Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	abraham_n	faith_n	justify_v	2,976	5	9.3728	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91898	Panoplia. Universa arma. Hieron. Or, The Christian compleatly armed: being a treatise of the Christians armour, clearly opening every part thereof, both pressing to the putting of it on, and instructing us so to use it, as we may not be soyled in time of temptation. / Delivered by that late reverend, and faithfull minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Ralph Robinson, pastor of Mary Woolnoth, London, to his congregation there, in several lectures: and now published for the further benefit of the Church of God.	Robinson, Ralph, 1614-1655.	1656 (1656)	Wing R1710; Thomason E1586_2; ESTC R208953	180,905	372

as well as the strongest God hath made such a Charter that one that hath true faith in him shall enjoy such and such priviledges and the weak beleiver is a beliver as well as the strongest 3. Weak faith hath defacto found very gracious acceptance with God That in Mark 9. 22 23 24. And the promise Mat. 12. 20. He will not break the bruised reed nor qvench the smoaking flax A reed when it is whole hath no great strength in it but when it is bruised it is then weak indeed and yet that hath been and will be averted 4. Though every beleever have not so much faith as Abraham and Paul and David c. yet every beleever hath as much merit as they had The very same Christ the same Righteousness the same Covenant of Grace the same Promises None of all these were justified by their faith as an act or work but by their faith as an instrument apprehending Christ the object of faith Now though every beleever have not the same faith yet he hath the same object of faith and therefore the same acceptance 3. Satan sometimes argues nullity of faith from the non-acceptance of our prayers If you had faith God would hear your prayers but you have prayed a long time for such a mercy and can get no answer from God therefore your faith is not true faith but a groundless presumption For the answering of this objection I shall lay down these three Considerations viz. 1. We are to distinguish between Gods act in answering prayers and mans act in receiving that answer A Beleever may think his prayers not to be answered sometimes because he doth not mind the answer of his prayers I will hearken saith the Psal 55. 8. Psalmist what the Lord God will say for he will speak peace to his servants c. Beleevers are sometimes stupid and cannot hearken sometimes sullen and will not hearken they do not look after their prayers they do not stand upon the watch tower as the Prophet resolves Hab. 2. 1. Gods answer to our prayers are sometimes given in silently and secretly that without very much attention we cannot tell what the answer imports Very often the soul thinks his prayers are cast out when he hath the answer of them in his bosom 2. God hath more wayes of answering Prayers than one God may give a very full answer to our prayers though he do not answer them in that particular way we desire God hath no where promised to answer the prayers of beleevers in Kind though he have promised that he will answer them according to their benefit We have three remarkable instances of this That in Acts 1. 7. Our Saviour refused to answer them according to the matter of their desire It is not for you to know the times and seasons c. But yet he answers them according to their necessity You shall receive power from on high c. That in 2 Cor. 12. 8 9. God refused to answer Pauls prayer in Specie the thorn in flesh whatsoever it was whether a bodily disease as some think or a spiritual distemper as others conceive was not removed and yet his prayer was answered My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness And that of our Saviour Heb. 5. 7. He was heard in that he feared The particular thing he desired was not granted If it be possible let this cup pass from me The cup did not pass away but Christ had assistance and enablement to bear it without sinking and therein his prayer was heard We ask sometimes that which is not good for us at least not so good as some other thing Now if God give us a better thing for a thing which is less good doth he not hear If God deny Moses to go into Canaan and take him into Heaven what loss doth he sustein Deus non audit ad voluntatem ut audiat ad necessitatem There 's denial in mercy as well as hearing in mercy and there is hearing in judgement as well as denial in judgement Psal 78. 30. 3. God many times delayes when he doth not deny 1. We many times ask the present enjoyment of things not so good at that season Rev. 6. 10. 11. How long Lord c. They must yet tarry till the mercy was seasonable Their feet shall slide in due time Deut. 32. 35. 