Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	faith_n	heart_n	purify_v	2,568	5	11.6551	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76707	The copy of the covenant of grace With a true discovery of several false pretenders to that eternal inheritance, and of the right heir thereunto. Together with such safe instructions as will inable him to clear his title, and to make it unquestionable. Exactly evidenced by many perspicuous and unconstrained testimonies of scripture. Penned, and published upon mature deliberation, and good advise. / By Robert Bidwel, a servant, and minister of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.	Bidwell, Robert.	1657 (1657)	Wing B2886; Thomason E2117_1; ESTC R212678	175,027	429

with Philip. and wondered beholding the miracles and signes which were done Acts 8. 9 to 14. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the Apostles hands the holy Ghost was given he offered them money saying Give me also this power that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the holy Ghost Acts 8. 18 19. Now let us lay all these together He beleeved and was baptized and continued with his teacher and was so desirous of the gift of the holy Ghost that he would have bought it with his money a commodity that few will part with upon such terms and what can any man desire more Yet Peter said unto him Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter For thy heart is not right in the sight of God Acts 8. 20 21. Truely according to the outward appearance this Simon the sorcerer performed as much as might be expected and yet we see that all was to no purpose because his heart was not right in the sight of God It is like that his evil heart propounded unto him this outward profession for the only means to compasse his carnal designes And this will the rather appear by Peters insuing exhortation Repent therefore saith he of this thy wickednesse and pray to God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity Acts 8. 22 23. Truely these examples may serve for seasonable admonitions to such as make use of religion onely as a fig-leafe to cover their shame or to countenance their covetousnesse cruelties or confederacies Keep thine heart with all diligence saith Salomon for out of it are the issues of life Prov. 4. 23. Out of the heart are the issues of life or the wayes of life yea and of death too A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth for evil things saith the Son of God Mat. 12. 30. And as he knew all mens hearts so we finde that he distinguished between the Hypocrite and the true believer by the heart Ye Hypocrites saith he well did Esaias prophesie of you saying This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips but their heart is far from me Mat. 15. 7 8. To confirm and conclude this truth that the heart is the onely receptacle or place of residence for an effectual faith I pray observe That when the Eunuch made the motion to Philip of being baptized Philip said if thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest Acts 8. 36 37. Haply he remembred the Sorcerers evil heart whom he had then but lately baptized and fearing least this Eunuch might be poysoned with the like Hypocrisie and so become lyable to the like reproof he telleth him that he may be baptized provided that he believeth with all his heart And truely this is not without great reason that the heart should be principally regarded in matter of faith For first God sendeth faith into the heart to purge and purifie it as Acts 15. 9. And faith bringeth Christ into the same heart along with it According to that prayer of Paul for the Ephesians Eph. 3. 17. which seemeth likewise to be most sweetly insinuated by the believing love-sick spouse I found him whom my Soul loveth saith she I held him and would not let him go untill I had brought him into my mothers house and into the Chamber of her that conceived me Cant. 3. 4. And when the gracious Soul hath thus brought Christ to dwell in her heart by faith then she beginneth to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory according to that of St. Peter 1 Pet. 1. 8. But whereupon must this faith be built For that is the third Question I answer that it must be built upon the Rock which is Christ 1 Cor. 10. 4. Not upon Thoughts or Opinions Not upon Traditions Not upon Humane Inventions Not upon Dreams or Fancies Not upon Prophesies Not upon Prognostications Not upon Wrested Expositions Not upon Works of Righteousnesse But upon The Lord our Righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. First a justifying faith must not be built upon Thoughts or Opinions For the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are but vain 1 Cor. 3. 20. I verily thought with my self or I was directly of opinion that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus saith St. Paul Acts 26. 9. But that opinion of his made him a persecuter and not a believer Secondly not upon Traditions Beware least any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the Traditions of men and not after Christ saith the same Apostle Col. 2. 8. And our Saviour told the Scribes Pharisees that they transgressed the commandment of God by their Traditions Mat. 15. 3. Thirdly not upon humane inventions They are whores deceitfull whores as the Prophet David insinuateth Psal 106. 39. For therefore was the wrath of God kindled against his people insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance verse 40. Cursed are they that father their own adulterous conceptions upon the Spirit of God or that dare forge a Gospel according to their own inventions If we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you then that which we have preached let him be accursed saith that faithfull Apostle Gal. 1. 9. For we preach not our selves but Christ Jesus the Lord and our selves your servants for Jesus sake saith the same Apostle 2 Cor. 4. 5. Fourthly this faith must not be built upon Dreams or Fancies For in the multitude of Dreams and many w●rds there are also divers vanities saith the Preacher Eccl. 5. 7. I have saith the Lord heard what the Prophets said that prophesie lies in my name saying I have dreamed I have dreamed Jer. 23. 25. Fifthly not upon prophesies The Prophets prophesie falsly saith the Lord Jer. 5. 31. we finde that for one Elijah there were four hundred and fifty Prophets of Baal 1 Kings 18. 22. And for one Micaiah about four hundred lying Prophets 1 Kings 22. 23. Truely in comparison of the multitudes of lying Prophets there were but very few that were approved to be true faithfull even then under the shadows of the Law when prophesying was very necessary to declare the will of God and to confirm the mindes of men in the promised Messias But God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son Heb. 1. 1 2. And it may seem that Peter desired to have conference with those great Prophets Moses and Elias But behold a voice out of the Cloud which said This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him Mat. 17. 4

