search out what is the life of the understanding Secondly what is the life of the will or of the heart people are apt to thinke that wishings and wouldings and velleities if they have some volitions towards God and all holy courses they thinke their wills are alive no these are not it therefore we will search too wherein the life of the will does consist Thirdly what is the life of the conscience people generally doe conceive that if their consciences doe check them for their sinnes and smite them for evill and excuse them in other things that are good then their conscience is alive now we desire to enquire what is the life of the conscience indeed Fourthly what is the life of the affections I gave you a touch of these when I shewed you what it is to be dead now let me speake of them more fully to shew you what it is to be alive For the first what is the life of the understanding ye know there be many things in the understanding knowing approving studying determining now the world thinks that when the understanding is so far wrought upon as to know Christian religion to approve it to study it to determine aright upon things evill things to be evill good things to be good duties to be duties sins to be sins now they suppose their understandings are alive But the truth is none of all these are the life of your understandings The understanding hath another life besides these The understanding may have all these and be dead As first for knowledge I need not stand to prove that the dead Heathens the Apostle sayes they knew God when they knew God they glorified him not as God Rom 1. 21. knowledge is not enough as cur Saviour Christ speakes is ye knew these things blessed are ye if ye doe them Joh. 13. 17. nay literall knowledge does not so much as give them understanding true light much lesse life a great learned divine that is wicked his understanding is still in darknesse nay it may leave him more dead then those that are groslely Ignorant as the Prophet sayes of them that had knowledge I will get me to the great men for they have knowne the way of the Lord but these have altogether broken the Yoke Jer. 5. 5. they were more dead their hearts were more averse from all goodnesse Bare knowledge is a poore thing and yet people are apt to glory in it the Apostle makes a pish at it we know we have all knowledge 1 Cor. 8. 1. q. d. is that such a peece of matter never tell me of your knowledge I know ye all have knowledge but that 's a poore thing nay the greater is thy woe if thou hast not a quickened mind as Solomon sayes he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow Eccl. 1. 18. thou increasest thine owne selfe condemning the more thou hast the greater knowledge in thy Bosome thou knowest the more thou feest to condemne thee thy knowledge is like a sword in thy bowels that daily galls thee and wounds thee and therefore little reason to thinke that knowledge is the life of the minde it is not so much as the light of the minde take heed sayes our Saviour that the light that is in thee be not darknesse Luk. 11. 35. that is thou mayst have a great deale of light and yet be in darkenesse nay in worse darknesse then Ignorant blinde people that have no light at all if the light that is in thee be darknesse how great is that darknesse Matth. 6. 23. such people are more senselesse at the word harder to be wrought on they have the more distinctions to deceive their owne soules they thinke to well of themselves they are too wise to be fooles that they may be wise they are farther of from confession if they had lesse knowledge it may be there might be more hope to doe them good But having so much knowledge in a carnall minde it is made a strong hold against grace it is with such people as it was with Babylon thy wisedome and thy knowledge hath perverted thee Isa 47. 10. true knowledge is a good thing but when a man is fleshed with it that he takes himselfe to be some body this marres all but I will speake no more of this Secondly for approving of the truth that cannot be the life of the minde neither when a man approves goodnesse and good people this indeed is an excellent mercy of God to make a man approve goodnesse and good men O how are such bound to be thankfull few goe so farre But alas if thou goest no farther thy minde is not yet quickened up to God as the Apostle shewes that a man dead in his sinnes still may yet approve the best things Thou knowest his will and approvest the things that are most excellent Rom. 2. 18. Herod approved Iohn the Baptist and his preaching Achish King of Gath approved David and all
should be so Fourthly we began to shew you the uses of this point First how wide then are they that are profanely wicked if they that are Christians and do the things contained in the Gospell are rejected because they doe them with a dead heart where shall they appeare that will not doe them at all Secondly another use was to condemne these times of ours wherein for the most part people are dead There be not many that doe live like Christians at all in outward appearance and yet how many of that little number are even dead and without life they draw neere unto God with their outward man but their hearts are farre from him Matth. 15. 