Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	believe_v	faith_n	justify_v	12,898	5	8.9851	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25421	The right government of thoughts, or, A discovery of all vain, unprofitable, idle, and wicked thoughts with directions for the getting, keeping, and governing of good thoughts, digested into chapters for the ease of the reader : whereunto are added four sermons / by ... John Angel ...	Angel, John, d. 1655.; T. B.	1659 (1659)	Wing A3162A; ESTC R13149	89,280	271

Offices as King Priest and Prophet of his Life Death and Resurrection c. Secondly We are to know our selves first as originally created in Adam invested with Gods image Eccles 7. 31. God made man righteous Secondly as by sin and disobedience we are by nature children of wrath and that the frame and thoughts of our hearts are onely evil and that continually Gen. 6. 5. Thirdly as by grace and regeneration we are renewed in holiness and righteousnesse after the image of him that created us Eph. 4. 24. Thirdly We must know the Covenant of grace and how it is distinguished from the Covenant of works by this God requires perfect obedience Cursed is he that continueth not in all things that are written in the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. But by the Covenant of grace The just shall live by faith Gal. 3. 11. in this Covenant of Grace God promiseth life if we obey as in the other Covenant but withal he gives faith and obedience that we may live he promiseth to put his fear in our hearts and that he will not depart from us and that we shall not depart from him Jerem 32. 40. and ch 31. 33. Fourthly we are to know the nature of a Sacrament That it is a visible sign of invisible graces represented thereby That it is a seal of the Covenant betwixt God and us Rom. 4. 11. for t is there called a seal of the Righteousnesse of faith so was Circumcision so is Baptisme and the Lords Supper Again we must understand the Analogie and proportion betwixt the outward sign and the inward graces signified That the Bread signifieth the Body and Blood of Christ and being set apart for holy use they also signifie the designment of Christ by God the Father unto the Office of Mediatour John 6. 26. for him hath the Father sealed the Bread broken and the Wine poured out the actual crucifying of Christ The tradition of it by the Minister unto us signifieth both the delivery of Christ to death by the Father and the reaching of him out unto us in that Ordinance and that by Bread and Wine whole Christ is represented with all his graces and benefits It is our duty further to understand the ends of the Celebration of the Sacrament both principal that it must be done in remembrance of him for the shewing forth of his death until he come Luke 22. 19. 1 Cor. 1. 23. Lesse principal that we may have sealed unto us all the benefits of his death as ours Rom. 4. 11. Whosoever is a stranger unto these things cannot be a good Communicant he is not able to discern the Lords body 1 Cor. 11. 29. Nor is his heart right without this knowledge there will be some evil unespied and lurking in the heart And when we have examined our knowledge for substance we must secondly examine the sincerity of it it is not sufficient that we know unlesse our knowledge be sanctified which must be tryed by these grounds First A sanctified knowledge humbleth the Owner it makes our spots and blemishes perspicuous to our selves the more we know the more we discern our selves to be ignorant This is clear in Paul there was not a man more rarely accomplisht with all kinde of knowledge than he there lived not upon the face of the earth a more humble soul he was in his own judgement the least of all Saints Ephe. 3. 8. the greatest of sinners 1 Tim. 1. 16 The Scribes and Pharisees on the other side knew much and were great Scholars but their knowledge was not sincere because it puffed them up 1 Cor. 8. 1. they scorned to learn any thing of others John 9. 34. Thou art said they altogether born in sin and dost thou teach us Again they slighted others that were ignorant and therefore they say This people that know not the Law are accursed It seems they were highly conceited of their own knowledge Secondly Where knowledge is sincere the mind is impartial to all truths such a person doth not hood-wink himself and will not see some truths as Peter speakes of some that were willingly ignorant of some truth 2 Pet. 3. 6. they would not see some things to be sin because they resolved to continue in them This is a deteining the truth in unrighteousnesse Rom. 1. 18. whereas a man of a sanctified knowledg is like Cornelius Act. 10. 33. ready to hear all things commanded of God though they cross his opinions or affections interrupt his pleasures or draw some inconveniency upon him Thirdly A holy and sincere knowledge may be known by the end propounded practise is the end of sincere knowledge Psal 9. 10. They that know thy name will put their trust in thee Some desire to know and onely to know and that is vanity some desire to know that they may be known to know and that is curiosity some desire knowledge to make a gain of it that 's mercenary coveteousnesse But some desire knowledge that it may be a guide to their affections a directive of their actions and that they may communicate their light to others and this is true Christianity The second Grace to be examined is our faith Faith is a resting on Gods Promises and Christs merits for salvation In a justifying faith there are four acts included The first is knowledge of the word which Christ would have his give credit unto as this Whosoever believeth on Christ shall be saved 2 An assent of the mind unto the truth which God speaks Of these somewhat hath been spoken before The 3d. act of faith whereon consists our justification is a resting of the heart upon Gods word especially his promises of salvation by Jesus Christ a clasping about them with our affections resolveing to cast all our hopes upon them And hence it is that the Scripture describes faith under such termes as imply a rolling our selves in Christ hence a soul goes out of it self and puts on the Lord Jesus Christ and desires to be found in him Philip. 3. He is willing to be naked as to the righteousnesse of the Law and to be found in the righteousnesse of Christ This is hard work for natural men for such think that for their good intentions and good meaning and their unblameable civility they shall go to Heaven though in words they professe they look to be saved only by Christ Moreover he that rests upon Christ fot justification and salvation will rest upon Christ for direction for he believes Christ is wisdom unto him and he will rest upon him for sanctification also for he believes Christ hath purchased holinesse for him and will give it him because Christ is made unto us of God both wisdom to teach us and righteousnesse to justifie us and sanctification to hallow us and redemption to save us 2 Cor. 1. 20. Finally faith rests upon Christ in all estates in adversity as well as in prosperity When we cannot discern God a loving Father by things that are seen

