Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	place_n	scripture_n	word_n	9,705	5	4.5641	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A71231	Enter into thy closet, or A method and order for private devotion A treatise endeavouring a plain discovery of the most spiritual and edifying course of reading, meditation, and prayer; and so, of self examination, humiliation, mortification, and such most necessary Christian duties, by which we sue out the pardon of our sins from Heaven, and maintain an holy converse with God. Together with particular perswasives thereunto, and helps therein.	Wettenhall, Edward, 1636-1713.	1666 (1666)	Wing W1495B; ESTC R217163	97,436	340

it Men rejected what their reason would have guided them to choose And this being that I was led thereto by considering the drift of the words and find now that the words will to my best judgment very well bear I conceive may probably be the meaning of this place But here it may be very necessary to admonish especially ordinary people that they proceed not too far upon their own judgments in interpreting darker places of Scripture of which this haply may seem one We have only in what we have said shewn the best way which can be taken for the finding out the sense of Scripture But if so be that using this method I particularly could not have found out so much touching the sense of this Scripture as hath been above declared yet had not either my reading or my meditation been fruitless I could very well and very profitably have rested in this that I observed these verses to testifie to me that Christ is God and by him all things were made and that from him came life and all the light which in life men have And thus much by observation a plain person might have found from hence But usually plain persons will do best not to trust the strength of their own reason which commonly is none of the best judge of consequences and dependances but rather get to themselves such helps as above directed to and follow their wholsome guidance Well having found out as I conceive thus much of the meaning of this Scripture if there be any thing else I doubt of in that part of it which remains I proceed to consider it carrying still in my mind the scope of the whole and thus much as I have learnt of the sense of the former part The substance of the remaining part seems to me thus much That when it pleased the Word to be made flesh that is the Son of God to take upon him our nature and in that nature to dwel John the Baptist was sent for a witness to testifie that this was the true true light to the end that men might believe And to as many of mankind as did believe upon and receive this light this light himself being the eternal and natural Son of God gave the priviledge right or power to become through him the Sons of God being now born unto a new viz a godly life by their receiving him Now here it may be as I look through the particular verses are one or two things more of moment which doubt of and touching which I will consult the best helps I have or otherwise consider with as much attention and modesty as I can First in what sense should Christ be termed the true light This considering of I remember that before there was mention of a certain light which all men did partake from the Word as created by him to wit their Reason and this light though it shone in them yet as the first man did not follow its shine so the rest did reject his guidance and the darkness received or comprehended it not But now it is said that the Word that is Christ made flesh is the true light both which considering together the import of all seems to be this That whereas the natural light of reason being not comprehended but rather overcome by the darkness of mans corrupt nature was insufficient of it self to lead man unto his salvation or true happiness and being sophisticated by the same corruption had led him to seek happiness in many false and by paths Jesus Christ came into the world to bring to light the true way to happiness and so was the true light From whence also I begin to see somewhat into the second passage which I doubted of to wit what should be the meaning of that as many as received him For considering how the Evangelist in the verses immediately foregoing speaks of Christ to wit as the true light I easily see that to receive him is to embrace him as the light and so to apply my self to those holy waies which he hath discovered alone to lead unto happiness Which also the following words further intimate them that believe in his name that is them who by their imbracing the discovery which he hath made and doing accordingly do manifest that they are perswaded he is the true light which thing they do not as they are born by the will of man of flesh and bloud for the darkness comprehendeth not the light but as begotten or created over again by God hereto So then now I conceive I understand the Gospel for this day and all the most concerning particulars in it The substance of it therefore I recollect after this my search to the end it may sink the deeper into me and I be the better verst hereafter in this Scripture And that is this That Christ being eternally God was also with God with whom he ever was the Creator of all things and particularly of man that man in his creation received a certain light viz his reason which he opposed and overcome rather than followed that therefore it pleased Christ to be made man and coming into the world to discover the true way to happiness unto degenerate man and as many of mankind who embraced this discovery and manifested their belief of Christs being the true light by their receiving him as such he restored into the blessed state of being the Sons of God as Adam was before his fall And Luke 3. 