2. We are not so importunate in our suits as we should be our prayers though for things seasonably good may be too faint God in such cases delayes to quicken our zeal Anselme in his meditations speaks excellently to this purpose Gloria mea Deus meus abscondis the saurum tuum ut niciles cupidum recondis margaritam ut augeas quaerentis amorem differs P. 194. dare ut doleas petere dissimulas audire pellutem ut facias preserverantem 3. God is well pleased with our musick therefore he lets us lay begging This is the first branch of the Exhortarion 2. Labour earnestly to repair confirm and strengthen this shield of faith Though weak faith if it be true will carry you to heaven yet will not weak faith carry you through strong Assaults If this shield be crackt and broken you may be sorely foil'd in the day of temptation I shall propound a few Helps for the strengthening of faith 1. Be frequent in acting your faith Habits are weakned by being idle but they are strengthened by dayly exercise Scribendo disces scribere and Credendo disces credere The more frequent a Christian is in putting forth acts of faith the stronger will the Habit of faith be There is this difference between the shield of faith and other shields those by too much use are made weak but this shield is the stronger by every battel it cannot be used too often Vide Rom. 1. 17. 2. Be much in fervent prayer to God that he would strengthen your faith The Apostle made use of this help Luke 17. 5. Faith and Prayer are supporters one of another our faith teacheth us both what to ask and how to ask and our praying helps beleeving If prayer be restrained faith will be weakned but if prayer be continued faith will be confirmed 3. Be frequent in the right use of the Word and Sacrament The Word is the ordinary means for the breeding of faith and the Word and Sacrament are the food whereby faith is nourished and increased The Sacraments are the seals of the righteousness of faith Rom. 4. 11. He that is frequent in the application of these seals is like to be most confirmed in beleeving Christians do very much prejudice their faith by neglecting of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper which is appointed of God for the nourishment of faith 4 Study carefully the promises of the Covenant of grace Gods promises are made of purpose to confirm faith in us The promises are the fewel of faith 5. Study the Attributes of Gods Nature His Power Wisedome Faithfulness Truth

the judgement be rotten neither the heart nor the life can be sound We finde therefore in Scripture these two joyned together faith and a good Conscience Ever when men have been corrupted in the head they have been corrupted in their lives 1 Tim. 1. 19. holding faith and a good Conscience c. he that puts away faith must put away a good Conscience whether he will or no he that makes ship-wrack of faith will soon make ship-wrack both of Conscience and Conversation 2. Ex justo Dei jud●cio It s Gods way to punish the rejection of truth with giving men up to ungodline●s of life Thus God punished the Heathen Rom. 1. 25. 26 27 28 29. where you have both the sin and the just punishment of it So 2 Thes 2. 10. 11 12. Exhortation Let all Christians be careful to keep fast about them this Girdle We have a kinde of Popish Proverb among us ungirt unblessed There is a truth in it in this sense If Satan finde you without your Girdle upon your loyns he will easily prevail with you in the day of temptation Labour therefore to get and to keep this Girdle and if you see it grow weak labour to strengthen it Let me add a few helps by way of direction and I have done 1. Avoid the company and breath of known Seducers They will either quite take away your girdle or else they will much slacken it in a very short time if you have to do with them If any man come to your house and bring not this Doctrine receive him not nor bid him God speed 2 Joh. 9. 10. They have sleight of hand they can cut your purses while they look in your faces from such turn aside 2 Tim. 3. 5. 2. Do not think meanly of such Truths as are of an inferiour Nature and more remote from the Foundation He that cuts off every day a small shred from his girdle will very soon snap it quite asunder Though every Truth be not fundamental yet every Truth is a guard to the Foundation the outer skin of an Apple lies remote from the heart yet if you pluck that off the very heart will be sooner rotten The finger is not a vital part but a Gangrene in the finger will in a short time reach to the very Vitals and corrupt the blood and spirits 3. Be much in prayer to him that keepeth both the hearts and the feet of his Saints that he would keep the Truth in you and you in the Truth Holy Father saith our Saviour keep through thine own Name those whom thou hast given me Joh. 17. 11. Let us often pray this Prayer of Christ Holy Father keep us through thy Holy Name Tie on this girdle of Truth that it may neither slip off nor be taken off The Apostle Jude puts these two together ver 20. Building up your selves in your most Holy Faith praying in the Holy Ghost 4. Take heed as of all sins so especially of the sin of Pride As Heresie is the mother of pride and scornfulness so Pride is the High-way to be Heretical A proud person will soon be an erroneous person If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words c. he is proud knowing nothing c. 1 Tim. 6. 