faith goes beyond things visible unto those things that are not seen and fetcheth evidence home to the soul Heb. 10. 1. Presumption will be confident in prosperity but faith will rely and rest upon God when God seems to kill when sense and reason can see nothing but death and hell yet faith will believe God a Father and Heaven prepared for the poor soul The 4th act of Faith is application by it we do appropriate Gods general promises unto our own souls and claim a particular right and interest in Christs blood saying with Paul Gal. 2. 20. VVho loved me and gave himself for me with Thomas My Lord and my God Joh. 20. For the trial of our right application take this one Rule A right application doth not onely bring home Gods grants and promises unto us but the conditions also that are required on our part He that will be saved must not onely believe with the heart but also confesse with the mouth Ro. 10. that without holiness no man shall see God Heb. 12. 14. The want of this was the fault of the Pharisees Mat. 3. 8 9. They laid hold on Gods Covenant made to Abraham and his seed but never observed Gods conditions imposed upon them The Baptist adviseth them not to say they had Abraham to their father but to do the workes of Abraham to perform the condition on their parts and to bring forth fruits meet for Repentance Thus must our faith be examined and there is great need so to examine our selves because 1. God enjoynes it 2 Cor. 13. Prove your selves whether that ye be in the faith 2. Because without it there is no pleasing of God Heb. 11. 6. 3. Because it is the chief instrument we are to use in the Sacrament for the applying of Christ and all his benefits It is the eye by which we see Christ the hand by which we receive him the mouth and the stomack by which we feed upon him The third Grace to be examined is Repentance a needful grace to be examined First because we come to the Lords Table to receive by seal as it were the forgivenesse of our sins and therefore 't is fit we repent of them and be sorrowful for them Prov. 28. 13. He that covereth his sin shall not prosper but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy 2. Penitents finde acceptance at Gods Table as those that are dressed and apparelled for a Feast and usually according to the measure of our humiliation do we receive the measure of consolation 3. Repentance will quicken our appetites for the Lords Table and the use of it as sower herbs did for the Passeover Now in Repentance we shall finde two parts first a mournful recantation of our former errours secondly a chearful reformation of our future lives It beginneth in sorrow it ends in joy The first part is set down Joel 2. 9. A turning unto the Lord with weeping and mourning The second part Mat. 3. 8. Bring forth fruits meet for repentance Humiliation without Reformation is a foundation without a building Reformation without Humiliation is a building without a foundation And where sorrow for sin is sincere it hath these 4. properties it is 1. Godly for the nature 2. Hearty for the measure 3. Constant for the continuance 4. Quickening for the effect Concerning the first there is a godly and a worldly sorrow as the Apostle distinguisheth 2 Cor. 7. 10. It is termed godly sorrow because respect unto God causeth it When grief in us doth spring from this that we have offended a God that is most holy in himself as a God that hath been so many wayes good and gratious unto us Whereas worldly sorrow is occasioned by some worldly respect of shame or fear of danger Secondly It must be hearty for the measure the heart must be rent Joel 2. the spirit must be broken Psal 51. 17. We must lament for our sins as a man mourns for the losse of his own child Zech. 12. 10 11. a slight and superficial grief will not serve the turn Thirdly It must be constant for continuance not for a time but renewed every morning and evening Davids sins were ever before him Psal 51. 3. yea if it were possible we should so grieve for sins past that we should never sin hereafter but spend our lives in sorrow and contrition for sins already done Fourthly It must be such a sorrow as quickeneth to holy duties as prayer hearing of the word and the like Worldly sorrow makes us lumpish but spiritual and godly sorrow suppleth the heart and makes it nimble to run the wayes of Gods Commandment 2 Cor. 7. 11. Behold this same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what vehement desire yea what zeal yea what revenge Mark here are seven gratious effects of sincere Repentance Further we may try our Repentance by those ordinary steps or staires of Repentance by which Gods children ascend to this grace 1. The searching and trying our wayes Lam. 3. 40. 2. Sight of sin after searching Psal 51. 3. I know mine iniquities 3. Feeling of the burden of them after sight this is to be weary and heavy laden Mat. 11. 28. 4. Humbly confessing of them with grief of heart and shame of face Dan. 9. 4 5 6 7. 5. Hateing and detesting them resolving never to commit them any more so Hosea 4. What have I any more to do with idols Lastly Power and conquest over them for the time to come Psal 18. 23. I kept my self from mine iniquity The fourth Grace to be examined is Charity The necessity of our examination of this Grace appeareth 1. Because God will not have us offer the Sacrifice of Piety upon his Altar until Reconciliation be made with our brother Mat 5. 23. 2. We are forbidden to keep this Feast with the leaven of malitiousness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth 1 Cor. 5. 8. Now for the right examination of our Charity First It must be especially affectionate to the soul of our brother My hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved Rom. 10. 1. Be we never so rich in almes-deeds courteous and inoffensive in our outward carriage yet never truly charitable to men till we affect and seek their spiritual good Secondly True charity is to the outward man as well as to the inward It joyneth beneficence to benevolence it doth not onely wish well but do well 't is bountiful externally as well as inwardly affectionate Jam. 2. 15 16. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them depart in peace be ye warmed and filled notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body What doth it profit Thirdly True love is affirmative as well as negative that is to say doing good as well as