38. of all this John the Baptist was sent before to be a witness that by his testimony men might be prepared to believe in this true light Thus much then I am improved in point of knowledge But is there nothing which may be further useful to me as to practicals No promise of mercy No threat of punishment to any Nothing to quicken me to my duty There is surely First that is a remarkable expression As many as received him to th●m he gave power to become the sons of God I cannot expect ever to be by my incarnate Lord made a Son of God and Heir with him in the Kingdome of his Father except I receive him as the true light except I look for happiness by the method by him delivered a holy Christian practice according to his Gospel I see therefore hence the necessity of heing conformable to all the Commands of the Gospel He is salvation to none to whom he is not light If therefore I am not faithful meek charitable holy c. as the Gospel directs salvation it self will not save me Further both the Epistle and Gospel put me in mind of what the day celebrates the incarnation of our Saviour at least his visible Incarnation for to the eye he was not incarnate till born The Word was made flesh and so himself spake unto us and by himself be purged our sins The Word who was that The Son of God the brightness of his Fathers glory the express Image of his Person he

that my sin Now the consideration how this restitution or reconcilement may be made and the Resolution to make it may be best done in my Closet and such consultation and resolution deserves a place to be registred amongst my other penitential devotions upon the same reasons as they do These rules in my repentance if I have observed though I cannot look upon any action of mine as compleat yet I may have hope I have not herein been slighty but that God through Christ Jesus will accept it Sect. 8. Of that faith which is requisite in order to pardon of sin BEsides Repentance it is commonly said that God requireth Faith of us in order to pardon of our sins and it is most certain if we understand faith as we ought But it is as certain that people are ordinarily very much mistaken in the nature of Faith as it is not unusual for us to be in such things the names whereof are takne in such different Dr. Ham. Pract. Catech. Lib. 1. Sect. 3. senses as the name of Faith is in Scripture Now faith we all of us know signifies Belief and therein doth the nature of it lye Him that we believe in is God that which we believe is his Word So then Faith is a full belief or credence of the whole Word of God and especially of the Gospel a receiving it and every part of it in a way suitable to the matter of it agreeing to whatever is therein affirmed as being true believing all the promises that God will never fail on his part unless we do on ours setting our selves to fulfil all the commands as believing all that is commanded to be our duty and of indispensible necessity to salvation trembling at all the threatnings as being perswaded God will be as good as his word and punish all impenitent sinners Faith I say is the hearty and sincere embracing and being perswaded of the whole word and these its parts after this sort and we must not single out the promises and believe them alone for all commands and threats are no less the word of God than are the promises and therefore must be as much believed nor shall any one ever be justified who doth not thus believe If it be asked whether it be not faith in the free promises of the Gospel or a trusting to God through Christ that he will pardon my sin which doth chiefly justifie me I say No and that the embracing the doctrine of the Gospel the receiving every command and threat so deeply into my heart as that the belief of the one turns forthwith into obedience and of the other into obedience and of the other into an holy fear which are the other parts of faith cannot be conceived to be either in their own nature inferiour unto that trust or less either valued or required by God I do not say that God accepts of any of them or all of them for their worth He accepts of them and of the person in whom they are purely through Christ through his merits doth he impute this faith to such person for righteousness that is reckon and accept of this his cordial and impartial receiving his whole Gospel after this sort as well as if he had performed perfect and unsinning obedience as he was first bound but this I say and that upon the evidence already hinted that justification or the pardoning of sin is no more appropriated to that one act of faith which we call trust than to those other and that I cannot if comparison in this case be made but account those other acts that impartial submitting and devoting the sould to obedience answerably to every command that true resting in the fear of God as the more principal worthy and I am sure less to be suspected acts of faith At the least I cannot conceive what we call a justifying faith to proceed any otherwise