3 4. Pride will make the Heart swell so bigge that the Girdle of Truth about your Loyns wil soon be knapt asunder Humility and Watchfulness are the best Buckles for this Girdle and the way to preserve Truth but Pride and Carelesnesse is the way to lose it 5. Keep a good Conscience in all things towards God and towards Man As the falling off from the Mystery of Faith will corrupt the Conscience so a corrupt Conscience and an ungodly Life will in time destroy the Mystery of Faith There is this Reason for it The Doctrine of godliness reproves the Deeds of ungodliness and therefore whoever goes on in ungodly Practices will at last cast off the Doctrine of godliness that he may not be a Reprover to himself Keep the Grace of Truth that you may preserve the Doctrine of Truth also Thus for the first Interpretation LECT IX Decemb. 5. 1649. Ephes 6. 14. Having your Loynes girt about with Truth c. IT old you the last Lecture that Expositors LECT 9 give a two-sold Interpretation of Truth in this place Some understand it as spoken of the Doctrine of Truth Others expounding it of the Grace of Truth We have gone over the former Interpretation already as it relates to the Truth of Doctrine From which we noted That firmness and stability in the Truth of Doctrine c. We have now to consider it as relating to the Grace of Truth for so it s used in Scripture as I shewed you the last day Psal 51. 6. Josh 24. 14. Joh. 4. 24. and so it is understood in this Text by many yea the most Interpreters that I have had opportunity to inquire into Calv. vocabulo veritatis sincerum animum intelligit Piscator veritatis vocabulo intelligit conscientiae integritatem c. Taking it in this sense the Doctrine is this viz. that Integrity and truth of heart is of special use to Doct. obtain vistory over Satan in the evil day of Temptation Whosoever would overcome the Devil must have his Loyns girded about with Truth in the inward parts He that wants this girdle may struggle for a while with a Temptation and may perhaps overcome a particular temptation but he can never hold against every temptation Sooner or later he wil be brought into bondage by the Temptations of the Devil By the help of this Girdle it was that Holy Job won and kept the field and got the day of Satan in that great Conflict and Dispute he had with him And by this Girdle it was that other of Gods assaulted servants did finally overcome In the handling of this Doctrine I shall do these three things 1. I shall briefly open the Nature of this Grace 2. I shall give you the Reasons of the Doctrine 3. I shall lay down a Caution or two for the understanding of the Doctrine 1. That we may find out what is meant by this Grace of Truth I shall bring several Texts of Scripture which do explain it First Partly by way of Opposition And Secondly Partly by Exposition or Illustration 1. By way of Opposition 1. We find it opposed to Deceitfulness and Fraudulency and False-heartedness So 2 Cor. 6. 8. As Deceivers and yet true He is a man of truth that is a man without deceit Thus our Saviour speakes of Nathanael Jo. 1. 47. Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile An Israelite in truth or a true Israelite is one in whom guile and deceitfulness is not he is one that hath not two faces he will not juggle either with God or men or himself Not as if a man of truth might not sometimes fall into an act of deceitfulness Abraham had truth in the inward parts and yet

we know once and a second time he fell into an act of gross Dissimulation once in Egypt Gen. 12. 13. and a second time at Gerar Gen. 20. 2. But a man of Truth doth not allow or approve of any such acts in himself it is not his Constitution it is not his Custome he hath his conversation in Integrity godly Simplicity as the Apostles speak of themselvs 2 Cor. 1. 12. and therefore he cannot be called a guilefull man or a false-hearted man though he may do a guileful act 2. It is opposed to Pretence Phil. 1. 18. The Apostle speaking of False-Teachers hath this expression Whether in pretence or in truth Christ is preached and therein I rejoyce and will rejoyce Pretence and Truth are there opposed one against another Now a man of Truth is such a one as is really what he pretends to be whose inwards and outward are of the same alloy and complexion when a man is Holy in Heart as well as in outward appearance The Apostle speakes of some that did glory in appearance but not in heart 2 Cor. 5. 12. Our Saviour chargeth the Scribes and Pharisees with this Ye are like unto whited Sepulchres which appear beautiful without but inwardly are full of rottenness and putrifaction Matth. 23. 27. When a man shall pretend to be a Saint and act the part of a Devil When a man like Joab shal pretend a friendly salute Art thou in health my brother and really intend to wash his hands in his blood 2 Sam. 20. 