which words I desire you to consider First that Christ as Mediatour gave Himself a Ransome Not silver nor gold nor such corruptible trash but himself Secondly that he gave himself a Ransome for all Not onely for Peter and James and John and those that followed him in the flesh But also for Adam Abel Enoch Noah and all that through the like faith either did do or shall imbrace him in the spirit and thirdly that this was not testified or revealed so soon as it was concluded but to be testified in due time By which me thinkes it doth appear most plain that Christ as Mediatour first did give himself to God by this eternal Covenant a Ransome and Redemption for Mankinde whom God receiving in full satisfaction Gives him again To suffer for sin Isa 53. 5. To justifie the ungodly Rom. 4. 5. To fulfill the Law for every one that believeth Rom. 10. 4. To be the object of our faith Joh. 6. 29. The onely object of our faith For there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Acts 4. 12. And finally and eternally to be whatsoever is good and profitable for the children of men Behold saith God I have given him for a witnesse to the people a Leader and Commander to the people Isa 55. 4. For a witnesse to testifie unto the people that all the promises of God in him are yea and Amen According to that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 20. A Leader to lead them to the Father in the way of truth and life I am the way the truth and the life saith he no man cometh unto the father but by me John 14. 6. And a Commander to the people To work powerfully upon their hearts He taught them as one that had authority and not as the Scribes saith the Evangelist Marc. 1. 22. He said unto Simon Peter and Andrew his brother Follow me And they straightway followed him Mat. 4. 18 19 20. They immediately obey his Command without any inquisition either concerning profit or preferment Such Queries as are much insisted upon by unconfirmed resolutions He is made unto us of God wisdom and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. Are you ignorant Christ is your wisdom Are you sinfull He is your sanctification Are you inthralled or distressed or any way afflicted He is your redemption Or do you fear that you shall want any thing that may concern either your being or your well-being Why all things are yours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the World or life or death or things present or things to come all are yours And ye are Christs and Christ is Gods 1 Cor. 3. 21 22 23. If Christ once comes to own you ye shall have his Ministers to instruct and to edifie you The World shall not harm you your life shall be gain and your Death advantage Things present shall content you And things to come shall comfort you All things are yours We know saith St. Paul that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose Rom. 8. 28. According to his eternal purpose in this eternal Covenant Nor do ye doubt of this For he that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Rom. 8. 32. You may haply conceive that your losse by Adam was very great But truely you may be confident that your gain by Christ is infinitely greater For though Adam in his innocency enjoyed the riches of Gods goodnesse yet he was not then sensible of the exceeding riches of his Grace For grace and truth came by Jesus Christ John 1. 17. Secondly Whatsoever Adam then received from God he received it onely as a servant But as many as receive the Lord Jesus Christ to them he giveth power to become the sons of God John 1. 12. And thirdly Though Adam in his Innocency was a righteous person Yet being left to his own power he fell into condemnation But there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. For they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation saith another Apostle 1 Pet. 1. 5. And this our Lord himself confirmeth beyond opinion My sheep saith he hear my voice and I know them and they follow me And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand John 10. 27 28. Thus have I shown you in the explication of the third point First that the gift conveyed in this eternal Covenant was Christ the onely begotten son of God Secondly I have shown you for what manner of Son the Spirit sets him forth And thirdly How and for what purpose the Father did give and send him Namely to suffer for sin To justifie the ungodly To fulfill the Law for all believers To be the onely object of our faith And to be all good things to all good Christians To all that believe in him According to the proviso or condition expressed and required in this Covenant of Grace which by the fourth and next branch contained in this Copy appeareth to be faith That whosoever believeth in him c. God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life JN this fourth point or Member we shall consider these three particulars First What is intended by this word Believe Secondly Why God requreth faith for the proviso or condition of this Covenant And thirdly Why he requireth nothing but faith For the first we must know that this word believe implieth much more then it seemeth to expresse But in as much as it hath relation to the Word and promises of God wherein his Son is holden forth unto us It doth properly signifie faith And this faith consisteth of two parts that is to say Assent and Consent whereof the first is an Act of the understing The second an Act of the will In the first the judgement is convinced to acknowledge and professe In the second the will is disposed to imbrace and practice Neverthelesse this Assent by it self is often taken for a general faith And it hath these three degrees Opinion knowledge and assurance Opinion is when a man believeth a thing to be true according to his present apprehension and judgement Yet the same thing may be otherwise for ought that he knoweth Or when a man verily thinks the thing to be true which may afterwards appear to be contrary I verily thought with my self saith St. Paul that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth which thing I also did in Jerusalem and many of the Saints did I shut up in prison And so he proceedeth to recount in what horrible practices that erronious Opinion of his had engaged him Acts 26.