than as follows First I do believe the promise of pardon of sin to be true and God to be faithful and that without all doubt God will not fail on his part except I fail on mine God will not fail to give the promised blessing if I fail not to perform the condition upon which he hath promised it Secondly I therefore forthwith set my self about the condition or duty required as I expect the blessing or promised mercy from God I sorrow for my sins I endeavour amendment of life I cleave unto God with full purpose of impartial obedience Thirdly having done so I do not believe that all this is worth any thing in it self but that it is through the meer grace of God in Christ Jesus that I must be accepted pardoned and saved Wherefore I trust to God according to his promise the condition of which I have ●ndeavoured to fulfil that he will through Christ pardon all my sins and reckon this my faith to me for righteousness to trust for the pardoning of my sins upon any o●her terms is unbelief and presumption for it is a believing God will pardon my sins upon their terms than he hath said he would ever pardon sin and that is a believing God will be false But now let the case be put that some grievous sinner much humbled under the sense of his notorious wickedness doth as beforesaid believe the promise to be true as it is set himself about the fulfilling its condition sorrowing repenting c. believe all that he doth to be in its self worth nothing but yet Christs merits to be of infinite worth through which notwithstanding he dare not trust for the pardon of his sins as remembring them to be so great and doubting lest he hath not yet performed the condition which the promise of the pardon of sin through Christs merits requires and in this temper dies Put I say this case shall we think this man hath not a true and justifying faith He hath surely and it may be a truer faith than hath many an one who yet hath more of the trust But yet it is evident he hath not this trust for he durst not through sense of his own unworthiness animate himself thereto Seeing therefore that it is very possible a man may in such case be justified without that act of faith I conclude that justification is not appropriate unto it that is that a trusting in God that he through Christ will pardon my sin is not that act of faith which chiefly justifies me and that they are very much mistaken who take this by it self to be the true nature of justifying faith that they believe God will pardon their sin for Christs sake so then I now see the course which I am to take in my humiliation to sue out the pardon of my sin I am to believe that God will not fail on his part if I do fail on mine I am therefore to repent of my sins as before I have been taught and persist in amendment of life all the while trusting in the grace of God

parts of Scripture which may not edifie him so much as would the other so that haply Reading shall be a duller and lesse spiritual an exercise than it would be did he more wisely order it Yet hath it this advantage also that the Revelations of God and eternal life being still clearer in each succeeding part of Scripture I mean clearer in the Prophets than in the Law and in the Gospel than in either one months reading may make me see more into that of the former month and all lead me to the magnifiing of God for the present manifest revelation of his will These things being so it may haply conduce most to our private edification if we keep strictly to neither of these orders but observing the conveniences and inconveniences of each to our private purpose according to our Christian discretion frame to our selves one out of both which may have the commodities of both and incommodity of neither And that may be such as this To begin every Reading with a Psalm or where the Psalms are very long with a good portion of one taking the Psalms in their course This I therefore commend by reason of the exceeding usefullnesse of that book of Psalms for prayer it furnishing a man with petitions hymnes and ejaculations of all sorts and besides discovering very much of the hearty practice of Devotion and Godlinesse That being finisht in the morning to take in order as the books and Chapters lye such a portion of the Old Testament as my Christian prudence considering my own conveniences and occasions shall judge fit which where the matter affords more work for Meditation may be shorter where less larger In like manner at evening beginning with a like portion of the Psalmes take a part of the New Testament as it lyes in order greater of less according as beforesaid it findes my devotion work Some such course as this would I observe till I had read over the Holy Scripture twice or thrice with such care attention and meditation as shall presently be described by which time I should begin to be a little verst in it and to know what parts of Scripture I used to read with greatest Christian advantage which therfore afterwards I would read oftener than the other setting alwaies a mark at the name of each book as they stand in the Table at the beginning of my Bible when I had read that book over that so I might know how often I had read each lest I come too long to neglect the reading of any This as to the Order of my Reading Having now my work thus orderly before me it remains in the next place that I look to the best manner of doing it