9. When a man shall pretend like Judas to kiss his Master and intend onely to betray his Master When men shall oppress and devour widows houses and for a pretence make long prayers Matth. 23. 14. Such kind of persons are utterly destitute of this Grace of Truth such a one was that wicked Ishmael the son of Nethaniah of whom you read Jer. 41. 6 7. He goes forth to meet a company of sad-hearted men and pretends to conduct them to Gedaliah the Governour but when he hath them in a snare cuts their throats and buries them in a Pit 3. It 's opposed to Word and Tongue 1 Joh. 3. 18. My beloved let us not love in Word neither in Tongue but in Deed and in Truth When the Tongue and the Lips are as different from the Heart and Actions as the Jewes and Samaritans which have no Commerce one with another this Grace of Truth is not in such persons A man of truth is one whose hands and feet act what his lips and tongue profess The Prophet speakes of some men that had an oily Lip but a bloody Heart Psal 55. 20 21. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him he hath broken his Covenant The words of his mouth were smoother then butter but warre was in his heart His words were softer then oyl yet were they drawn swords this was a very truthless man such men as these we read of Jam. 2. 15 16. They had the language of the merciful man Go in peace and be warmed and filled Here is Charity in the Tongue and Lip but they gave nothing either to feed or refresh him this was not truth of Charity so we may say of other Graces 2. By way of Exposition or Illustration and so there are many synonymous words used to explain truth of Heart viz. 1. It 's explained by perfection 2 Reg. 20. 3. I beseech thee ô Lord remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart A true hearted Christian is a perfect hearted Christian There is a two-fold Perfection The one is Legal The other is Evangelical The Legal Perfection is not to be found in any meer man since the Apostacy of Adam The Papists they dispute not onely for the possibility of the attainment of this perfection but they teach also that it is actually attained by many But that 's a meer Dream and purposely held by them to maintain their wicked Doctrine of Merit and Supererogation for the Scripture cleerly asserts the contrary and the servants of God in the highest form have utterly disavowed any such thought Job in the Old Testament Job 9. 20. If I justifie my self my mouth shall condemn me if I say I am perfect it also shal prove me perverse And Paul in the New Testament though he might have stood upon his legal righteousness as much as any other Phil. 3. 2. yet Phil. 3. 12. he disclaimes Perfection Perfection of this kind is a thing to be much wished for but it is not attainable by any 2 Cor. 13. ver 10. The Evangelical Perfection is two-fold the one of Justification And in this respect every one who truly is in Christ by saving Faith is exactly perfect Thou art all fair my Love there is no spot in thee Cant. 4. 7. Jesus Christ by one offering hath for ever perfected them that are sanctified Heb. 10. 14. The other is of Sanctification And in this respect the truly-godly are called perfect in three respects First because they are so in part there is in them a perfection of parts they are renewed throughout in every Faculty of the Soul the Understanding Will Conscience Affections c. are all sanctified truly though not throughly Secondly because they are in the progress of Perfection it 's that Mark they levell at they will not sit down without it so Paul Phil. 3. 14. I press towards the Mark for the prize of the high-calling c. this he cals Perfection v. 15. Let as many as be perfect be thus minded Thirdly because they allow in themselves none of their imperfections Their smperfections are their burthen their sorrow their shame they take no contentment or pleasure in them 2. It 's explained by uprightness of heart so ye have it 1. Reg. 3. 6. Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my Father great mercy according as he walked before thee in truth and in uprightness of heart and in righteousness Uprightness of Heart is a Heart without crookedness a Heart that doth not bend and bow this way and that way for gain for advantage sake A swarving Heart is opposed to an upright Heart Psal 125. 4 5. Do good ô Lord to those that are good c. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked wayes c. A Heart of Truth is a Heart that doth not warp to the right nor to the left hand he will not be swayed from his way for fear of men for hopes of preferment for the avoiding of outward detriment and loss He is a man that lookes right on and his eye-lids look straight before him he doth not turn to the right hand or to the left Prov. 4. 25 27 It 's a metaphor as some think taken from the Plow-man He hath his eyes not wandring this way and that way but he looks straight before him that he may make the furrow even so doth a man of truth he is fixed in his way and