8. Thirdly another use was to shew you the danger of being a dead Christian I shewed it in seven things But I will not name them againe In the fourth place we are come to shew you what it is to be alive Christian a Christian quickened up towards God and here I shewed you First who is the principall and prime cause of this life and quickening and that is God who quickeneth the dead God the Father quickens whom he will God the Son he quickens whom he will and God the Holy Ghost he is the spirit of life Secondly I shewed you what is the Instrument of this life and that is faith this faith when it is a true and a lively faith it makes a man adhere to the fountaine of life That thou maist cleave unto him for he is thy life Deut. 30. 20. Faith is the having of God for our God as the Apostle sayes He that hath the Sonne hath life Thirdly I shewed you the parts of this life and the parts of it I shewed you were three The first is the life of justification Rom. 5. 18. The second is the life of sanctification Eph. 2. 5. The third is the life of consolation or comfort Psal 85. 6. Now because the life of sanctification is here principally intended when a man is quickened up towards God and all his holy wayes therefore I descended downe to the branches of this life and quickening in all the powers of the soule The last day we began to search about the understanding what is the life and quickening of that towards God And first we shewed you that bare knowing is not it a man may know God all his ways contemplatively yet not be quickened up to them as Israel said my God we knowledge thee Hos 8. 2. and yet as it followes they were not quickened up for all that the Gentiles knew God Rom. 1. 21. I but they did not glorifie him as God it was dead knowledge nay we shewed you that bare knowledge is not so much as the light of the understanding much lesse the life of it as our Saviour Christ sayes if the light that is in thee be darknesse how great is the darknesse Matth. 6. 23. that is a man may have that light and yet be in darknesse and therefore much more in deadnesse Secondly I shewed you that approving of God and his wayes is not the quickening of the understanding neither Saint Paul shewes that a man may approve the best things and yet be dead Rom. 2. 18. The Devill approved admirably of Jesus Christ I know thee who thou art even the holy one of God Mark 1. 24. suppose thou provest and allowest of all goodnesse O sayes the Apostle Happy is the man that condemneth not himselfe in that which he alloweth Rom. 14. 22. so may I say thou mayest allow of strictnesse and of all the strictest orders of God and yet have a dead minde and condemne thy selfe I but I am not strict though Thirdly I shewed you that thinking of God and of heavenly things this is not the life of the minde neither a man may thinke of them all now and then and yet be dead to them all notwithstanding nay this may increase thy condemnation therefore when a sinner sins it may be he thinkes of Gods word at some time Gods word forbids this and yet he does it though this increases his condemnation Fourthly I shewed you that studying of God and of faith and all the Doctrine of life this is not the life of the minde neither and this is that which deceives indeed when a mans studying is practicall this is an argument of life the heart of the righteous studieth to answer Prov. 15. 28. Schollers because their minds are not of the world may be all the day long but from morning till night their mindes are about God and all Divinity And they think it may be they are heavenly minded alas no their mindes may be as dead towards God for all this as the worldlings that is musing on his pelfe as long a time Then I came to shew you affirmatively what the life of the minde is the life of the minde is when it is stirred up towards God and all his gracious wayes as Peter sayes I will stirre up your pure mindes 2 Pet. 3. 1. that is I would quicken up your mindes when the minde is stirring towards God it was stirring towards other things before but now it is stirring towards heaven towards repentance and amendment of life and Christ and how to please God and the like now it is quickened up towards him I shewed you there be six stirring acts of the minde The first is the applying of the minde when the minde does not onely know a thing but it applyes it to ones selfe this is a stirring Act of the minde looke where the minde of man is alive if it be alive towards the world if it know any way unto profit or preferment or the having of what it likes presently it will apply it so when a man is alive towards God now his minde hath a applying disposition looke what he knowes about God he applyes it to himselfe for his owne edification instruction humiliation direction and guide as Eliphaz sayes so this it is heare it and know it for thy good Job 5. 27. that is doe not onely know it but be quickened up to apply it to thy selfe hath thy minde an applying disposition doest thou apply the word of God to thy selfe to make it thine owne Thou knowest what God is I but hast thou a disposition in thy minde to apply him to thy selfe this is a quickened minde a man will not let his knowledge lye swimming in his minde but he turnes it upon himselfe and makes it his owne 2. The meditating of the mind the minding of the minde a naturall man may thinke of God and his commandements as ye heard I but doest thou minde them if thou doest minde them from day to day now thy minde is quickened indeed carnall men think it may be of heavenly things alas that is nothing but frigus socordia as Calvin speakes I sayes as Saint Paul but they minde earthly things looke what a man is alive unto his minde