whither belong the following rules First that I endeavour to read with composednesse of mind and attention not onely to the sense substance or subject matter of what I read but as to the very expressions of it For that the very expressions of Scripture are not onely very usefull in prayer God loving to hear his children call upon him in his own language but do also many times carry in them such secret emphases and force as shall much comfort support aw and otherwise affect the heart which considers them Secondly that I be sure as I read to observe the scope and drift of the portion of Scripture which I read For as to particular passages it may so happen that the plain reader may many times scarce understand them they puzling ever learned heads but as to the sco● of the whole as to that which the Holy Ghost cheifly drives at th● may be commonly more easily understood and this being understood doth not onely ensure me o● so much benefit as I have understood of it but will give especial light unto those darker places whose meaning I do not so well conceive Thirdly That if ever I inten● this part of my devotion to wit my Reading should be acceptable to God or otherwise than a witnesse against my self I resolve upon the impartiall practice of what soever 〈◊〉 by reading find to be in Scripture commanded and eschewing of what soever I there find forbidden Such godly purpose will encrease my very knowledg For the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Psal 25. 14. him and he will teach them his Statutes whereas other who bring not a resolution of such conscientious practice but bearly inquisitive diligence may come to be in a greater measure ignorant of his mind Chap. V. Of Meditation and the most edifiing course in it THese rules being thus observed and a certain portion of Holy Scripture thus read it will be proper for me in the next place to proceed to Meditation Now Meditation here I take not for the simple thinking of any thing divine which shall offer it self but for an orderly and serious consideration of the particulars following 1. Upon that portion of Scripture which I have read 2. Upon my own state and waies 3. Upon the prayers that is confessions petitions and thanksgivings which I am presently to offer up unto God Touching the first there are these three things for me to consider Frst If I have not as I read been able to understand the design and drift of the Holy Ghost in what I have read let me consider touching that and by a short reveiw of it comparing the parts or several materials spoken of and attending how they hang together endeavour to comprehend their substance and scope He reads to no purpose who reads not thus for it is not repeating the words of Scripture but understanding and digesting their sense and substance which is to be accounted reading the Scripture and one Chapter thus read is worth ten hastily run over Secondly If there be in what I have read any difficult or harder place which seems to contain any matter of practice or article of faith I mean which is likely to instruct me in any thing necessary to be believed or done in order to my salvation that let me consider and endeavour thereof to find the meaning As to those difficulties which concern controversies that is questionable opinions in divinity or inquiries into matters of meer knowledge or speculation such things which when they are known there is no end of them these may be very well overlooked by an ordinary person As for instance Reading Acts. 13 the last Paragraph or partition of the Chapter which begins vers 44. I find therein viz. vers 48. a certain difficult expression As many as were ordained unto life believed What believing and what life ie heaven and blessednesse mean I know but what ordained unto life means I doubt and truly need not much trouble my self to inquire Sufficient it is that I conclude from thence that all they who shall obtain everlasting life are believers not one unbelieving or ungodly person shall ever enter into heaven and therefore particularly that I resolve upon an honest cordial receiving of the Gospell as my duty if

to whom I address my self who having fearfully made my body and to this day wonderfully upheld and preserved it and which is infinitely more redeemed even my very body to immortality by the body and bloud of his Son hath obliged it as well as my soul to all possible homage And it is to be observed that St. Paul seems to speak chiefly if not only of private and his daily devotion when he saith I bow my knees to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ What was his therefore let it be my practice as often as I thus pray to bow my knees and if to no other end but that I may be sure to mind that they be without wrath let me add the lifting up of hands Other postures may be sometimes necessary in our solemn humiliations or more earnest deprecations of any imminent evil such as is Prostration or casting my self on the earth before God to which pious discretion will easily in their season direct As to matter of words or the forms of prayer this age hath seen more controversie and that in England alone than all ages from the beginning of the world have known all the world over Touching which matter I say onely that the nature of prayer being as beforesaid a seeking unto God by way of adoration confession petition and praise if we do this with honest hearts and suitable affections whether the words in which we utter our selves be our own or anothers whether they he forethought or sudden provided they fitly and reverently express the inward sense of our hearts it mattereth not nor is it at all essential unto Prayer For the full essence of prayer is complete such an address being made inwardly by my soul and outwardly thus expressed by my tongue and body and be the words whose they will my praying them that is offering them up to God with an heart suitable to them hath made them as much mine as if I had invented contrived dictated or pend them at the first I think therefore if men would be sober and peaceably minded this need not make either a stirre in the World or move any scruple to a Christians conscience I profess my self no whit guilty of undervaluing the free effusions of the soul before God in private especially in such expressions as the affected and moved mind suggests or as the spirit gives utterance But in my daily private devotions to use perpetually such a loose and arbritary way I think hath these inconveniencies First that by reason sometimes of the coldness dulness and heedlesness of my heart other times by reason of distractions incumbrances and the like almost unavoidable mischiefs my devotions will be too often slightily slubberd over perfunctorily and disorderly performed Whereas had I a mature and well composed prayer before me which I use wholy to offer up to God all would be much more substantial and though haply my heart may have been in these my prayers too too dead as it was likely perhaps to have been had I prayed otherwise for such or such a season yet shall I not prove guilty of such idleness negligence and slightiness as otherwise I should have been And such infirmities which are incident to us by reason of our present frailty and state God is likely the more easily to pitty and pass by when he sees that though we are more indisposed than ordinary yet are we no whit less diligent Secondly Another inconvenience thereby may oftentimes be The omission of many things necessary to be confessed asked or returned thanks for not so much through negligence dulness c. as before as incogitancy and unavoidable forgetfulness Our ordinary wants and spiritual concerns we may come not to mind either at all or as we ought through much being intent on some other pressing outward evils Common experience will easily satisfie a Christian herein who is but verst in the practice of what we speak of Have I not many times kneeled down before God with an intention to ask such things which by reason of my earnest asking somewhat else I have forgotten to ask before I arose and hath not the reason been the meer following extemporary suggestions Let it it be considered Again on the other side to use alwaies a certain and constant form of words seems to have these inconveniencies First that we having almost daily new sins to confess new wants to beg a supply of these by such course shall be omitted or only lightly and generally toucht at least not so particularly and affectionately pressed and insisted upon as they ought 2. Besides sometimes haply I would spend more time in prayer than at another time Now if my prayers be alwaies the same I cannot expect as Papists are reported to do their Credoes and Ave Maries I should run over and over the same again 3. Further frequent use may breed dulness as some may think These being the inconveniencies of both cases and each case besides having advocates or persons that love and plead for them even amongst the common people it will be best to move for an Accommodation And that may be on this wise The inconveniencies of the former case may be avoided by the having a certain good plain and full form of prayer which we well understand and by usually tying our selves hereto not so as ● to think our work is done by the prayer being said for that were to neglect the most necessary part in the manner of prayer contrary to former rule nor so 2. as not to alter for this or that time any expression as God may move our hearts in prayer or insert any new thing as we have need but only so 1. as to ensure my self that my devotions and prayers be sound and compleat that I offer not to God the halt and the lame so 2. as to keep my mind fixt and constant to its business intent upon all its spiritual concerns And again the inconveniencies of the later case will be avoided hereby that we have not supposed the form upon occasion altogether unalterable as above said but rathen to have its fit and proper places wherein we may insert or put in the confession of new sins with their proper aggravations as also fit places for the adding of any new matter of Petition or Thanksgiving as there shall be occasion And to the last inconvenience of this second case it may be said that Use cannot beget dulness if the prayer thus supposed to be framed be used according to former precepts with Reading and Meditation before it which exercises will have in a good measure quickned the heart for prayer And as for such more solemn seasons when we would spend more time with God in prayer we need not so to tie our selves to these our ordinary devotions those which at such seasons we intend being already supposed more than ordinary We may be larger in the confession of sin more particular in its aggravation more earnest for such